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75-535: The musicians of the Hollywood String Quartet were the leading players in the major movie studio orchestras producing the vibrant, lush film soundtracks during the "Golden Age of Hollywood". In 1939, the same year as their marriage, Felix Slatkin and Eleanor Aller formed the HSQ. In its original formation, Slatkin and Aller were joined by violist Paul Robyn and second violinist Joachim Chassman. However,

150-681: A Los Angeles choral group and the Janssen Symphony Orchestra (1940–1952), conducted by Werner Janssen ; Symphony No. 3 by Russian composer Reinhold Moritzovich Glière ; and César Franck 's Symphony in D minor , with Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra . In 1949, Capitol opened a branch office in Canada and purchased KHJ Studios on Melrose Avenue adjacent to Paramount in Hollywood. By

225-527: A chamber work for six musicians. In this version, it possesses a magical transparency and beauty of texture which are lost in the more familiar version for string orchestra, and none of its coloristic or expressive marvels was slighted in Sunday's performance." The HSQ was the first to record the String Quartet in A Minor by Sir William Walton . At that time, the first recording of a work had to receive

300-497: A critical note and neatly strike an emotional chord, the singer would often inflect a note upward or downward or seamlessly glide from one key to another." Granata observes that the concept behind Close to You was "...extremely progressive by the standard of its day." He further concludes that "from a thematic standpoint, of all the Sinatra LPs of his 'golden era,' Close to You comes closest to perfection." The HSQ toured in

375-584: A division of Universal Music France, and bears the 1970s Capitol "C" logo. Alfred Frankenstein Alfred Victor Frankenstein (October 5, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an art and music critic, author, and professional musician. He was the long-time art and music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1934 to 1965. He was noted for championing American art and coining the term Actual Art . His most famous book

450-635: A noted jazz catalog that included the Capitol Jazz Men and issued the Miles Davis 's album Birth of the Cool . Capitol released a few classical albums in the 1940s, some of which contained handsome heavily embossed, leather-like covers. These recordings appeared on the 78 rpm format and were subsequently reissued on the new LP format in 1949. Among the recordings: Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos ' Choros No. 10 , with contributions from

525-467: A one-inch air gap to provide complete sound isolation. The facility also features subterranean echo chambers that allow engineers to add reverberation during the recording process. Eight trapezoidal chambers are located 30 feet (9.1 m) underground, with 10-inch concrete walls and 12-inch-thick (300 mm) concrete ceilings. Speakers on one side and microphones on the other permit an echo effect of up to five seconds. Studios A and B can be combined for

600-595: A sampling of critical assessments. With the exception of the first record, the original recordings were produced by either Richard C. Jones or Robert E. Myers with engineering by John Palladino, Sherwood Hall III, Hugh Davies, or Carson Taylor (as noted). The CD reissues, released between 1993–1997, were remastered by Paul Bally at the Abbey Road Studios ; Stewart Brown, Executive Producer. The HSQ repertoire included several contemporary compositions, including pieces that had not previously been recorded. Prior to

675-511: A second-floor room south of Sunset Boulevard . On that same day, Wallichs presented the company's first free record to Los Angeles disc jockey Peter Potter. On June 5, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra recorded four songs at the studio. On June 12, the orchestra recorded five more songs in the studio, including "Trav'lin' Light" with Billie Holiday . On June 11, Tex Ritter recorded " (I Got Spurs That) Jingle Jangle Jingle " and "Goodbye My Little Cherokee" for his first Capitol recording session, and

750-591: A sort of norm for the interpretation of the respective work. Both individual and ensemble playing are on the highest level, and the balance between subtlety and passion is quite remarkable; the Schubert in particular is a gem. EMI has done a beautiful job of remastering the recordings, which were state of the art for their time." The recordings garnered similar enthusiasm upon their initial release. Commenting on record of compositions by Creston, Turina, and Wolf, Gramophone Magazine ' s Lionel Salter wrote: "Once again

825-417: A young architect from Becket's office, serving as project designer the thirteen-story, earthquake-resistant Capitol Records Tower was the world's first circular office building and it is the base for several recording studios . Although not intended as a tribute to record players, its wide curved awnings and tall narrow tower mimic the appearance of a stack of gramophone records atop a phonograph. The building

