The last part of the four volumes, containing the Beethoven sonatas performed by Artur Schnabel. Schnabel was born in 1882 in what is now Lipnik in Poland, but was then Austria-Hungary. He died in 1951. All of his recordings preceded stereo and modern recording techniques, all having been recorded directly on wax.
The recordings of the Beethoven sonatas were made just seven years after the invention of electronic recording, but in 2018 they were chosen by the Library of Congress to be included in the National Recording Registry for their cultural, historical and aesthetical significance. Also, they were included in the Grammy hall of fame in 1975.
The Schnabel interpretation of Beethoven is very influential, and is seen by many as the benchmark. Brendel acknowledges this for his recording, made in the 60s.