Music History Monday

Music History Monday


Latest Episodes

Music History Monday: An American in Paris
August 26, 2024

We mark the London premiere on August 26, 1952 – 72 years ago today – of the film “An American in Paris.” With music by George Gershwin (1898-1937), directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Gene Kelly,

Music History Monday: Serge Pavlovich Diaghilev
August 19, 2024

We mark the death on August 19, 1929 95 years ago today of the Russian impresario, patron, art critic, and founder of the Ballets Russes Serge (or Sergei) Pavlovich Diaghilev, in Venice. Born i

Music History Monday: Giovanni Gabrieli and the Miracle That is Venice!
August 12, 2024

We mark the death on August 12, 1612 412 years ago today of the composer Giovanni Gabrieli. Born in Venice circa 1555, he grew up and spent his professional life in that glorious city, and died t

Music History Monday: The First Professional Composer
August 05, 2024

Easy Times! Weve been having a good time, an easy time here at Music History Monday these last few weeks. Five of our last six MHM posts have featured fairly recent musical events from the popular

Music History Monday: Cass Elliot and the Making of an Urban Legend
July 29, 2024

We mark the death of Cass Elliot on July 29, 1974 50 years ago today in an apartment at No. 9 Curzon Street in Londons Mayfair District. Born on September 19, 1941, she was just 32 years old at

Music History Monday: Shake, Rattle, and Roll
July 22, 2024

Only July 22, 2023 one year ago today Taylor Swift (born 1989; she has, according toForbes, a present net worth of $1.3billion) literally shook up Seattle: her concerts in that city shook the

Music History Monday: An Indispensable Person
July 15, 2024

Indispensability The title of this blog An Indispensable Person might be considered controversial. Thats because any number of very smart people would argue that there is, in fact, so such thin

Music History Monday: What’s in a Name?
July 08, 2024

We mark the birth on July 8, 1935 89 years ago today of the American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer, actor, and comedian Steve Lawrence, in Brooklyn, New York. He died just four months ago,

Music History Monday: The Sony Walkman: A Triumph and a Tragedy!
July 01, 2024

We mark the introduction on July 1, 1979 45 years ago today of the Sony Walkman. The Walkman was the first entirely portable, high-fidelity (or at leastfairlyhigh-fidelity) audio cassette playe

Music History Monday: Boogie Fever
June 24, 2024

On June 24, 1374 650 years ago today the men, women, and children of the Rhineland city of Aachen began to dash out of their houses and into the streets, where inexplicably, compulsively, and un