May 10 - Milton Babbitt (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 10th may be found here: Milton Babbitt (2019) and Fred Astaire; Milton Babbitt; Max Steiner (2020)

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Milton Babbitt (10 May 1916 – 29 January 2011) was an American composer and theorist known for his uncompromising advocacy of advanced serial and electronic techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quintalinear Versification with AABBA End-Line Conformity (Limerick)

A program note written by Babbitt,

Is dense and obscure out of habit.

His technical jargon 

Is part of the bargain —-

If you find any sense, you should grab it.

 

 

 

 

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May 9 - Giovanni Paisiello (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 9th may be found here: Giovanni Paisiello (2019) and Anne Sophie von Otter; Billy Joel (2020)

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Giovanni Paisiello (9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was one of the preeminent opera composers of the Haydn-Mozart generation.

 

Reflected Glory

“Nel cor più non mi sento,”

Would be a quaint memento

    Of Paisiello’s operatic days,

But Beethoven perused it

And subsequently used it

    In pages every piano student plays.

And thus old Paisiello

Remains a famous fellow —-

    The Muses work in most mysterious ways.

 

 

 

 

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May 8 - Ricky Nelson (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 8th may be found here: Louis Moreau Gottschalk (2019) and Keith Jarett (2020)

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Ricky Nelson (8 May 1940 – 31 December 1985) was an American rock 'n' roll star and actor. 

 

Silver Spoon

At age sixteen, he wanted to impress his girlfriend and, although he had no record contract at the time, told her that he, too, was going to make a record. With his father's help, he secured a one-record deal with Verve Records. Before the single was released, he made his television rock-and-roll debut on April 10, 1957, singing and playing the drums to "I'm Walkin'" in the Ozzie and Harriet episode "Ricky, the Drummer". -- adapted from Wikipedia

Young Ricky of Ozzie and Harriet

Arrived, as it were, on a chariot;

He had help from his dad

In a way that’s not had

By folks in the mere proletariat.

 

 

 

 

 

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May 7 - Johannes Brahms; Pyotr Tchaikovsky (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 7th may be found here: Carl Heinrich Graun (2020) and Johannes Brahms; Pyotr Tchaikovsky (2019)

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was one of the greatest and still most popular nineteenth century composers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep 

However, [they] convinced [Brahms] that protocol required him to make a grander gesture of gratitude [than note of thanks]. The University expected nothing less than a musical offering from the composer. — adapted from Wikipedia

Johannes Brahms wrote Opus 80,

Knowing that it should be weighty --

An overture called “Academic”

Should be deep and polysemic.

But then he had this happy thought:

Instead of being overwrought,

Perhaps the overture should be

Full of bibulous esprit.

And so it was he made a medley

Of songs that students sang unstead’ly

When, weary of collegiate thinking,

They took up academic drinking.

 

 

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

 

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 [O.S. 25 April] – 6 November [O.S. 25 October] 1893) is one of the most popular composers in the classical repertoire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither Time nor Place

Hear me as I have my say

About our Independence Day!

I think it’s time that we should shelve

The Overture called “1812,”

Tchaikovsky’s opus 49,

Which tells how Russia held the line

Against Napoleon’s Grande Armée,

A stronger force by far than they.

Don’t misconstrue, I won’t attack it,

It makes, of course, a pleasant racket.

But don’t you think that it’s bizarre

That paeons to the Russian Tsar

Are featured on this special day

With pyrotechnical display

To celebrate the U.S.A.?

Prime the cannons, ring the chimes!

But do these things at other times!

Let’s celebrate our independence

Without Tchaikovsky in attendance!

 

 

 

 

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May 6 - George Perle (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 6th may be found here: Carmen Cavallaro (2019) and (2020)

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George Perle (6 May 1915 – 23 January 2009) was a composer and music theorist. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perle Vision

Is the musical world in a whirl

Because it’s the birthday of Perle?

I doubt that it cares,

But I’m sending up flares ---

Let the virtual banner unfurl!

The works of the New Viennese

Were written without tonic keys.

George Perle was unvexed,

And explained in a text,

How to love such composers as these.

 

 

 

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