January 31 - Philip Glass (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 31st are here: Franz Schubert; George Benjamin (2020), Philip Glass; Mario Lanza (2021), Justin Timberlake; Carol Channing (2022), Franz Schubert (2023), Philip Glass; Gioseffo Zarlino (2024), and Franz Schubert (2025)

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Philip Glass (b. 31 January 1937) is an extraordinarily influential American composer and pianist. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass lassG assGl lassG

And then, behold! it came to pass

That sundry works of Philip Glass

Were played and heard throughout the land,

And lo! this same triadic brand,

Which triumphed thus from shore to shore,

Became the lingua franca for

At least a generation more.

And hark! an era's compositions

Engulfed in wanton repetitions.

 

 

 

 

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January 30 - Mitch Leigh; Thomas Tallis (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 30th are here: Johann Joachim Quantz; Thomas Tallis (2020), Johann Joachim Quantz (2021), Thomas Tallis; Harold Prince (2022), Thomas Tallis (2023), Johann Joachim Quantz (2024), and Charles Haubiel (2025)

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Mitch Leigh (30 January 1928 – 16 March 2014) was an American composer and theatrical producer,  best known for the musical Man of La Mancha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody Doesn't Like Something 

He [Mitch Leigh] never apologized for working in advertising, and he did not give it up just because he had a couple of Tonys on his mantel. – NYT obituary

Mitch Leigh's television music included the commercial jingle "Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee," and the Benson & Hedges theme "The Dis-Advantages of You." –  adapted from Wikipedia

Mitch Leigh who composed the empowering theme

For the Man of La Mancha's "Impossible Dream,"

Was never ashamed of his gig on the side,

In fact, writing jingles had filled him with pride,

And there's art in these jingles (as heard on TV),

For Benson & Hedges, and sweet Sara Lee!

 

 

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

 

Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 – 23 November 1585) was an extremely important English composer. We do not, in fact, know when he was born, but some sources cite tentative evidence pointing to 30 January, so... why not?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Man, a Plan: The Writing of "Spem in alium" 

When Thomas Tallis filled his pen to start

   Writing

His famous feast of mesmerizing part-

   Writing

He had a careful plan for off-the-chart

   Writing,

And thus avoided horse-before-the-cart

   Writing.

 

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January 29 - Leslie Bricusse (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 29th are here: Daniel François Esprit Auber (2020), Adam Lambert (2021), John Raitt; Frederick Delius (2022), Luigi Nono (2023), Georg Christoph Wagenseil; Havergal Brian (2024), and Leslie Bricusse (2025)

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Leslie Bricusse [pronounced:  (BRIK-əs) ] (29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright, remembered for movie and theater musicals.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Kind of Fool Am I?

If you look at the songs that are his,

It's a definite quirk of the biz

That his name would draw blanks

From the erudite ranks

In a Monday night trivia quiz.

 

 

 

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January 28 - Johann Ernst Bach (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 28th are here: John Tavener (2020), Artur [Arthur] Rubinstein; Johann Ernst Bach (2021), Giovanni Battista Velluti; Ferdinand Hérold (2022), Gottfried Vopelius (2023), Ferdinand Hérold (2024), and Joey Fatone; Giovanni Battista Velluti (2025)

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Johann Ernst Bach (28 January 1722 – 1 September 1777) was a distant relation 

and student of J. S. Bach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serving God and Mammon

In 1748, he became his father Johann Bernhard Bach's official assistant, and in 1749 he was his successor. He continued to practice law as well. – adapted from Wikipedia

 

It concerned his good Lutheran employer,

When he heard that his organist-lawyer,

Called the "choir" the "jury,"

And compounded the worry,

By naming the "narthex" the "foyer."

 

 

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January 27 - Skitch Henderson; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 27th are here: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2020), Jerome Kern (2021), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Mikhail Baryshnikov (2022), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Jerome Kern (2023), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Jerome Kern (2024), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Jerome Kern (2025)

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Skitch Henderson (27 January 1918 – 1 November 2005) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Least It's Not a Haiku

Today it's a limerick in which

I ran myself into a ditch

Since my verse was confined

To a form that's five lined

While sketching a portrait of Skitch.

 

 

 

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was one of the greatest composers of all time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amadeus Redux

Though Mozart was duly assessed

As one whom the Muses had blessed,

His life in Alt Wien,

Which you've seen on the screen,

Was chaotic, and harried, and stressed.

 

 

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