How do you organize your classical records ?

[Johnny Vinyl]

I would have bought the disc for a reason. If I bought it because I wanted to listen to a piece by a composer, I file it under that composer. If I bought it because of the conductor, or soloist, then it gets filed under the conductor or soloist (separate sections in my collection for that).

That's a really good way of looking at it and deciding how to then file it. Great tip!

 

[Bill Hart]

After years of procrastinating, I just started organizing my records in the last couple weeks, but haven't dared go near the classical yet. I'm gonna follow the label/composer approach as well, since I tend to think by 'label' first. I assume those of you who take this approach still separate classical from opera? And what about 'audiophile' labels as a whole separate category? Within classical or its own category that includes all genres (e.g. Sheffields, Levinsons, M&K, Wilson and other old audiophile labels- not newer remasters? I'll probably just put the standard reissues or remasters, e.g. Speakers Corner of Mercury with the real Living Presence.)

 

[egidius]

sleep

How do you stay awake with that many Classical records?

I am a classical musician, and I lack sleep just like everybody else -

 

[Mike]

Arranged by Composer, then by work type (e.g. BEETHOVEN - Piano, BEETHOVEN - Symphonies, BEETHOVEN - Other), then by Opus - earliest works first.

There are of course CD's that don't fit this neat classification - at the end of the collection are a series of CD's arranged by artists, e.g. PIANO, SYMPHONIC WORKS, VOCAL, ANCIENT MUSIC, etc.

Keith,

Very nice! In the far right bookcase, three shelves down, is that Vladimir Ashkenazy?

Mike

 

[microstrip]

There are of course CD's that don't fit this neat classification - at the end of the collection are a series of CD's arranged by artists, e.g. PIANO, SYMPHONIC WORKS, VOCAL, ANCIENT MUSIC, etc.

Keith,

Nice to see these great Aliavox boxes - I was listening to D. Quixote de la Mancha a few days ago. Dinastia Borgia's is still waiting for a another session near the player.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

+1, this is what I do.

Label, composer, conductor/orch in that order. I group all my LPs in lots by label i.e. emi, London, decca, Merc, RCA, etc and a sub group of orig pressings for each label and then alphabetical by composer. its how my brain works and is much easier to locate specific recordings.

 

[microstrip]

Officially label, category, composer. However, most of the time, label, category, disorder ...

 

[FrantzM]

Officially label, category, composer. However, most of the time, label, category, disorder ...

 

[NorthStar]

Arranged by Composer, then by work type (e.g. BEETHOVEN - Piano, BEETHOVEN - Symphonies, BEETHOVEN - Other), then by Opus - earliest works first.

There are of course CD's that don't fit this neat classification - at the end of the collection are a series of CD's arranged by artists, e.g. PIANO, SYMPHONIC WORKS, VOCAL, ANCIENT MUSIC, etc.

Oh, very nice shelving Keith. ...Well wall organized.

 

[Ronm1]

Officially label, category, composer. However, most of the time, label, category, disorder ...

I suspect that system is in heavy use by other audiophiles.

 

[Mike]

By composer, not that you can really see it in the pic.

 

[NorthStar]

I don't know if you notice in general but CD collections look better overall on people's wall than LP collections. ...What do you think?

Another thing: It is quicker to locate a certain music CD than its LP counterpart, I think. ...For me anyway, it is.
...Less work, faster, and no ritual with all the cleaning stuff enchilada.

Plus! No getting up every 15 or 20 minutes with more ritual to perform. ...Means more relaxing time (last longer). ...Up to 80 minutes for a single CD.

But I'm not sure why I just said that, because you already knew that. :b

 

[Mike]

I don't know if you notice in general but CD collections look better overall on people's wall than LP collections. ...What do you think?

Another thing: It is quicker to locate a certain music CD than its LP counterpart, I think. ...For me anyway, it is.
...Less work, faster, and no ritual with all the cleaning stuff enchilada.