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900-487: Is After The Hunt , a volume that examined the trompe-l'œil movement in late 19th-century and early 20th-century American art, focussing especially on the painters William Harnett and John Frederick Peto . Among his colleagues, he was noted for his wit and his lack of tolerance for pretension. Prior to becoming a journalist and critic, he played clarinet in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra . He

975-483: Is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer , Buddy DeSylva , and Glenn E. Wallichs . Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012, and

1050-674: Is called Vertigo/Capitol . Capitol Music Group Sweden was relaunched in 2015 after UMG rebranded the Lionheart Music Group label. It originally existed as a division of EMI Music Sweden during the 1990s and mid-2000s. EMI's Swedish offices were included in the Parlophone Label Group sale and were acquired by Warner Music Group , which owns the Capitol Sweden's back catalog. In France, Capitol Label Services (formerly Capitol Music France) exists as

1125-705: The 20th Century Fox Studio Orchestra (1937–1963) and the Capitol Records Sinatra recording sessions; conductor of the Concert Arts Orchestra and Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. Eleanor Aller Slatkin (1917–1995) Cello; Studied at Juilliard with Felix Salmond ; First cello with the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra from 1939-1968 and with the 20th Century Fox Orchestra from 1972-1985. Paul Shure (1921–2011) Second Violin; Studied at Curtis with Joseph Achron ; youngest player in

1200-698: The Grammy Awards for music by Beck and Sam Smith . In 2018, Capitol's electronic division Astralwerks relaunched with a new team and moved its entire operations to Capitol's tower in Los Angeles. In 2019, Jeff Vaughn was named President of Capitol Records, assuming his position as of January 1, 2020. In 2021, Michelle Jubelirer was named the Chair & CEO of Capitol. In 2024, Capitol Records became part of UMG's Interscope Capitol Labels Group. Designed by Welton Becket with Louis Naidorf,

1275-635: The Philadelphia Orchestra at age 18 under conductor Leopold Stokowski ; Assistant Concertmaster at 20th Century Fox; left the HSQ in 1958 and shortly thereafter assumed a faculty position at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music ; concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 1972-1987 as well as other major west coast ensembles. After Shure's departure from the HSQ, Joseph Stepansky joined

1350-781: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra , Leopold Stokowski with various orchestras (including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra ) and Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , as well as light classical albums by Carmen Dragon and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and albums of film music conducted by Hollywood composers such as Alfred Newman . In the realm of "Sweet Jazz" big-band music, Capitol also joined forces with

1425-544: The Schubert work, which was played with incredible tonal nuance and expert musicianship, the Hollywood Quartet would have to be listed among the world's great chamber music ensembles." Violinist Paul Shure has noted, "we made room for each other technically and soloistically-but the blend of sound was the main thing ... you draw the sound by your ability; the kind of vibrato you use, the way you apply pressure to

1500-548: The 1950s, Capitol had become a huge label that concentrated primarily on popular music. Capitol began recording rock and roll acts such as The Jodimars and Gene Vincent . There were comedy records by Stan Freberg , Johnny Standley , and Mickey Katz . On August 2, 1952, Billboard magazine contained a chronicle of the label's first ten years in business. In 1955, the British record company EMI (which evolved into Universal Music Group ) purchased Capitol Records, ending

1575-570: The 1990s. From their first recording of the then relatively unknown Villa Lobos String Quartet No. 6 to their Grammy-winning recordings of the Beethoven Late Quartets , the HSQ discography set a standard of excellence heralded by critics and embraced by the public. As stated by critic Richard Freed in discussing a 1982 EMI compilation release, "The Hollywood String Quartet may have been the finest such ensemble ever formed in this country ... each of these performances could serve as

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1650-741: The 55-year mutual distribution agreement between EMI and RCA Victor in the Western Hemisphere in 1957. EMI acquired 96% of Capitol's stock for $ 8.5 million. EMI built a studio at Hollywood and Vine to match its state-of-the-art Abbey Road Studios in London. In the 1950s, Decca Records broke its distribution contract with Panart , the first independent Cuban record company. This provided an opening for Capitol, which then contracted with Panart to have Capitol and Odeon records distributed in Cuba. In turn, Capitol distributed Panart records in

