March 5 - Barry Tuckwell; Philip Farkas; Arthur Foote (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 5th  can be founded here: Heitor Villa Lobos (2019), Heitor Villa-Lobos (2020), andAndy Gibb (2021)

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Philip Farkas (5 March 1914 – 12 December 1992) was the principal French horn player in major American orchestras, a noted teacher, and the author of standard texts on the horn and horn playing. 

Barry Tuckwell (5 March 1931 – 16 January 2020) was an Australian french horn player who spent most of his professional life in the UK and the United States. He became well known through his large number of recordings.

 

Fanfare for Two, an Ode

Sing O Muse, or sound your horn,

For on this day two greats were born!

Philip Farkas was the earlier,

And judging from the photos, burlier;

While Barry Tuckwell, who was later,

Was slenderer, and yet was greater.

Farkas! Tuckwell! Lift your bells!

The strain of “Happy Birthday” swells!

Sell out the hall! Bring down the house

With Mozart, Brahms, and Richard Strauss!

 

 

 

 

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

 

Arthur Foote (5 March 1853 – 8 April 1937) was an American composer, organist, pianist, pedagogue, and author of several music textbooks. He was part of the "Boston Six" The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The American Way

No actual organization or conscious association of composers existed in the the Boston Six, though some male members of the group did gather socially, so its membership can only be approximated by musicologists who draw aesthetic and philosophical links between composers. -- adapted from Wikipedia, s.v. "Second New England School"

McDowell, Chadwick, John Knowles Paine,

Parker, Foote, and Amy Beach

Weren’t members of an group campaign,

They had no motto “each for each!”

They didn’t have a posh salon,

No gatherings at a meeting hall,

No passing of a gilt baton,

No “all for one, and one for all.”

When Europe saw us all as hicks

Who lived uncouthly in the sticks,

“It’s something that we ought to fix”

Said members of the Boston Six.

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February 26 - Franz Strauss; Johnny Cash (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 26th are here: Frank Bridge (2020) and Fats Domino; Betty Hutton (2021)

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Franz Strauss (26 February 1822 – 31 May 1905) was a German horn player, and father of the composer Richard Strauss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s My Boy!

Richard Strauss's father, Franz Strauss, was one of the leading horn players of his day, and the fact that Richard grew up with the sound of the horn in his house led to his exploration of the great potential of the horn as both a solo and orchestral instrument. – adapted from Wikipedia, s.v. “Horn Concerto No. 1 (Strauss)”

Papa Strauss, who played the horn,

Was giddy when his son was born.

He told his drooling little son

That someday he should have some fun

And write a Horn Concerto #1,

And some years later, it was done.

 

 

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

 

Johnny Cash (26 February 1932 – 12 September 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black and White

Opposites come to a clash

In the career of the great Johnny Cash –

Religion and drugs,

Believers and thugs,

And a manner both humble and brash.

 

 

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September 28 - Giovanni Punto (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for Septembr 28th are here: Johann Mattheson; Moon Unit Zappa (2019) and Johann Mattheson (2020)

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Giovanni Punto (28 September 1746 – 16 February 1803) was a Czech horn player and composer. He pioneered the hand-stopping technique which allows natural horns to play a greater number of notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hype in Two Limericks

 

"Punto plays magnifique." -- Mozart writing about on Punto, qtd. in Wikipedia 

Since the horn is so naturally fraught

With chances for error, one ought

To avoid being frisky,

It’s foolish and risky,

And against every rule you were taught.

And yet Signor Punto had skills

That let him indulge in such frills.

The critics said, “Fearless!”

“Boffo and peerless!”

“This horn-playing act always kills!”

 

 

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September 7 - Heinrich Stölzel; Madeleine Dring (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for September 7th are here: Buddy Holly; Gloria Gaynor (2019) and François-André Danican Philidor; Arthur Ferrante (2020)

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Heinrich Stölzel (7 September 1777 – 16 February 1844) was a German horn player who  developed the first valve for a brass musical instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Short Lecture on Brasses

Today attention should be paid

To the horn that Stölzel made.

It had two valves by which to switch

The fundamental sounding pitch.

Though purists long objected to it,

Stölzel had the edge, and knew it!

And that, my eager freshman class, is

How we got our modern brasses.

 

 

 

 

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Madeleine Dring (7 September 1923 – 26 March 1977) was an English composer and actress.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dring-a-Ling

About Madeleine Dring

I know only one thing,

   Though her name turns up once in a while;

Her oeuvre, though slight,

Is both cheerful and bright

   In a pseudo-Poulencian style.

 

 

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