Wednesday, May 25, 2022

May 25 - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; Johann Baptist Singenberger (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 25th may be found here: Beverly Sills (2019), Hal David (2020), and Moritz of Hesse-Kassel (2021)

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson  (25 May 1878 – 25 November 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. -- Wikipedia

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Here's to You, Mr. Robinson


Moving primarily from the waist down, Robinson maintained impressive control of his body. The  popular sensation of the Stair Dance led Robinson to try to secure a patent on the routine, ultimately to no avail, – adapted from Wikipedia



When Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was tapping,

He did it with a minimum of flapping.

He kept his still above the waist,

Which gave an air of elegance and taste

To dance routines, which though they still had gimmickry,

Were soon the source of idolizing mimicry.

 

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


Johann Baptist Singenberger (25 May 1848 – 29 May 1924) was a Swiss, later American, composer, music teacher, editor and publisher, primarily of Catholic liturgical music.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musica Sacra


Singenberger arrived in Wisconsin in 1873 and founded the American St. Cecilia Society, a precursor of the Church Music Association of America. – cpdl.org


The Cecilians were composers who embraced

The tenets of the Palestrina fashion,

In music both liturgical and chaste,

But leeched of personality and passion.


Wisconsonites were dubiously blessed,

When Singenberger brought the style west.

 

 

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