September 30 - Donald Swann (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 30th are here: Charles Villiers Stanford (2019), Donald Swann (2020), Johnny Mathis (2021), and Buddy Rich (2022)

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Donald Swann (30 September 1923 – 23 March 1994) was a Welsh-born composer, musician, singer and entertainer, best known as half of the duo Flanders and Swann. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riddle… with Answer

Though both of them, sadly, are gone,

They still have adherents who fawn

On each little gem

That was written by them, –

I’m speaking of Flanders and Swann.

 

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Chiasmus

A comic song by Swann and Flanders

Makes its point without meanders;

In fact, one never risks a yawn

With comic songs by Flanders and Swann.

 

 

 

September 29 - Gene Autry (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 29th are here: Richard Bonynge; Gene Autry (2019), Vincent Lübeck (2020), Madeline Kahn; Maria Hester Park (2021), and Jerry Lee Lewis (2022)

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Gene Autry (29 September 1907 – 2 October 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball owner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be (Singing) Cowboys"

At radio station WLS in Chicago, Autry donned cowboy clothes and sang cowboy songs and became so popular that he was invited to Hollywood, where he set off the “singing cowboy” craze and spawned many imitators.   --- adapted from www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/singing-cowboys-branches-of-country-music

Perhaps it was more than a tad

Surprising when Gene Autry had

A cowboy act where he

Sang songs on the prairie

That ignited a national fad.

 

September 28 - Florent Schmitt (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 28th are here: Johann Mattheson; Moon Unit Zappa (2019), Johann Mattheson (2020), Giovanni Punto (2021), and Maria Franziska von Trapp (2022)

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Florent Schmitt (28 September 1870 – 17 August 1958) is one of the most fascinating of France’s lesser-known classical composers. — florentschmitt.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best of the B-Team

About the work of Florent Schmitt

I've read one thing, and this is it:

Though Schmitt is rank with also-rans,

He has his modicum of fans

Among the music-loving tribe

Who quite appreciates his vibe;

Or thus it’s argued with aplomb

At least at florentschmitt dot com.

 

 

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September 27 - Vincent Youmans (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 27th are here: Vincent Youmans; Jean Berger (2019), Igor Kipnis (2020), Cyril Scott; Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari (2021), and Shaun Cassidy; Cyril Scott (2022)

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Vincent Youmans (27 September 1898 – 5 April 1946) was a Broadway composer and producer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Than You Know

I’m sure it’s safe to guess that you

Can sing the tune for “Tea for Two”,

Or maybe even try to croak a

Little bit of “Carioca”,

Perhaps, although you know it’s sappy,

You sometimes hum “Sometimes I’m Happy”,

Or maybe shyly croon along

When someone sings “Without a Song”;

If this is you, you’ll know that Youmans

Wrote snappy songs for happy humans.

 

 

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September 26 - George Gershwin (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 26th are here: George Gershwin (2019) and (2020), William L. Dawson; Fritz Wunderlich (2021), and George Gershwin (2022)

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George Gershwin (26 September 1898 – 11 July 1937) was an American composer and pianist, initially of popular songs, but later, in larger forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working Both Sides

Musicians attempting to straddle

   The boundaries of musical art,

Might be found up a creek with no paddle,

   With a project that’s doomed from the start.

But Gershwin’s the happy exception,

   An exception confirming the rule,

As a man who could have a conception

   With a style that was cheerfully dual.

 

 

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September 25 - Glenn Gould; Will Smith (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 25th are here: Jean-Philippe Rameau; Glenn Gould (2019), Dmitri Shostakovich (2020), Jean-Philippe Rameau (2021), and Glenn Gould (2022)

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Glenn Gould (25 September 1932 – 4 October 1982) was a legendary Canadian pianist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enough is Enough

Glenn Gould thought the Goldberg’s were nice,

And so he recorded them twice.

When asked now and then

If he’d do it again,

He responded that twice would suffice.

 

 

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Will Smith (b. 25 September 25) is an American actor, rapper and film producer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caveat

Successful in acting and rap,

Will Smith had his careers overlap,

But a man can go far

As a bankable star,

And throw it away with a slap.

 

 

 

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September 24 - John Rutter (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 24th are here: John Rutter; Václav Nelhýbel (2019), John Rutter; Anthony Newley (2020), John Rutter (2021), and Jean-Louis Lully (2022)

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John Rutter (b. 24 September 1945) is a well-known and prolific choral conductor, composer, and arranger, especially of Christmas carols.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A House Divided

One British composer, David Arditti, did not regard Rutter as a sufficiently "serious" composer, saying that Rutter is "hard to take seriously,... and which tends towards mawkish sentimentality in his sugarily-harmonised and orchestrated melodies." – Wikipedia

David Willcocks considered Rutter "the most gifted composer of his generation."  - Wikipedia

At Christmas you’ll likely perform

John Rutter, a seasonal norm,

And this I’ll say for him

Adore or abhor him,

Reactions are never lukewarm.

 

 

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