Documentation of the 78 rpm Recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 (Recorded before February 1949)

This record documents a complete and exceptionally well‑preserved set of the pre‑February‑1949 78 rpm recording of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in C minor, conducted by Eugen Jochum with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg and issued by Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. The set consists of eleven discs (twenty‑one recorded sides), preserved with their original jackets. The accompanying report provides a full discographic analysis, including engraved matrix numbers, stamper identification codes, and stamper management dates, which together clarify the production chronology and confirm the authenticity of the pressing. Visual documentation of the jackets, labels, and inscriptions is included as supplementary material. Two sets of audio files are provided: • **Set A (Unedited transfers, 21 files):** Direct transfers from the original discs, preserving surface noise, mechanical resonance, and the tonal characteristics of shellac playback. These files reproduce the historical listening conditions of the late 1940s and serve as primary evidence for discographic and historical study. • **Set B (Edited movement compilations, 4 files):** Movement‑based compilations created from the unedited transfers. Noise reduction and level balancing were applied to improve clarity while retaining the essential acoustic character of the original recording. These files are intended for score‑based analysis and comparative research. A notable omission in the first movement (mm. 321–340, Haas edition) is documented and analyzed. The cut occurs between Side 3 (Matrix 68339 A) and Side 4 (Matrix 68339 B). Because the reverse of Side 8 is intentionally left blank, the omission cannot be attributed to side‑length limitations, suggesting an intentional editorial decision whose rationale remains unknown. All audio transfers were produced on 8 February 2026 at Cafe Ataraxia in Tokyo using a 1926 Victor Credenza gramophone, enabling historically informed reproduction of the original shellac discs. This publication aims to support international research on early postwar symphonic recordings and to preserve this rare historical document as an openly accessible resource.