RCA Thesaurus


RCA Thesaurus, a brand owned by RCA Victor, was a supplier of electrical transcriptions. Efforts were made as early as 1936 to consolidate The RCA Victor Transcription service with NBC's independent transcription service within the NBC radio network. NBC'sThesaurus catalog system and library of recordings was not completely merged with RCA's catalog until 1939 when the consolidation was completed in an effort to compete with rival transcription services which were available at the Mutual, Columbia and World Broadcasting Systems.
During the 1950s, RCA Thesaurus produced under the musical direction of Ben Selvin in New York City.
In 1953 RCA Thesaurus bought a library of 1600 transcriptions.
In 1954, John Serry Sr. recorded several of his arrangements for RCA Thesaurus, with his ensemble The Bel-Cordions. The group consisted of four accordions, string bass and guitar. It was augmented in some arrangements by vibes, drums and piano.
Copies of the album and the composer's original orchestral score have been donated to the Eastman School of Music's Sibley Music Library for archival purposes within the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Department to benefit both
researchers and students.

Classical compositions

The Bel-Cordions