March 25 -- Haydn Wood (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 25th may be found here:  Béla Bartók (2019), Anita Bryant; Elton John (2020), Aretha Franklin; Arturo Toscanini (2021), and Arturo Toscanini (2022)

 

 

 

Haydn Wood (25 March 1882 – 11 March 1959) was an English composer of light orchestral music and sentimental solo songs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pronounced Difficulties

Throughout his long life he was laden

With the burden of being called Haydn;

And thus, you’ll agree, justified in

Regrets that he wasn’t called Haydn.

 

 

 

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March 24 - Maria Malibran (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous post for March 24th may be found here: Maria Malibran (2019), (2020), Fanny Crosby (2021), and Elsa Respighi; John Antes (2022)

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Maria Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish opera singer and one of the great divas of the nineteenth century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lament

In July 1836, Malibran fell from her horse and suffered injuries from which she never recovered. -- Wikipedia

Maria Malibran meet her fate

When she was only twenty-eight.

Oh ye gods! Why play so dirty

To take this talent not yet thirty?

 

 

 

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March 23 - Ludwig Minkus (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 23rd may be found here: Julius Reubke (2019), Arthur Farwell (2020), Anthony van Hoboken (2021), and Dave Frishberg; Dane Rudhyar (2022)

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Ludwig Minkus (23 March 1826 – 7 December 1917), was an Austrian composer of ballet music, a violin virtuoso and teacher. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short and Sweet

Minkus plays a vital part

  In classical ballet,

La Bayadère and Don Quixote

  Still hold the stage today.

And that, my friends, is that –

  It’s all I have to say.

 

 

 

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March 22 - Stephen Sondheim (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 22nd may be found here: Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber (2019), Gerard Hoffnung.(2020), Stephen Sondheim (2021), and Stephen Sondheim (2023)

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Stephen Sondheim (22 March 1930 – 26 November 2021) was an American composer and lyricist.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finishing a…

Stephen Sondheim’s long-in-the-works Luis Buñuel musical, which he described as unfinished just days before his death, will be staged in New York this fall... --- Michael Paulson, New York Times. March 16, 2023

When you’re writing a show in old age

And you die in its formative stage,

Will producers diminish it

In efforts to finish it,

Or leave it as is on the page?

 

 

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March 21 - Modest Mussorgski (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous postings for March 21st may be found here: J. S. Bach [sic] (2019), Modest Mussorgsky (2020), Modest Mussorgsky; Hermann Finck (2021), and Modest Mussorgski (2022)

 

 

Modest Mussorgsky (21 March [O.S. 9 March] 1839 – 28 March [O.S. 16 March] 1881) was a Russian composer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variorum

Boris Godunov has often been subjected to cuts, recomposition, re-orchestration, transposition of scenes, or conflation of the original and revised versions. – Wikipedia, s.v. “Boris Godunov (opera)”

There are so many versions that we

Are never quite sure what we’ll see

When deciding to go

To this great Russian show,

Which is often a big potpourri.

 

 

 

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March 20 - John Braham (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 20th may be found here: Bernd Alois Zimmermann (2019), Vera Lynn (2020), Lauritz Melchior (2021), and Marian McPartland (2022)

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John Braham (20 March c. 1774 – 17 February 1856) was an English tenor whose long career led him to become one of Europe's leading opera stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Voice

The tenor Michael Kelly, who had a long professional association with Braham, remarked in 1826 that 'he is, decidedly, the greatest vocalist of his day.' John Braham became seen (retrospectively) as the founder of a dynasty of leading British tenors of the concert and oratorio stage.  – Wikipedia

If Braham came back with voice intact,

  Would the modern public love him?

Would puzzled pundits ask exact-

  -ly what it is they should think of him?

Envoi

Tastes will change, no guarantee

  Ensures eternal fuss about us;

Nothing says posterity

  Will understand the “plus” about us.

 

 

 

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