Lyrichord Discs is a record label specializing in world music and classical music. In 2015, Multicultural Media acquired the catalog of Lyrichord.

History

The label was founded in 1950 by Peter Fritsch, an Austrian immigrant who moved to America in the 1930s. In the 1940s, he worked as an executive at Musicraft Records before founding Lyrichord. Money for the new label came from his wife, Theresa, after she won a contest to write an advertising jingle. Eventually Fritsch turned the label over to his son, Nick, who ran it with his wife, Lesley Doyel. Lyrichord concentrated on

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

, world music, and

field recordings Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibrat ...

. According to the obituary of Fritsch in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', the label "became one of the first to publish the field-work recordings of anthropologists and

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

s. Lyrichord's world music catalog features Ituri rainforest recordings by

Colin Turnbull Colin Macmillan Turnbull (November 23, 1924 – July 28, 1994) was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books '' The Forest People'' (on the Mbuti Pygmies of Zaire) and '' The Mountain People'' (on the ...

." The label's catalog also includes Jerry Willard,

Julianne Baird Julianne Baird (born December 10, 1952) is an American soprano best known for her singing in Baroque works, in both opera and sacred music. She has nearly 100 recordings to her credit and is a well-traveled recitalist and soloist with major sym ...

Elaine Comparone Elaine Comparone is an American harpsichordist. Born in 1943, in Lawrence Massachusetts, she is known for playing in a standing position before a specially adapted Dowd instrument. Background Born into a family of musicians in Lawrence, Massac ...

Elizabeth Futral Susan Elizabeth Futral (born September 27, 1963 in Johnston County, North Carolina) is an American coloratura soprano who has won acclaim (as both singer and actress) throughout the United States as well as in Europe, South America, and Japan. ...

, Liz Knowles,

Louis Moyse Louis Moyse (pron. ''moh-EEZ''; 14 August 1912 – 30 July 2007) was a French flute player and composer. He was the son of influential French flutist Marcel Moyse, a co-founder of the Vermont Marlboro Music Festival, and taught many world-class f ...

, Ama Deus Ensemble, Humbert Lucarelli,

Ernő Balogh Ernő Balogh (4 April 1897, Budapest – died 2 June 1989, Mitchellville, Maryland) was a United States-based Hungarian-born pianist, composer, editor, and teacher. Biography Balogh attended the Budapest Conservatory from 1905 to 1917. His teac ...

and G. S. Sachdev. Early classical music has been another of its specialties: "with this recording, Lyrichord Discs continues its outstanding service to early music fanciers."Birnbaum, George "Russell Oberlin". ''Journal of Singing - The Official Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing'' 53. 4 (Mar 1997): 21-26. Lyrichord recorded the first album by folk singer

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Mac ...

, entitled ''Skiffle in Stereo'' (1957)

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control American independent record labels