Best Ways to Organize a Classical Record LP Collection ?


Need advice and recommendations from AudioGon Classical LP Aficionados.

I recently acquired a large 30+ box Classical LP collection.
Feeling a little overwhelmed. :^( 
Organizing Classical music is different from other genres.

Do you organize by Composer, their Work, the Performer, the Label, other .... ?

Can you please share your experiences, ideas, the pros and cons you found with each method. 

I am hoping your information will help me to decide which method will work best for me. 

Thanks 

128x128ct0517
Been offline for a while. The records are now sorted to a level that they can be found. I think. Probably about as easy as finding my tools - which are not that easy to find. Why can I never find the Phillips screw drivers / bits when I need them ?

Couple more recent albums played that I found interesting. Please feel free to share any interesting Composer works. CD or LP. I will see if I have them in this LP collection. This would be a good test of my sorting. If I don’t have them, I will make a note of them, as I have been kind of banned from bringing in more records - for a while anyway.

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An interesting listen to yet another Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture - this time a Phase 4 Stereo version from my old stash. It’s amazing what I am finding I had in my old stash. Just more aware of it I guess.

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Op. 49; The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a / Robert Sharples Conducting The London Festival Orchestra And Band [London Phase 4 Stereo]

Here is a youtube

part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwX8oMgqhXg

part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emRjWTHcdwE

And a review of this Phase 4 process by Endless Groove.

http://www.endlessgroove.com/issue4/lp4s.htm

Whether this Phase 4 is a gimmick or not - this album was very enjoyable.

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Gustav Holst - The Planets

http://classicrecords.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2532019.jpg

A cool sounding name for music work ?

Deutsche Grammophon
Berliner Philarmoniker Herbert von Karajan
2532019 Deutsche Grammophon

Gustav Holst was a trombone player. He had neuritis in his right arm so when conducting he used his left hand.
Changing of his name from Von Holst to Holst - why ?

In 1918, as the war neared its end, Holst finally had the prospect of a job that offered him the chance to serve. The music section of the YMCA’s education department needed volunteers to work with British troops stationed in Europe awaiting demobilisation. Morley College and St Paul’s Girls’ School offered him a year’s leave of absence, but there remained one obstacle: the YMCA felt that his surname looked too German to be acceptable in such a role. He formally changed "von Holst" to "Holst" by deed poll in September 1918. He was appointed as the YMCA’s musical organiser for the Near East, based in Salonica


taken from here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Holst

Holst, in his forties, suddenly found himself in demand. The New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra vied to be the first to play The Planets in the US.


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Georg Friedrich Handel
Wassermusik Water Music (Complete).
Deutsche Grammophon 138799


https://www.discogs.com/Georg-Friedrich-H%C3%A4ndel-Rafael-Kubelik-Berliner-Philharmoniker-Wassermus...

Why is this called water music ? Well I had no idea so I checked it out a few days ago.

The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717 after King George I, had requested a concert on the River Thames.


So now I know.

Also interesting.

The Water Music is scored for a relatively large orchestra, making it suitable for outdoor performance. Some of the music is also preserved in arrangement for a smaller orchestra; this version is not suitable for outdoor performance, as the sound of stringed instruments does not carry well in the open air.


The thread has discussed organization by alphabetical, chronologicaL, label.

What about Autobiographical ?

https://youtu.be/AQvOnDlql5g

:^)

Vinyl LP Insurance

This is proving more difficult. Learning that insuring vinyl is proving difficult with my insurance company. My policy has a decent limit for cd, tape, lps. But proving I own them is the difficult part. I have been told its not enough for me to take pictures and catalog them. They want to see a professional appraisal, but, they can't even recommend anyone to me.  They know of no one. 

An independent search of those that do this service, I found out they charge $60 an hour. So if your collection is in the thousands ........

The insurance company is checking into this for more options. if anyone has been through this already, would appreciate some ideas.


Some Records for Sale :^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ziBCarxEk
Hi Mapman

Sure - this is why the thread title is "Best Ways"
The others here have provided their input on what worked best for them. I can’t tell you and the others how much this helped me - time is priceless and the suggestions have saved me a ton of time.
Would like to know what method worked best for your classical record collection if you want to share.  

Cheers
Classical .... by composer.

Jazz ... by instrument ... except for the West Coast jazz groups and big bands. They  have their own sections.