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Happy Birthday to Felix Mendelssohn

Thursday, February 3, 2022 by Mary O'Connor | birthday

mendelssohn-birthday

 


 

Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn lived between 1809 and 1847. He is considered to be a romantic composer and pianist best known for his symphonies and concert overtures. Mendelssohn played the piano in public by the age of nine, so he was often compared to Mozart.

He composed works for solo instruments and orchestra, and German songs. Some of his better-known works are the Wedding March, Elijah and Fingal’s Cave. Felix Mendelssohn, along with Hector Berlioz was one of the first conductors of a large orchestra.


 

Mendelssohn harmonized the works of other composers, including Johann Crüger. Listen to Mendelssohn's harmonization of Now Thank We All our God:


 


One of my favorites, Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 in g minor, op. 25:


 

     Read more about Mendelssohn in the Baroque section

     Mendelssohn's birthday

     Listen to Mendelssohn's music.

     Read information about Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

     First performance date of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as the Wedding March

     Read information about a Mendelssohn family Stradivari violin.

 

Happy Birthday, Gene Krupa

Saturday, January 15, 2022 by Mary O'Connor | birthday

krupa

 

Eugene Bertram "Gene" Krupa lived from January 15, 1909 to October 16, 1973.  He was an American jazz and big band drummer, actor and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.

One of my all-time favorite non-piano songs is Sing Sing Sing. Krupa joined Benny Goodman's band in 1934, where his featured drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on their hit "Sing, Sing, Sing" were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially.


 

The Benny Goodman big band playing Sing Sing Sing, featuring Gene Krupa at the end. We get the added benefit of hearing Mr. Harry James play a trumpet solo.

~~~


 

Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich: Famous Drum Battle

Sing/Play Happy Birthday Whenever You Want

Sunday, November 7, 2021 by Mary O'Connor | birthday

happy birthday

 

You're legal now!

None of the companies that have collected royalties on the "Happy Birthday" song for the past 80 years held a valid copyright claim to one of the most popular songs in history, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled on Tuesday.

In a stunning reversal of decades of copyright claims, the judge ruled that Warner/Chappell never had the right to charge for the use of the "Happy Birthday To You" song. Warner had been enforcing a copyright since 1988, when it bought Birch Tree Group, the successor to Clayton F. Summy Co., which claimed the original disputed copyright.

Judge George H. King ruled that a copyright filed by the Summy Co. in 1935 granted only the rights to specific piano arrangements of the music, not the actual song.

Read more at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-happy-birthday-song-lawsuit-decision-20150922-story.html


 

The following version is in the O'Connor Music Studio library, if you wish to borrow it.  It is also available on amazon.com