Don,
 
Creighton says, "Few recordings [i.e. copies] were made, and one each were
given to Heifetz, Zimbalist, Elman, Eddy Brown, Rabinof, F. Steinway and a
few pianist friends." That's as much info as I have.
 
Now a question for you: I have a copy of what appears to be a 12" lacquer
disc with both recordings on the two sides (presumably dubs, as they're both
12" matrices). It has the original labels, or a facsimile thereof, with
inscription. Any idea of the provenance of this?

Thanks to anyone who can shed light on this.
 
Rich Kaplan
 
 
In a message dated 2/3/2012 3:28:24 P.M. Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

I wonder whether any ARSC member can give me information about one or two
 
aspects of these discs or direct me to a place where I can find that
information. I hope so.

To begin with, they're well-known. As well as very scarce. Auer made
them for Victor in preparation for his 75th birthday celebratory dinner in
New
York City in 1920. They were pressed by Victor as one 10" and one 12"
single-sided discs, with custom black-and-white labels containing a photo
of
Auer and reproduction of his hand-written dedication of them "to my
musical
children," plus the musical titles in Victor's standard typography.

I got copies of them from a Chicago-area violinist and teacher named
Ruth Ray. Miss Ray died within the past decade, aged at least 100. She'd
studied with Auer in Leipzig in 1913 (together with the equally young
Heifetz).
She told me that the records were distributed at Auer's 75th birthday
dinner. She also said that only Auer's favorites among his pupils received
 
copies of both records: everyone else got only one. She got both.

So, my question: does anyone know how the Auer records were distributed
to his pupils and colleagues at the 1920 celebration? If, indeed, he gave
 
both to only a limited number of people? Is there a way or place to find
out? And finally, is there a way to learn how many copies of the two
matrices
Victor pressed? And is it correct, as I've read, that the matrices of the
Auer records were subsequently destroyed?

Thanks to everyone.

Don Tait