1725-579: The Beatles long before the American company. By 1967, they were distributing non-EMI labels such as 20th Century Fox , Buena Vista Records , Disneyland , and Pickwick . The company was renamed Capitol Records-EMI of Canada in 1974, before the EMI Music Canada name was adopted in 1993. EMI Music Canada was absorbed into Universal Music Canada in 2012. In 2016, Universal Music Canada donated

1800-548: The Beatles! , the first album by the band to be released by Capitol in the United States. It was based on the British album With the Beatles , which contained 14 tracks and a running time of around 35 minutes. Capitol removed five tracks ("Money", " You've Really Got a Hold on Me ", "Devil in Her Heart", "Please Mister Postman", and "Roll Over Beethoven") and added both sides of the band's first American hit single (" I Want to Hold Your Hand " c/w " I Saw Her Standing There ") and

1875-548: The British single's B-side, "This Boy". "I Saw Her Standing There" was on the Beatles' first British album, Please Please Me . This resulted in Capitol releasing Meet the Beatles as a 12-track album with a duration of around 30 minutes and made it comparable with other American pop albums. It also provided Capitol with unreleased tracks for use in later US Beatles albums such as The Beatles' Second Album. Capitol also issued " duophonic " stereo releases of some recordings where

1950-513: The Capitol Records Building. Capitol and artist Richard Wyatt Jr. restored his Hollywood Jazz Mural on the south wall of the Capitol Records Building. Capitol's recording studios were designed to minimize noise and vibration, then newly important goals in the high-fidelity sound era. An inner wall floating on layers of rubber and cork was erected inside the building's 10-inch-thick (250 mm) concrete exterior walls, leaving

2025-665: The Clown for the company's children's record library, with Pinto Colvig (the voice of Goofy in Walt Disney cartoons) as Bozo. Mel Blanc reprised his own cartoon roles including Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters, as well as Woody Woodpecker , while several Disney records were narrated by radio announcer Don Wilson . Examples of notable Capitol albums for children during that era are Sparky's Magic Piano and Rusty in Orchestraville . Capitol also developed

2100-650: The EMI Music Canada archives to the University of Calgary . Capitol Latin focuses on Latin music artists in Latin America and the United States. It was founded in 1989 as EMI Latin and was renamed to Capitol Latin in 2009. Capitol Latin was merged with Universal Music Latin Entertainment in 2013. Capitol Records of Mexico was founded in 1965 as the Mexican division of Capitol. EMI later renamed

2175-539: The HSQ's 1950 recording, Arnold Schoenberg 's Verklärte Nacht had only been released in a version for orchestra, although it was originally written for six instruments. Joined by Alvin Dinkin on second viola and Kurt Reher on second cello, the HSQ recording of the sextet in its original form was heralded by the composer, who wrote the original liner notes for the LP jacket. In a taped interview years later, cellist Eleanor Aller

2250-404: The Hollywood Quartet shows what a masterly ensemble it is; I for one always look forward to its new records and have never yet been faced with a performance of less than the highest class. The tone of all the members is warm and well-balanced, they play with unshakable unaniminity [sic] and suppleness." A complete classical discography is located at the end of this article. The discography includes

2325-526: The Hollywood String Quartet for their splendid execution. Reports of their fine abilities had already reached me before I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with them, and I am delighted that they were chosen to permanently preserve my composition." Another highlight of the HSQ's recording legacy is the 1956 Frank Sinatra album Close to You produced by Voyle Gilmore ; a series of popular songs arranged by Nelson Riddle in an impressionistic blend of popular, classical and jazz influences. Close to You

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2400-619: The Late Beethoven Quartets and honored the Hollywood String Quartet with its Lifetime Achievement Award, accepted by Paul Shure, at the time the last surviving HSQ member. Eleanor and Felix Slatkin's two sons enjoy significant careers in music. Leonard Slatkin is a distinguished conductor and is music director of the Detroit Symphony and the Orchestre National de Lyon . Frederick Zlotkin (who adopted

