January 18 - César Cui; Emmanuel Chabrier (The Musical Birthday Series)

César Cui (18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1835 – 13 March 1918) was a Russian composer and music critic whose day job was as a military engineer.

César Cui: Double Duty

But in 1851 he was sent to St. Petersburg, where he entered the school of engineering and, in 1855, the academy of military engineering, becoming a lecturer there in 1857. In 1878 he became a professor of fortification… and he retired with the rank of lieutenant general. - Britannica.com

There isn’t a doubt that we’d much rather hear

A concert composed by our chief engineer

Than trust the direction of worksite bull-dózers

To blueprints prepared by our favorite composers.

The thought of professors of fortifications

Performing the music they write on vacations

Is not too alarming, at least in comparison,

To music professors designing a garrison.

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪   

Emmanuel Chabrier (18 January 1841 – 13 September 1894) was a French composer and pianist 

who spent much of his life as a civil servant.

To Wit

Emmanuel Chabrier’s charm

Has certainly done him no harm.

His airy confections

Have gained our affections

While his weightier works strike alarm.

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