Historical Publication Info
History
Ditson's claim to being the USA's oldest music publisher traces its history to the firm of Ebenezer Batelle, who started selling music from his "Boston Book Store" in 1783. This concern was sold to Benjamin Guild in 1785, who added a circulating music library and issued new publications. Upon Guild's death in 1796, the enterprise was taken over by William Pelham, who was succeeded by William Blagrove in 1804. The company was later sold (1811) to Samuel H. Parker, who engaged a young apprentice in 1823, Oliver Ditson (1811-1888). Ditson left briefly (1826-1835) for work at another Boston publisher (Isaac R. Butts) but returned in the wake of a fire that destroyed Parker's premises as a partner in the reorganized firm, Parker & Ditson (1836-1842). Ditson acquired Parker's interest after his partner's death in 1842 and changed the company name to Oliver Ditson (1842-1856). When employee John C. Haynes joined the firm as partner, the company name was changed to Oliver Ditson & Co. (1857-1888). After Mr. Ditson's death, the company was re-organized as Oliver Ditson Company.
Tremendous expansion followed, fueled by the acquisition of the catalogues of more than 50 American publishers, including those of the New York firms William Hall & Son and John Firth & Son. By Ditson's death in 1888, the company was the largest enterprise of its type in the United States, with subsidiary companies established in New York (C.H. Ditson), Philadelphia (J.E. Ditson), Cincinnati (John Church) and Chicago (Lyon & Healy), with a catalog of more than 100,000 titles.
In addition to publishing music in all genres, Ditson issued an important American music periodical. Initially named Dwight's Journal of Music (1868), it was renamed The Monthly Musical Record a decade later (1879), then simply The Musical Record (1898), and finally The Musician (1901), only ceasing publication in 1919. Ditson started an ambitious series, The Music Students Library, in 1897. The most famous volumes of the series are the section devoted to piano and vocal music entitled The Musician's Library, consisting of over 100 volumes - each edited by a renowned musician - that was started in 1903. Ditson continued to operate in Boston until it was finally sold to Theodore Presser of Philadelphia in 1937.
Editions
Imprints, Addresses, Agencies
Imprints
- Boston Book Store (1783-1811)
- Samuel H. Parker (1811-1836)
- Parker & Ditson (1836-1842)
- Oliver Ditson (1842-1856)
- Oliver Ditson & Co. (1856-1888)
- The Oliver Ditson Co. (1888-1937)
Addresses
Partial List
Boston offices:
- 115 Washington Street, Boston, MA (in 1847, 1848. Specific address often not listed on earlier Ditson scores)
- 277 Washington Street (as early as 1858, as late as 1872 if not later)
- 449 and 451 Washington Street (by 1876)
C.H. Ditson, New York:
- 711 Broadway (in 1876)
- 843 Broadway (in 1878)
- 867 Broadway (in 1883)
Plate Numbers
Regular Issues
| Plate |
Composer |
Work |
Year
|
| 1428 |
Barrus |
Montezuma |
1847
|
