April 5 - Agnetha Fältskog; Louis Spohr (The Musical Birthday Series, 7th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for April 5th may be found here: Louis Spohr (2019), Agnetha Fältskog (2020), Herbert von Karajan, Sébastien Érard (2022), Albert Roussel (2023), and Louis Spohr; John Wilson (2024)

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Agnetha Fältskog (b. 5 April 1950) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, musician and actress, best known as a member of ABBA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Thought About Agnetha Fältskog

When you look at her name, if you see a

New furniture line from IKEA,

It's proof of the really outstanding

Effect of the company's branding.

 

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Louis Spohr (5 April 1784 – 22 October 1859) was once regarded as one of the foremost composers of Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marked Profession

The chinrest was invented by Louis Spohr in the early 19th century, about 1820. Historically, this has been explained as a response to increasingly difficult repertoire which demanded freer left hand techniques than had previously been used. -- Wikipedia, s.v. "Chinrest"

When you play the violin,

The rest that sits beneath your chin

Had never been in place before

The thing was used by Louis Spohr,

Who needed more support to play

The flashy music of his day.

And from the advent of this trick he

Had a violinist's hickey.

 

 

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November 6 - Adolphe Sax; John Philip Sousa (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 6th are here: Adolphe Sax; John Philip Sousa (2019), Ray Conniff (2020), John Philip Sousa (2021), John Philip Sousa; Gus Kahn (2022), and John Philip Sousa (2023)

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Adolphe Sax (6 November 1814 – 7 February 1894) was a prolific inventor and modifier of musical instruments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instrumentality

With his father he evolved the saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, producing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. – britannica.com

Adolphe Sax, a clever thinker,

Never missed a chance to tinker

With instruments that any band

Would more than likely have at hand.

The upshot of these clever hacks

Invented by Herr Adolphe Sax

Was instruments in novel guises

And most surprising shapes and sizes.

 

 

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John Philip Sousa (6 November 1854 – 6 March 1932) was an extremely successful band 
leader, who remains a byword for band excellence to this day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Lively

When John Philip Sousa was late

For a meeting, appointment, or date,

He hurried his tread

With a march in his head

In a splendidly sprightly six-eight.

 

 

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August 27 - Leon Theremin (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 27th are here: Lester Young (2019), Rebecca Clarke; Eric Coates (2020), Leon Theremin (2021), Eric Coates (2022), and Leon Theremin (2023)

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Leon Theremin (27 August [O.S. 15 August] 1896 – 3 November 1993) was a Russian and Soviet inventor, most famous for his invention of the theremin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eternal Questions

With less than perfect rhyme the cherubim

Proclaim the life and times of Theremin.

 

But what explains this assonancial blunder?

Were they confused by God’s Essential Thunder?

Or is the whirring Music of the Spheres

Disrupted when a theremin appears,

And this disturbs rhyming birthday hymn

Intoned by the eternal cherubim?

 

 

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July 29 - Jim Marshall (The Musical Birthday Series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for July 29th are here: Peter Schreier (2019), Sigmund Romberg (2020), Mikis Theodorakis (2021), and Sigmund Romberg (2022)

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Jim Marshall (29 July 1923 – 5 April 2012) known as "The Father of Loud" or "The Lord of Loud," was an English businessman and pioneer of guitar amplification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marshall Plan

The "Marshall stack", a wall of black, vinyl-clad amp cabinets, one atop the other, was seen as the physical embodiment of rock's power, majesty and excess. Soon after he started production, musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page were using his equipment.– adapted from Wikipedia

Jim Marshall, called the “Lord of Loud,”

Developed products which he vowed

When heard by an arena crowd,

Would leave attendees deaf, (but wowed).

“Get rid of other bric-a-brac,

Don’t ever try a homemade hack,

Instead your roadies should unpack

The amps that make a Marshall stack!”

 

 

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