2475-535: The Pied Pipers, all with Weston's orchestra. Capitol was the first major west coast label to compete with major labels on the east coast such as RCA Victor , Columbia , and Decca . In addition to its Los Angeles recording studios, Capitol owned a second studio in New York City and occasionally sent mobile recording equipment to other cities. In 1946, writer-producer Alan W. Livingston created Bozo

2550-658: The Quartet for concert tours. Paul Robyn (1908–1970) Viola; Studied at Juilliard with Joseph Fuchs , Samuel Gardner and Hans Letz; Violist with the Gordon String Quartet (1931–1935); Principal Violist at Warner Brothers; Left the HSQ in 1955; replaced by Alvin Dinkin. Alvin Dinkin (1912–1970) Viola; Studied at Curtis with Louis Bailly; played in St. Louis Symphony and 20th Century Fox Orchestras with Felix Slatkin. In addition, pianist Victor Aller (1905–1977)

2625-632: The Royal Festival Hall performance was issued on CD form in 1996. The nascent National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) initiated the Grammy Awards in 1958, toward the end of the HSQ's recording career. At the first Grammy ceremony, the HSQ recording of the Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 was awarded the Grammy for Best Classical Performance, Chamber Music (including Chamber Orchestra). Felix Slatkin

2700-449: The U.S. from 1964 to 1967. Capitol Records artist roster also includes Katy Perry , Ice Spice , Sam Smith , Troye Sivan , Kodak Black , Doechii , 50 Cent , Yeat , That Mexican OT , Young Miko , Maggie Rogers , Lewis Capaldi , Niall Horan , Kings of Leon , Paul McCartney , Bee Gees , and Meovv . Songwriter Johnny Mercer founded Capitol Records in 1942 with financial help from songwriter and film producer Buddy DeSylva and

2775-508: The UK with the rights to the Beatles' catalog. This marks the first time that Capitol in the UK operated as an autonomous label. Capitol Records of Canada was established in 1949 by businessman W. Lockwood Miller. Capitol broke with Miller's company and formed Capitol Record Distributors of Canada Limited in 1954. EMI acquired this company when it acquired Capitol. The company was renamed Capitol Records of Canada Ltd. in 1958 after Miller's rights to

2850-611: The United States seven times, and visited Canada and New Zealand, but due to the musicians' extensive studio commitments, concerts were primarily performed in Southern California. However, the HSQ was the first American quartet to be invited to the Edinburgh Festival during a 1957 tour that also included appearances in Stockholm, Rome and the Royal Festival Hall in London. A live recording of selections from

2925-430: The United States, growing the export percentage of Panart records from 20 percent to 50 percent. This was a coup for Capitol, as RCA Victor up to this point had huge predominance in the United States distribution of Cuban music recordings. In 1957, EMI's classical label Angel was merged into Capitol. Some classical recordings were issued in high fidelity and stereophonic sound. These included William Steinberg and

3000-659: The age of 47. The musicians of the HSQ were all the progeny of Russian immigrants. All excelled musically in their youth and were formally trained at either the Juilliard School or the Curtis Institute of Music . The musicians were: Felix Slatkin (1915–1963) Violin; Studied at Curtis with renowned violinist Efrem Zimbalist and conducting with Fritz Reiner ; at age 15 was a member of the St. Louis Symphony under conductor Vladimir Golschmann ; Concert Master of

3075-533: The application was amended to change the label's name to Capitol Records. On April 6, 1942, Mercer supervised Capitol's first recording session where Martha Tilton recorded the song "Moon Dreams". On May 5, Bobby Sherwood and his orchestra recorded two tracks in the studio. On May 21, Freddie Slack and his orchestra recorded three tracks in the studio: one with the orchestra, one with Ella Mae Morse called " Cow-Cow Boogie " and "Air-Minded Executive" supervised by Mercer. On June 4, Capitol opened its first office in

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3150-595: The bandleader Guy Lombardo starting in the mid 1950s to issue a series of approximately thirty recordings until the late 1960s. The Capitol of the World series introduced in 1956 and active into the 1970s encompassed German Beer Drinking Songs , Honeymoon in Rome , Australian Aboriginals , and Kasongo! Modern Music of the Belgian Congo . Many were produced by Dave Dexter Jr. This series contained over 400 albums. It

