RCA Thesaurus

RCA Thesaurus
Studio album by John Serry, Sr.
Released	1954 New York
Recorded	1954 New York
Genre	Classical, Pop, Instrumental
Label	RCA Victor
John Serry, Sr. chronology
RCA Thesaurus - RCA Victor Transcriptions (1954) Squeeze Play - Dot Records (1956)

RCA Thesaurus is the title of a series of phonographic albums on the RCA Victor label featuring outstanding transcriptions of classical music and popular compositions from the 1950s. They were produced under the musical direction of Ben Selvin during the 1950s in New York City for RCA Victor and were broadcast over the NBC radio network. The noted musician John Serry, Sr. recorded several of his arrangements for this collection with his ensemble The Bel-Cordions in 1954. ^[1] The group consisted of four accordions, string bass and guitar. It was augmented in some arrangements by vibes, drums and piano. Mr. Serry's arrangements included the following works:

Classical Compositions

• "Allegro" - Joseph Haydn Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)
• "La Cinquantane" - Gabriel Marie Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)
• "Tango of Love" - John Serry, Sr. Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)

Popular compositions

• "Shine On, Harvest Moon - Jack Noworth & Nora Bayes"- Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Melancholy Baby" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Singin' in the Rain - Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Nobody's Sweetheart" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Chicago" - Fred Fisher - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "If You Knew Susie" - Buddy DeSylva & Joseph Meyer -Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Somebody Stole My Gal" - Leo Wood - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Tara Ra Boom Dere" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Old McDonald" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Beer Barrel" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "I Love Louisa" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Oh You Beautiful Doll" - Seymour Brown/ Nat D. Ayer - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
• "Chinatown" - Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)

Artistic Ensemble

The Bel-Cordions

• John Serry, Sr. - First Accordionist/ Conductor/Arranger
• Louis Delmonte - Accordionist
• Alf Nystrom - Accordionist
• Ralph Vetro - Accordionist

References

1. ↑ Who Is Who In Music International 1958, Publisher: Who Is who In Music International, Chicago, Il. Biographical File #B11719 for John Serry. See International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England as the current publisher.