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.
I know, I post Three Tune Tuesday on Wednesday. It's done by design! I run a Three Tune Tuesday livestream on Tuesday, then post the songs the next day. Want to be the first to hear them? Tune in live!
12:00pm (noon) EDT
17:00 UTC
https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Of course, this week I'm so far behind I'm posting on Thursday. Three Tune Thursday! It works.
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.
This week we have a show inspired by what can only be described as an awesome looking record label. The Opera Disc Company was a short-lived record label that was founded in 1921 in New York City. The company was founded by Max Hesslein, a securities broker who was also a music lover. Hesslein was frustrated by the high prices of classical music records, which were typically released by Victor Talking Machine Company. Victor's records were known for their high quality, but they were also very expensive. Hesslein saw an opportunity to create a more affordable alternative for classical music lovers.
The Opera Disc Company was able to offer its records at such a low price because it was able to obtain the master recordings from Polyphonwerke. Polyphonwerke had acquired the master recordings from Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG), which was the German affiliate of the Gramophone Company. DGG had originally been given the master recordings for distribution in Germany, but they had been confiscated as enemy alien property during World War I.
The Opera Disc Company's records were a success, and they quickly became popular with opera lovers. However, the company's success was short-lived. In 1923, Victor Talking Machine Company sued the company for copyright infringement. Victor argued that the Opera Disc Company was using its masters without permission. The lawsuit was settled out of court and, sadly, the Opera Disc Company was forced to cease operations.
Tarantella Neapolitan
The Tarantella is a dance - more specifically, it is a group of various southern Italian folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time (sometimes 12/8 or 4/4), so it's quick. The tarantella dance as we know it today is either a courtship dance or a dance performed to shake off the effects of a spider bite.
The Tarantella Neapolitan, by contrast, is traditionally considered a courtship song. This song tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a beautiful girl and begs her to dance the tarantella with him, and is sung by Enrico Caruso who was, himself, an Italian tenor.
Rigoletto
Rigoletto" is an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. It premiered in Venice in 1851 and is based on the play "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo.
The opera tells the story of Rigoletto, a hunchbacked jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto is fiercely protective of his daughter Gilda, whom he keeps hidden from the court. However, the Duke learns of Gilda's existence and seduces her, leading to tragic consequences.
In this aria, Rigoletto is desperate and pleading with the courtiers who have abducted his daughter Gilda. He asks them to have mercy on him and return his daughter to him, begging them not to speak to him or mock him any longer. The aria is a poignant and emotional moment in the opera, as Rigoletto's anguish and despair are palpable in the music and lyrics.
Otello
n Otello, also by Verdo, Enrico Caruso and Titta Ruffo perform a duet to the aria "Si pel Ciel," which translates into English as "If to heaven." The name of the aria derives from the opening lines of the aria where Otello sings "If to heaven of marble I swear."
"Si pel Ciel" is an aria from Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Otello." It is sung by the character of Otello, the Moorish general of the Venetian army, and is also known as "Dio mi potevi scagliar."
In the aria, Otello expresses his anguish and despair over the situation with his wife Desdemona, who he believes has been unfaithful to him. He laments his fate and the hand that God has dealt him, expressing his confusion and despair over the situation.
(spoiler: they both die by Otello's own hand)
Three Tune Tuesday (TTT) is initiated by 
I run a live stream of my TTT songs every Tuesday at 12:00pm EDT, then take that stream and share the songs from it here, on Hive, on Wednesday (or occasionally Thursday). These songs are all old pre-1923 78rpm records from my collection, played on my antique phonographs and recorded with a well placed microphone. Like what you hear? Come listen live!
Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST
Listen to the podcast!
https://blindskeleton.one/blind-skeleton-podcasts/
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe
About Me
Sometimes photographer. Wannabe author. Game designer. Nerd. 78rpm disc jockey.
General all around problem-solver and creative type.
Blind Skeleton
Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST