William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy in his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that included 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Birth and Death Data: Born May 6, 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon), Died May 3, 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: author

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 197 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Berliner 319 7-in. Before Apr. 1899 Lo hear the gentle lark George McNeice ; August P. Stengler Clarinet duet author  
Berliner 602 7-in. Before 1895 Marc Anthony's curse David C. Bangs Recitation author  
Berliner 616 7-in. Before May 1895 Soliloquy David C. Bangs Recitation author  
Berliner 753 7-in. Before 1895 I know a bank Vocalist(s) (unidentified; Berliner Gramophone Co.) Vocal duet author  
Berliner 5015 7-in. before May 14, 1898 Viola's speech (Act 1, scene 5) [from Twelfth night] Ada Rehan Dramatic recitation author  
Berliner 5016 7-in. before May 18, 1898 Epilogue [from The country girl] Ada Rehan Dramatic recitation author  
Berliner 0798 7-in. Dec. 1899 Soliloquy William F. Hooley Recitation author  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]938 7-in. 9/7/1901 All the world's a stage D. E. Hanlon Recitation author  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]938 10-in. 9/7/1901 All the world's a stage D. E. Hanlon Recitation author  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3540 10-in. 9/7/1901 All the world's a stage D. E. Hanlon Recitation author  
Victor B-783 10-in. 12/4/1903 The ghost scene Edward Brigham Recitation author  
Victor C-2316 12-in. 2/20/1905 Who is Sylvia? Emma Eames Soprano vocal solo, with piano author  
Victor E-3478 8-in. 6/15/1906 Seven ages Edgar L. Davenport Recitation author  
Victor B-9988 10-in. 2/21/1911 Mercy speech : Act IV Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor C-9989 12-in. 2/21/1911 Potion scene : Act 4, scene 3 Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor B-9990 10-in. 2/21/1911 I have brought Claudio : Act II, scene I Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor C-9991 12-in. 2/21/1911 Ophelia's mad scene, part 1 Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor C-9992 12-in. 2/21/1911 Ophelia's mad scene, part 2 Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor B-9993 10-in. 2/21/1911 Mamilius, Hermione, and ladies Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor B-10017 10-in. 2/28/1911 Death of Falstaff : Act 2, scene 3 Ellen Terry Recitation author  
Victor B-10035 10-in. 3/8/1911 Who is Sylvia? John Barnes Wells Male vocal solo, with orchestra author  
Victor B-10721 10-in. 7/13/1911 Hamlet's soliloquy Frank Burbeck Recitation author  
Victor C-10722 12-in. 7/13/1911 Antony's address over the body of Caesar Frank Burbeck Recitation author  
Victor C-10723 12-in. 7/13/1911 Antony's address over the body of Caesar Frank Burbeck Recitation author  
Victor C-10724 12-in. 7/13/1911 Brutus's address over the body of Caesar Frank Burbeck Recitation author  
(Results 1-25 of 197 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Shakespeare, William," accessed March 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102258.

Shakespeare, William. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102258.

"Shakespeare, William." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102258

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