October 27 - Conlon Nancarrow; Traugott Maximilian Eberwien (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 27th are here: Niccolò Paganini; Conlon Nancarrow (2019), Niccolò Paganini (2020), and Conlon Nancarrow (2021)

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Conlon Nancarrow (27 October 1912 – 10 August 1997) was an experimental composer 

of pieces of enormous complexity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punch Drunk

Nancarrow is best remembered for being one of the first composers to use auto-playing musical instruments (e.g. player pianos), realizing their potential to play extremely complex rhythmic patterns at a speed far beyond the abilities of humans. – adapted from Wikipedia

Nancarrow thought rhythmic effects

Were just as exciting as sex.

When starting to scroll

Through a new piano roll,

He’d refer to the last as his ex.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Traugott Maximilian Eberwein (27 October 1775 – 2 December 1831^[1]), was a German composer and conductor 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiasmus

Traugott Maximilian Eberwein

Always thought his name was five-star fine.

“In fact,” he said, “there is no name like mine!”

“My name,” he said, “is one out of a billion;

There's no one else, no noble, no civilian,

Who has a name like Traugott Maximilian!”

 

 

 

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October 26 - Domenico Scarlatti (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 26th are here: Domenico Scarlatti; Henry Smart; Mahalia Jackson (2019), Hans Leo Hassler (2020), and Jacques Loussier; Domenico Scarlatti (2021)

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formal Lessons

It’s true Scarlatti had his norm, –

Single movements in binary form –

But put this formal tic aside,

You’ll find their variety is wide.

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Alphabet Soup

Kirkpatrick produced an edition of the sonatas and the numbering from this edition—the K. or K. number—is now nearly always used. Previously, the numbering commonly used was from the 1906 edition compiled by Alessandro Longo (L. numbers). In 1967 the Italian musicologist Giorgio Pestelli published a revised catalog (using P. numbers), which corrected what he considered to be some anachronisms, and added some sonatas missing from Kirkpatrick's edition. — Wikipedia

We once knew which was which with “L.”;

Kirkpatrick blew that all to hell.

And that is how it was that they

Became identified by “K.”

Pestelli took his shot, and he

Suggested they’d be known by “P”.

 

Behold the chaos that encumbers

Sonatas with no opus numbers!

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October 25 - Thomas Weelkes; Georges Bizet (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 25th are here: Georges Bizet (2019), Johann Strauss, Jr (2020), and Barbara Cook (2021)

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Thomas Weelkes (bapt. 25 October 1576 – 30 November 1623) was an English composer and organist,  chiefly remembered for his vocal music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merrie Olde Englande

"Dyvers tymes & very often come so disguised eyther from the Taverne or Ale house into the quire as is muche to be lamented, for in these humoures he will bothe curse & sweare most dreadfully, & so profane the service of God … and though he hath bene often tymes admonished … to refrayne theis humors and reforme hym selfe, yett he daylye continuse the same, & is rather worse than better therein." – report on Weelkes to his Bishop in 1619

“Dyvers times & very often”

Thomas Weelkes did “sweare & curse”.

Nothing could be done to soften

His bad behavior; it got worse.

The way he acted in the “quire”

Was very much to be lamented,

And as was known throughout the shire

His every breath was Taverne-scented.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tragédie lyrique

I’m sad to say that Georges Bizet

Died in sadness and dismay,

   Thinking Carmen was a flop.

He didn’t live to see the day

When Carmen and her Don José 

    Ruled the canon from the top.

 

 

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October 24 - George Crumb (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 24th are here: George Crumb; Luciano Berio (2019), George Crumb; Anna Amalia von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (2020), and George Crumb; Emmerich Kálmán (2021)

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George Crumb  (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a distinguished and influential American composer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sCRUMBtious

With Crumb, every instrument’s part

Is a beautifully elegant chart.

His scores are designed

With the senses combined,

And you hear what you see in his art.

 

 

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