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Archive: July 2010 (13 Posts)

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

There’s A Composer Born Every Minute

Posted by: Pat Padua

The phrase “there’s a sucker born every minute” is commonly attributed to famed showman Phineas Taylor Barnum. The quote’s provenance is disputed, its sentiment cynical, but as adaptable headline fodder it is unsurpassed. If the reader so desires, the remainer of this paragraph may be read out loud in the booming voice of a carnival …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Sing Along with the Founding Fathers

Posted by: Pat Padua

It’s not exactly Schoolhouse Rock, but between the barbecue and the fireworks, celebrate the long Independence Day weekend with John E. Wilson’s vocal arrangement of the Declaration of Independence from the Civil War Sheet Music collection. You can also find sheet music and recordings of  “God Bless America,”  “America the Beautiful,” “The Star Spangled Banner,” and …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

The Heroine of Gettysburg

Posted by: Pat Padua

Two years ago I visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the anniversary weekend of the tragic battle. I have never been a Civil War aficionado, but to trod that consecrated ground among the Civil War reenactors and tour guides, to visit the house where Jennie Wade lived and died, was truly haunting. Remember the Battle of Gettysburg with …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Robert Cole

Posted by: Pat Padua

This post is abridged from a biography written by James Wolf, Digital Conversion Specialist, Music Division, for African-American Band Music & Recordings, 1883-1923 in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Read the entire article here. Robert Allen Cole was born on July 1, 1868, in Athens, Georgia, the son of former slaves. Like Will Marion Cook and James …