June 30 - Esa-Pekka Salonen (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 30th are found here: Esa-Pekka Salonen (2019), Lena Horne (2020),  Florence Ballard (2021), and John Gay (2022)

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Esa-Pekka Salonen (b. 30 June 1958) has been the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variations on a Finnish Theme

Esa-Pekka Salonen's conducting classmates included Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Osmo Vänskä.  – Wikipedia

[Finland] has produced an extraordinary array of top-level conductors, and six of the nation’s best known will be featured as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-24 season: Mikko Franck, Hannu Lintu, Klaus Mäkelä, Susanna Mälkki, Esa-Pekka Salonen and John Storgårds.  – Kyle MacMillan, “Finnish conductors rule the CSO roost this season at Symphony Center,” at https://cso.org

 

(1)

No one knows for sure the secret of Finland’s classical-music prowess… - ibid.

The world of our orchestra’s spins

‘Round a cadre of musical Finns.

But would it diminish

The prestige of the Finnish

To share how this process begins? 

(2)

It seems that the musical Finns

Have mastered the outs and the ins,

And the pros and the cons

Of training batons

For spectacular podium wins.

(3)

It seems they are infinite bins

Where the clever and musical Finns

Find brilliant conductors,

And also instructors

To keep them from musical sins.

 

 

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June 29 - Frank Loesser (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 29th are found here: Frank Loesser (2019), Nelson Eddy (2020), Bernard Herrmann (2021), Leroy Anderson (2022), and Nelson Eddy (2023)

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Frank Loesser (29 June 1910 – 28 July 1969) was one of the great Broadway composers who also wrote his own lyrics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rocking the Boat

There once was a music professor

Who studied the works of Frank Loesser.

When asked, “Was he great?”

He replied, “No debate!

The answer, of course, is hell yes, sir!”

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Imaginary History

When trying titles on for size,

At first they thought that Dolls and Guys

Would be the name the public buys,

But though it sounded good at first,

And that is how it was rehearsed.

In trials out of town it burst,

And then the title was reversed.

 

 

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June 28 - Robert Franz (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 28th are found here: Richard Rodgers (2019), Joseph Joachim (2020), Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Oley Speaks (2021), Robert Franz (2022), and Joseph Joachim (2023)

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Robert Franz (28 June 1815 – 24 October 1892) was a German composer, mainly of lieder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Singer for Your Supper

The music played at fancy restaurants

Is almost never that of Robert Franz.

There never was a hungry menu reader

Whose appetite was stirred by German Lieder.

The art song, though it has its proper uses,

Is not a thing to prod the gastric juices.

 

 

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June 27 - Mildred J. Hill (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 27th are found here: Anna Moffo (2019), Frank Mills (2020), Mildred J. Hill (2021),  Friedrich Silcher (2022), and Johann Nepomuk Wendt (2023)

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Mildred J. Hill (27  27, 1859 – 5 June 1916) was an American songwriter and educator who is credited with the tune now sung as "Happy Birthday to You."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Free

In September 2015, a federal judge declared that "Happy Birthday to You" is in the public domain. – Wikipedia

Oh, lift up your voice with good will

To honor Miss Mildred J. Hill,

And it wouldn’t be wrong

If we used her own song,

Though she doesn’t get royalties still.

 

 

 

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June 26 - Leopold Koželuch (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 26th are found here: Leopold Koželuch (2019), Hugues Cuénod (2020), Leopold Koželuch (2021), Gilberto Gil (2022), and David Grusin (2023)

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Leopold Koželuch (26 June 1747 – 7 May 1818) was considered one of the leading composers of Europe in the late 18th century.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koželuch Redux

If you count his sonatas, they’re fifty

That the folks of his day thought were nifty.

You may think that his music had died in

The era of Mozart and Haydn,

But consider, we’re now in position

To play from his Urtext edition

 

 

 

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June 25 - Gustave Charpentier (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for June 25th, both on Gustave Charpentier are found here: (2019) and (2020), Carly Simon; Gustave Charpentier (2021), Carly Simon; Gustave Charpentier (2022), and Gustave Charpentier (2023)

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French composer Gustave Charpentier (25 June 1860 – 18 February 1956) had an improbably long life and wrote one highly successful opera, Louise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seniority

Charpentier, by Fate’s peculiar tricks,

Didn’t die ‘til 1956.

Perhaps when people saw him they said, “He’s

The man who wrote the opera Louise,”

But far more likely Gustave took his stroll

Unnoticed in the Age of Rock and Roll.

 

 

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