MUSPO

________________

Dancer’s hand Cambodia-by Eric Lafforgue
__________________

موسپو


Willie Dixon, blues singer and bassist - July 1, 1915 – 1992…

Willie Dixon - 1963 - Sittin' and Cryin' the Blues - The American Folk Blues Festival


____________



Hans Werner Henze: Fantasia for Strings 4, Allegro moderato - Collegium Musicum Zürich

Hans Werner Henze: Fantasia für Streicher (1966)

__________

Paul Williams, founder and baritone lead singer of The Temptations, b. July 2, 1939…

Photo: The Temptations, 1965. Clockwise from right: Otis Williams, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin

The Temptations-Just Another Lonely Night

Greg Brown, American folk singer/songwriter - 62 today…

Greg Brown Hillbilly Girl


____________________

Ray Brown, omnipresent jazz double bassist - died in his sleep on this day in 2002, aged 75…

Photo: Ray Brown looking over Milt Jackson’s shoulder - W.P. Gottlieb, 1946-8, LoC

Ray Brown trio- Days of Wine and Roses

_________________

Brian Jones, English guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, founding member of The Stones - died this day in 1969, aged 27, in a drug and alcohol-related mishap in his swimming-pool…

Photo of Brian Jones (L) and a bunch of semi-retarded-looking punks, a.k.a. The Rolling Stones - by Michael Ward, 1964 - bromide fibre print (NPG, London)

The Rolling Stones: The Last Time - from Out of Our Heads, 1965

R.I.P. - Brian Jones

_____________

Old school German mezzo-soprano, Brigitte Fassbaender, turns 72 today…

Fassbaender’s stage work often saw her collaborate with today’s other classical birthday celebrant, Carlos Kleiber, in pieces such as Der Rosenkavalier and Die Fledermaus…

Brigitte Fassbaender as Orfeo "Che faro senza Euridice

________________

Carlos Kleiber, great Austrian/Argentinian/American conductor: July 3, 1930 - 2004…

Kleiber was publicity shy, extremely selective re. recordings, and eventually completely stopped giving public performances. His total concert tally stands at less than 100 (plus 400 opera performances). In March 2011 a group of 100 conductors voted Kleiber as the greatest conductor of all time, ahead of Bernstein and Abbado…

Mozart Symphony No36-4mov(4/4) Carlos Kleiber Vienna Philharmonic

_______________

Marco Mahler: Hike The Lake - from Design in Quick Rotation, 2007

Born a Chicagoite but raised Swiss, Marco Mahler is both a kinetic sculptor and musician…

Check out more of his art on his Etsy page and listen to more of his intriguing music here!

Hike The Lake - Marco Mahler


____________________

Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-1928) - creator of late national Romantic, folklore inspired, melodic works…

The composer as a young, married man - Leoš Janáček and his wife Zdenka, 1881
Leoš Janáček - 'Mládí' III Allegro


___________

_____________

Jim Morrison, singer and poet, charismatic front-man of The Doors - died this day in 1971, aged 27, in a drug and alcohol-related mishap in a bathtub in Paris….

Photo: Paul Ferrara, December 1967 - near the Houdini House…

___________

The Doors-The End


________________


Drake Levin, for a spell the lead guitarist of Paul Revere and the Raiders: 1946 - July 4, 2009…
Paul Revere and the Raiders: Kicks - from Midnight Ride, 1966


_______________

Alan ‘Blind Owl’ Wilson - frontman of Canned Heat, blues archeologist, harmonica & guitar player, vocalist, composer: July 4, 1943 - 1970 (drug overdose)…

Canned Heat: Going Up the Country - from Living the Blues, 1968


____________

Stephen Foster (July 4, 1826 – 1864), known as the “father of American music”, was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century…

Here are a couple of contemporary versions of fine Foster songs…

Comrades Fill no Glass for Me

__
Redemption Song - Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer

__________________

Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian bandoneón virtuoso and innovative composer - died this day in 1992, aged 71, from aftereffects of thrombosis…

Piazzolla: Invierno porteno (Winter) Piano trio


___________________

William Byrd, English Renaissance composer, primarily of sacred vocal music - died this day in 1623, approx. 83 years old, venerated as a ‘Father of Musick’…

William Byrd - Laudibus in sanctis. Psalm 150


__________________

Jeremy Spencer, original slide guitarist of Fleetwood Mac (alongside Peter Green), vocalist and composer on several tracks on their 1968 debut album: b. July 4, 1948
Fleetwood Mac: My Heart Beat Like a Hammer - from Fleetwood Mac, 1968

_________________

Max Oppenheimer - Gustav Mahler Conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (detail, 1935)
____________

Gustav Mahler (July 7, 1860 – 1911) was a Bohemian-born Jewish-Austrian composer and conductor. He was best known during his own lifetime as one of the leading orchestral and operatic conductors of the day. He has since come to be acknowledged as one of the most important late-Romantic composers…

Gustav Mahler: First Symphony (Titan) - second movement, Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

________________

Antonio Vivaldi, prolific Italian Baroque composer - died this day in 1741, aged 63, of an ‘internal infection’…

François Morellon de La Cave: Portrait of Antonio Vivaldi, 1723 (Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica (Bologna))

_________
A. Vivaldi: RV 169 / Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro for strings & b.c. in B minor / Europa Galante


__________________

Johann Sebastian Bach, the greatest composer of all time - died this day in 1750, aged 65, following unsuccessful eye surgery (possibly preempting a stroke)…

Ill.: Portrait of Bach by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, copy or second version of his 1746 canvas, private ownership of William H. Scheide, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

___________

Henryk Szeryng plays Bach Fuga from Sonata No. 1

______________