Folio Archives 212: Dr. Haydn & Mr. Salomon 2 x 12" LP Box Set by the Salomon Quartet 1983

Dr. Haydn & Mr. Salomon by the Salomon Quartet of the Academy of Ancient Music 2 x 12" LP Box Set 1983

From 1959 to 1983, the Folio Society distributed and/or produced an eclectic variety of products including prints of famous paintings, classic music records and even dismembered old books to sell the pages individually in cardboard mounts. This is an example of Folio Society Records.

The two twelve inch LP records and a four page black and white leaflet are housed in a black card folder with sepia pictures of Haydn and Salomon on the front and a track list on the back. The records are in paper sleeves with a wax paper central insert to show the record label. The folder is 31.9cm. square.

The tracks on the records are :-
A1 String Quartet in D Major Op.64 No.5 (“Lark”)
A2 Symphony No.100 in G Major (“Military”)
B1 String Quartet in F Minor Op.55 No.2 (“Razor”)
B2 Symphony No.104 in D Major (“London”)

In total, The Folio Society Records produced seven albums :-
- Music at Court - Christopher Hogwood (Two 12in. LP records, 1977)
- Music From the ArmadaYears - Academy of Ancient Music (Two 12in. LP records, 1978 £7.95)
- Haydn’s Music for England (Two 12in. LP records & book Haydn’s Visits to England, 1980)
- Venice Preserved (LP record, 1980)
- The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (LP record, 1981)
- Musique Chambre du Roy (LP record, 1982)
- Dr Haydn and Mr Salomon (Two 12in. LP records, 4 page leaflet in card folder 1983)

The FS has long moved on from these curiosities.





















An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.

Curious that FS would pursue LP recordings.

wcarter, any comment on either the recordings, or the quality of the LP pressing itself? So different from printing & binding crafts, interested to know whether you believe FS standards were upheld in this foray.

I'm also interested to know if there's any information on how FS selected these particular pieces of music to release.

>2 elenchus:
FS had its own line of LPs back in the 50s, and eventually sold it off, IIRC to an Australian company. There was a discussion of the 1970s effort on this board a few years ago.

I have three of these sets. The Music at Court record set came along with that year's free book for members (Music at Court) written by the late Christopher Hogwood of the Academy of Ancient Music. The records are of a fine quality.

Oh, it's for real? An excellent April fools prank otherwise.
A few curiosities coming up on the archive series today - someone's on a festive mood :)

This is from Sue Bradbury's essay, "A Brief History", in Folio 50:

"To be sure, the Society's main purpose is to publish books, but it has always recognised that there are other dimensions to a civilised life"..."The publication of Christopher Hogwood's Music at Court in 1977 was accompanied by a set of two specially-produced records, and this led to the establishment of a lively early music society which ceased only when the music that remained to be recorded seemed esoteric even by Folio standards and the CD menace to vinyl became serious."

Somewhere I've got a CD from the 1990s that must contain music originally put out by the Folio Society. I'm sure the CD is on the L'Oiseau-Lyre label, but it also has the Folio colophon on the back.

>7 housefulofpaper:
I found it, and I see now that it's disc one of the "Music from the Armada Years" LP set (which I got from Ardis Books a few years back).

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