Author Archives: Marco Graziosi

A Limerick Alphabet by Edmund Dulac

Arthur Deex has acquired a very nice copy of a rare book of limericks and has kindly chosen to share it: Lyrics Pathetic and Humorous from A to Z by Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) is a delightful Alphabet Book of 24 … Continue reading

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Edward Lear Music in Sanremo

At the end of 1997, the city of Sanremo held an exhibition of Edward Lear paintings and watercolours; there was also a concert of his Tennyson arrangements and of Dudley Glass’s settings of his poems on 7 December. Here is … Continue reading

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The Time Draws Near the Birth of Christ

Edward Lear published two collections of arrangements of Alfred Tennyson’s poems. This first, in 1853, included four settings (‘Edward Gray’, ‘A Farewell’, ‘Tears, Idle Tears’, and ‘Sweet and Low’), the second, in 1859, added five more, including the one I … Continue reading

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Nonsense Lyrics: Aba Daba Honeymoon

This week’s nonsense song has much in common with The Owl and the Pussy-cat; Aba Daba Honeymoon is another happy story of love and marriage, in this case between primates. It was written by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan and … Continue reading

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Elton Hayes: The Jumblies

The second song from Elton Hayes’s first Edward Lear record: The Jumblies.

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Gilbert Mack (1912-2005)

Cartoon Brew reports that Gilbert Mack passed away on 5 December 2005 at the age of 93. In addition to movies and lending his voice to several cartoon characters, Mack published 78-rpm records of his readings of two of Edward … Continue reading

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Nonsense Lyrics: Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba

Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, authors of last week’s Mairzy Doats, later teamed up with Mack David to form a trio specializing in nonsense songs: theirs are the famours Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo from Walt Disney’s Cinderella (1950) as well as … Continue reading

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Elton Hayes: The Table and the Chair

Elton Hayes published three 78-rpm records with Edward Lear songs, the first one in October 1950 (Parlophone R 3329) and containing The Table and the Chair and The Jumblies (to be posted next Wednesday). This was followed by Parlophone R … Continue reading

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Mairzy Doats

I’m also resuming the Nonsense Lyrics from the 1940s series after the hiatus due to the site hacking. This week Mairzy Doats ( words and music by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston. Miller Music Corp., NYC, 1943) in Al … Continue reading

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The Owl and the Pussy-cat

I am still working on the new nonsenselit.org site, but have decided to take down the “Sounds” section and re-post weekly what was in it here. This week I’m posting a full BBC Radio 4 program of 2 December 2000 … Continue reading

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