Samuel Siegel (born 1875, Des Moines, Iowa — died January 14, 1948, Los Angeles, California) was an American mandolin virtuoso and composer who played mandolin on 29 records for Victor Records, including 9 pieces of his own composition and two that he arranged.[1][2][3][4][5] Siegel was the first mandolinist to record on Emile Berliner's phonograph disk-records.[4] He was labeled "America's Greatest Mandoline Virtuoso" and "The King of the Mandolin" in the May 1900 Banjo World.[4]

Siegel performed both in vaudeville, as well as in concert halls.[4] He had no formal training in music, but saw that the mandolin needed original music, rather than relying on the transcribed violin music.[4] His compositions and arrangements were well known in his day.[4]

He was the author of Siegel's Special Mandolin Studies, published by Joseph W. Stern & Co., 1901, in which he covered left-hand Pizzicato and harmonic duo style.[6][7]

Recording partners

Siegel recorded with Roy Butin in 1908 on four Victor records, the tunes: Southern Fantasy, Estellita Waltz, American Valor March, and In Fairyland.[8]

Samuel Siegel and Roy Butin play Gavotte

A 1909 Edison Amberol recording of Samuel Siegel on mandolin and Roy Butin on guitar

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He recorded Edison Diamond Disk record Ragtime Echoes in 1918 with Marie Caveny, with her on ukulele, and also Dance, Mouse Dance, and Medley.[9][10] Marie and her husband James Frank Caveny lived with Siegel as lodgers in Chicago during the 1910 United States Census.[11] They were performers or lecturers in the Lyceum movement.[12] James Franklin was a cartoonist and Marie sang soprano in their performance.[12]

Samuel Siegel and Marie Caveny play Ragtime Echoes, one of Siegel's compositions, recorded on an Edison Diamond Disk record

A 1918 recording with Samuel Siegel on mandolin and Marie Caveny on ukulele

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Victor recordings

Recorded for Victor records between October 20, 1900 and December 28, 1918.[1]

• The foxhunters two-step
• Espagnole waltz
• Hawthorne club
• Remembrance of thee
• Medley of coon songs
• Ma lady Lou
• Volunteer patrol
• American valor march
• La bonita waltz
• Romance
• In olden times
• Nearer my God to thee
• Manzanillo
• An autumn evening
• A-sa-ma
• Maritana mazurka
• Navajo medley
• La cinquantaine
• Träumerei
• Intermezzo
• The whirlwind march
• Boston Ideal march
• Estellita waltz
• American valor march
• In Fairyland
• Medley, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Dance, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Ragtime echoes, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Mouse dance, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Columbia Records

He made records for Columbia Records.[13]

• La bonita waltz (1901), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Zenda waltz (1901), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Hawthorne Club (c 1904-1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Ivanhoe Intermezzo with Geo. Stehl & Hans Von Wegern
• Mazurka Brillante

Edison recordings

He recorded for Edison Records on their Blue Amberol, Gold Moulded, and Diamond Disk albums.[10][13]

Gold Molded

• Home, sweet home (1902), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Manzanilo (c. 1902), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• The story teller waltz (1903), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• My Old Kentucky Home (1903), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Just One Girl (1904), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)[14](Music written by Lynn Udall, 1898)
• An autumn evening (1905), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and M. Loyd Wolf (guitar)
• Evening on the plaza (1905), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)

Blue Amberol

• Castilian Echoes (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and William Smith (guitar)
• Waltz (1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Gavotte (1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Waltz (1913), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Kuu ipo i ka hee pue one medley (1919), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Diamond

• Ragtime Echoes (1918), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Indestructible Records

He made records marketed by the Indestructible Record Company.[13]

• Estellita waltz (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy Butin (guitar)
• Southern fantasie (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy Butin (guitar)

See also

• List of mandolinists (sorted)

References

External links

• Works by Samuel Siegel at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Samuel Siegel at Internet Archive
• Samuel Siegel recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
• Library of Congress record listing digitized recordings in their collection by Siegel
• Library of Congress record and online stream of Navajo Medley, arranged and played by Siegel
• Library of Congress record for a recording Siegel made of his arrangement of Nearer My God to Thee
• Mandolin Cafe thread with pictures of a program of music in which Siegel played
• Cylinder preservation and Digitization Project, University of California, has digitized Siegel public-domain recordings and made available to download.
• Advertisement for Siegel's mandolin method
• Mandotopia page, has links to public domain book of mandolin music, arranged by Siegel
• A recital program cover for Samuel Siegel
• Website for a mandolin teacher which contains one page of Siegel's method book
• Endorsement by Samuel Siegel of Regal mandolins. also details of one of his transcontinental tours
• Advertisement for Siegel's music school, the Siegel–Myers School of Music (then also named University Extension Conservatory)