3225-417: The bow ... these are all very subtle techniques in string playing." Shure has also stated: "Dynamics were a very big part of our work. Our discussions were always about dynamics and a little bit about tempi, and nothing else. We played with vibrato except where there was a particular effect to be had-no dead left hands were allowed." Cellist Eleanor Aller also commented: "Nothing was done without thought ... it

3300-501: The business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, owner of Wallichs Music City . Mercer raised the idea of starting a record company while golfing with Harold Arlen and Bobby Sherwood and with Wallichs at Wallichs's record store. On February 2, 1942, Mercer and Wallichs met DeSylva at a restaurant in Hollywood to talk about investment by Paramount Pictures . On March 27, 1942, the three men incorporated as Liberty Records (not affiliated with Capitol's future sister label Liberty Records ). In May,

3375-793: The composer's approval prior to release. In the first (unreleased) version recorded in November, 1949, the HSQ eliminated the repeat in the second movement; the musicians felt it detracted from the excitement of the composition. However, Walton did not concur with the change, resulting in a re-recording of the movement in August, 1950. The released version received the composer's enthusiastic endorsement: "I hope no one else ever records my Quartet again, because you captured so exactly what I had wanted". Walton's music publisher from Oxford University Press also wrote to violist Paul Robyn: "I felt I would like to add ... how much Dr. Walton and I enjoyed your playing of

3450-416: The doctrines' application "was limited to material items that the copyright owner put into the stream of commerce." In 2014, PGH Live Music joined the team and Katy Perry founded the record label Metamorphosis Music, starting a label venture with Capitol. The name of the label was later changed to Unsub Records in 2016. Also that year, Capitol rose to number two market share and won four categories at

3525-434: The field ... it has magnificent collective tone, a superb style that overlooks no fine detail but also sweeps through the major lines of a big work with almost symphonic vigor, and a general concept of music-making that is in tradition of the ensemble. Five years later, a New York Times concert review echoed Frankenstein's comments: the HSQ produced a "luminous tone, whether in pianissimo or fortissimo ... at its best as in

3600-472: The group disbanded soon thereafter when the three male members enlisted in WWII service. The HSQ resumed its activities in 1947, with Paul Shure replacing Chassman as second violinist. In 1955, Paul Robyn left the group and Alvin Dinkin assumed the viola chair. In addition to their work in the Hollywood studio orchestras and recording classical repertoire, the HSQ members regularly performed as session musicians at

3675-540: The label EMI Capitol of Mexico until it later became simply EMI's local company, EMI Music Mexico . Since 2012, after Universal Music Group purchased EMI, the Mexican EMI brand, music catalog and office are owned by Universal Music México . Capitol Music Germany was founded by EMI Music Germany and inherited most of EMI's German artists catalog. In 2013, Capitol Germany was acquired by Universal and merged with UMG's Vertigo Berlin domestic division. The new label

3750-494: The major record companies, including Capitol Records . At Capitol, they accompanied some of the leading pop performers of the era, most notably Frank Sinatra , for whom Felix Slatkin acted as concertmaster and occasional conductor on his now iconic Capitol recordings during the 1950s. Among these recordings was the 1956 Close to You , which featured the HSQ accompanying Sinatra in arrangements by Nelson Riddle . The HSQ officially disbanded in 1961. Slatkin died two years later at

3825-435: The method of publishing royalties were calculated in the two countries. Also, in the American market it was expected that albums would include the current hit single, whereas British albums typically did not duplicate songs released as singles. Possibly the best-known treatment of an international artist's recordings was the label's release pattern for various albums by the Beatles . This began with Capitol's release of Meet

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3900-608: The name expired. In 1959, Capitol of Canada picked up distribution rights for EMI's labels Angel, Pathé , Odeon , and Parlophone . In 1957, Paul White joined Capitol of Canada and in 1960 established an A&R department independent of the American company to promote talent for the Canadian market. The division found native talent such as Anne Murray and EMI musicians from other countries. Beginning in 1962, Capitol of Canada issued albums by British musicians such as Cliff Richard , Helen Shapiro and Frank Ifield . They accepted

