Orlande de Lassus (also Orlandus Lassus, Orlando di Lasso, Roland de Lassus, or Roland Delattre) (1532 (possibly 1530) – 14 June 1594) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. He is today considered to be the chief representative of the mature polyphonic style of the Franco-Flemish school, and one of the three most famous and influential musicians in Europe at the end of the 16th century (the other two being Palestrina and Victoria).

Life

Lassus was born in Mons in the County of Hainaut (modern day Belgium). Information about his early years is scanty, although some uncorroborated stories have survived, the most famous of which is that he was kidnapped three times because of the singular beauty of his singing voice. At the age of twelve, he left the Low Countries with Ferrante Gonzaga and went to Mantua, Sicily, and later Milan (from 1547 to 1549). While in Milan, he made the acquaintance of the madrigalist Spirito l'Hoste da Reggio, a formative influence on his early musical style.

He then worked as a singer and a composer for Costantino Castrioto in Naples in the early 1550s, and his first works are presumed to date from this time. Next he moved to Rome, where he worked for Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who maintained a household there; and in 1553, he became ''maestro di cappella'' of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the ecumenical mother church of Rome and a spectacularly prestigious post indeed for a man only twenty-one years old. However, he stayed there for only a year. (Palestrina would assume this post a year later, in 1555.)

No solid evidence survives for his whereabouts in 1554, but there are contemporary claims that he traveled in France and England. In 1555 he returned to the Low Countries and had his early works published in Antwerp (1555–1556). In 1556 he joined the court of Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, who was consciously attempting to create a musical establishment on a par with the major courts in Italy. Lassus was one of several Netherlanders to work there, and by far the most famous. He evidently was happy in Munich and decided to settle there. In 1558 he married Regina Wäckinger, the daughter of a maid of honor of the Duchess; they had two sons, both of whom became composers. By 1563 Lassus had been appointed ''maestro di cappella'', succeeding Ludwig Daser in the post. Lassus remained in the service of Albrecht V and his heir, Wilhelm V, for the rest of his life.

By the 1560s Lassus had become quite famous, and composers began to go to Munich to study with him. Andrea Gabrieli went there in 1562, and possibly remained in the chapel for a year; Giovanni Gabrieli also possibly studied with him in the 1570s. His renown had spread outside of strictly musical circles, for in 1570 Emperor Maximilian II conferred nobility upon him, a rare circumstance for a composer; Pope Gregory XIII knighted him; and in 1571, and again in 1573, the king of France, Charles IX, invited him to visit. Some of these kings and aristocrats attempted to woo him away from Munich with more attractive offers, but Lassus was evidently more interested in the stability of his position, and the splendid performance opportunities of Albrecht's court, than in financial gain. "I do not want to leave my house, my garden, and the other good things in Munich," he wrote to the Duke of Saxony in 1580, upon receiving an offer for a position in Dresden.

In the late 1570s and 1580s Lassus made several visits to Italy, where he encountered the most modern styles and trends. In Ferrara, the center of avant-garde activity, he doubtless heard the madrigals being composed for the d'Este court; however his own style remained conservative and became simpler and more refined as he aged. In the 1590s his health began to decline, and he went to a doctor named Thomas Mermann for treatment of what was called "melancholia hypocondriaca", but he was still able to compose as well as travel occasionally. His final work was often considered one of his best pieces: an exquisite set of twenty-one ''madrigali spirituali'' known as the ''Lagrime di San Pietro'' ("Tears of St. Peter"), which he dedicated to Pope Clement VIII, and which was published posthumously in 1595. Lassus died in Munich on 14 June 1594, the same day that his employer decided to dismiss him for economic reasons; he never saw the letter.

Music and influence

One of the most prolific, versatile, and universal composers of the late Renaissance, Lassus wrote over 2,000 works in all Latin, French, Italian and German vocal genres known in his time. These include 530 motets, 175 Italian madrigals and villanellas, 150 French chansons, and 90 German lieder. No strictly instrumental music by Lassus is known to survive, or ever to have existed: an interesting omission for a composer otherwise so wide-ranging and prolific, during an age when instrumental music was becoming an ever-more prominent means of expression, all over Europe. The German music publisher Adam Berg dedicated 5 volumes of his ''Patrocinium musicum'' (published from 1873–1880) to Lassus' music.

