I learned something very interesting this morning. Today is the birthday of Louis Armstrong, with whom I always assumed I shared a birthday of July 4. It turns out Armstrong had no idea when he was born, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that a researcher discovered his baptismal records, confirming that he was born on August 4, 1901. Armstrong, of course, rose from impoverished origins in New Orleans to become not only one of the most important figures in American jazz, but also one of the most recognizable and beloved musicians of the 20th century.
Two other notable American musicians were born on this date. William Schuman, the winner of the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1943 (for his Cantata No. 2 “A Free Song”), was born in 1910. He was president of the Juilliard School from 1945, resigning the position in 1961 to become president of Lincoln Center. He received a special Pulitzer in 1985 for his “contribution to American music as composer and educational leader.” His most famous works are his “New England Triptych,” after Revolutionary Era anthems of William Billings, and his Symphony No. 3, one of the great American contributions to the form, though I encourage you to check out his baseball opera, “The Mighty Casey,” for a lighter side of this often austere composer.
Finally, film composer David Raksin was born on this date in Philadelphia in 1912. Best-known for the standard “Laura” (from the motion picture of the same name), Raksin got his start working for Charlie Chaplin on “Modern Times,” whipping the self-styled auteur’s musical ideas into their final form. Their relationship could be contentious (Chaplin fired him at least once), but they remained lifelong friends. Because of his longevity – Raksin lived to be 92 – he assumed the unofficial position of senior statesman for film composers of Hollywood’s Golden Age. He was brimming with anecdotes about his colleagues, both in the music department and beyond.
Happy birthday, gentlemen, and thanks for the music!
Armstrong sings and plays “All That Meat and No Potatoes”:
William Schuman on “What’s My Line?”
Raksin plays “Laura”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTVVqUT_pDw
Raksin talks about working with Chaplin on “Modern Times”:
PHOTO: Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly on the set of “High Society”