In setting out the information concerning any disc, each recorded side is treated as a distinct entity, and its particular details are listed in a sequence of seven parts, used consistently for all recordings in the discography. Here is an example:
1: is the entry number, which identifies the side. The original Discography began at 0001 and continued to 3226, except for some late additions which used pre-existing numbers suffixed with a letter. The original numbers have been retained in this revision but the suffixes for the late additions have been done away with and the relevant entries will be renumbered starting from 3227. Recordings discovered since 1986 will be numbered in a new series beginning at 4000. The HMV and Decca complete G&S sets issued between 1918 and 1950, and the HMV and Columbia abridged sets issued from 1930-33, will be numbered in a sequence beginning at 5000.
2: is a three-letter abbreviation for the manufacturer’s trade name which appears on the record label – in this example, Columbia. Sometimes the record label is redesigned to an extent which makes the original three-letter abbreviation appear inaccurate. The most obvious example of this is the HMV dynasty, which provides far more entries to this discography than any other company. The name His Master’s Voice was not used until August 1910, though records issued before this date did bear labels with a picture of a dog listening to a gramophone. The prefix for these records is DOG. But before 1909 the labels were devoid even of the dog. They were black and carried an image of the recording angel. The title of the company was given as The Gramophone Co. Ltd., and Sister Companies, and the prefix for these pre-dog records is PRE. Before January 1908 the black label with the recording angel gave the name of the company as The Gramophone and Typewriter Ltd. and Sister Companies. The prefix for this label is BGT. A full list of label abbreviations is below.
3: is the manufacturer’s catalogue number, and the one which the dealer would use to order stock.
4: is the manufacturer’s matrix number, assigned at the time of recording, and unique to this particular performance. In the great majority of cases it is the only certain means of identifying the recording should it be reissued under another label and/or with the artists renamed.
5: details of the performing artists and, often, the playing speed of the record, thus: Sp. 80. Where they could be determined, the dates of recording (R), publication (P), and deletion from the catalogue (D), have been added in brackets. In the case of Pathé recordings, sometimes the same recording was issued in a variety of disc sizes and playing at various speeds. This stems from a peculiarity of the Pathé manufacturing process in which the master is a cylinder rather than the conventional disc. Performances are derived from the cylinder by means of a pantographic device which allows them to be transcribed into disc form of any diameter and turning at any chosen speed. The following abbreviations are used:
| B: | Band | Orch: | Orchestra |
| Bs: | Bass | Org: | Organ |
| Capt: | Captain | Pf: | Pianoforte |
| Chor: | Chorus | Sgt: | Sergeant |
| Col: | Colonel | Sop: | Soprano |
| c.: | conducted by | SOP: | Sullivan Operatic Party |
| Ctr: | Contralto | Ten: | Tenor |
| GB: | Guards Band | Tpt: | Trumpet |
| Lt: | Lieutenant | Vn: | Violin |
| Maj: | Major | w.: | with |
| MB: | Military Band | ZOP | Zonophone Operatic Party |
6: diameter of the record in inches. Two dots thus . . under the record size indicate the second side of the same record.
7: the contents of the reverse side of the record. SS denotes a single-sided record; XX a double-sided record where the item on the reverse is not by Sullivan. A four-digit number indicates the discography entry number for a performance of music by Sullivan on the reverse.
No attempt has been made to distinguish between acoustic recordings and those made by the electric process, though recordings made after 1925 will normally be electric. It has sometimes proved difficult to tell the matrix number from the catalogue and other manufacturer’s numbers; where no matrix number is present we have indicated the fact with the words NO MAT in column 4. Where information is lacking we have left a blank.
