September 25 - Jean-Philippe Rameau; Glenn Gould (The Musical Birthday Series)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (25 September 1683 – 12 September 1764) was an important composer and music theorist.

Glenn Gould (25 September 1932 – 4 October 1982) was a legendary Canadian pianist.

Fundamentals

In the 1720s, Rameau

Showed laudable get up and go.

To start off his career he

Published his theory

Of harmony heard from below.

Odd Man Out

Glenn Gould was decidedly odd,

It wasn’t a pose or facade.

He had not a trace

Of polish or grace,

And yet he could play like a god.




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September 24 - John Rutter; Václav Nelhýbel (The Musical Birthday Series)

John Rutter (b. 24 September 1945) is a well-known and prolific choral conductor, composer, and arranger.

Václav Nelhýbel (24 September 1919 – 22 March 1996) was a composer of especially known for effective works for student and amateur ensembles.

Prayer in the Time of Advent

Oh Lord, deliver us again!

Of course, You know the reason.

It’s time to make a fuss again.

It is the Christmas season.

Oh spare us, Lord, selections from

The choral singer’s bread and butter,

Help us, Lord, to overcome

Christmas carols by John Rutter.

No more shepherd with his pipe,

(Hear the solemn plea we utter!)

Help us to resist the hype

Sent from Oxford and John Rutter.

Help us find, oh Lord we pray,

Repertoire less cookie cutter,

Help us, Lord, to stay away

From arrangements by John Rutter.

Movement

If you were in a high school band

You know his music at first hand -

That modern modal rhythmic swell

Which means it’s Václav Nelhýbel.

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September 23 - John Coltrane; Ray Charles; Bruce Springsteen (The Musical Birthday Series)

John Coltrane (23 September 1926 – 17 July 1967) was a revered jazz saxophonist and composer.

Ray Charles (23 September 1930 – 10 June 2004) was an enormously successful singer, pianist, and songwriter in a variety of pop styles.

Bruce Springsteen (b. 23 September 1949) is a rock musician who continues to perform and record.  He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.


Couplets: a Trio of Nopes

Nope 1

They didn’t play Coltrane

On Soul Train.

Nope 2

Ray Charles 

Never snarls.

Nope 3

There will never be a truce

Between the GOP and Bruce.

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September 22 - Debby Boone (The Musical Birthday Series)

Debby Boone (b. 22 September 1956) is an American singer and actress.

Light Lite

Take pity on poor Debby Boone,

Whose career took a nosedive so soon.

She lit up one hit,

Just the one, that was it,

Then collapsed like a hot air balloon.

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September 21 - Gustav Holst; Billy Porter (The Musical Birthday Series)

Billy Porter (b. 21 September 1969) is an American theater performer, pop singer, and actor. 

Gustav Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was a British composer, several of whose works are concert staples.

Fashion Statements: Variations on a Theme

Variation 1

Conservatives grow pale and ashen

When faced with Billy Porter's fashion.

If he were merely debonaire,

Like Connery or Fred Astaire,

Why then, they surely wouldn’t care;

But faced with such flamboyant flair,

It gives their sense of things a scare.

His ballyhooed sartorial splendor

Upsets their rigid grasp of gender

Variation 2

Conservative critics grow ashen

When faced with such in-your-face fashion.

They think Billy Porter

Is spreading disorder,

When really he’s spreading a passion.

Holst, Bringer of Ticket Sales

There’s “Planet X, bringer of this,”

And “Planet Y, bringer of that”

It’s so easy to mock and dismiss,

But performances never fall flat.

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September 20 - William Kapell (The Musical Birthday Series)

William Kapell (20 September 1922 – 29 October 1953) was a pianist who is still thought of as one of the greatest pianists to come from the United States.

Kapell Meister

Like a conquering piano centurion

Kapell could dispatch Khachaturian.

The concerto is flashy

And just a bit trashy,

And certainly not epicurean.

Limerick in memoriam

At thirty-one, William Kapell,

Was mourned with an early farewell.

The young piano master

Had met with disaster 

When an airline disaster befell.

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