Maurizio Carta

Cover of In Dialetto Sarda
11" x 8.5", 2013
watercolor, pencil, on paper

Once again I have to reference Jon Ward's writings for Excavated Shellac in order to say anything sensible about the recording La Disisperata di Tempiese made by Maurizio Carta in Sardinia in 1928. As is customary for the Excavated Shellac blog, Mr. Ward researched the circumstances of the music he writes about in depth, and together with the commentaries of those versed in the topic, a total picture is reconstructed. Despite the fact that a choir, still active today, was named after the singer Maurizio Carta, he was not a very important figure in the history of Sardinian music. Only a few recordings were made, and none appear on the various historical compilations of Sardinian music that are out there. Apparently the song La Disisperata is a "white" watered down version of the true traditional guitar and male voice Sardinian music. That said, I consider the song is a standout among a great many Italian (and Sardinian) recordings I have amassed from that time period. For a moment, when the song starts, you get the feeling the famous aria (and one of my favorite) Casta Diva is going to start playing.