Eins, zwei, drei, vier...246 already?

Jawohl! (which is to say, Yes, indeedy, my little munchkins).

Therefore, please join me in a hearty "Herzlichen-gluckwunsch-zum-geburtstag, Ludwig!"

If you're confused, simply click on the link above to reach an archived post of mine from 2009 and everything will suddenly become clear.

Sometimes it’s okay, even advisable, to change horses in midstream

Today is the birthday of Catherine of Aragon (1485) , Ludwig van Beethoven (1770) , Jane Austen (1775) , Margaret Mead (1901) , Liv Ullmann (1938) , Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917) who is known in Sri Lanka as Sri Lankabhimanya (The Pride of Sri Lanka) , and even William “The Refrigerator” Perry (1962) , defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, so-called because he was about as big as one:

but I have decided to ignore the many blogging possibilities calling to me from that list and take today’s post in a deliberately different, more seasonal direction:

Roll over, Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) Composing His "Missa Solemnis", 1820, Josef Karl Stieler

...and tell Tchaikovsky the news. (3:36)

My, how times have changed.

Happy birthday, Ludwig.

A New Perspective on Alabama (NPA)

Neighboring states often have a friendly rivalry with one another. In Georgia, a favorite saying is, “The only good thing coming out of Alabama is Interstate 20.” A favorite riddle is, “"Why do all the pine trees in Georgia lean toward the west?” (Answer: Alabama sucks.) Even I have been known from time to time to mention searching for BMDs (Banjos of Mass Destruction) when visiting our neighbor. This is all meant in good-natured fun, of course.

Alabama, I apologize.

In fairness, I don’t know where the guy singing “I’m Alabamy Bound” in the previous post hails from, but the Carter Family were definitely not from Alabama. They were from Virginia originally and then migrated to Tennessee. Alabama can take neither the credit nor the blame for them.

Some of the finest music I have ever heard was performed in Alabama. I am including in this post portions of two concerts by the A Capella Choir of Jacksonville State University, near Anniston, from the years when Bayne Dobbins was the choir director. The clips are both a bit long, so I know you won’t listen to everything, but I do recommend that you listen to the first few minutes of both of the following clips:

1. From the 1986 Spring Concert, “Hallelujah” from The Mount of Olives by Ludwig van Beethoven (the entire choir), and “I Waited For the Lord” by Felix Mendelssohn (a duet for two sopranos).
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2. From the 1987 Christmas Concert, the arrangement of “Joy to the World” by Handel-Kuykendall (the best arrangement of that carol that I have ever heard), used as the processional.

The sharp-eyed among you may notice that two of my children are listed in the programs. As it turns out, my future son-in-law was listed too.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Ludwig!*

(Charles Schulz, Peanuts, March 20, 1969)


(First page of music of the Pathetique Sonata in C Minor, reprint of the first edition of 1799, The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA)


*Happy birthday, Ludwig!