| 1560 |
Turner |
Castellan Polka |
1848
|
| 1667 |
Hatton |
The Oysterman |
1849
|
| 2079 |
Webster |
The Orphan's Lament |
1855
|
| 2201 |
Sullivan |
Judy McLeary |
1851
|
| 2631 |
Strakosch |
Musical Rockets |
1853
|
| 7312 |
Turner |
Adalette-Waltz |
1854
|
| 7992, 8081, 8403 |
Satter |
6 Morceaux de Concert (nos. 4, 3, 1) |
1856
|
| 8589 |
Wels |
Marche des Amazons, Op.38 |
1856
|
| 14413 |
Ryder |
Trip Waltz |
1857
|
| 14434 |
Browne |
Strains of Many Lands (no.1) |
1857
|
| 14645 |
Shaw |
Les bords du Sauquoit |
1857
|
| 21468 |
Grobe |
The Battle of Roanoke Island, Op.1395 |
1862
|
| 22491 |
Gottschalk |
Orfa, Op.71 |
1864
|
| 22692 |
Ryder |
God Bless the 'Old Sixth Corps' |
1865
|
| 24614 |
Wilson |
Au revoir, Op.6 (2nd edition?) |
1868
|
| 26030 |
Wels |
Variations on Die Wacht am Rhein, Op.88 |
1870
|
| 26053 |
Wels |
Thoughts of Home, Op.88a |
1870
|
| 26183 |
Wels |
Blissful Moments, Op.89 |
1871
|
| 26312 |
Wels |
Road to Luck, Op.91 |
1872
|
| 27036 |
Faust |
Zug um Zug, Op.196 (piano arr.) |
1872
|
| 27104 |
Pratt |
Mazurka-Caprice, Op.14 |
1872
|
| 27374 |
Wels |
Mocking Bird Galop, Op.92 |
1872
|
| 28007 |
Gottschalk |
Rayons d'Azur, Op.77 |
1873
|
| 28384 |
Gottschalk |
Célèbre Tarantelle (pf solo arr, Espadero) |
1874
|
| 28494 |
Aronson |
Mazurka Melodique, Op.16 |
1874
|
| 28832 |
Reeves |
Captain Folsom's March (pf solo arr.) |
1875
|
| 28880 |
Alary |
Colinette (translated by Elson) |
1875
|
| 29102 |
Perabo |
3 Studies, Op.9 (no.1) |
1875
|
| 29901-25 |
Beethoven |
Piano Sonatas |
1876
|
| 45391 |
Thayer |
Concert variations on the choral 'Nuremburg' |
1876
|
| 45400 |
Hesse |
Fantasia in D minor, Op.87 (Thayer ed.) |
1876
|
| 45422 |
Elson |
Echoes of the Surf |
1876
|
| 45588 |
Wilson |
The Shepherd Boy, Op.14 (arr. vn, pf by Winner) |
1877
|
| 45608 |
Crane |
3 Pensées poétiques, Op.10 (no.1) |
1877
|
| 45609 |
Crane |
3 Pensées poétiques, Op.10 (no.3) |
1877
|
| 45633 |
Crane |
3 Pensées poétiques, Op.10 (no.2) |
1877
|
| 46060 |
Sherwood |
Tarantelle No.2 |
1877
|
| 46340 |
Jensen |
7 Gesänge aus dem spanischen Liederbuche, Op.4 (trans. Willcox) |
1878
|
| 46549 |
Phelps |
Vesper Chimes |
1878
|
| 46705 |
Wels |
Rapid Transit, Op.105 |
1878
|
| 46715 |
Sudds |
Tone Pictures, Op.47 (No.1) |
1878
|
| 46752 |
Bizet |
Carmen (piano arr., extracts) |
1878
|
| 46760 |
Sudds |
Tone Pictures, Op.47 (No.2) |
1878
|
| 47116 |
Foerster |
2 Compositions, Op.11 (No.2) |
1879
|
| 47388 |
Sudds |
Tone Pictures, Op.47 (No.6) |
1879
|
| 47403 |
Kleber |
Al mio cardellino |
1880
|
| 47626 |
Lindblad |
Swedish Songs (Auf dem Berge, trans. by Cragin) |
1880
|
| 47663 |
Crane |
After the Ball |
1880
|
| 47716 |
Johnston |
Memento, Op.38 |
1880
|
| 48190 |
Henselt |
Das ferne Land, Op.26 (Leavitt arr. for organ) |
1881
|
| 48267 |
Chadwick |
3 Songs (No.1) |
1881
|
| 48278, 48279 |
Chadwick |
3 Songs (Nos. 2 and 3) |
1881
|
| 48440 |
Pratt |
Meditation Religieuse, Op.42 |
1881
|
| 48858 |
Clementi |
Gradus ad Parnassum (Tausig selection and edition) |
1882
|
| 48974 |