Sacred music

Lassus remained Catholic during this age of religious discord, although not dogmatically so, as may be seen from his more worldly secular songs as well as his parody Masses and Magnificats based on secular compositions. Nevertheless the Catholic Counter-Reformation, which under Jesuit influence was reaching a peak in Bavaria in the late sixteenth century, had a demonstrable impact on Lassus' late work, including the liturgical music for the Roman Rite, the burgeoning number of Magnificats, the settings of the Catholic Ulenberg Psalter (1588), and especially the great penitential cycle of spiritual madrigals, the 'Lagrime di San Pietro' (1594).

Masses

Almost 60 masses have survived complete; most of them are parody masses based on secular works written by himself or other composers. Technically impressive, they are nevertheless the most conservative part of his output. He usually conformed the style of the mass to the style of the source material, which ranged from Gregorian chant to contemporary madrigals, but always maintained an expressive and reverent character in the final product. Some of his masses are based on extremely secular French chansons, some of which are frankly obscene (''Entre vous filles de quinze ans'', "Oh you fifteen-year old girls", by Clemens non Papa, gave him source material for his 1581 ''Missa entre vous filles'', probably the most scandalous of the lot). That this practice was not only accepted but encouraged by his employer is confirmed by evidence from their correspondence, much of which has survived.

In addition to his traditional parody masses, he wrote a considerable quantity of ''missae breves'', "brief masses," syllablic short masses meant for brief services (for example, on days when Duke Albrecht went hunting: evidently he did not want to be detained by long-winded polyphonic music). The most extreme of these is a work actually known as the ''Jäger Mass'' (''Missa venatorum'')—the "Hunter's Mass."

Some of his masses show influence from the Venetian School, particularly in their use of polychoral techniques (for example, in the eight-voice ''Missa osculetur me'', based on his own motet). Three of his masses are for double choir, and they may have been influential on the Venetians themselves; after all, Andrea Gabrieli visited Lassus in Munich in 1562, and many of Lassus's works were published in Venice. Even though Lassus used the contemporary, sonorous Venetian style, his harmonic language remained conservative in these works: he adapted the texture of the Venetians to his own artistic ends.

Motets and other sacred music

Lassus is one of the composers of a style known as ''musica reservata''—a term which has survived in many contemporary references, many of them seemingly contradictory. The exact meaning of the term is a matter of fierce debate, though a rough consensus among musicologists is that it involves intensely expressive setting of text, chromaticism, and that it may have referred to music specifically written for connoisseurs. A famous example of a composition by Lassus which is a representative of this style is his series of 12 motets entitled ''Prophetiae Sibyllarum'', which is in a wildly chromatic style reminiscent of Gesualdo; some of his chord progressions in this piece were not to be heard again until the 20th century.

Lassus wrote four settings of the Passion, one for each of the Evangelists, St. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All are for ''a cappella'' voices. He sets the words of Christ and the narration of the Evangelist as chant, while setting the passages for groups polyphonically.

As a composer of motets, Lassus was one of the most diverse and prodigious of the entire Renaissance. His output varies from the sublime to the ridiculous, and he showed a sense of humor not often associated with sacred music: for example, one of his motets satirizes poor singers (''super flumina Babylonis'') which includes stuttering, stopping and starting, and general confusion; it is related in concept if not in style to Mozart's ''A Musical Joke''. Many of his motets were composed for ceremonial occasions, as could be expected of a court composer who was required to provide music for visits of dignitaries, weddings, treaties and other events of state. But it was as a composer of religious motets that Lassus achieved his widest and lasting fame.

Lassus's setting of the seven Penitential Psalms of David (''Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales'') is one of the most famous collections of psalm settings of the entire Renaissance. The counterpoint is free, avoiding the pervasive imitation of the Netherlanders such as Gombert, and occasionally using expressive devices foreign to Palestrina. As elsewhere, Lassus strives for emotional impact, and uses a variety of texture and care in text setting towards that end. The final piece in the collection, his setting of the ''De profundis'' (Psalm 129/130), is considered by many scholars to be one of the high-water marks of Renaissance polyphony, ranking alongside the two settings of the same text by Josquin des Prez.

