This has been floating around Facebook for a few years now, but it was recently forwarded to me by Mather Pfeiffenberger, and it’s still funny. We don’t really know precisely when Girolamo Frescobaldi was born. Some sources state he was baptized on September 9, 1583. Others claim he was born on September 12 or 13. Most just throw up their hands and say mid-September. I don’t claim to be a Frescobaldi scholar, but toss Lurch into the mix and you’ve got comedy gold, with a Deutsche Grammophon golden cartouche, no less. The little cherry on top is the ridiculous specificity. It could have been Bach. It could have been Scarlatti. But for me, the genius lay in the choice of Frescobaldi.
From “Lurch and His Harpsichord”
Gustav Leonhardt plays Frescobaldi
Happy birthday, Girolamo… whenever it may be!