Plus! No getting up every 15 or 20 minutes with more ritual to perform. ...Means more relaxing time (last longer). ...Up to 80 minutes for a single CD.

But I'm not sure why I just said that, because you already knew that. :b

Could be, but I liked looking at record covers and the liner notes, too.

 

[NorthStar]

Could be, but I liked looking at record covers and the liner notes, too.

With a CD/SACD playing I can read a book; about the artist (singer, musician, composer, ...). :b

 

[Mike]

With a CD/SACD playing I can read a book; about the artist (singer, musician, composer, ...). :b

True. For me, it's more of a nostalgia thing. Sure, if I want to read anything, I can go on the internet, which is what I do; however, it's nice reading the liner notes.

 

[GaryProtein]

I would have bought the disc for a reason. If I bought it because I wanted to listen to a piece by a composer, I file it under that composer. If I bought it because of the conductor, or soloist, then it gets filed under the conductor or soloist (separate sections in my collection for that).

I agree with your point, but that doesn't address how you deal with all the unlabeled works. Does it all go unaccounted for?

 

[Keith_W]

Very nice! In the far right bookcase, three shelves down, is that Vladimir Ashkenazy?

Thanks Mike! That would be Leonard Bernstein. This one:

Nice to see these great Aliavox boxes - I was listening to D. Quixote de la Mancha a few days ago. Dinastia Borgia's is still waiting for a another session near the player.

Well spotted Microstrip. I am quite a fan of Alia Vox and Jordi Savall - nearly everything they produce is interesting and worth listening to! What astounds me is the production quality - all that research, the sourcing of period instruments, and the scholarship are one thing. The authenticity and atmosphere of the performances are another. The incredible sound quality and beautifully produced book on SACD are just icing on the cake.

Oh, very nice shelving Keith. ...Well wall organized.

Thanks Bob, but it's only Ikea. I did consider getting custom shelves made, but custom shelves can't grow with my collection the way this rack has been growing. To illustrate, this was the rack in 2010:

... and this is what it looks like now:

I don't know if you notice in general but CD collections look better overall on people's wall than LP collections. ...What do you think?

I agree Bob, it is much easier to read the labels and the general fuss is less as well. If only they sounded as good as LP though!

I agree with your point, but that doesn't address how you deal with all the unlabeled works. Does it all go unaccounted for?

Not sure what you mean by an unlabelled work, Gary? If you mean something like Cantate Domino (which is a collection of liturgical music with no composer) or London Pride (a collection of English folk songs, composers unknown) - these are filed under "Miscellaneous Vocal Works".

 

[NorthStar]

True. For me, it's more of a nostalgia thing. Sure, if I want to read anything, I can go on the internet, which is what I do;
however, it's nice reading the liner notes.

Let me asking you this Mike; how many times do you honestly read the liner notes (all of it, if there are some of course) from brand new album covers, and also from older ones that you already played few times in the past?
And! ...From the CD liner notes as well?

 

[NorthStar]

... it's only Ikea. I did consider getting custom shelves made, but custom shelves can't grow with my collection the way this rack has been growing.
To illustrate, this was the rack in 2010:

... and this is what it looks like now:

It looks awesome to me Keith; Ikea is great.

I agree Bob, it is much easier to read the labels (from CDs) and the general fuss is less as well.
If only they sounded as good as LP though!

For you, with your systems, alright. For me, with my systems, not alright.
And for everybody else, with their own system(s), it depends.
...On many things: The music recordings themselves (their quality engineering/mixing/recording/mastering/control),
and how the system (analog or/and digital) is set up in its overall presentation (components' quality, $$$ investment, and properly calibrated and adjusted).

There is the reality that we're all living in the now; and there is the possibility that we can all improve that reality eventually, if we truly want to.

 

[GaryProtein]

Keith, assuming you bought a disk "for a reason" and that piece was the one you filed the disk under, how to you account for other pieces on the disk? How to you label them so you can find the "secondary" or "B side" works?