Much stuff has flowed under the thing since I heard pianists play the game of “Happy Birthday”, in which the musician tries to guess how each composer might have done it, and of course they started with Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, and such, but they often wandered into jazz and other musical artforms.

I thought I might search out some examples for you, and here they are, in order of findingness:

Wasn’t she terrific? Talent at the keyboard and composing skill go along with the game — it’s really not the same if you play a more or less rancid brand of piano, and I certainly wouldn’t elect to include it here. Continue reading →