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. Siegel was the first mandolinist to record on Emile Berliner's phonograph disk-records. He was labeled "America's Greatest Mandoline Virtuoso" and "The King of the Mandolin" in the May 1900 Banjo World.
Siegel performed both in vaudeville, as well as in concert halls. He had no formal training in music, but saw that the mandolin needed original music, rather than relying on the transcribed violin music. His compositions and arrangements were well known in his day.
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.
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.
He recorded Edison Diamond Disk record Ragtime Echoes in 1918 with Marie Caveny, with her on ukulele, and also Dance, Mouse Dance, and Medley.Victor Records, Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings, Miss M. Caveny (instrumentalist: ukulele)National Park Service, Thomas Edison National Historic Park, New Jersey, Popular Instrumental, Ragtime Marie and her husband James Frank Caveny lived with Siegel as lodgers in Chicago during the 1910 United States Census.United States Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Chicago Ward 25, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_268; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 1057; FHL microfilm: 1374281 They were performers or lecturers in the Lyceum movement.The Lyceumite Art and Talent, Their Art Appeals to Eye and Ear, Why J. Franklin Caveny Has Been Thirteen Years on the Platform and How Mrs. Caveny Completes the Pictures. A Glimpse of Two Artists in the Art of "Making Good" James Franklin was a cartoonist and Marie sang soprano in their performance.
Victor recordings
Recorded for Victor records between October 20, 1900 and December 28, 1918. 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. 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.Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project, Department of Special Collections, Donald C. Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara
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)YouTube video of Just One Girl by Samuel Siegel, showing the recording case and label(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) How Can I Leave Thee In Possession of Edison Gold Moulded Record # 8968 (#8968) - His name is announced as mandolinist., 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. 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
Recordings listing of digitized recordings by Siegel at Library of Congress record and online stream of Navajo Medley, arranged and played by Siegel at Library of Congress Samuel Siegel recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. Siegel public-domain downloadable digitized recordings at Cylinder Audio Archive, University of California, Santa Barbara
Textual Works Whitney Warner Collection of Mandolin and Guitar Music Arranged by Samuel Siegel. Detroit: Whitney-Warner Publishing Co.; at Mandotopia Fred S. Stone (1902) "Sue" (Sheet Music) with ad for Whitney Warner Collection of Mandolin and Guitar Music
A recital program cover for Samuel Siegel at Wisconsin Historical Society
Metadata record for a recording Siegel made of his arrangement of Nearer My God to Thee at Library of Congress
Texts pictures of a program of music in which Siegel played at Mandolin Cafe forum Advertisement for Siegel's mandolin method one page of Siegel's method book at a mandolin teacher's Website Endorsement by Samuel Siegel of Regal mandolins also details of one of his transcontinental tours Advertisement for Siegel's music school, then also named University Extension Conservatory, the Siegel–Myers School of Music