April 30 - Merrill Osmond (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 30th may be found here: Franz Lehár (2019), Sheldon Harnick (2020), and Robert Shaw; Alfred Gaul (2021)

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Merrill Osmond (b. 30 April 1953) is an American musician, singer, and occasional actor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maturity

When Donny began to focus on his own career in the late 1970s, Merrill grew out his beard…  Wikipedia

When they broke up the family band,

And a solo career was at hand,

He figured re-branding

Was part of disbanding,

And appeared newly bearded and tanned.

 

 

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April 29 - Steve Norquist (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 29th may be found here: me (2019), me (2020), and me (2021)

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Steve Norquist (b. 29 April 1954) writes this blog.  He is a musicologist and pianist, and performs obscure, undeservedly forgotten, and just plain odd piano music at his YouTube channel Piano Curiosities with Steve Norquist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve: Contra

Steve Norquist, who thinks he’s so witty,

Writes a blog, which I’ll tell you, ain’t pretty.

When we saw his inaugural

Example of doggerel,

We said to ourselves, what a pity!

 

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Steve: Pro

Once again it’s that moment when we’ve

Got to stand up and celebrate Steve;

So come on, get to it!

Step lively, let’s do it!

Let’s party from morning to eve!

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

 

 

April 28 - Ludvig Schytte (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 28th may be found here: John Jacob Niles (2019), Michael Daugherty (2020), and Blossom Dearie (2021)

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Ludvig Schytte (28 April 1848 – 10 November 1909) was a Danish composer, pianist, and teacher.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elementary Question

His shorter works are still used today as educational studies for piano students. -- Wikipedia

Did Schytte have nephews and nieces

For whom he wrote all of those pieces,

Or were daughters and sons

The unfortunate ones.

Who were guinea pigs for his caprices?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

April 27 - Nicolas Slonimsky (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 27th may be found here: Friedrich von Flotow (2019), Nicolas Slonimsky (2020), and Johann Adam Reincken (2021)

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Nicolas Slonimsky (April 27 [O.S. April 15] 1894 – December 25, 1995) was a Russian-born American conductor, author, pianist, composer and lexicographer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops!

Then in 1953, Slonimsky brought out the Lexicon of Musical Invective ("Critical Assaults on Composers since Beethoven's Time"), a collection of hilariously scathing, insulting, vituperative, and enraged contemporary critiques of musical greats in their time. -- Wikipedia

Old Slonimsky got some laughs

Revisiting reviewers’ gaffs.

He show how much they missed the mark

While lost in the aesthetic dark.

They little thought that their reviews meant

They'd be fodder for amusement.

Nor could they know that cruel posterity

Would read their judgements with hilarity,

And not an ounce of Christian charity.

 

 

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

 

 

April 26 - Francis Lai; Adam Falckenhagen (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 26 may be found here: Conrad Susa (2019), Ma Rainey (2020), and Mikhail Fokine; Ma Rainey (2021)

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Francis Lai (26 April 1932 – 7 November 2018) was a French composer of film scores, best known for his score for Love Story and its hit theme song. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Saying Sorry

“Where Do I Begin?” is such

   An elemental question,

That it requires a gentle touch –

   A hint or a suggestion,

For sentiment, when it’s too much,

   Disorders the digestion.

 

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ 

 

Adam Falckenhagen (26 April 1697 – 6 October 1754) was a German lutenist and composer.

 

 

Doomed

Falckenhagen's music is representative of the final flowering of 18th-century lute music in Germany. – WIkipedia

The lute, in its last efflorescence,

Was given a short convalescence,

By players whose skill

Could provide that old thrill,

In the face of ordained obsolescence.

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