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And now for something completely different – an American composer

By Old Grumpy Guy on December 1, 2008 at 2:30 PM in Humor, OldGrumpyGuy

Yes, it’s the moment you have all been breathlessly waiting for – the moment when I name the American composer in 8th place on the list of the greatest composers ever.

After the weighty considerations in the piece posted earlier – “At the crossroads” – I felt you deserved a bit of light relief, so I have posted this video earlier than I originally planned. In a day or two I will be uploading one of the two companion pieces to this video – a sampler of this composer’s greatest hits, and a rendition of one of his songs pieced together from versions by 12 different sings from Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews to Amy Winehouse – on my Youtube channel.

helenk

How about Jerome Kern?
His songs still have relevance.
Also Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart the tackled issues like racism before it was fashionable.

WOMEN,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS

PUMAS,BUBBAS, AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
Patrick Henry

I agree..

By The Way…Who Composed “Rudolph the RED Nosed Reindeer..”…?
oowawa

Well, OGG, when I first heard you were going to include an American in your list, I thought “Oh no, Aaron Copland,” and I was already thinking up snarky witty comments with which to assault your judgment. But Gershwin? Hmmmmm . . . I will have to reserve my biting sarcasm until I find out what noteworthy Germans, Russians, and Italians you plan on honoring with exclusion.

And as for the late Frank Zappa–hardly a tree-hugger he. I mean, who else would be so cynical that he would name his children “Dweezel” and “Moon Unit” as an act of pure sarcasm?
Pat Racimora

I just LOVE these, Grumpy. Thank you!!!
Doc99

I wouldn’t argue with Leonard Bernstein either.
rw

Nice endeavor. After the composer list is presented, would like to see a “painter” list.

As for Gershwin…doesn’t do much for me…like John Philip Sousa…he’s got the beat.
JozefAL

Grumpy, with all due respect, I’m going to have to issue you a ticket on behalf of the language police.
It’s “between you and me“, not “between you and I”. (When you have trouble remembering for sure, replace the two singular pronouns with their equivalent plural prounouns. In this case, you wouldn’t have said “between we”; that’s simply wrong. It would be “between us”–the objective case.)
As to Gershwin’s masterwork, “Porgy and Bess”, the “g” is hard–as in “go” or “get”. (The classic performances of the song “I Loves You, Porgy” all feature the hard “g”.)
Old Grumpy Guy

As I mentioned in the video, I am not dealing with songwriters but with composers whose range was wider than that
Old Grumpy Guy

You obviously haven’t been paying attention oowawa. Go to the back of the class and write out a hundred tmes “I must learn to pay more attention.” If you watched the first vid in the series on Strauss ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM37SYHpTIg, and if you didn’t, why not?) you would have seen that Copland was a close contender but no cigar
Old Grumpy Guy

In “Georgy Porgy Pudding and Pie”) it is pronounced with a zchuh, so take your pick.
oowawa

Okay, Grumpy, I’ll concede that you are correct and I must hang my head in shame.

For penance I will reveal the names of Frank Zappa’s other two children: Diva Thin Muffin Pigeon and Ahmet Emuukha Rodan (this one could run for POTUS someday).
Old Grumpy Guy

It’s not cynicism to name your kids such silly names. It’s zonked out childish and irresponsible!
mountainaires

Love Gershwin! An excellent choice! Thanks Grumpy, for the memories…
oowawa

You’re right, of course. As far as child-naming goes, Frank was setting a very bad example.
bert

As always OGG, I enjoyed your latest installment of great composer’s series. I can’t wit to see how you are going to tie all of these crescendos into some mind-bogging climax. (NOTE: I am not a music student. I just enjoy. So I may not be using those terms correctly.)

Some random thoughts on this installment in no particular order.

I will never forget Rhapsody on Blue being played in the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Olympics in LA. One of the all time best highlights from Olympic opening ceremonies.

OGG, you know as well as I do why some people think making love to Ravel’s Bolero is thought to be a great piece of music to make love to.

And, last of all, a piece of trivia. You noted in the closing notes that Otto Klemperer conducted his own orchestra at Gershwin’s memorial in the Hollywood Bowl. I am sure that a man of such discriminating tastes and wide ranging knowledge knows what TV program made Otto Klemperer famous in America. And if you don’t, there is always google. (HINT: The TV show is on a par with the movie 10.
Old Grumpy Guy

No bert, I DON’T know why some people think Ravel’s Bolero a great piece of music to make love to, I just know that some do. Maybe you can tell me why.
http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/ ginaswo

Johnny Marx? (named my cat after him as a kid,m LOL)
http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/ ginaswo

I challenge you to a song-off

COLE PORTER ROOLZ, GERSHWIN DROOLZ!
oowawa

Cuz it get’s louder and louder until you work yourself up into a steaming sweaty frenzy–on and on–over and over again–until FINALLY–oh heck, I’ll bet they have that stuff in the United Kingdom too.
http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/ ginaswo

I ‘hear’ that was also why LED ZEP IV is good for that same background……..
http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/ ginaswo

COLE PORTER MEDLEY

NOW YOU HAS JAZZ!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs5oXs5XFcA

HE IS THE TOPS!!!!!
http://moderateinthemiddle.wordpress.com/ ginaswo

Let’s hear Judy sing Cole:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVlDs5DYEUI

Judy Garland – 1965 – Academy Awards – Cole Porter Medley; Gene Kelly introducing
interested party

Ah yes, Frank Zappa. Who can forget “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet” or “You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here”. Surprising I found this observation: “He labeled people on drugs “assholes in action”, and he only tried marijuana a few times without any pleasure.”

