The Mapleson Cylinders

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound assembled, over a 25-year period, 135 wax cylinders recorded by Metropolitan Opera librarian Lionel Mapleson during performances at the Metropolitan Opera House from March 30, 1900 through February 1904. These cylinders are unique in that they provide the only live documentation of operatic stage performances from the first decade of the twentieth century, during what many consider the art form’s “golden age.”

In 1985, The Archives released a six-LP set of the restored Mapleson Cylinders. Excerpts from this set may be found here. To purchase a copy of the LP set, please contact The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.