Like most music lovers, I'm a fan of Wolfie - Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theuphilus Mozart, as he was baptized - so my ears always prick up when I hear something about him. (Do ears actually do that?) But it took me a while to warm to a strangely hypnotic song that became a world-wide hit … Continue reading A Strange Taste Of Mozart
Germany was a volatile place in 1931 but it did have a long tradition of music appreciation, so it's not surprising that an eleven-year-old violinist named Helmut Zacharias would find an appreciative audience when he played a Mozart concerto on national radio. But he took it in stride -- after all, he'd been performing for … Continue reading Helmut Zacharias – The Magic Violinist
Not many classically-trained violinists have managed to crack the upper reaches of the pop music charts, but that's exactly what happened in 1951 when Florian ZaBach had a million-selling record with a tune about a bird. But "The Hot Canary" wasn't his only foray into bringing light classics to the masses. In addition to selling … Continue reading Florian ZaBach And His Very Warm Feathered Friend
Now that March has arrived, I wanted to do a slideshow with bright and colorful pictures that would herald the approach of Spring, but I got sidetracked by something. The slideshow widget used by WordPress (the GMC host) has either changed or my memory is worse than I thought, because no matter what size pictures … Continue reading Spring And Strange Slideshows
One of the most popular pieces on the GMC is The REAL Eddy Duchin Story, which has been visited thousands of times since its appearance a couple of years ago. In fact, it received a burst of 2,000 visits in one day when the movie of the same name was shown recently on Turner Classics. … Continue reading Carmen Cavallaro – Poet Of The Piano
I thought maybe I'd revisit the subject of easy listening music, the sweet and melodious kind that was the specialty of a few band directors I've written about before, like Mantovani, Kostelanetz, and Percy Faith. But I don't think any of those particular guys had a background like George Melachrino, who in addition to his … Continue reading The Musical MP – George Melachrino
Geezer Music Club 