Wolfie and Ben, Together Again for the First Time!
A couple of my favorite famous people are having their biggest birthday bashes ever this year, although just a tad late for the honorees to enjoy. I'm talking about Benjamin Franklin's 300th (Jan. 17) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th (Jan. 27).
From the moment I chose to write about these fellows, I've been obsessed with finding out if perhaps they actually met at some point in time. There's no evidence they did, but Franklin was only 50 years old when Mozart was born, and died only 18 months before Mozart, giving them more than 34 years to cross paths.
And surely their world was much like today's, where all famous people seem to know each other. Franklin hung out with all those founding father types, framing the constitution and jawing about whose face would wind up on the highest denomination currency. Mozart hobnobbed with everybody who was anybody in the music biz. Example - he played with Franz Joseph Haydn in a string quartet, which I believe is a form of doubles tennis.
As for the two of them bumping into one another, I've learned that—for at least several months in 1764-65—they both lived in London. Franklin was midway through a 20-year stint as a sort of ambassador from the American Colonies, while the 8-year old Mozart was a goalie on a U10 travel soccer team.
(Not really. He was studying music with renowned composer Johann C. Bach—more proof that all famous people know each other!)
Still, it seems Ben and Wolfie never met face-to-face. But it's way too late to ditch them as a column topic, so let's scrounge up other fascinating things to ponder, such as: if Mozart were alive today, do you think he'd have a shot at winning "American Idol"?
Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, and was baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, which is why his monogrammed bathrobes had to be size XXXL.
While there are no known living descendants of Mozart, Franklin has some. A guy claiming to be one says he owns a molar that once resided in Ben's maw, and hopes DNA testing will prove his heritage. I make things up occasionally, but that's the honest tooth.
Among Franklin's many amazing inventions was a musical instrument called the "glass armonica," which worked on roughly the same principle as a squeaky windshield wiper. In spite of that, the armonica became popular, and Mozart himself even wrote two pieces for it, one called "Adagio and Rondo 617," and the other, aimed at children, called "The Squeaky Little Windshield Wiper."
In honor of Mozart, rock star Eddie Van Halen named one of his children Wolfgang (a boy, I believe). And while there are scads of towns and cities named for Franklin, there's apparently only one spot on the globe named for Mozart—a town in Saskatchewan called Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. (Just kidding; the town's named "Mozart.")
Several actors have interpreted Mozart in movies and TV shows. One was a kid named Matthieu Gonet, who in a 1982 French mini-series played Mozart as a child. But not the whole child, just his hands. (Though the director's cut contains a brief scene of Matthieu portraying Mozart's gruebchen.)
Filmic Franklins also abound, including Beau Bridges and his father Lloyd, Orson Welles, and Tom Bosley, perhaps better known for playing Richie Cunningham's dad on "Happy Days."
If you get the chance, you might want to try a taste of a special beer created just for Franklin's 300th. It's called Poor Richard's Ale, and it was created to honor a famous quote attributed to Franklin: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Hundreds of special events are being held worldwide in honor of Franklin and Mozart, from Paris to Hong Kong to Glasgow, Montana. There are tons of Franklin celebrations scheduled all over the U.S., but according to the Website "BenFranklin300.org," only one takes place in my home state, Indiana. Throughout January, at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac, fifth graders from the Pulaski schools will compete in a Tom Bosley lookalike contest.
The Website also reveals that exactly zero Franklin fetes are planned here in Michigan. But the state is making up for it by honoring Mozart. Starting Jan. 27, and continuing through to their next bowl game defeat, the University of Michigan athletic teams will be known as the Wolfgangerines.
# # #
TakefiveT5@yahoo.com
From the moment I chose to write about these fellows, I've been obsessed with finding out if perhaps they actually met at some point in time. There's no evidence they did, but Franklin was only 50 years old when Mozart was born, and died only 18 months before Mozart, giving them more than 34 years to cross paths.
And surely their world was much like today's, where all famous people seem to know each other. Franklin hung out with all those founding father types, framing the constitution and jawing about whose face would wind up on the highest denomination currency. Mozart hobnobbed with everybody who was anybody in the music biz. Example - he played with Franz Joseph Haydn in a string quartet, which I believe is a form of doubles tennis.
As for the two of them bumping into one another, I've learned that—for at least several months in 1764-65—they both lived in London. Franklin was midway through a 20-year stint as a sort of ambassador from the American Colonies, while the 8-year old Mozart was a goalie on a U10 travel soccer team.
(Not really. He was studying music with renowned composer Johann C. Bach—more proof that all famous people know each other!)
Still, it seems Ben and Wolfie never met face-to-face. But it's way too late to ditch them as a column topic, so let's scrounge up other fascinating things to ponder, such as: if Mozart were alive today, do you think he'd have a shot at winning "American Idol"?
Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, and was baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, which is why his monogrammed bathrobes had to be size XXXL.
While there are no known living descendants of Mozart, Franklin has some. A guy claiming to be one says he owns a molar that once resided in Ben's maw, and hopes DNA testing will prove his heritage. I make things up occasionally, but that's the honest tooth.
Among Franklin's many amazing inventions was a musical instrument called the "glass armonica," which worked on roughly the same principle as a squeaky windshield wiper. In spite of that, the armonica became popular, and Mozart himself even wrote two pieces for it, one called "Adagio and Rondo 617," and the other, aimed at children, called "The Squeaky Little Windshield Wiper."
In honor of Mozart, rock star Eddie Van Halen named one of his children Wolfgang (a boy, I believe). And while there are scads of towns and cities named for Franklin, there's apparently only one spot on the globe named for Mozart—a town in Saskatchewan called Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. (Just kidding; the town's named "Mozart.")
Several actors have interpreted Mozart in movies and TV shows. One was a kid named Matthieu Gonet, who in a 1982 French mini-series played Mozart as a child. But not the whole child, just his hands. (Though the director's cut contains a brief scene of Matthieu portraying Mozart's gruebchen.)
Filmic Franklins also abound, including Beau Bridges and his father Lloyd, Orson Welles, and Tom Bosley, perhaps better known for playing Richie Cunningham's dad on "Happy Days."
If you get the chance, you might want to try a taste of a special beer created just for Franklin's 300th. It's called Poor Richard's Ale, and it was created to honor a famous quote attributed to Franklin: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Hundreds of special events are being held worldwide in honor of Franklin and Mozart, from Paris to Hong Kong to Glasgow, Montana. There are tons of Franklin celebrations scheduled all over the U.S., but according to the Website "BenFranklin300.org," only one takes place in my home state, Indiana. Throughout January, at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac, fifth graders from the Pulaski schools will compete in a Tom Bosley lookalike contest.
The Website also reveals that exactly zero Franklin fetes are planned here in Michigan. But the state is making up for it by honoring Mozart. Starting Jan. 27, and continuing through to their next bowl game defeat, the University of Michigan athletic teams will be known as the Wolfgangerines.
# # #
TakefiveT5@yahoo.com
posted by Don Stuart at 8:39 AM
1 Comments:
What has the Big M been doing for the last 250 yrs?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
decomposing
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