Songs You Know

It's time again for Three Tune Tuesday, that day of the week where members of the Hive community shares three songs of their liking with the rest of the community.

Blind Skeleton Three Tune Tuesday Transparent.png

I take a slow, relaxing approach to Three Tune Tuesday: I like to share pre-1924 78rpm songs from my collection, and record them while playing on an appropriate time-period windup phonograph. I encourage you to take a few moments and slow down with me. Settle down, close your eyes, and take yourself back.. way back.. in time, to a distant uncle's parlour in the early 1920's. There are comfortable seats, pleasant conversation, and old music.

Last week I had a short discussion with @shawnnft in which I promised to play him old-ass songs this week that I'm sure he'd know. This is a fun project and one I've become familiar with elsewhere. I've been taking some portable phonographs out "into the wild," or into public places, and playing songs. They almost always attract attention and I get a lot of questions. Inevitably the discussion will revolve around the age of the songs, and I really enjoy telling children that I'm able to play them a song they already know. They begin dubious, but more often than not they end up smiling and, quite often, even dancing.

William Tell Overture IV - March of the Swiss Soldiers

The William Tell Overture IV - March of the Swiss Soldiers is a famous musical piece composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1829. It is the final part of the overture to his opera William Tell, which tells the story of the legendary Swiss hero who fought against the Austrian oppression. The march is a lively and triumphant tune that evokes the spirit of freedom and patriotism. It is often used as a soundtrack for scenes of adventure, heroism, or comedy in movies and cartoons. The march is also known as the Lone Ranger theme, because it was used as the opening and closing music for the popular radio and television series about the masked cowboy.

Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2

Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2 is a piano piece written by Franz Liszt in the mid-19th century. The work is a combination of Hungarian folk music and virtuoso piano playing, which has gained great popularity among the audience and critics. The work consists of two parts: a slow, melancholic introduction, reminiscent of the Hungarian lassú csárd (slowly), and a fast, cheerful part, similar to the Hungarian fast csárd (friss). One of the best-known parts of the work is the chromatic scale heard at the end, which Liszt wrote for a humorous effect.

Blue Danube Waltz

The Blue Danube Waltz is one of the most famous and popular pieces of classical music ever composed. It was written by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II in 1866 and premiered in Vienna in 1867. The waltz is based on a melody that Strauss heard while traveling along the Danube River, which inspired him to create a musical tribute to the beauty and majesty of the river and its surroundings. The Blue Danube Waltz is widely regarded as a masterpiece of musical artistry and craftsmanship, and has been used in many films, television shows, and other media as a symbol of romance, elegance, and culture.