Desdemona
Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a man several years her senior. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. There, her husband is manipulated by his ensign Iago into believing she is an adulteress, and, in the last act, she is murdered by her estranged spouse.
The role has attracted notable actresses through the centuries and has the distinction of being the role performed by Margaret Hughes, the first actress to appear on an English public stage.
Sources
Othello has its source in the 1565 tale, "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. While no English translation of Cinthio was available in print during Shakespeare's lifetime, it is possible that Shakespeare knew both the Italian original, Gabriel Chappuy's 1584 French translation, and an English translation in manuscript. Cinthio's tale may have been based on an actual incident occurring in Venice about 1508.
Billy Merson
Billy Merson (1879–1947) was an English music hall performer and songwriter. He began his career while working in a lace-making factory, and doing shows in the evenings. It took some time until he could make a living from his stage work. "For five or six years on the stage, I survived on a salary hardly enough to keep body and soul together", he said. In 1922, he starred in Whirled into Happiness. As a comedian Merson was often paired with George Formby Senior.
Songs he wrote include "The Photo of the Girl I Left Behind", "Desdemona" and (possibly his best known) "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life", which also became one of Al Jolson's first hits.
He was chairman of the music hall at the Players Theatre in London. He also appeared in a few films, including three made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, Billy Merson Sings Desdemona, Billy Merson Sings Scotland's Whiskey (a satire on Sir Harry Lauder), and Billy Merson in a Russian Opera (all 1926-1927).
He came from Nottingham.
Desdemona (John's Children song)
"Desdemona" is a song by the English cult band John's Children. It was released in 1967 and failed to chart in Britain, possibly due to the fact it was banned by the BBC for the controversial lyric (lift up your skirt and fly). However, the song was a minor hit in Europe.
The song was composed by Marc Bolan, who at the time was a member of John's Children. It was later covered by Radio Stars (featuring former John's Children singer Andy Ellison) (1978), Marsha Hunt (1969) and The Jam were known to have played the song live.
External links
Podcasts:
Desdemona
ALBUMS
- Lady of the Lore released:
- Look for Yourself (A Tale of Love and Pride) released:
Desdemona
ALBUMS
- Endorphins released: 2012
- Version 3.0 released: 2006
- s.u.p.e.r.N.O.V.A. released: 2003
- Stagnacja released: 2001
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Desdemona
by: Sort SolWent down your street on a cool summer night
could not believe my ears were they right
Sounds heading. Nowhere bound
I couldn't make my feet turn around
They say the earth shakes under your window
When you twist every word around town
Standing by your little red telephone
Endless rain on the line
Des - de - mo - na - Have you decided -
Who are you today
Cat from Brazil or eighty miles away
Bubbles from your mouth surely bland
Like answers I can't understand
Des - de - mo - na - Desdemona Scarlett
Wawes her head over me
Desdemona Scarlett
Shows me the bottle
Says: "It'll give you more"
I pick up the bottle
it brings me to the floor
I pick up the bottle
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