Musical Birthdays

Antonin Dvorak–Sept. 8

September 7, 2011

Born Sept. 8, 1841 in Nelahozeves, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) Died May 1, 1904 in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) For Dvorak, classical music was a vehicle to express the character of a nation, and native folk melodies were important in his works. A passionate proponent of his homeland, as was Smetana before him, he [...]

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George Gershwin – Sept. 26

September 26, 2010

True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today.      – George Gershwin Born Sept. 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York Died July 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California George Gershwin, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, is the quintessential American composer. [...]

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Dmitri Shostakovich – Sept. 25

September 25, 2010

Born Sept. 25, 1906 in St. Petersburg, Russia Died Aug. 9, 1975 in Moscow, Russia A product of the Bolshevik Revolution, Shostakovich was the most famous of all  Soviet composers. He led a politically and personally troubled life, yet produced some of the century’s most celebrated and frequently performed works even today . Born into [...]

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Ray Charles – Sept. 23

September 23, 2010

Ray Charles overcame blindness and poverty to become a legend in American music. His gritty mix of gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz speaks to kids as well as adults.

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Jimmy Reed – Sept. 6

September 7, 2010

Born September 6, 1925 in Dunleith, Mississippi Died August 29, 1976 in Oakland, California Mathis James “Jimmy” Reed, musician and songwriter popular during the 1950’s and ‘60’s, was noted for his electric blues guitar sound, lowdown harmonica, and slack-voiced, twangy singing style (which was his charm and trademark sound which many musicians imitated). He composed [...]

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John Cage – Sept. 5

September 5, 2010

Born Sept. 5, 1912 in Los Angeles, California Died Aug. 11, 1992 in Manhattan, New York “There are two things that don’t have to mean anything; one is music, and the other is laughter.” – John Cage, paraphrasing Immanuel Kant. (Cage agreed with Kant that music and laughter don’t have to mean anything in order [...]

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Darius Milhaud – Sept. 4

September 4, 2010

Born Sept. 4, 1892 in Aix-en-Provence, France Died June 22, 1974 in Geneva, Switzerland   “Don’t be afraid of writing something people can remember and whistle. Don’t ever feel discomfited by a melody".  Milhaud to his student Burt Bacharach Milhaud was a student of Charles Widor, Vincent d’Indy, and Paul Dukas.  A member of Les [...]

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King Henry VIII: Better Musician Than Husband

May 10, 2010

King Henry VIII, famous for his marriages on the rocks (and the blocks), is lesser known for his talent as a musician and composer. Tall, handsome, and charming in his youth, he played several musical instruments, and was a skilled singer and dancer. Some of his musical compositions are still performed today.

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Spike Jones – Dec. 14

December 14, 2009
Spike Jones

This bandleader and musical parodist used “found sounds” from hiccups to gunshots in his musical spoofs, paving the way for STOMP, Blast, P.D.Q. Bach, Frank Zappa, Monty Python, & others. He (and Donald Duck) even spoofed Hitler, who probably wasn’t amused.

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Oliver Messiaen – Dec. 10

December 12, 2009
Bird Song

“I give bird-songs to those who dwell in cities and have never heard them. . .and paint colors for those who see none.” —Messiaen. He used birdsongs and colors as no musician ever had before, bringing beauty and hope even to fellow prisoners in a German POW camp.

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Joshua Bell – Dec. 9

December 9, 2009
Joshua Bell

Will the busy world stop and listen to a subway violinist at rush hour, even if he is Joshua Bell? If only we had the ears and heart of a 3-yr.-old. . .

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Domenico Scarlatti – Oct. 26

October 26, 2009
Domenico Scarlatti

This Italian Baroque composer spent most of his life in the royal courts of Portugal and Spain. You can hear the traces of the Spanish guitar in his keyboard sonatas.

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Georges Bizet – Oct. 25

October 25, 2009
Thumbnail image for Georges Bizet – Oct. 25

Bizet’s Carmen was a box-office bomb, and he never lived to see it become one of the world’s most beloved operas.

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Franz Liszt – Oct. 22

October 22, 2009
Franz Liszt

“Rock star” pianist and composer Liszt wooed the women and wowed his audiences. He also revived interest in under-appreciated music of Bach, Beethoven, & other greats.

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Charles Ives – Oct. 20

October 20, 2009
Charles Ives

His day job was selling insurance, but in his “free time” composer Charles Ives stitched together a patchwork of 19th-century America that stretched the bounds of 20th-century music.

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Thelonious Monk – Oct. 10

October 10, 2009
Thelonious Monk

Jazz legend Thelonious Monk’s legacy continues, thanks to his family bringing jazz education to young students, and even to the White House.

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Camille Saint-Säens – Oct. 9

October 9, 2009
Carnival of the Animals

He refused to allow his Carnival of the Animals to be played in public or published during his lifetime. Ironically, this is the work for which he is most remembered.

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Paul Dukas – Oct. 1

October 1, 2009
The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Thanks to Mickey Mouse, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice became one of the most famous works of all times. (Too bad Dukas never lived to see Fantasia.)

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Ray Charles – Sept. 23

September 23, 2009
Ray Charles

Ray Charles overcame blindness and poverty to become a legend in American music. His gritty mix of gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz speaks to kids as well as adults.

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Georg Böhm – Sept. 2

September 2, 2009
Organ

German composers and organists Georg Bohm and J. S. Bach had much in common, and Bach praised his music. Both had to “sing for their supper” as musicians dependent on the church and their patrons.

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Engelbert Humperdinck – Sept. 1

September 1, 2009
Hansel and Gretel

His German opera Hansel and Gretel was the first complete opera ever broadcast on radio (1923), and is still a favorite with kids everywhere.

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Morton Subotnick – April 14

April 14, 2009
Morton Subotnik

This innovative American composer of electronic and eclectroacoustic music is also a trailblazer in music education software for students.

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Herbie Hancock – April 12

April 12, 2009
Herbie Hancock

This classically trained jazz icon studied music and electrical engineering. Music won out, and after a 5-decade career, Herbie still electrifies his audiences.

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Alberto Ginastera – April 11

April 11, 2009
Alberto Ginastera

One of Latin America’s most original and important composers, creating over 50 works. After he completed his study in Buenos Aires, he spent time in the United States where he studied with Aaron Copland.

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