March 11 - Lawrence Welk; William Vincent Wallace (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 11th may be found here:  Carl Ruggles (2019), Lawrence Welk (2020), Henry Cowell; Astor Piazzolla (2021), Lawrence Welk; Bobby McFerrin (2022), Lawrence Welk; Mercer Ellington (2023), Lawrence Welk (2024), and Graham Lyle (2025)

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Lawrence Welk (11 March 1903 – 17 May 1992) was an American bandleader and accordionist who had a successful television career. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe

A nineteen-sixties Sunday rite

Was Lawrence Welk on Sunday night;

And though each costume and each set

Was blandly corny, don't forget

That Grandma knew it was foreseeable

That nothing would be disagreeable.

 

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William Vincent Wallace (11 March 1812 – 12 October 1865) was an Irish composer and pianist active on three continents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Sayin'

Wallace was a brilliant musician, but even his famous Maritana is now performed only by amateurs. — "Australian Dictionary of Biography" at adb.anu.edu.au/biography

Even if an opera by William Vincent Wallace

Is given a production that the critics say is flawless, —

You don't need to call us.

 

 

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December 19 - Fritz Reiner; George Frederick Bristow (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 19th are here:  Fritz Reiner; Paul Dessau (2019), Édith Piaf (2020), Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (2021), Venanzio Rauzzini (2022), Édith Piaf (2023), and Fritz Reiner; Giuseppe Giordani (2024)

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Fritz Reiner (19 December 1888 – 15 November 1963) was a widely revered conductor best remember for his years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary People (Not)

“He clearly had a sadistic streak in him, and truly enjoyed making musicians uncomfortable, making them squirm, humiliating them. He was the type (who)… inflicted his particular sadistic gratifications in a coolly clinical, perfectly controlled manner.”  -  Gunther Schuller on Fritz Reiner

It's hard to imagine Fritz Reiner

Taking naps in his favorite recliner,

Or cutting the grass,

Or rinsing a glass,

Or ordering lunch in a diner.

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George Frederick Bristow (December 19, 1825 – December 13, 1898) was an American composer, conductor, violinist, and educator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go West, Young Man

After returning to Britain that summer, Jullien programmed [Bristow's music] there. The concertmaster of his orchestra told Bristow that British audiences considered him “the American composer.”  -- Douglas W. Shadle, in the New York Times (16 December 2025)

Bristow was a pioneer

Of music in our hemisphere.

His music had the craft and skill

To earn performance at the Phil-

harmonic; And I'm glad to say,

This music from the U.S.A,

So earnest, heartfelt, and Romantic, 

Was praised across the broad Atlantic,

Where folks had never been too fond

Of music from across the pond.

 

 

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April 20 - John Eliot Gardiner (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 20th may be found here: Tito Puente; Lionel Hampton (2019), Georg Michael Telemann (sic) (2020), Luther Vandross (2021), John Eliot Gardiner (2022), Nikolai Myaskovsky (2023), and Rob Stoner; Johann Gottlieb Karl Spazier (2024)

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John Eliot Gardiner (b. 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Bach and Monteverdi.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News Item: John Eliot Gardiner

In August 2023, Gardiner was reported to have angrily slapped and punched English bass singer William Thomas in the face in front of cast members after Thomas exited the wrong side of the podium. — Wikipedia

A rude and excitable chap,

Whose emotions would change at a snap,

Was provoked to a rage

As the cast left the stage,

And upended his career with a slap.

 

 

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March 26 - Pierre Boulez (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous postings for March 26th may be found here: Pierre Boulez (2019), Diana Ross; Pierre Boulez (2020), Pierre Boulez (2021), (2022), (2023), and Rufus Thomas; Pierre Boulez (2024)

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Pierre Boulez (26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was one of the foremost composers and conductors of his time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pierre Shape Tones

Oh clap your hands and make ye merry

For Pierre Boulez's centenary! –

A priest of the cerebral prism

Of serial high modernism;

Whose compositions were so fearsome

We seldom get a chance to hear some.

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Méticuleux

Boulez, though his methods were serial,

Was able to treat his material

With a Gallic finesse

That by turns could express

His thoughts, whether brusque or ethereal.

 

 

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