October 27 - Niccolò Paganini; Conlon Nancarrow (The Musical Birthday Series)

Niccolò Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was a fantastically successful violin virtuoso and composer.

Paganini was terribly clever,

And having no fear whatsoever,

Did devilish things

On those four catgut strings

That affected the fiddle forever.

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Conlon Nancarrow (27 October 1912 – 10 August 1997) was an experimental composer of pieces of enormous complexity.

Nancarrow was never at ease

With ten fingers for 88 keys,

And cutting new holes

In some old piano roles, 

Said, “Instead of my hands, I’ll use these”

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October 26 - Domenico Scarlatti; Henry Smart; Mahalia Jackson (The Musical Birthday Series)

Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer, long resident in Spain, who is best known for his keyboard music.

The Domenico Scarlatti Story

He composed some sonatas, and then he

Composed even more, so that when he

Assembled the stack,

He was taken aback

To find he had written so many.

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Henry Smart (26 October 1813 – 6 July 1879) was an English organist composer whose hymns

 "Angels form the Realms of Glory" and  "Lead On,O King Eternal" are still sung.

Mahalia Jackson (26 October 1911 – 27 January 1972) was one of the greatest gospel singers of

all time.

Two for One

Did Mahalia Jackson use her gospel art

To sing the hymns of Henry Thomas Smart?

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October 25 - Georges Bizet (The Musical Birthday Series)

Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875) was a composer whose Carmen is one of the mainstays of the standard repertoire.

Getting Away From It All

To escape, Carmen had an idea -

She’d slink through her best seguidilla

To seduce Don José

And seductively say,

“Tonight, Lillas Pastia’s, I’ll see ya!”

Character Development

When strangers approached Georges Bizet

And asked him how poor Don José,

Who was such a nice fella,

Could jilt Micaëla,

He turned and walked briskly away.

Cultural Differences

When they called him Bizett not Bizet,

He knew just about what they’d say,

“We really love your song,

That Toreador song,

Back in the old U.S.A.”

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October 24 - George Crumb; Luciano Berio (The Musical Birthday Series)

George Crumb (24 October 1929) is one of the most distinguished living American composers.

Leaving a Trail of Crumbs

If the orchestra sings or it hums,

Or the pianist plays strings with their thumbs,

If subtle vibrations

Get amplifications,

Or the score is artistic

And titles are mystic,

Then likely it’s something of Crumb’s.

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Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was a innovative and influential Italian composer.

The Sequenze

There are pieces where Berio seeks

To study extended techniques,

And thus each Sequenza

Is a crazy cadenza

Of burbles and buzzings and squeaks.

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October 23 - Ned Rorem (The Musical Birthday Series)

Ned Rorem (b. 23 October 1923) is a composer and writer whose songs are still an active part of the academic voice recital repertoire.

Variations

1.

Consider the case of New Rorem,

Whose memoirs provided a forum

Where news could be read

Of his art and his bed,

Which some thought a lack of decorum.

2.

The response was assured to be fiery

When Rorem produced a new diary.

He used all of his charm

To meet and disarm

Any hints of a libel inquiry.

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