Dec 7, 2011

Happy Birthday To You



The melody and lyrics were written by two sisters - Mildred J. Hill (born 1859) and Patty Smith Hill (born 1868). Patty was a schoolteacher who developed the "Patty Hill blocks" and was a faculty member at Columbia University Teachers College. Mildred was also an educator who later on became a composer, organist and pianist. The melody was composed by Mildred and the lyrics were written by Patty, but it was originally for a classroom greeting song titled "Good Morning to All." The song "Good Morning to All" was part of the book Song Stories for the Kindergarten which the sisters co-wrote and published in 1893.

From then on the lyrics were changed from its original form to "Good Morning to You" and then to "Happy Birthday to You." It is still unclear who changed the lyrics that turned it into a birthday song, but it was first published in 1924 on a book edited by Robert H. Coleman. Since then, the song became popular and in 1934, Jessica Hill, another Hill sister, filed a lawsuit because of the unauthorized use of the "Happy Birthday to You" melody which clearly resembles the melody of "Good Morning to All," the song her sisters originally wrote. In 1935, Jessica, who was working with publisher Clayton F. Summy Company, copyrighted and published "Happy Birthday."

In the 1930s the Clayton F. Summy Company was bought by John F. Sengstack and renamed it Birch Tree Ltd. In 1998, Birch Tree Ltd was in turn bought by Warner Chappell for $25 million. The company is now known as Summy-Birchard Music. It is reported that the birthday song brings in about $2 million a year in royalties with half going to Summy-Birchard and the other half to the Hill Foundation.


Dec 6, 2011

Atomic Elements Of Romance


 




What "being romantic" means varies widely from person to person, but at its core, romance involves doing something to express affection in a meaningful yet unexpected way. A true act of romance requires creativity and sincerity, often inspired by love. There are millions of romantic ideas in books, movies and on the Internet, but true romance comes from within.


Some atomic elements of romance

·         Cute Things - Teddy bears are romantic. Puppies are romantic. Cherubic baby archers are romantic.  Small things are always cute.

 


·         Low Light - Candles are romantic. Sunrises and sunsets are romantic. Any kind of low light, you see, is romantic, hence why dinner dates after dark are more romantic than lunch dates at noon.


·         Red - Red is romantic, because red is the color of love and passion. Red roses mean, "I love you."


·         Background Music - Background music is romantic, and note the word "background," because not just any music is romantic. For music to be romantic, it must be too soft to hear. Also, it may not be lively or funny or good. Elevator music is the most romantic genre of music out there.


·         Chocolate 


·         Fancy Curly Things - Flair and flourishes are romantic. Whenever you get  a greeting card, get one of the ones with all the curly pink scribbles on it. When you write  letters, make the tails of the 'g's and 'y's really long and the loops in the 'd's and 'b's and 'p's really big. That's way romantic.  


·         The Most Intrinsically Romantic Thing Ever - A small red candle made out of chocolate and shaped like a teddy bear holding a heart with scribbles all over it that plays a tune when you wind it up. 


·         Your Time - One of the required ingredients of romance is your time. Nope, there's no way out of it.


·         Personal Stuff - Romance is personal. To be romantic, you must be personal and do personal kind of things.


·         Remembering Birthdays & Anniversaries


·         Pet Names 


·         Style - Even if you get all the essentials of romance right, a lack of style could still foul you up. Try to be as "suave" and "debonair" as you possibly can, as this is the optimum romantic style. Be elegant, humble, refined, independent, thoughtful, responsible, compassionate, spontaneous, reputable, graceful, polite, literate, entertaining, discreet, funny, upstanding, sensitive, fun, sophisticated, pleasant, selfless, reverent, and genuine.



When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out.
~ by Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) ~