October 5 - Mrs. Miller (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 5th are here: Glynis Johns; Mrs. Miller (2019), Thomas Greatorex (2020), Mrs. Miller (2021), and Mrs. Miller (2022)

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Mrs. Miller (5 October 1907 – 5 July 1997) recorded several novelty vocal albums in the mid-1960s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milleria

Mrs. Miller’s odd success,

  Unexpected, but benign,

Proves that you can be a mess,

  But if friendly stars align,

You can take an upward spiral,

  Trending high and going far,

But your time for going viral,

   Is fleeting as a TikTok star.

 

 

 

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October 4 - Anonymous (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 4th are here: Anonymous and Anonymous IV (2019), Anonymous; Domenico Corri (2020), Anonymous (2021), and Anonymous (2022)

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Anonymous ( ? - ? ).  On some days there are few musicians of any prominence celebrating their birthdays, and so for several years I have taken time on October 4th to celebrate that very prolific master, "Anonymous".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Whom It May Concern

To know the composer can give us an inkling

Of what to expect from her musing and tinkling.

A canonical name, or a name that is not,

Can help us decide, should we give it a shot?

A name predisposes to praise or derision,

But faced with Anonymous, risking misprision,

We’ve only our wits as we make a decision.

But the works of Anonymous, with author unknown,

Find their way inworld by their own strength alone,

All hail to Anonymous, almost a Saint,

If you think that she’s not, try to prove that she ain’t!

 

 

 

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October 3 - Steve Reich (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 3rd are here: Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Woldemar Bargiel, Chubby Checker, Steve Reich (2019, Steve Reich; Lindsey Buckingham (2020), Steve Reich (2021)

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Steve Reich (b. 3 October 1936) is one of the most influential living American composers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruminations on Realization that Steve Reich is 87

How sweet it was when one was young and clever,

And shocked the bourgeois public of the day!

For when we’re young we do our work and never

Fret the final curtain of our play.

But no one’s an iconoclast forever,

And younger folks will send us on our way,

Where we ‘ll endure the end of your endeavor,

An icon, or forgotten, or passé.

 

 

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October 2 - Francis Hopkinson; Sting (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 2nd are here: Sting (2019), Leroy Shield (2020), Don McLean (2021), and Gunnar Wenneberg; Kenneth Leighton (2022)

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Francis Hopkinson (2 October 1737 [N.S.] – 9 May 1791) was an American lawyer, jurist, author, and composer, best remembered as a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in the Course…

 

He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing New Jersey. -- Wikipedia

 

He is credited as being the first American-born composer to commit a composition to paper with his 1759 composition "My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free". --- Wikipedia 

As composer his output was minor; —

There are others whose works are diviner;

But he wasn’t the worst

And was probably first,

Before he won fame as “a signer.”

 

 

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

 

 

Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) (b. 2 October 1951)  is an English musician and actor. He was the frontman, songwriter and bassist for the Police.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Soul

Sumner, (Gordon Matthew Thomas)

Must have shown some youthful promise,

But here’s a most surprising thing

About the artist known as Sting…

For years he went from gig to gig,

Then with the Police he hit it big,

And owing to his gifts and drive,

He found success at twenty-five.

But twenty-five is, on the whole,

A latish start for rock and rock.

 

 

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October 1 - Julie Andrews; Sylvano Bussotti (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 1st are here: Paul Dukas; Vladimir Horowitz; Henry Clay Work (2019), Julie Andrews (2020), Roger Williams (2021), and Julie Andrews; Vladimir Horowitz (2022)

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Julie Andrews (b. 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer and author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Let’s Start at the Very Beginning…”

With an opening sequence that thrills

With a song in the Austrian hills,

The cinema fan views

The Alps and Miss Andrews

As she flees her liturgical drills.

 

 

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Sylvano Bussotti (1 October 1931 – 19 September 2021) was an Italian composer, painter, set and costume designer, opera director and manager, writer and academic teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Eye of the Beholder

 

In Europe, one of the most notable users of graphic was Sylvano Bussotti, whose scores have often been displayed as pieces of visual art by enthusiasts.  -- Wikipedia, s.v. "Graphic notation (music)"

In the odd-looking scores that he wrote, he

Was aware that the sense was remote, he

Said there's no stigmas

In graphic enigmas,

And signed them “Sylvano Bussotti”.

 

 

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