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Charles Adams Prince

Charles Adams Prince (1869 – October 10, 1937) was an American conductor, bandleader, pianist and organist known for conducting the Columbia Orchestra and, later, Prince's Band and Orchestra. He made his first recordings, as a pianist, in 1891 for the New York Phonograph Company. Later in the 1890s he worked as a musical director for Columbia Records. He also conducted the Columbia Orchestra and Columbia Band starting in 1904 as the successor of the cornetist Tom Clark.

In 1905, Prince assembled the ensembles Prince's Band, Prince's Orchestra, and the Banda Espanola. They principally recorded for Columbia's disc releases and performed much of the same music as the Columbia Band, which was given over for cylinder recording to the veteran flutist and conductor George Schweinfest. Prince's own composition, "The Barbary Rag", was recorded by the band in 1913.

Prince's Band was the first to record many compositions that became jazz standards. Their version of W. C. Handy's "Saint Louis Blues" in 1915 is the first known recording of the song. It took the band two sessions to record a successful take, which was considered unusual considering the talent of the band and its leader. Another song by Handy, "The Memphis Blues", was recorded by Prince's Band in 1914, a week after its first recording by the Victor Military Band. Other standards introduced by the band are Porter Steele's "High Society" (1911) and Lew Pollack and Ray Gilbert's "That's a Plenty" (1914). His band also played the popular instrumental "Too Much Mustard" released by Columbia and Sears's Oxford Records.

Prince recorded as a solo celeste player under the name Charles Adams. As such, his recording of "Silver Threads Among the Gold" was popular.

At Columbia, Prince also showed initiative in expanding the company's "classical" orchestral catalogue and in experimenting with the size of ensembles that acoustic recording equipment could capture. In October 1910 he conducted an abbreviated version of Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, popularly known as the Unfinished Symphony, on two sides of a 12-inch disc (released as Columbia A 5267), which was the first orchestral recording of any part of a symphony. He assembled a 90-piece orchestra to record the overture to Richard Wagner's opera Rienzi in February 1917 (released as Columbia A 6006), which was the largest ensemble commercially recorded to that date. Prince's last recording for Columbia was in 1922. He then changed labels to Puritan Records and later to Victor Records, where he worked as associate musical director.

Prince was related to the U.S. presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1869, Died October 10, 1937

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1903 - 1927

Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, director, piano, arranger, composer, celeste, lyricist, xylophone, organ

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 101-125 of 556 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-30460 10-in. 7/2/1924 I wonder what's become of Sally? Shannon Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30467 7-in. 7/8/1924 Mother Tabbyskins Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with vocal imitations and orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30468 7-in. 7/8/1924 Old Mother Hubbard Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with vocal imitations and orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30469 7-in. 7/8/1924 London Bridge Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with vocal imitations and orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30470 7-in. 7/8/1924 Oats, peas, beans Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30471 7-in. 7/8/1924 Bed in summer Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30472 7-in. 7/9/1924 The swing Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30473 7-in. 7/9/1924 My bed is like a little boat Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30474 7-in. 7/9/1924 The north wind doth blow Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30475 10-in. 7/9/1924 Sadie O'Brady Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30476 7-in. 7/10/1924 Old lullaby Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor A-30477 7-in. 7/10/1924 The sandman Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30483 10-in. 7/10/1924 I'd love you all over again Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30497 10-in. 7/14/1924 S. M. el fox trot Mariano Meléndez Male vocal solo, with orchestra instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-30503 10-in. 7/15/1924 Drifting to you Marcia Freer ; Lewis James Female-male vocal duet, with mandolin and orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30504 10-in. 7/15/1924 Honest and truly Marcia Freer Female vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30510 10-in. 7/18/1924 Scappamunninni Paolo Dones Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30511 10-in. 7/18/1924 I' biddizzi d' 'a me' zita Paolo Dones Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30512 10-in. 7/21/1924 'O sfaticato Giuseppe De Laurentiis Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30513 10-in. 7/21/1924 'A mugliera d' o' scupatore Giuseppe De Laurentiis Male vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30527 10-in. 7/23/1924 Only a rose (On the street of gold and sorrow) Sterling Trio Male vocal trio, with cello and orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30528 10-in. 7/23/1924 Mandalay Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30529 10-in. 7/23/1924 There's 'Yes! Yes!' in your eyes Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30530 10-in. 7/24/1924 Driftwood Marcia Freer ; Lewis James Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Victor B-30562 10-in. 8/11/1924 Bonny Eloise (The belle of the Mohawk vale) Shannon Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra conductor  
(Results 101-125 of 556 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Prince, Charles Adams," accessed October 9, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/111328.

Prince, Charles Adams. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 9, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/111328.

"Prince, Charles Adams." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/111328

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