Grieg |
4 Songs, Op.15 (no.4, English translation by Gray) |
1882
|
| 49004 |
Rheinberger |
3 Charakterstücke, Op.7 (no. 2) |
1882
|
| 49030 |
Audran |
Les Noces d'Olivette (arr. LeBaron) |
1882
|
| 49071 |
La Hache |
Near the Banks of That Lone River |
1882
|
| 49197 |
Danks |
Behold Now, Praise the Lord |
1882
|
| 49412 |
Wels |
Love, Op.109 |
1883
|
| 49420 |
Wallace |
4 Songs (no.1) |
1882
|
| 49423 |
Wallace |
4 Songs (no.3) |
1882
|
| 49425 |
Wallace |
4 Songs (no.2) |
1882
|
| 49426 |
Wallace |
4 Songs (no.4) |
1882
|
| 49478 |
Beach |
The Rainy Day |
1883
|
| 49769 |
Dupont |
Tocatelle, Op.26 (Keach ed.) |
1883
|
| 49928 |
Wels |
Assembling March, Op.110 |
1883
|
| 50022 |
Nevin |
When All the World Is Young, Lad (for medium voice in A major) |
1883
|
| 50023 |
Nevin |
I Once Had a Sweet Little Doll, Dears (for high voice in A flat major) |
1883
|
| 50142 |
Grell |
Lorbeer und Rose, Op.6 (trans. Eng. by Underwood) |
1883
|
| 50157 |
Kowalski |
Roses de bohême, Op.14 (arr. Wels) |
1884
|
| 50175 |
Barbieri |
El Hombre es Débil (pf arr. of habanera from the zarzuela) |
1884
|
| 50625 |
Jonas |
Nocturne, Op.50 |
1884
|
| 50965 |
Godard |
Mazurka No.3, Op.74 (Keach ed.) |
1885
|
| 51292 |
Adams |
Alpine Suite in A major, Op.37 |
1885
|
| 51300-01 |
Grieg |
4 Songs, Op.2 |
1885
|
| 51416 |
Hitz |
Pastorale, Op.174 (arr.vn, pf.) |
1885
|
| 52678 |
Hofmann |
Mazurka No.1 |
1887
|
| 56672-6 |
Lack |
Impromptu-Mazurk, Op.120 |
1893
|
| 64768 |
Sitt |
100 Violin Etudes, Op.32 (Book 3 ed. Gruenberg) |
1904
|
| 72591 |
Hosmer |
Columbus |
1918
|
| 73147 |
Chabrier |
Habanera |
1919
|
| 73305-73306 |
Chadwick |
3 Nautical Songs, F.265 (Nos.1 and 2) |
1920
|
| 73474 |
Chadwick |
3 Nautical Songs, F.265 (No.3) |
1920
|
| 75318 |
Beach |
Tyrolean Valse-Fantaisie, Op.116 |
1926
|
| 75764-41 |
Brahms-Goetschius |
Symphony Number Two (Analytic Symphony Series No. 6) |
1927
|
| 76147 |
Cadman |
Romance in G flat major |
1928
|
| |
Brahms-Goetschius |
Symphony Number One (Analytic Symphony Series No. 20) |
1929
|
| 77746-4 |
Page, N. Clifford |
The Ditson Album of Clarinet Solos |
1935
|
| 77903-40 |
Brahms-Goetschius |
Symphony Number Three (Analytic Symphony Series No. 33) |
1938
|
Musicians' Library Series
| Plate |
Composer |
Work |
Year
|
| ML-716-3 |
Nevin |
A Bed-Time Song (for low voice in E flat major) |
1899
|
| ML-817-2 |
Schumann |
Romance, Op.28, No. 2 |
1905
|
| ML-865 |
Coleridge-Taylor |
24 Negro Melodies, Op.59 |
1905
|
| ML-1471-7 |
Mozart |
Chide, Oh, Chide Me (Batti Batti) |
1907
|
| ML-1670-49 |
Grieg |
Piano Concerto, Op.16 |
1908
|
| ML-1887-41 |
Brahms |
Piano Sonata No.3, Op.5 |
1910
|
| ML-2224 |
Muffat |
Minuet in B-flat major (Moszkowski ed.) |
1914
|
| ML-2228-14 |
Bach |
Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 (Moszkowski ed.) |
1914
|
| ML-2498-6 |
Henselt |
Spring Song, Op.15 |
1914
|
| ML-2504-7 |
Jensen |
Idylls, Op.43 |
1914
|
| ML-2507-10 |
Scharwenka |
2 Piano Pieces, Op.22 |
1914
|
| ML-3019 |
Franck |
Premier Grand Caprice |
1922
|
Catalogs
