December 26 - Earle Brown (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 26th are here: Earle Brown (2019), Steve Allen (2020), and George Winston (2021)

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Earle Brown (26 December 1926 – 2 July 2002) was a leading composer on the extreme end of the American avant-garde.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gnomic Recipe

Composer Earle Brown,

Of avant-garde renown,

Made a career ignoring

Convention in his scoring,

Employing marks and graphs,

Instead of notes and staffs,

And ending all conformance

From performance to performance.

 

 

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December 25 - Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 2th are here: Orlando Gibbons (2019), Cosima Wagner (2020), and Cab Calloway (2021)

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Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (25 December 1745 – 10 June 1799) was a French Creole virtuoso violinist, composer, and swordsman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Venn Diagram

Come join with me, this Christmas Day,

And celebrate the Chevalier,

Whose compositions and his sword

Were once forgotten or ignored.

The tide has turned, and I’m afraid,

That now he’s somewhat overplayed.

There’s hero-worship, there’s neglect,

And in between there is respect,

And in that place, the honest middle,

We find the answer to the riddle

Of de Saint-Georges’s sword and fiddle.

 

 

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

 

December 24 - Charles Wakefield Cadman (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 24th are here: Harry Warren (2019), Ricky Martin (2020). and Peter Cornelius (2021)

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Charles Wakefield Cadman (24 December 1881 – 30 December 1946) was an American composer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion Victim

While his and similar works of the so-called Indianist movement in American music were popular in the early 20th century, they have since fallen out of favor.  – adapted from Wikipedia

Charles Wakefield Cadman was famous, it seems,

Because he used Native American themes,

And thus it’s ironic that this very choice,

With changes of fashion has silenced his voice.

 

 

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

 

 

December 23 - José Greco (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 23rd are here: Chet Baker (2019), Mathilde Wesendonck (2020), and Ross Lee Finney (2021)

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José Greco (23 December 1918 – 31 December 2000) was an Italian-born American flamenco dancer and choreographer known for popularizing Spanish dance on the stage and screen in America mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. - Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rat-a-Tat-Tat

John Martin, dance critic of The New York Times, said of Mr. Greco in 1951: ''His footwork is particularly brilliant, and he moves with notable elegance.  – NYT obit, 4 January 2001

To dance the flamenco appeals

To sundry exotic ideals,

And Greco was noted

For footwork devoted

To making a racket with heels.

 

 

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

 

 

December 22 - Edgard Varèse; Giacomo Puccini (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for December 21st are here: András Schiff; Michael Tilson Thomas (2019), Michael Tilson Thomas (2020), Frank Zappa; Werner von Trapp (2021), and Michael Tilson Thomas (2021)

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Edgard Varèse (22 December 1883 – 6 November 1965) was an influential modernist composer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seasonal Preferences

At Christmastide, the one who says

“Let’s have a concert of Varèse!”

Is treated as a foul pariah

By folks who’d rather hear Messiah.

 

 

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

 

 

Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) composed several of the most beloved operas in the repertoire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puccini in China

Re: Butterfly and Turandot.

Should we do them, should we not?

Puccini, on these two occasions,

Used a plot concerning Asians,

Which he handled in a guise

Thought suitable for Western eyes.

We all acknowledge this preemption,

But some would argue an exemption

Applies for artists from the past,

While others answer, Not so fast!

With attitudes in evolution,

The prospects of a resolution

Remain remote; there is no genie

Who will ransom old Puccini.

 

 

 

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