3975-639: The original family surname) is the first cello of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and a member of the Lyric Piano Quintet. The HSQ has no connection with the group which calls itself the New Hollywood String Quartet. PER 8394 CD: Testament 3082 (1996) Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol ,

4050-418: The original master was monophonic. Capitol engineers split the single master mono track into two, boosted the bass on the right channel, boosted treble on the left channel and added a split-second delay between channels to produce a "stereo" release. This duophonic process meant that the Beatles' American fans occasionally heard a slightly different song from that heard by the rest of the world if they listened to

4125-475: The recording of orchestral music and symphonic film soundtracks. The first album recorded in the tower was Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color . Capitol modified albums that were originally released in other countries on other labels. Albums released in the United States contained fewer tracks, usually no more than 11 or 12, compared to albums released in the United Kingdom due to differences in

4200-435: The similarities among musicians' backgrounds and music training impacts their technique and resulting sound as an ensemble: "With the Hollywood String Quartet, you had four people who basically had the same kind of training; four people who were more or less of the same age group and who approached music in almost identical ways." The resulting sound has been acclaimed for its "remarkable transparency of texture ... this clarity

4275-498: The songs comprised Capitol's 110th produced record. The earliest recording artists included co-owner Mercer, Johnnie Johnston , Morse, Jo Stafford , the Pied Pipers , Tex Ritter , Tilton, Paul Weston , Whiteman, and Margaret Whiting . Capitol's first gold single was Morse's "Cow Cow Boogie" in 1942. Capitol's first album was Capitol Presents Songs by Johnny Mercer , a three disc set with recordings by Mercer, Stafford and

4350-667: The stereo version. This trend in the Beatles' American discography continued until 1967 when a new recording contract with EMI was signed. Unhappy with the way Capitol in the US and other companies around the world were issuing their work in almost unrecognizable forms, beginning in 1967 the Beatles gained full approval of album titles and cover art, track listing and running order in North America. Starting with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , Beatles' albums were released unmodified. The issue of 45 RPM singles featuring album tracks

4425-526: The tower after it was completed. In September 2006, EMI announced that it had sold the tower and adjacent properties for $ 50 million to New York-based developer Argent Ventures . In mid-2008, a controversy erupted over a plan to build a condominium complex next door, igniting fears that the building's acoustic properties, specifically its underground echo chambers, would be compromised. It was announced in November 2012 that Steve Barnett would become chairman and CEO of Capitol Music Group and would be based at

4500-478: The very prominent viola part of this work. Would there not be a chance one day that you could play his Viola Concerto...?" However, Robyn never recorded Walton's Viola Concerto . Similarly, composer Paul Creston responded to their 1953 recording of his String Quartet by writing to the album's producer Robert Myers: "I am tremendously pleased with the performance and reproduction of the work ... would you be so kind as to convey my deepest appreciation and gratitude to

4575-466: The violinist's immaculate playing paralleled what Sinatra sought to achieve with his voice; serious listeners will note many similarities comparing Sinatra's and Slatkin's individual approaches to musical interpretation. One hallmark of the HSQ was its long, smooth phrasing which was accomplished through controlled bowing techniques; Sinatra utilized breath control to realize the same effect. Likewise where Felix would frequently add slight upward portamento to

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4650-540: Was "unsurpassed...they have incomparable ensemble and blend; and their impeccable technical address and consummate tonal refinement silence criticism." Writing about a 1952 concert performance in San Francisco which he described as "epical", music historian Alfred Frankenstein said: "Perhaps the Schoenberg was the most important of the three pieces ... for it has seldom been presented here in its original form, as

4725-451: Was a unique project, a scaled-down approach to popular music which remains among Sinatra's most enduring albums. The project was in part the product of Frank Sinatra's close professional and personal friendship with Felix and Eleanor Slatkin. In Sessions with Sinatra; Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording , Sinatra historian Chuck Granata observes "In Slatkin, Sinatra found a kindred spirit, as

