April 5 - Agnetha Fältskog; Louis Spohr (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 5th may be found here: Louis Spohr (2019), Agnetha Fältskog (2020), Herbert von Karajan, Sébastien Érard (2022), Albert Roussel (2023), and Louis Spohr; John Wilson (2024)

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Agnetha Fältskog (b. 5 April 1950) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, musician and actress, best known as a member of ABBA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Thought About Agnetha Fältskog

When you look at her name, if you see a

New furniture line from IKEA,

It's proof of the really outstanding

Effect of the company's branding.

 

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Louis Spohr (5 April 1784 – 22 October 1859) was once regarded as one of the foremost composers of Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marked Profession

The chinrest was invented by Louis Spohr in the early 19th century, about 1820. Historically, this has been explained as a response to increasingly difficult repertoire which demanded freer left hand techniques than had previously been used. -- Wikipedia, s.v. "Chinrest"

When you play the violin,

The rest that sits beneath your chin

Had never been in place before

The thing was used by Louis Spohr,

Who needed more support to play

The flashy music of his day.

And from the advent of this trick he

Had a violinist's hickey.

 

 

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April 4 - Hans Richter (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 4th may be found here: Elmer Bernstein (2019), Stephen Storace (2020), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (2021), Pierre Monteux; Eugène Bozza (2022), Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli (2023), and Arthur Murray (2024)

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Hans Richter (4 April 1843 – 5 December 1916) was an Austro-Hungarian orchestral and operatic conductor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going for the Cycle

In 1876, he was chosen to conduct the first complete performance of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. -- Wikipedia

Hans Richter's endurance and toughness

   Were put to the test when he led

The Ring, with its never-enoughness,

   And after the cycle he said,

"We rehearsed it with no off-the-cuffness,

   Well aware of the rigours ahead,

And avoided all musical roughness,

   As the hours implacably spread."

Then he turned with a slight touch of gruffness

   And announced he was going to bed.

 

 

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April 3 - Zez Confrey (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 3rd may be found here: Reginald De Koven (2019),  Alessandro Stradella (2020), Wayne Newton (2021), Watkins Shaw (2022), Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (2023), and Richard Proulx (2024)

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Zez Confrey (3 April 1895 – 22 November 1971) was an American composer and performer of novelty piano and jazz music. His most noted works were "Kitten on the Keys" and "Dizzy Fingers."   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Novelty Act

I looked, and the calendar says

That today is the birthday of Zez

Confrey, who played with a flair

That seemed like a breath of fresh air.

But even his hit "Dizzy Fingers"

Has faded, and just barely lingers,

(Perhaps with a bit of unfairness)

On the fringe of the culture's awareness.

 

 

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April 2 - Richard Taruskin (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous postings for April 2nd may be found here: EmmyLou Harris (2019),  Marvin Gaye (2020), Franz Asplmayr (2021), Franz Lachner (2022), Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari (2023), and  Franz Lachner (2024)

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Richard Taruskin (2 April 1945 – 1 July 2022) was an American musicologist and music critic who was among the leading and most prominent music historians of his generation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

En Garde!

Mr. Taruskin courted controversy in nearly everything he wrote. He had a no-holds-barred approach to intellectual combat. – excerpts adapted from William Robin, "Richard Taruskin, Vigorously Polemical Musicologist, Dies at 77," www.nytimes.com

Richard Taruskin was someone with whom

   It was foolish to vie in polemics,

With rhetorical flair he commanded the room

   And crushed less assured academics!

 

 

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April 1 - Sergei Rachmaninoff (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 1st may be found here: Sergei Rachmaninoff (2019), F. Melius Christiansen (2020), Alberta Hunter (2021), Debbie Reynolds; Sergei Rachmaninoff (2022), Susan Boyle (2023) and Rachmaninoff (2024)

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Sergei Rachmaninoff (1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 – 28 March 1943) was, of course, one of the greatest pianists of his time, and remains one of the most beloved of all composers.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Different Strokes

For some, the concertos he wrote

Are clearly the work of the G.O.A.T.,

While other would say

They could listen all day

And hear nothing but bustle and bloat.

 

 

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.]