Today in Comics History, April 27: Happy birthday, Friedrich von Flotow!

Born on this day in 1812, so very possibly he was rock-a-byed to the soothing sounds of The 1812 Overture: German composer Friedrich von Flotow, whose best-known opera is Martha. Which is, I believe, about a similarity in mothers' names. Let's check:


"Famous Operas" from Classics Illustrated #84 [The Gold Bug] (Gilberton, June 1951), pencils and inks by Alex Blum
Well, they certainly "saved Martha" in that one there, didn't they?

Happy birthday, Friedy!

Today in Comics History, February 29: Happy birthday, Gioachino Rossini!

Yes, here it is, the event we've all waited four years for: Gioachino Rossini's birthday, born on this day in 1792, which means he's only... (does math with hoofs, wishes I had more that four hoofs)...fifty-eight years old this year! That's mighty young at heart for the classic composer of the famous operas William Tell aka The Lone Ranger, Otello (please don't be mad at him just because he misspelled Shakespeare's tragic Moor), and of course The Barber of Seville, a hair-raising comic opera:


from "Famous Operas: The Barber of Seville" in Classics Illustrated #55 (Gilberton, January 1949), creators uncredited and unknown
Of course, we're all familiar with the plot and music of The Barber of Seville thanks to that famous short cartoon featuring a wascally animal character, right? And here it is!

excerpt from Looney Tunes "Rabbit of Seville" (Warner Bros., 1950), story by Michael Maltese, directed by Chuck Jones, starring the voices of Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan, with the music of Gioachino Rossini
Okay, actually the original gag of that last paragraph was going to lead you unexpectedly to not a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but one with Woody WOodpecker, until I actually watched it and went yeeeeeesh at its dodgy depiction of a Native American. (Look at it at your own risk.)

Happy birthday, Gioachino Rossini!

Today in Comics History, November 29: Happy birthday, Gaetano Donizetti!

Born on this day in 1797, so you'll have to speak up if you're gonna wish him a happy birthday: Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer of over 70 operas, all of them so familiar to the kids reading comic books that you barely need to explain who he is, thanks to his many comics appearances! So let's just show off this one.


"Lucia di Lammermoor" from Classics Illustrated #61 (Gilberton, July 1949), creators uncredited and unknown
See? isn't that more to-the-point reading than just showing off all the times he teamed up with Wonder Tot? Happy birthday, Gaetano, you crazy opera but, you!

Today in Comics History, October 25: Happy birthday, Georges Bizet!

Born on this day in 1838: composer Georges Bizet! If you thought he was a plumber, you're mistaken: that's actually his cousin, Georges Bidet.

Bizet died of cardiac arrest in 1875, so his career did not stretch a long as some of his peers. But he left us a majestic work that some acclaim as the most popular of all operas: Carmen. Or, as I like to call it on account of how horny it all is, Carmen Get It.


from Classics Illustrated #49 (Gilberton, July 1948), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 10: Happy birthday, Giuseppe Verdi!

Born on this day (or maybe yesterday) in 1813: Giuseppe Verdi, composer and lyricist, best known for his famous operas Rigoletto, Il trovatore, Aida, Falstaff, Otello, and La traviata and many other works! Here's Batman and Robin singing one of them, so you know Verdi hit it big in comics!


from "The Grand Opera Murders!" in Batman (1940 series) #40 (DC/National, April 1947), script by Don C. Cameron (?), pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Gene McDonald, letters by Joe Letterese (?)

Today in Comics History, August 5: Happy birthday, Ambroise Thomas!

Happy birthday, Ambroise Thomas, born on this day in 1811, composer of the opera Mignon (all about steak) and Hamlet (all about ham). He was the first of today's popular "Meat Opera" composers and for that is rightfully hailed as "Father of Beef."


"Mignon" from Classics Illustrated #89 (Gilberton, November 1951), creators uncredited unknown
There! Now you know the story of the opera Mignon, and knowing is half the battle, if the battle is knowing the meat-titled opera of Ambroise Thomas. Next week: Hamlet, a little pig you just can't keep down on the farm.

Today in Comics History, June 17: Happy birthday, Charles Gounod! (or, "Lois Lane Should Never Babysit")

Born on this date in 1818: French composer Charles Gounod, who wrote the operas Faust, Roméo et Juliette and others, and many short pieces including the popular Funeral March of a Marionette ("The Alfred Hitchcock Theme")! And because we don't want to go to the opera tonight (geez, it's a Friday, let us rest!) here's another patented BullysNotes Guide to the Famous Operas! Memorize it and forget it!


"Famous Operas: Faust" in Classics Illustrated #74 (Gilberton, August 1950), creators unkcredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, June 9: Happy birthday, Otto Nicolai!

Why not celebrate the birth of German composer Otto Nicolai (b. 1810) by reading about one of the most Tuetonic operas of all time: The, uh, Merry Wives of Windsor! Ach du lieber!


"Famous Operas: The Merry Wives of Windsor" from Classics Illustrated #70 (Gilberton, April 1950), text by Eleanor Kidofsky

Today in Comics History, February 21: Happy birthday, Léo Delibes!

Born on this day in 1836: opera and ballet composer Léo Delibes, who is not a figure you'd ordinarily expect to find in a comic book. His works include the ballets Coppélia and Sylvia and the opera Lakmé, which includes the well-known "Flower Duet." But suppose you know nothing (nothing!) of the opera Lakmé, and you're invited tonight to a Léo Delibes birthday party celebration and you're expected to make small talk with the great composer. You can't go to WIkipedia to bone up, because his evil-arch rival, Anti-Delibes, has spent all day sabotaging the entries on his work so that they now include Elmer Fudd and the 1819 Peach Revolt. Turn instead to a comic book, which we all know from experience, never lies!


"Famous Operas: Lakmé" in Classics Illustrated #65 (Gilberton, November 1949)
There! Now you're all set to converse with Léo Delibes. Just throw in a few references to how much you enjoyed his ballet Snoopy, Come Home, and you're in like Flynn!