September 30 - Johnny Mathis (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 30th are here: Charles Villiers Stanford (2019) and Donald Swann (2020)

Johnny Mathis (b. 30 September 1935) is an American singer-songwriter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High

 

At San Francisco State, Mathis had become noteworthy as a high jumper, and in 1956 he was asked to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team that would travel to Melbourne that November. Mathis had to decide whether to go to the Olympic trials or to keep his appointment in New York City to make his first recordings. -- Wikipedia 

 

 Johnny Mathis had a choice --

To use his legs, or use his voice;

To try for the Olympic team,

Or start out on his show biz dream.

He pondered on this circumstance

And gave a vocal career a chance;

 

And in conclusion, let me say,

That in the ‘50s, Black and gay,

He made the better choice that day.

 

 

 

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September 29 - Madeline Kahn; Maria Hester Park (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 29th are here: Richard Bonynge; Gene Autry (2019) and Vincent Lübeck (2020)

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Madeline Kahn (29 September 1942 – 3 December 1999) was an American actor, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explanation

This started out to be a verse

  That Madeleline Kahn inspired;

It ended up absurdly terse,

  Because, you see, “I’m tired.”

 

 

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Maria Hester Park (29 September 1760 – 7 June 1813) was a British composer, pianist, and singer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

 

It has been said of Maria Hester Park that she was "hugely popular in the elegant drawing rooms of eighteenth century England" and that she "made her living composing the sort of music performed by Jane Austen heroines." -- Diana Ambache, as qtd. in Wikipedia

When heroines in Austen dote

  On music of the kind that

Maria Hester Park once wrote,

  Their guardians don’t mind that.

Her pieces didn’t strain to be

  Romantic or outlandish,

In fact, it was a plus that she

   Was anodyne and blandish.

 

 

 

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

 

 

September 28 - Giovanni Punto (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for Septembr 28th are here: Johann Mattheson; Moon Unit Zappa (2019) and Johann Mattheson (2020)

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Giovanni Punto (28 September 1746 – 16 February 1803) was a Czech horn player and composer. He pioneered the hand-stopping technique which allows natural horns to play a greater number of notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hype in Two Limericks

 

"Punto plays magnifique." -- Mozart writing about on Punto, qtd. in Wikipedia 

Since the horn is so naturally fraught

With chances for error, one ought

To avoid being frisky,

It’s foolish and risky,

And against every rule you were taught.

And yet Signor Punto had skills

That let him indulge in such frills.

The critics said, “Fearless!”

“Boffo and peerless!”

“This horn-playing act always kills!”

 

 

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

 

 

September 27 - Cyril Scott; Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 27th are here: Vincent Youmans; Jean Berger (2019) and Igor Kipnis (2020)

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Cyril Scott (27 September 1879 – 31 December 1970) was an English composer, writer, poet, and occultist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Free

Cyril Scott was admired by composers as diverse as Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky and his lifelong friend - Percy Grainger. -- cyrilscott.net

The chances are that you are not

An ardent fan of Cyril Scott,

But take some time to recollect

How many held him in respect.

It might be time to reassess…

And yet I doubt it, nonetheless.

 

 

 

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Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari (27 September 1677 – 16 May 1754) was an Italian compose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steal Away

The works by which Clari distinguished himself pre-eminently are his vocal duets and trios. They appear to have been admired by Handel, since he did not hesitate to make appropriations from them. -- Wikipedia

Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari

Isn’t ranked among the starry;

You may have never heard a bar he

Wrote.

But Handel knew his music and

Used his themes, however bland,

In his own work, where still they stand.

Take note!

Is borrowed music “contraband”

When someone like George Frederick Hand-

El takes it from another brand?

Or should we use a term more bland?

Like “quote”.

 

 

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