Gershwin was good. Sigh, his early demise reminds me of Mozart, and with him, speculation on what might been.
Judy L. NC

Me either.
Judy L. NC

Gene Autry? Er, maybe he just sang it.
oowawa

Well, I guess these are the hazards of writing about great art to a predominantly American audience: what do you get? References to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Frank Zappa (but he brought that up), Ravel’s Bolero, Led Zeppelin, “COLE PORTER ROOLZ, GERSHWIN DROOLZ!”, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Kern, and to top it all off, a lecture to a British gentleman on the correct use of the Queen’s English. I wouldn’t be surprised if Old Grumpy Guy turned his back on us all and left us barbarians to suffer miserably in our own private cultural wasteland. But we do “own” Gershwin, don’t we? Now how did we manage that?
bert

The character Bo Derek plays a recording of Bolero in the 1979 movie 10, when she and the character Dudley Moore plays finally make love. I read somewhere that LP’s (no CD’s yet) spoked that summer by some astronomical number I can no longer remember.

If I had to sum the movie up in one sentence it would be, ‘be careful what you wish for becasue when the gods want to punish you they grant your wish.’ Kind of like this year’s Presidential election in many ways for Obama and his robots!!!!
bert

sorry for typo – spiked, not spoked.
andrew191

Bert, I hope you’re not thinking “Werner Klemperer” of “Hogan’s Heroes”,(Col. Klink), although Otto was his father.
oowawa

Ah yes, Frank Zappa. Who can forget

The immortal classic: Weasels Rip My Flesh. I’m sorry. Once that genie’s out of its bottle, it’s hard to make it go back in. I’ll shut up now.
Old Grumpy Guy

yes, I knew about the movie connection, but I still don’t see why anyone would think it is great music to make love to.
Old Grumpy Guy

Cole Porter was a great SONGWRITER. I’m not dealing with songwriters. He was not a composer like Gershwin. Sheesh.
Old Grumpy Guy

No, I cannot turn my back on my American friends. I feel it is my duty to save civilization and bring culture to the unwashed masses.
Ferd Berfle

Burnt Weenie Sandwich
bert

You are correct, andrew191. I got the two mixed up.
bert

That is American ‘culture’, OGG, I guess. I am not saying I understand or even agree. I am just reporting. Maybe they were having fantasis of Bo naked when they heard the music. I don’t know. Never tried it myself.
workingclass artist

Ditto…I suspected it would be Gershwin. Thanks Grump an excellent choice and if he had lived longer…Oh well it is astonishing what he did…and died so young. Thanks…I look forward to the next installment.
socalannie

Love George Gershwin. My mother played classical music for us when we were young, and Gershwin was one of her favorites. Listening to his music reminds me of my happy childhood…wish I could go back!
socalannie

Completely agree with your remarks about Ravel. Enjoyed this piece, OGG, thank you. Bring on No. 7!
rw

it’s the rhythmic crescendo….the peak of a gradual increase.
JozefAL

That, I would point out, is a made-up word, specifically designed to rhyme with “Georgy”.
The use of the character’s name in “Porgy and Bess” is a nickname that comes from a type of fish.
From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
1 : a blue-spotted crimson food fish (Pagrus pagrus of the family Sparidae) of the eastern and western Atlantic ; also : any of various fishes of the same family
2 [alteration of pogy] : any of various bony fishes (as a menhaden) of families other than that of the porgy

Aside from that, listen to Nina Simone’s absolutely gorgeous rendition of “I Loves You, Porgy” (1959, US #18 pop, #2 R&B) and you’ll notice that she’s definitely using the hard “g”. Or, if you find Simone to be unworthy, try Lady Day–Billie Holiday’s version used the hard “g”. Even Diana Ross’s take (from the Blue CD–originally recorded at the time she did Lady Sings the Blues but only released a couple of years ago) uses the hard “g”. Barbra Streisand (on her The Broadway Album recording) gave the hard “g” and she’s been known to request changes (even from the original composers like Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber) be made to songs to better suit her style.
This is NOT a case of “take your pick”. (Somehow, I don’t think you’d be as accepting of someone saying Wag-ner, instead of Vahg-ner. There’s no real difference in the situations.)
JozefAL

If you’re referring to me about the “lecture”, well I’m happy to accept the chiding. One’s being English or not is not a defense for mangling the language. (In point of fact, one would think that being English would demand the correct usage, especially with pronouns.)
At least OGG didn’t confuse “fewer” and “less” in the portion that I was able to hear. (That is one of my major bugaboos.)
I’m happy to ignore the usual hoopla over prepositions or split infinitives (those little “rules” are proof that SOME “British gentlemen” have no business in developing rules of syntax).
socalannie

Nice!
Old Grumpy Guy

ok, you win (sigh)
workingclass artist

OH BROTHER!…( eye roll…shrug…)