February 21 - Nina Simone; Charles-Marie Widor (The Musical Birthday Series, 2nd Annual Cycle)

Nina Simone (21 February 1933 – 21  April 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. [This post is in celebration of Black History Month.]

[For last year's remarks on Charlotte Church click here.] 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back

Nobody promised that life would be easy,

   But Nina Simone’s was especially tough.

Reading her bio could make us all queasy,

   And feel like shouting, “Enough is enough!”

The factors that thwarted her while she was living,

  Her radical politics, personal clashes,

Have lost their importance, and Time is forgiving,

  As she rose like a phoenix from out of the ashes.

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

Charles-Marie Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer, and teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pleading the Fifth Symphony

Charles-Marie

             Widor

Is someone we

             Ignore,

Although there is

             A lotta

Call for his

            Toccata.