April 13 - Frederic Rzewski (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 13th may be found here: William Sterndale Bennett (2020), Howard Keel (2019), Frederic Rzewski (2021), Félicien David (2022), William Sterndale Bennett (2023), and William Sterndale Bennett (2024)

++++++++++++++++++++

Frederic Anthony Rzewski (b. 13 April 1938) is an American composer and pianist  who often incorporates social and political themes in his works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resistance

Frederick Rzewski, whose "People United"

  Has earned him a place in the musical annals;

Will not be surprised when his opus is cited

  By the Kennedy Center's new censorship panels.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

April 12 - Joseph Lanner (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 12th may be found here: Tiny Tim (2019), Lily Pons (2020), Montserrat Caballé (2021). and Helen Forrest; Caffarelli (2022), Montserrat Caballé; Lily Pons (2023), and Felice Giardini (2024)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Joseph Lanner (12 April 1801 – 14 April 1843) was an Austrian dance music composer and dance orchestra conductor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lanner and Strauss: Two for One-Two-Three

Lanner is best remembered as one of the earliest Viennese composers to reform the waltz from a simple peasant dance to something that even the highest society could enjoy. He was just as famous as his friend and musical rival Johann Strauss the Elder. – Wikipedia

Joseph Lanner wrote the waltz

Before it had devolved to schmaltz;

His charming dances, deftly made,

Are still upon occasion played,

Concerning Lanner, do not grouse

Because he wasn't Johann Strauss.

When both are programmed á la carte, 

It's hard to tell the two apart.

 

 

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

 

April 11 - Joel Grey (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous postings for April 11th may be found here: Alberto Ginastera (2019), Louise Reichardt (2020), Alberto Ginastera (2021), Joel Grey (2022), Joel Grey; Louise Reichardt (2023), and Alberto Ginastera (2024)

+++++++++++++++++++

Joel Grey (b. 11 April 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theater director.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willkommen

One couldn't scrub

The Kit Kat Club

Enough to make it chaste;

And Joel Grey,

Made up and fey,

Was suitably debased.

 

 

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

April 10 - Claude Bolling (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous postings for April 10th may be found here: Claude Bolling (2019), Eugen d'Albert (2020), Charles Swinnerton Heap (2021), Jorge Mester (2022), Marilyn Maye (2023), and Eugen d'Albert (2024)

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Claude Bolling (10 April 1930 – 29 December 2020) was a jazz pianist  and composer who became extremely popular in the 1970s due to a several crossover recordings made with well-known classical artists, including Jean-Pierre Rampal, Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, and others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross Over Crossover

Although the [crossover album with Rampal] drew criticism from both classical and jazz purists as, in the words of one article, “watered-down jazz with a thin classical veneer,” the listening public loved it. – Neil Genzlinger, "Claude Bolling, Jazzman With Crossover Appeal, Dies at 90" (www.nytimes.com)

According to our recent polling,

Neither pressure nor cajoling

Could keep a connoisseur from scrolling

Past a birthday verse extolling

Music by the late Claude Bolling

(Unless they stopped to do some trolling).

 

 

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

 

 

April 9 - Johann Caspar Kerll; Seaborn McDaniel Denson (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 9th may be found here: Giuseppe Tartini (2019), Julian Lennon; Peggy Lennon (2020), Florence Price; Paul Robeson; Lil Nas X (2021), Paolo Tosti (2022), Paolo Tosti (2023), and Florence Price (2024)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Johann Caspar Kerll (9 April 1627 – 13 February 1693) was a German composer and organist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hair Story

 

Handel frequently borrowed themes and fragments of music from Kerll's works, and Bach arranged the Sanctus movement from Kerll's Missa superba as BWV 241, Sanctus in D major.  -- Wikipedia 

Johann Casper Kerll, whose wig

Was very, very, very big,

Was famous in his time and place,

And then became a model case

Of posthumous descent from grace,

And left behind the merest trace.

We know his work was up to snuff

Since Bach and Handel used his stuff.

The situation seems unfair

To Johann Kasper and his hair.

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ 

Seaborn McDaniel Denson (9 April 1854 – 18 April 936) was an American musician and singing school teacher within the Sacred Harp tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Added Material

 

S. M. Denson wrote most of the alto lines that were added to the 1911 Original Sacred Harp. -- Wikipedia 

Seaborn McDaniel Denson had

A most ambitious plan to add

New alto parts to sharp note songs

For use in shape note singalongs.

When changing three parts into four,

Did Denson find the chore a bore?

Or did it keep old Seaborn sharp

To fiddle with The Sacred Harp?

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