Among his other liturgical compositions are hymns, canticles (including over 100 Magnificats), responsories for Holy Week, Passions, Lamentations, and some independent pieces for major feasts.

Secular music

Lassus wrote in all the prominent secular forms of the time. In the preface to his collection of German songs, Lassus lists his secular works: Italian madrigals and French chansons, German and Dutch songs. He is probably the only Renaissance composer to write prolifically in five languages - Latin in addition to those mentioned above - and he wrote with equal fluency in each. Many of his songs became hugely popular, circulating widely in Europe. In these various secular songs, he conforms to the manner of the country of origin while still showing his characteristic originality, wit, and terseness of statement.

Madrigals

In his madrigals, many of which he wrote during his stay in Rome, his style is clear and concise, and he wrote tunes which were easily memorable; he also "signed" his work by frequently using the word 'lasso' (and often setting with the sol-fege syllables la-sol, i.e. A-G in the key of C). His choice of poetry varied widely, from Petrarch for his more serious work to the lightest verse for some of his amusing canzonettas.

Lassus often preferred cyclic madrigals, i.e. settings of multiple poems in a group as a set of related pieces of music. For example, his fourth book of madrigals for five voices begins with a complete sestina by Petrarch, continues with two-part sonnets, and concludes with another sestina: therefore the entire book can be heard as a unified composition with each madrigal a subsidiary part.

Chansons

Another form which Lassus cultivated was the French chanson, of which he wrote about 150. Most of them date from the 1550s, but he continued to write them even after he was in Germany: his last productions in this genre come from the 1580s. They were enormously popular in Europe, and of all his works, they were the most widely arranged for instruments such as flute and piano. Most were collected in the 1570s and 1580s in three publications: one by Pierre Phalèse the Elder in 1571, and two by Le Roy and Ballard in 1576 and 1584. Stylistically, they ranged from the dignified and serious, to playful, bawdy, and amorous compositions, as well as drinking songs suited to taverns. Lassus followed the polished, lyrical style of Sermisy rather than the programmatic style of Clément Janequin for his writing.

One of the most famous of Lassus's drinking songs was used by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part II. English words are fitted to ''Un jour vis un foulon qui fouloit'' (as ''Monsieur Mingo'') and sung by the drunken Justice Silence, in Act V, Scene iii.

German lieder

A third type of secular composition by Lassus was the German lied. Most of these he evidently intended for a different audience, since they are considerably different in tone and style from either the chansons or madrigals; in addition, he wrote them later in life, with none appearing until 1567, when he was already well-established at Munich. Many are on religious subjects, although light and comic verse are represented as well. He also wrote drinking songs in German, and contrasting with his parallel work in the genre of the chanson, he also wrote songs on the unfortunate aspects of overindulgence.

Dutch songs

In the preface to his collection of German songs, Lassus states to have composed Dutch songs. However, no Dutch song has been preserved.

Coat of arms

Lassus bore the following arms:

:Azure, a pile and a pile reversed Argent, on each a crosslet Or; :on a fess Argent a sharp, flat and natural, over all a bordure Or.

Media

Notes

References and further reading

Article "Orlande de Lassus", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2

Gustave Reese, ''Music in the Renaissance''. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0-393-09530-4

Harold Gleason and Warren Becker, ''Music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance'' (Music Literature Outlines Series I). Bloomington, Indiana. Frangipani Press, 1986. ISBN 0-89917-034-X

External links

Homepage for Orlando di Lasso www.orlandodilasso.org

Listen to free recordings of songs from Umeå Akademiska Kör

Category:Renaissance composers Category:Franco-Flemish composers Category:Walloon people Category:Knights of the Golden Spur Category:1532 births Category:1594 deaths Category:Madrigal composers

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name	Lawrence Welk
birth date	March 11, 1903
birth place	Strasburg, North Dakota
death date	May 17, 1992
death place	Santa Monica, California
occupation	Musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario
spouse	Fern Renner (born August 26, 1903- died February 13, 2002)
children	Shirley Welk, Donna Welk, Lawrence "Larry" Welk, Jr.
website	Welk Musical Family }}

Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1955 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music".

