August 8 - Shawn Mendes (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 8th are here: Cécile Chaminade (2019) and Pietro Yon (2020)

++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

Shawn Mendes (b. 8 August 1998) is a Canadian singer and songwriter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Asking; or, Fresh from the Vine; or, Platform Diving

 

He gained a following in 2013, posting song covers on the video-sharing application Vine.   --Wikipedia

Did the stars in their courses align

To promote an eternal Design?

Did a force from afar

Make Shawn Mendes a star

With his six-second snippets on Vine?

 

 

 

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

 

 

August 7 - B. J. Thomas (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 7th are here: Caetano Veloso (2019) and Granville Bantock (2020)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

B. J. Thomas (7 August 1942 – 29 May 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country, and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redoubtable Thomas

Today I give my solemn promise,

I’ll keep it short for B. J. Thomas.

 

But something surely should be said

About those raindrops on his head,

And even though the title’s long

We can’t leave out that other song

Where someone does somebody wrong.

And, whatever your perspective,

As ear worms they were darned effective.

 

 

 

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

 

 

August 6 - Leland Smith (The Musical Birthday Series, 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 6th are here: Barbara Strozzi (2019) and Ernesto Lecuona (2020)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

 

Leland Smith (6 August 1925 – 17 December 2013) was an American musician, teacher and computer scientist who developed the music engraving tool SCORE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCORE!

The SCORE music typography system was released in 1986 as the outgrowth of Smith’s work, and over the course of the 1980s and 1990s it became the first music software embraced by leading music publishers…. -- American Composers Alliance

You haven't heard of Leland Smith?

His name should be the stuff of myth,

For Leland Smith devised the code

That took away the heavy load

Of writing out your music score

In pen and ink (a horrid chore).

And if, at first, results were rough,

It quickly led to cleaner stuff.

Technology improved, and thus,

Composers who no longer cuss

At vellum, ink, and muss, and fuss,

Are always eager to discuss

Finale or Sibelius.

 

 

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

 

 

August 5 - Guillaume Du Fay; Ambroise Thomas (The Musical Birthday Series; 3rd Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for August 5th are here: Guillaume DuFay (2019) and (2020)

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

 

Guillaume Dufay (or more fashionably Du Fay) (5 August, c. 1397 – 27 November 1474) was one of the greatest composers in Western music history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ode to the Archivists

The link between the Du Fay family and the Cathedral of Cambrai is the sole reason a large amount of information is known about Du Fay's early life, as the institute kept detailed records on all affiliated persons. --- Wikipedia

There is a simple reason why

We know so much about Du Fay,

Although he’s a medieval guy.

The reason is, or so they say,

The admirably careful way

They kept their records at Cambrai.

 

 

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

  

Ambroise Thomas (5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take What You Can Get

Ambroise Thomas and his Mignon

Are not, at the present, widely known.

“Je suis Titania,” is among

The famous arias, rarely sung.

  

Though now and then you’ll see the title

In a concert or recital,

You will seldom hear these pages

From our operatic stages.

 

 

 

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