May 5 - Adele (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 5th may be found here: Charles Rosen and François-André Danican Philidor (2020),Tammy Wynette (2019), T. Tertius Noble (2021), and Ola Gjeilo (2022)

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Adele (b. 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truth

Those of you who know me well

Will guess my feelings towards Adele,

Though I’ll admit Adele can sing,

It’s simply not my sort of thing.

 

 

 

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May 4 - Roberta Peters (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual cycle)

Previous posts for May 4th may be found here: Bartolomeo Cristofori (2019), Roberta Peters (2020), Lance Bass (2021), and Marianna Martines (2022)

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Roberta Peters (4 May 1930 – 18 January 2017) was an American coloratura soprano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher Calling

Roberta Peters sang her high notes

  With utmost security —

Above the staff, just-let-them-fly notes,  

   Of crystalline purity,

 

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May 3 - Johann Adolph Scheibe (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 3rd may be found here: Richard D'Oyly Carte (2019), Virgil Fox (2020), Bing Crosby; Marcel Dupré (2021), and Pete Seeger; Florian Leopold Gassmann (2022)

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Johann Adolph Scheibe (3 [or 5] May 1708 – 22 April 1776) was a German-Danish composer and significant critic and theorist of music. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment

He considered Bach to be the finest contemporary player of the organ, harpsichord and clavichord.  - Wikipedia

According to Scheibe Bach's music was artificial and confusing in style. Rather than a clear division between melody and accompaniment, Bach made all voices equal in his brand of polyphony, which Scheibe felt made the music overloaded, unnatural and oppressed. -- adapted from Wikipedia

Said Scheibe, “I’ll praise

How Herr Bach plays,

But not the ways

He makes a maze

Of every phrase

With overlays.

 

 

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May 2 - Alessandro Scarlatti (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 2nd may be found here: Alessandro Scarlatti (2019),  Lorenz Hart (2020), Leslie Gore (2021). and J. Fred Coots; Vicente Martín y Soler (2022)

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Alessandro Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was one of the founding composers of the mature Baroque vocal style. He was the father of the very famous composer of keyboard sonatas, Domenico Scarlatti.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Da Capo Fatigue

Concerning Alessandro Scarlatti,

There’s a question of whether or not he

Can still hold the stage

In our fidgety age

Without driving the audience dotty.

 

 

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May 1 - Shirley Horn; Kate Smith (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for May 1st may be found here: William Lawes (2019),  Judy Collins (2020), William Lawes (2021), and Leo Sowerby (2022)

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Shirley Horn (1 May 1934 – 20 October 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horn of Plenty

Horn for the most part resisted efforts to remake her into a popular singer in the mid-1960s, later saying of such attempts "I will not stoop to conquer." – Wikipedia

By early 1987, Verve Records was pursuing a recording contract with her. She released a total of 11 studio and live albums for Verve during her lifetime. Horn's most commercially successful years were spent with Verve, and the label helped her find a large international audience. – adapted from Wikipedia

I do not think that Shirley Horn

Was even for a moment torn —

She knew she’d rather be retired,

If pop was what a career required.

But though her career was then adjourned,

She unexpectedly returned,

Rewarded for this show of nerve

When contact offers came from Verve.

 

 

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Kate Smith  (1 May 1909 - 17 June 1986) was an American singer on radio and television, long known as the “first lady of radio.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Thanks for listenin"

Please join me in praises, herewith,

Of a marvelous musical myth,

Whose voice was the rage

In the radio age, —

I’m speaking, of course, of Kate Smith.

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