About the Columbia Music Company
When Sophocles Papas was teaching classical guitar in Washington, D.C., in the 1920s, the lack of published guitar music led him to found the Columbia Music Company. Initially, many of the publications were Papas's own transcriptions for his students, but the range of composers and arrangers whose works were represented in the company's catalog soon grew.
In 1953 Papas published the Diatonic Major and Minor Scales (CO 127), which were fingered by his friend Andrés Segovia, and later Segovia’s Slur Exercises and Chromatic Octaves (CO 197). Papas's own Method for the Classic Guitar (CO 300) soon followed, and Smith's Theory Book for the Guitar (CO 359), by his daughter, Elisabeth Papas Smith, appeared in 1965. The company's catalog includes additional compositions and arrangements by Segovia, as well as works by Charlie Byrd, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and a range of other musicians.
From its inception, the Columbia Music Company has been committed to supplying fine sheet music for the classical guitar at reasonable prices.
Thea E. Smith, first grandchild of Sophocles Papas and author of the novel She Let Herself Go, is President of the company.
Elisabeth Papas Smith, only daughter of Sophocles Papas and author of his biography, Sophocles Papas: The Guitar, His Life, is Music Consultant.
The website is maintained by Rodrigo Gadea, of Montevideo, Uruguay.
In Memoriam
Over the years, one of the most active members of the Columbia Music Company’s Board of Directors was Philip H. Smith, Jr., who died suddenly but peacefully on June 11, 2006. He was the husband of Elisabeth Papas Smith and the father of Columbia Music Company president Thea E. Smith. From the time that Phil and Elisabeth acquired the company in 1988, he significantly increased the catalog holdings and worked diligently to perpetuate the goals established by Sophocles Papas. Phil is sorely missed.