Issler's Orchestra
| Company type | Recording ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, Recording |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Headquarters | Orange , United States |
| Products | Music recordings on wax cylinders |
Issler's Orchestra represents one of the earliest recording ensembles and is potentially recognized as the first widely popular band, established in the autumn of 1889 at the Edison Laboratory. This group was dedicated exclusively to producing recordings and typically consisted of four to five musicians, a configuration later identified as a "parlor orchestra." Initial recording sessions commonly featured Edward Issler on piano, George Schweinfest playing flute, and D.B. Dana on cornet, with clarinetist William Tuson and xylophonist Charles P. Lowe becoming integral members by the early 1890s.
Their repertoire encompassed various styles, including dance tunes like quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas; selections from opera and musical theater; popular songs; narrative descriptive pieces; chamber music; and marches. Following the Edison Laboratory's discontinuation of its recording activities in January 1890, Issler's Orchestra went on to record for several companies such as the New Jersey Phonograph Company, United States Phonograph Company, Columbia Phonograph Company, and Chicago Talking Machine Company. The ensemble's prominence diminished with the growing popularity of marching bands, leading to the cessation of their recordings around 1899. Nonetheless, Schweinfest and Lowe continued their individual recording careers well into the era of disc records.
Members
Principal members were:
- Edward Issler (1855–1922), piano
- David B. Dana (1855–1914), cornet
- George Schweinfest (1862–1949), flute and piccolo
- A. T. Van Winkle (1846–1915), violin
- William Tuson (1846–1915), clarinet
- Charles P. Lowe (1846–1915), xylophone
Notable recordings
Issler's Orchestra's recordings were made on delicate hollow cylinders composed of a waxy mixture, often brown in color, which led to the term "brown wax cylinders." These cylinders measured approximately 4¼ inches in length and 2¼ inches in diameter. Due to their fragile nature, only a small number from the 1890s remain in good condition today, resulting in reduced sound quality and increased surface noise compared to their original playback.
- One of their earliest Edison recordings is untitled but opens with the statement: "Played at the Edison Phonograph Works, Orange, New Jersey, by the Issler Parlor Orchestra."
- In March 1889, they recorded the Fifth Regiment March for Edison; this track was among the first 50 selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.
- The Nanon Waltz, composed by Richard Genee, was recorded by them in 1891.
- Around 1894–1895, they produced a recording of the Electric Light Quadrille that includes an announcement advertising a complimentary concert at Keystone Hall featuring electric lighting for the venue’s inaugural use.
- Their 1895 recording possibly represents one of the earliest versions of Dixie.
- In 1898, they recorded March of the Marines.