Many of the records listed here were also issued in the United States, in countries of what was then the British Empire, and in countries of mainland Europe, sometimes on different labels and/or with different local catalogue numbers. This information is included where available. 78 era recordings were made of music from the following operas by Sullivan:
| Cox and Box | Ruddigore |
| Trial by Jury | The Yeomen of the Guard |
| The Sorcerer | The Gondoliers |
| H.M.S. Pinafore | Ivanhoe |
| The Pirates of Penzance | Haddon Hall |
| Patience | Utopia, Limited |
| Iolanthe | The Chieftain |
| Princess Ida | The Rose of Persia |
| The Mikado | The Emerald Isle |
Each of these has its own separate chapter/page heading. In addition, chapters are devoted to
Orchestral works Part songs
Choral works Hymns and anthems
Songs Miscellaneous (fantasias/selections/dance arrangements using music from more than one work)
RECORD LABEL ABBREVIATIONS
| ACO | Aco | LUD | Ludgate |
| ACT | Actuelle | MAF | Mead & Fields
Christmas Crackers |
| ALB | Albion | MAR | Marathon |
| ARG | Ariel Grand | MAY | Mayfair |
| ARI | Ariel | MED | Melody |
| BEC | Bel Canto | MEL | Melograph |
| BEX | Beka | MEN | Medallion |
| BEL | Beltona | MIL | Millophone |
| BER | Berliner | MTO | Meloto |
| BGT | Gramophone & Typewriter (Black Label) | MUS | Musogram |
| BRO | Broadcast | NEO | Neophone |
| BRU | Brunswick | OCT | Octacross |
| CAM | Cameo | ODE | Odeon |
| CCC | Curry’s Cycle Company | OLY | Olympic |
| CIN | Cinch | OPD | Opera Disc |
| COA | American Columbia | OPE | Operaphone |
| COL | Columbia | ORI | Oriole |
| CBS | Columbia Black & Silver label | PAN | Panachord |
| COR | Columbia-Rena | PAR | Parlophone |
| COT | Coronet | PAT | Pathé |
| COS | Coliseum | PEL | Pelican |
| CRO | Crown | PUB | Phoebus |
| CRY | Crystalate | PHX | Phoenix |
| DAC | Dacapo | PHO | Phono |
| DEC | Decca | PIC | Piccadilly |
| DIA | Diamond(Pathé) | PIL | Pilot |
| DIP | Diploma | PIO | Pioneer |
| DOG | Pre-HMV | POL | Polydor |
| DOM | Dominion | PON | Polyphon |
| DUO | Duophone | POP | Popular |
| EBO | Ebonoid | PRE | Pre(HMV)Dog |
| ECL | Eclipse | qua | Qualiton |
| EDB | Edison Bell | RED | Redemption |
| EDD | Edison Diamond Disc | REG | Regal |
| EBR | Edison Bell Radio | REN | Rena |
| E24 | Edison 24 Minute | REX | Rex |
| ELE | Electron | REZ | Regal-Zonophone |
| BMP | Empire | ROY | Royale |
| ENC | Encore | SCA | Seala |
| EVA | Evangelical | SOV | Sovereign |
| FAM | Famous | STE | Stella |
| FAV | Favorite | STO | Sterno |
| FIL | Filmophone | TEL | Telefunken |
| OCR | Gamages Champion Record | TRU | Trusound |
| GRA | Grammavox | TWI | Twin |
| GRF | Grafton | UNI | Unison |
| QUA | Guardsman | VAL | Valkyrie |
| HMV | HMV | VEF | Velvet Face (1st Series) |
| HOM | Homochord | VEL | Velvet Face (2nd Series) |
| HOP | Homophone | VIC | Victor |
| HUD | Hudson | VIT | Victory |
| IMP | Imperial | VLP | Vocalion Long Playing Record |
| INV | Invecta | VOC | Vocalion |
| IRC | International Record Collectors Club | WES | Westport |
| ISI | I.S.I. Werke Symphony Concert Record | WHY | Whytsdale |
| JOB | John Bull | WIN | Winner |
| JUM | Jumbo | WOR | World |
| KEY | Key | ZON | Zonophone |
| KLI | Klingsor | ZBP | Zonophone-Baby-Platten |
Download these Discography explanatory notes