March 12 - Thomas Augustine Arne; Paul Weston (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 12th may be found here: Thomas Augustine Arne (2019),  Gordon MacRae (2020), and Liza Minnelli (2021)

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Thomas Augustine Arne (2 March 1710 – 5 March 1778) was an English composer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Difficult Questions

 

Arne's Artaxerxes was one of the most successful and influential English operas of the 18th century. It was frequently performed in London into the 1830s and, other than Michael William Balfe's The Bohemian Girl, it was the most popular full-length English opera before the 20th century.  -- adapted from Wikipedia

Thomas Arne, no doubt, felt pride

That Artaxerxes was a hit,

But would he take it in his stride

That no one still remembers it?

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

Paul Weston (12 March 1912 – 20 September 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Couplet for Paul Weston

Weston and Stafford developed a comedy routine where they assumed the guise of a bad lounge act named Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. – Wikipedia

Have there ever been more dread words

Than “Jonathan and Darlene Edwards”?

 

 

 

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