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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