ORPHEUS DESCENDING

At the very end of the period known as Le Belle Epoch, the beautiful epoch, powerful and terrifying forces congealed in the collective consciousness of man, and this fracturing of the human psyche led humanity into the charnel house of the first world war. It was a period when Orpheus, god of music, came to embrace Mars, god of war, and this union created the dirge-music of Thanatos, god of death. It was these discordant strains of the unbridled Id that beckoned fifteen million sacrificial victims to a slaughter house of trench tombs.

War invariably produces its own unique, distorted music of mayhem, madness and romanticism that takes many forms. The music of this war was the first to be captured on recordings; the wax disc distortions of sound that had become immensely popular at the beginning of the twentieth century.

RITES OF SPRING: RITES OF WAR

The harbinger of war was witnessed in May of 1913 when Igor Stravinsky mounted his ballet, "The Rite of Spring." This work was a collection of ancient, pagan fertility rites, the foremost of which was a sacrificial rite in which a girl dances herself to death in a sacrifice to Pan, god of primordial nature. When the discordant strains floated through the theater, rioting broke out, and the theater was sacked and reduced to chaos. This riot presaged the eruption of the raging Id that would flow to the surface of European society a year later and would culminate in the greatest butchery of humanity in the history of the world. The music of war had created pandemonium in the world. Man was compelled by Thanatos to join in a Dance of Death. The "Rite of Spring" was recorded a number of times during the war years, using the primitive recording technology of the time; reflecting the primitive nature of the music it captured.

In truth, some of the most remarkable music ever recorded was imprinted on the wax works recordings of the war years. It was an age that had produced the greatest singers to ever perform in opera, which was an attempt to recreate the ancient, Dionysian theater of the Greeks, with its primacy of sound.

CARUSO ENCHANTING

The term enchant comes from the latin incantare, which means to sing. Great singers can enchant with their voices, and Enrico Caruso was considered the greatest enchanter of the world war I years. He was at his peak during this period, and he produced some of his most remarkable recordings in opera history. His voice had darkened over the years to produce a richer, larger, more resonant sound that could move the needle on the wax discs. He eclipsed any tenor of the time, and his only rival was the baritone Titta Ruffo. Ruffo had a massive voice with an almost tenorial upper register, which sounded like a primal force on the old seventy eight recordings. One other opera singer of these war years deserves mentioning. He was Renato Zanelli, and though he is not well remembered, his voice was perhaps the most naturally beautiful in the history of opera. He was a baritone during the war years, with a voice that was liquid gold. In the twenties he developed into the only authentic dramatic tenor of the twentieth century. A small number of his recordings are still available.

POPULAR SONGS DURING AN UNPOPULAR WAR

Wars invariably produce a well-spring of popular songs. These songs reflect the fundamental consciousness of humanity and its vision of the conflict that is transpiring. World war 1 produced a plethora of songs that were both focused on the war and man's hopes for the future.

1914 produced "Fido Is A Hot Dog Now," which humorously satirized war rationing. "Alexanders Rag Time Band" by Irving Berlin was an upbeat affirmation of life. "America, I Love You" was a maudlin celebration of American nationalism in 1915, and "Fascination" by Sigmund Romberg created lush romantic strains.

With the sinking of the munitions laden Lusitania in 1916, which was carrying a large number of Americans, the United States found itself very close to entering the European battlegrounds. "Bugle Call Rag" reflected this impending call to war, while "Hawaiian Sunshine" spoke of the romanticism and detachment of far away islands.

In 1917 the songs "American patrol" and "America, Here's My Boy" focused on the deepening intensity of possible American involvement in the war. A romantic counter to this militaristic music was the very popular "For Me and My Gal."

1918 was the year that the United States entered the war. With this entry the climate of this world conflict was now inextricably altered, with Germany, which had been victorious to that point, hurled down into ignominious defeat. The American victory was celebrated in "The Caissons Go Rolling Along." Those who longed for the realm of Eros were comforted with the lush "After You've Gone."

THE RHAPSODY OF WAR

World war 1 was a titanic upheaval of the human psyche. However, it produced extraordinary music and remarkable musicians and singers who breathed Orphic power into these early recordings.

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