Sunday, April 6, 2025

April 6 - Leo Robin; Alessandro Rolla (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 6th may be found here: André Previn (2019), Gheorghe Zamfir (2020), Johann Kuhnau (2021), John Pizzarelli (2022), Johann Kuhnau (2023), and Johann Kuhnau (2024)

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Leo Robin (6 April 1895 – 29 December 1984) was an American lyricist.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a Kiss on the Hand


His many popular standards include "Prisoner of Love," "Louise," "Beyond the Blue Horizon," "Thanks for the Memory," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," and "A Little Girl from Little Rock."


That diamonds are a girl's best friend

Is not a truth I would defend,

And yet, although the moral's wrong,

The lyrics make a lively song.


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

 

Alessandro Rolla (6 April 1757 [thus in Baker's Biographical dictionary of Musicians, 8th ed.; Wikipedia has 23 April, while Italian Wikipedia has 22 December] – 14 September 1841) was an Italian viola and violin virtuoso, composer, conductor, and teacher.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rolla Coaster


This intense virtuosity was a new innovation for viola technique, practically unheard of in previous times. Bertini, a historian of his time, reported that Rolla was prohibited from playing in public because women could not hear him without fainting or suffering attacks of nerves. – Wikipedia


Alessandro Rolla,

Who played the viola,

  Exploited technique to the max;

The way that he'd play

In salons of the day

  Was not a good way to relax.

Excitement descended

On those that attended,

  Resulting in nervous attacks.

 

 

 

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