January 2 - Mily Balakirev (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for January 2nd are here: Mily Balakirev; Michael Tippet; Gardner Read (2020),  Eric Whitacre (2021), and Roger Miller (2022)

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Mily  Balakirev (2 January 1837 [O.S. 21 December 1836] – 29 May [O.S. 16 May] 1910) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finger Twister

Critic Harold C. Schonberg noted that Balakirev’s Islamey was "at one time…considered the most difficult of all piano pieces and is still one of the knucklebusters." – adapted form Wikipedia

If you’ve got fingers that can play

Balakirev’s great Islamey,

Then good for you, and I’m impressed

That you have conquered such a test!

But as for me (and please forgive)

It’s fine with me that I can live

And never play Balakirev.

 

 

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July 28 - Ignaz Bösendorfer (The Musical Birthday Series, 2nd Annual Cycle)

Ignaz Bösendorfer (28 July 1796 – 14 April 1859) was an Austrian piano manufacturer and musician. 

[For last year's verse on Rudy Vallée click here.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then and Now

Bösendorfer worked with Liszt

To build a piano to assist

Piano players at the keys

To play with virtuoso ease.

He succeeded, by the way,

And you can buy them to this day.

 

 

 

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