November 25 - Paul Desmond (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 25th are here: Ethelbert Nevin; Franz Xaver Gruber (2019), Virgil Thomson (2020), and Arthur Schwartz; Johann Friedrich Reichardt (2021)

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Paul Desmond (25 November 1924 – 30 May 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Desmond’s Legacy

To ensure that his name would survive

It was clever of him to contrive

A jazz waltz with a hiccup

That was easy to pick up,

Which by now you have guesses was ”Take Five”.

 

 

 

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November 24 - Scott Joplin; Alfred Schnittke (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 25th are here: Scott Joplin (2019), Teddy Wilson (2020), and Charles Theodore Pachelbel (2021)

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Scott Joplin (24 November 1868 – 1 April 1917) was a great American ragtime composer and pianist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switching Places

In November 1970, Rifkin released a recording called Scott Joplin: Piano Rags on the classical label Nonesuch. It sold 100,000 copies in its first year and eventually became Nonesuch's first million-selling record. Record stores found themselves for the first time putting ragtime in the classical music section. – adapted from Wikipedia

 

 

Those Rifkin recordings were stellar,

And Joplin became a bestseller.

Stores sold his selections

In their classical sections,

Where he’s still an uncomfortable dweller.

 

 

 

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Alfred Schnittke (24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian compose who is among the most performed and recorded composers of late 20th-century classical music. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change

As his health deteriorated from the late 1980s, Schnittke started to abandon much of the extroversion of his earlier polystylism and retreated into a more withdrawn, bleak style. Some Schnittke scholars have argued that it is the late works that will ultimately be the most influential parts of Schnittke's output. – adapted from Wikipedia

A raucous referential sort of style

Was used by Alfred Schnittke for a while,

But scholars now aver these works are weaker

Than later compositions which are bleaker.

 

 

 

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November 23 - Krzysztof Penderecki ; Manuel de Falla (The Musical Birthday Series; 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 23rd are here: Krzysztof Penderecki (2019), Krzysztof Penderecki, Jerry Bock (2020), and Alfonso X of Castile (The Wise); Krzysztof Penderecki (2021)

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Krzysztof Penderecki (23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was one of the preeminent Polish composer of his time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Thoughts on the Penderecki Passion

(1)

The choir was initially flustered,

But after some practice they mustered

The courage to sing

Every note in the thing,

No matter how grating or clustered.

(2)

There were those who were shocked and went ashen,

While others embraced the new fashion;

Some praised, some derided,

As discussion divided

In a polarized partisan Passion.

 

 

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Manuel de Falla (23 November 1876 – 14 November 1946) was an Spanish composer and pianist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irony

He has a claim to being Spain's greatest composer of the 20th century, although the number of pieces he composed was relatively modest. – Wikipedia

“The greatest composer from Spain”

Has had very few things that remain

Upon anyone’s list

Of the works they’d insist

Upon hearing agāin and agāin.

 

November 22 - Gunther Schuller; Benjamin Britten (The Musical Birthday Series; 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for November 22nd are here: Benjamin Britten (2019), Cecil Sharp (2020). and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach; Stephen Hough (2022)

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Gunther Schuller (22 November 1925 – 21 June 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Wheel

In 1961, Schuller defined third stream as "a new genre of music located about halfway between jazz and classical music". -- Wikipedia, s.v. "Third Stream"

A third-stream composer named Schuller

Thought classical music got cooler

When jazz was infused,

Which he thought should be used

Like an alloy is used by a jeweler.

 

 

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Benjamin Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was one of the leading British composers of the mid/late twentieth century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orchestral Maneuvers

 

Each variations then features a particular instrument in-depth, generally moving through each family from the higher-pitched instruments to the lower-pitched (the order of the families is slightly different from the introduction). -- Wikipedia, s.v. "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra"

 

Mr. Britten took care to provide

Each section a moment of pride;

And soon every one

Has there place in the sun

When playing The Young Person’s Guide.

 

 

 

 

 

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