Wednesday, August 31, 2022

August 31 - Amilcare Ponchielli (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 31st are here: Alma Mahler (2019), Joseph Schillinger (2020), and Alan Jay Lerner (2021)

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Amilcare Ponchielli (31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera La Gioconda.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As If Dancing Ostriches Weren’t Bad Enough…

 

Although, in his lifetime, Ponchielli was very popular and influential only La Gioconda regularly performed today. It's ballet "The Dance of the Hours" is widely known thanks in part to its having been featured in Walt Disney's Fantasia and in Allan Sherman's novelty song, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh". - adapted from Wikipedia  

If Amilcare Ponchielli knew

  That most of what he wrote had been forgotten,

Perhaps he’d blink, and wipe a tear or two,

   And stoically accept that life was rotten.


But he would curse the heartless higher powers

   With imprecations never heard in sermons,

To learn his dainty tune for dancing hours

   Is now considered Mr. Allan Sherman’s.

 

 

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