4800-693: Was also a Trustee of the Los Angeles Chapter of NARAS. In 1994, the Hollywood String Quartet won the prestigious Gramophone Magazine Award in the Historic Non-Vocal category for the Testament Records compact disc of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht and Schubert ’s Quintet in C Major . In 1997, the Cannes Classical Award voted by an international panel of record reviewers honored the recording of

4875-497: Was also in this period that Capitol issued Christmas music recordings from various countries outside the United States. In the 1960s Capitol established subsidiary labels including Tower Records . Capitol was the US distributor of the Beatles ' Apple Records . In October 1979, EMI merged with Thorn Electrical Industries to form Thorn EMI and, due to business models increasingly diverging, on August 16, 1996, Thorn EMI's shareholders voted to demerge. The resulting media company

4950-447: Was also stopped. Instead, non-album tracks were issued as singles between album releases. Beginning in 1948, Capitol Records were released in the UK on the Capitol label by Decca. After its 1955 acquisition of Capitol, EMI took over distribution in 1956. EMI's Parlophone unit handled Capitol label marketing in the UK in later years. In 2012, EMI was sold to Universal Music Group. Universal Music started Capitol as an autonomous label in

5025-462: Was commissioned by EMI after its acquisition of Capitol Records in 1955 and was completed in April 1956. The building is north of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine and is the center of the company's consolidated West Coast operations. It was nicknamed "The House That Nat Built" after the financial success of Capitol singer Nat King Cole. The rectangular ground floor is a separate structure joined to

5100-482: Was dependent on who the composer was, and the musical content ... just to play the notes is not making music." Aller has also stated that the group practiced every day for two years before its first public concert debut. From 1949–1958, the HSQ recorded a series of classical albums for Capitol Records; some of these recordings were re-released in boxed LP sets by EMI in the 1980s and in CD format by Testament Records during

5175-424: Was due in part to their excellent intonation and partly through their thorough preparation ... what set them above ... was their ability to combine warmth, color, and intensity with intellectual rigor, firm rhythm and an intuitive grasp of a work's architecture." Music critic and historian Alfred Frankenstein wrote after attending an HSQ concert: "This is a quartet to rank with the great international organizations in

5250-486: Was featured on several HSQ recordings, including the acclaimed Brahms Piano Quartets and Piano Quintet. Aller, the brother of cellist Eleanor, studied at Juilliard under Josef Lhévinne . He had a long and distinguished career as a pianist in the film industry and manager of the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra, and as a teacher and recording artist. The Slatkins' elder son, conductor Leonard Slatkin , has observed that

5325-399: Was guilty of copyright infringement due to a business model that facilitated the creation of additional copies of Capitol's digital music files, whereby users could upload the files for downloading or streaming to the new purchaser of the file. ReDigi argued that the resale of MP3/digital music files is permitted under certain doctrines ("fair use" and "first sale") but the court maintained that

5400-477: Was hired as chairman and CEO of the division. Capitol filed a lawsuit against Vimeo , an online video-sharing website, for audio copyright infringement. Capitol filed the claim after users were visibly lip-synching to some of their tracks. Following legal action by Capitol against the ReDigi.com online company in April 2013, the latter was found to have violated copyright law. Capitol Records claimed that ReDigi

5475-551: Was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both distributed by UMG. The label's circular headquarters building is a recognized landmark of Hollywood , California . Capitol is known as the record label of the Beach Boys and The Kingston Trio , and as the U.S. label of the Beatles (their native label being Parlophone ), especially during the years of Beatlemania in

5550-732: Was then known as the EMI Group. In June 1997, Capitol, together with Virgin Records , absorbed EMI USA , which folded. In 2012, the recorded music operations of EMI were sold to the Universal Music Group and the world headquarters were re-established in the Capitol Tower in Hollywood as part of the subsequent reorganization of the Capitol Music Group . Steve Barnett, previously an employee of Columbia,

5625-559: Was visibly moved as she recalled receiving a photo inscribed by Schoenberg: "For the Hollywood String Quartet for playing my Verklärte Nacht with such subtle beauty." In 1994, Gramophone Magazine inducted the CD re-issue of Verklärte Nacht , coupled with the Schubert String Quintet in C major into its Hall of Fame in the Historical Non-Vocal category. Gramophone Magazine stated that the recording

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