Previous posts for December 21st are here: András Schiff; Michael Tilson Thomas (2019), Michael Tilson Thomas (2020), Frank Zappa; Werner von Trapp (2021), Michael Tilson Thomas (2021), and Edgard Varèse; Giacomo Puccini (2022)
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Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) composed several of the most beloved operas in the repertoire.
Three on Tosca
(1)
While critics have often dismissed the opera as a facile melodrama with confusions of plot—musicologist Joseph Kerman famously called it a "shabby little shocker”—the power of its score and the inventiveness of its orchestration have been widely acknowledged. – Wikipedia, s.v. “Tosca”
Alright, so it’s shocking and shabby,
And it makes intellectuals crabby,
But with intrigue and torture,
This Italianate scorcher
Is never Germanically flabby.
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(2) Act II - “Vissi d’arte”
Poor Tosca, who lived for her Art,
Had seen her whole world fall apart,
But for Mario’s sake
Pulls a knife from a steak,
And lunges for Scarpio’s heart.
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(3) Act III
La Tosca was cool and aloof;
She knew the whole thing was a spoof.
But when Mario fell,
She exclaimed, “What the hell!”
And promptly jumped off of the roof.
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Maurice Gibb (22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) and Robin Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) were members of the hugely successful pop trio, The Bee Gees.
Stayin’ Alive
Strike the harp and join the chorus
For Robin and his brother Maurice!
Fraternal twins, the brothers Gibb
Who teamed up with their other sib,
And to this family venture we owe
The famous Bee Gees as a trio.
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