March 12 - Thomas Augustine Arne; Paul Weston (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 12th may be found here: Thomas Augustine Arne (2019),  Gordon MacRae (2020), and Liza Minnelli (2021)

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

Thomas Augustine Arne (2 March 1710 – 5 March 1778) was an English composer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Difficult Questions

 

Arne's Artaxerxes was one of the most successful and influential English operas of the 18th century. It was frequently performed in London into the 1830s and, other than Michael William Balfe's The Bohemian Girl, it was the most popular full-length English opera before the 20th century.  -- adapted from Wikipedia

Thomas Arne, no doubt, felt pride

That Artaxerxes was a hit,

But would he take it in his stride

That no one still remembers it?

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

Paul Weston (12 March 1912 – 20 September 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Couplet for Paul Weston

Weston and Stafford developed a comedy routine where they assumed the guise of a bad lounge act named Jonathan and Darlene Edwards. – Wikipedia

Have there ever been more dread words

Than “Jonathan and Darlene Edwards”?

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

October 1 - Paul Dukas; Vladimir Horowitz; Henry Clay Work (The Musical Birthday Series)

Paul Dukas (1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar, and teacher.

Games People Play 

L'apprenti sorcier by Dukas 

   Is one great big crescendo.

And might be fun if it was done

   On Wii or on Nintendo.

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

Vladimir Horowitz (1 October  [O.S. 18 September] 1903 – 5 November 1989) was one of the great pianists of the twentieth century.

SRO

Vladimir Horowitz strode onto the stage

With the air of a great virtuoso.

He had the technique of a musical mage,

And everyone there seemed to know so.

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

Henry Clay Work (1 October 1832 – 8 June 1884) was a composer of popular songs, some of which are still sung to this day.

Reappraisal

The family of Work (Henry Clay)

Took their clock to the Roadshow one day.

It seems that the song

Had gotten it wrong,

With the dismal report

That the clock had stopped short

When their grandfather died.

The appraiser, as guide,

Had them search the inside 

For a key, when they found it, 

They took it, and wound it.

The clock’s rusted chime

Started telling the time.

The family of Henry Clay Work

Went berserk.

(If you enjoy these posts, please consider helping me by sharing.)    

 

September 25 - Jean-Philippe Rameau; Glenn Gould (The Musical Birthday Series)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (25 September 1683 – 12 September 1764) was an important composer and music theorist.

Glenn Gould (25 September 1932 – 4 October 1982) was a legendary Canadian pianist.

Fundamentals

In the 1720s, Rameau

Showed laudable get up and go.

To start off his career he

Published his theory

Of harmony heard from below.

Odd Man Out

Glenn Gould was decidedly odd,

It wasn’t a pose or facade.

He had not a trace

Of polish or grace,

And yet he could play like a god.




(If you enjoy these posts, please consider helping me by sharing.)   

September 20 - William Kapell (The Musical Birthday Series)

William Kapell (20 September 1922 – 29 October 1953) was a pianist who is still thought of as one of the greatest pianists to come from the United States.

Kapell Meister

Like a conquering piano centurion

Kapell could dispatch Khachaturian.

The concerto is flashy

And just a bit trashy,

And certainly not epicurean.

Limerick in memoriam

At thirty-one, William Kapell,

Was mourned with an early farewell.

The young piano master

Had met with disaster 

When an airline disaster befell.

(If you enjoy these posts, please consider helping me by sharing.)  

September 9 - Pierre-Laurent Aimard; Michael Bublé (The Musical Birthday Series)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (b. 9 September 1957) is one of the most admired and ambitious pianists of our time.

Pierre-Shaped Tones

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who finds

  Relentless exploration 

Of music’s avant-gardist minds

  A pleasant recreation,

Performs Xenakis and Boulez,

  And when the program’s done,

He turns to us and blithely says,

  “I told you it was fun.”

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

 

Michael Bublé (b. 9 September 1975) is a singer specializing in American songbook standards.

Confiteor

While you may not much care either way,

I know there are thoughts yea and nay

When considering MB:

His signature charm

Can morph into smarm;

He’s not very subtle

(That brooks no rebuttal);

But still he can sing

With a Vegasy swing,

And I admit I’ve been held in his sway.

(If you enjoy these posts, please consider helping me by sharing.)