June 2 - Edward Elgar (The Musical Birthday Series)

Edward Elgar (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) is arguably the most important British composer between Purcell and Britten.

Victim of Circumstance

Here is the genuine Elgar enigma,

A thing which has saddled him under a stigma —

How did the march which he called “P and C”

Become de rigueur when we get a degree?

June 3 - Josephine Baker (The Musical Birthday Series)

Although Josephine Baker (3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) is best remembered for her charismatic stage performances, she was also a member of the French Resistance in World War II.

Today's offering is a clerihew. The Wikipedia description is accurate: "A clerihew is a whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bently.  The first line is the name of the poem's subject, usually a famous person put in an absurd light, or revealing something unknown or spurious about them. The rhyme scheme is AABB, and the rhymes are often forced. The line length and metre are irregular." 

Two important statements in print on the clerihew are Jacques Barzun's verse introduction to The Clerihews of Paul Hogan (Wesleyan UP, 1985) and Gavin Ewart's introduction to The Complete Clerihews of E. Clerihew Bentley (Oxford UP, 1981).

 Clerihew for JB

Josephine Baker

Didn’t dress like a Quaker,

But it’s hard to embarrass

Paris.

May 31 - Alfred Deller (The Musical Birthday Series)

Alfred Deller (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979) was one of the first countertenors to achieve genuine stardom.  

 Old Deller

Alfred Deller

Had a stellar

  Countertenor voice.

Quite a rebel

Singing treble

   As his vocal choice.

Pioneering,

Onward steering!

   This is my high five now:

No more ghetto

Of falsetto, 

    Countertenors thrive now.

May 30 - Benny Goodman (The Musical Birthday Series)

Benny Goodman (30 May 1909 – 13 June 1986) was a clarinetist and band leader.

Molto Benny

Benny Goodman, you played venues

With a variety of menus,

    Sometimes jazz and sometimes longhair.

Either genre appertaining,

You could play at ease, unstraining,

    Playing like you know you belong there.