January 16 - Ethel Merman (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 16th are here: Lin-Manuel Miranda; Marilyn Horne; Brian Ferneyhough (2020), Marilyn Horne (2021), Roger Wagner (2022), Ethel Merman; Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon (2023), Marilyn Horne (2025), and Niccolò Piccinni (2025)

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Ethel Merman (16 January 1908 – 15 February 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Thoughts on the Ethel Merman Disco Album 

 

(1)

You will hear (if you're up to the risk),

That the tempos were bouncy and brisk

When the great Broadway star

Made a bold, but bizarre,

Attempt at a crossover disc.

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(2)

Though disco was ruling the scene

On both of the coasts and between,

It's hard to determine

What made Ethel Merman

Record with a rhythm machine.

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(3)

When standards are sung to the beat

Of a disco track set on repeat,

There wasn't an amp

That could rescue this camp,

And it had to go down to defeat.

 

 

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January 29 - Leslie Bricusse (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th 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), and Georg Christoph Wagenseil; Havergal Brian (2024)

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure Imagination

Bricusse (BRIK-əs) – National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, ”Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures”.

Americans who read a name

   Of someone born in Britain,

Will find, when they pronounce the same,

   It isn't said as it’s written.

They sound it out as it is spelled,

   (Phonetically primarily),

But English practice, (deeply held),

   Pronounces arbitrarily.

Bricusse is a model case

   Of such eccentric diction,

A name with accents out of place

   By Brit linguistic fiction.

 

 

 

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July 3 - Betty Buckley (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for July 3rd are found here: Ruth Crawford Seeger (2019), Leos Janáček (2020), George M. Cohan (2021), Johnny Hartman (2022), and Audra McDonald (2023)

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Betty Buckley (b. 3 July 1947) is an American actress and singer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Was Beautiful Then

In 1982, Buckley starred as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of the musical Cats. She stayed with the production for 18 months. -- adapted from Wikipedia

Eighteen months on Broadway doing Cats

   For Betty Buckley probably was tough,

But in the end there’s recompense, and that’s,

  She certainly had memories enough!

 

 

 

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May 18 - Meredith Willson (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 18th may be found here: Perry Como (2019), Meredith Willson (2020), Margot Fonteyn (2021), Ezio Pinza; Boris Christoff, and Meredith Willson (2023)

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Meredith Willson (18 May 1902 – 15 June 1984) had a varied and successful career as a musician, but is best remembered for his Broadway musicals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

The premise of The Music Man,

  Proclaimed by Harold Hill,

Declares that “thinking” music can

  Beget artistic skill.

But woefully, that wished-for plan,

  (To learn without the drill),

Has not been found since time began,

  And doubtless never will.

 

 

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February 28 - Bernadette Peters (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 28th are here: Jean-Baptiste Arban (2020), Geraldine Farrar (2021), Tommy Tune; John Alden Carpenter (2022)

 

Bernadette Peters (b. 28 February 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Composer Knows

Sondheim has said of Peters, "Like very few others, she sings and acts at the same time," he says. "Most performers act and then sing, act and then sing ... Bernadette is flawless as far as I'm concerned. I can't think of anything negative." -- Wikipedia

A composer, sans gauges or meters,

Can distinguish the echt from the cheaters,

And Sondheim avers

That perfection occurs

In redoubtable Bernadette Peters.

 

 

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