Friday, April 9, 2021

April 9 - Florence Price; Paul Robeson; Lil Nas X (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 9th may be found here: Tom Lehrer (2019) and Emanuel Schikaneder (2019).

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Florence Price (9 April 1887 – 3 June 1953) was an American composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





The Price of Fame


“My dear Dr. Koussevitzky, To begin with I have two handicaps—those of sex and race. I am a woman; and I have some Negro blood in my veins.” —Florence Price


Price’s style, wrote Eileen Southern in The Music of Black Americans, “is best defined as neoromantic, which was rather conservative for her time.” — encyclopedia com


The musical works of Florence Price

   After long neglect

Have re-emerged to gain a slice

   Of concert hall respect.


She briefly was a well-known name

   She briefly held a place;

Three factors worked against her fame:

   Her gender, style, and race.

 

 

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

 

Paul Robeson (9 April 898 – 23 January 1976) was an American bass baritone and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism.  

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left Right Left 

 

Paul Robeson, the radical singer,

Went through the McCarthyite wringer.

He was willing to fight

For the things he thought right

As a Stalinist, Red, and left winger.

 

 

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

 

 

Lil Nas X (b. 9 April 1999) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and internet personality. 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloody Hell

 

Lil Nas X

In matters of sex

   Is frank and outspokenly queer.

He stirred up debate in

A lap dance for Satan

  With droplets of blood in his gear.

 

 

 

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