November 4 - Carl Tausig (The Musical Birthday Series)

Carl Tausig (4 November 1841 – 17 July 1871) was a great pianist and a minor composer, now mostly remembered for virtuoso arrangements and transcriptions.

Transcription Error

Carl Tausig, student of Liszt,

There are those who still insist  

   That he outshone his teacher.

Others claim his deft technique

Kept him from the highest peak -

   A flamboyant over-reacher.

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November 3 - Vladimir Ussachevsky; Vincenzo Bellini (The Musical Birthday Series)

Vladimir Ussachevsky (3 November 1911 – 2 January 1990) was a composer who played an important in the development of electronic music.

Set in Concrète 

Ussachevsky recorded some tape,

  Then took out his scissors to clip it,

Giving the music its undulant shape

  By splicing together each snippet.

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Vincenzo Bellini (3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was one of the most important Italian opera composers of the nineteenth century.

 

A Norma Quartet

Irony

A soprano who aims to achieve a

Stunningly soft “Casta diva,”

Is proud when the crowd

Is especially loud

With brava, huzzah, and evviva.

Rivals

Adalgisa and Norma sing thirds

Like a brace of mechanical birds,

With trills and roulades

Which the public applauds -

And who gives a damn about words.

Adalgisa Swipes Right

It’s no wonder that Norma was pettish.

Her lover, it seems, had a fetish

For young priestess Druids,

And his bodily fluids

Responded when they were coquettish.

Pollione Swipes Right; or, Meet Me Behind the Stonehenge

Pollione, the Roman commander

Decided that he would meander,

Intending to find

A priestess inclined

To meet, and play goose to his gander.

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November 2 - Patrice Chéreau; Friedrich Kalkbrenner (The Musical Birthday Series)

Patrice Chereau ( 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was an often controversial French opera and theater director.

One Direction

Patrice Chereau contrived his Ring

To be a Marxist sort of thing.

A clever way for him to vary it,

And teach the lumpenproletariat.

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Friedrich Kalkbrenner (between 2–8 November 1785 – 10 June 1849) was a leading virtuoso pianist and prolific composer.

Nursery Rhyme

Kalkbrenner, Kalkbrenner, 

Where have you been?

  “I’ve been to London to visit the Queen.”

Kalkbrenner, Kalkbrenner, 

What did you there?

  “I played a caprice on an old English air.”

Kalkbrenner, Kalkbrenner, 

Why did you play it?

  “I have a technique and I’m paid to display it.”

Kalkbrenner, Kalkbrenner, 

Who else attended?

  “The royals, the nobles, and everyone splendid.”

Kalkbrenner, Kalkbrenner, 

When was it over?

  “It came to an end ere my coach left for Dover.”

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November 1 - Roger Quilter; Guido Adler (The Musical Birthday Series)

Roger Quilter (1 November 1877 – 21 September 1953) was a composer especially of songs.

 A Song

Roger Quilter, wan and wistful,

Published art songs by the fistful.

Even now I see his titles

On  nostalgic voice recitals.

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Guido Adler (1 November 1855 – 15 February 1941) was an Austrian musicologist.

Denkmäler

Guido Adler, founding spirit

   Of our modern music science,

Took the helm and tried to steer it

    In the paths of self-reliance.

Musikwissenschaft, don’t fear it,

   Don’t resist it with defiance,

If you make it your career, it

   Stands upon the work of giants.

   

Musicology is sounder

Thanks to Guido Adler, founder.

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