RARE ELECTRIC: Titta Ruffo - Credo in un Dio Crudel [Otello] - 1929

It's not widely known that Ruffo recorded three short films for Metro Movietone (uh...I don't know why I used the Vitaphone logo here). Only one—his film of Largo al factotum—is confirmed to have been presented on screen (as part of the reels before showings of Madame X at the Sam H. Harris Theatre, New York). Though none of the kinescopes are known to exist, the disc incisions of the films' audio have survived. As a belated birthday gift to Signor Ruffo, I'm happy to share the Movietone audio of his Credo, here at the correct pitch for the first time on YouTube.

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This channel is primarily about vocal emission—aural examples of basically correct singing, correct impostazione—chiaroscuro, vowel clarity, firm and centered pitch, correct vibrato action, absence of throatiness or thickness, sounds free from constriction and from the acoustic noise that accompanies it—with occasional video examples that demonstrate what the body, face, mouth, jaw, and tongue look like when used with correct impostazione—the vocal emission of the one and only Italian school.

Caveat: I'm biased in favor of baritones and baritone literature, but if you want to learn about and listen to all the greatest singers in the old-school tradition, explore this spreadsheet (voice parts are separated by tabs): https://bit.ly/2W4qmE3