Early years

Welk was born in the German-speaking community of Strasburg, North Dakota. He was sixth of the eight children of Ludwig and Christiana Welk, ethnic Germans who emigrated to America in 1892 from Odessa, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire.

The family lived on a homestead that today is a tourist attraction. They spent the cold North Dakota winter of their first year under an upturned wagon covered in sod.

Welk decided on a career in music and persuaded his father to buy a mail-order accordion for $400 ($|r=0}}}} as of ). He promised his father that he would work on the farm until he was 21, in repayment for the accordion. Any money he made elsewhere during that time, doing farmwork or performing, would go to his family.

A common misconception is that Welk did not learn English until he was 21. In fact, he began learning English as soon as he started school. The part of North Dakota where he lived had been settled largely by Germans from Russia; even his teachers spoke English as a second language. Welk thus acquired his trademark accent, a combination of the Russian and German accents. He took elocution lessons in the 1950s and could speak almost accent-free, but he realized his public expected to hear him say: "A-one, an-a-two" and "Wunnerful, Wunnerful!" When he was asked about his ancestry, he would always reply "Alsace-Lorraine, Germany," from where his forebears had emigrated to Russia (and which, at the time of Welk's birth in 1903, was still under German control).

Early career

On his 21st birthday, having fulfilled his promise to his father, Welk left the family farm to pursue a career in music, which he loved. During the 1920s, he performed with the Luke Witkowski, Lincoln Boulds, and George T. Kelly bands before starting his own orchestra. He led big bands in North Dakota and eastern South Dakota. These included the Hotsy Totsy Boys and later the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra. His band was also the station band for popular radio station WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota. In 1927, he graduated from the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Although many associate Welk's music with a style quite separate from jazz, he did record one notable song in a ragtime style in November 1928 for Indiana-based Gennett Records. "Spiked Beer" featured Welk and his Novelty Orchestra.

During the 1930s, Welk led a traveling big band that specialized in dance tunes and "sweet" music. Initially, the band traveled around the country by car. They were too poor to rent rooms, so they usually slept and changed clothes in their cars. The term "Champagne Music" was derived from an engagement at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, when a dancer referred to his band's sound as "light and bubbly as champagne." The hotel also lays claim to the original "bubble machine," a prop left over from a 1920s movie premiere. The band performed across the country but particularly in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. In the early 1940s, the band began a 10-year stint at the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago, regularly drawing crowds of nearly 7,000.

His orchestra also performed frequently at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City during the late 1940s. In 1944 and 1945, Welk led his orchestra in many motion picture "Soundies," considered to be the early pioneers of music videos. Welk collaborated with Western artist Red Foley to record a version of Spade Cooley's "Shame on You" in 1945. The record (Decca 18698) was #4 to Cooley's #5 on Billboard's September 15 "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records" listing. From 1949 through 1951, the band had its own national radio program on ABC, sponsored by "The Champagne of Bottle Beer" Miller High Life.

''The Lawrence Welk Show''

In 1951, Welk settled in Los Angeles. The same year, he began producing ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' on KTLA in Los Angeles, where it was broadcast from the Aragon Ballroom in Venice Beach. The show became a local hit and was picked up by ABC in June 1955.

During its first year on the air, the Welk hour instituted several regular features. To make Welk's "Champagne Music" tagline visual, the production crew engineered a "bubble machine" that spouted streams of large soap bubbles across the bandstand. Whenever the orchestra played a polka or waltz, Welk himself would dance with the band's female vocalist, the "Champagne Lady." His first Champagne Lady was Jayne Walton Rosen (real name: Dorothy Jayne Flanagan). Jayne left Welk's show after her marriage and later pregnancy. After Welk and his band went on television, she appeared as a guest on the show, where she sang Latin American songs and favorites that were popular when she was traveling with the Welk band. Novelty numbers would usually be sung by Rocky Rockwell. Welk also reserved one number for himself to solo on his accordion.

Welk's television program had a policy of playing well known songs from previous years, so that the target audience would hear only numbers with which they were familiar. In the TV show's early days, the band would rarely play tunes from the current charts except strictly as novelty numbers. On December 8, 1956, two examples on the same broadcast were "Nuttin' for Christmas," which became a vehicle for Rocky Rockwell dressed in a child's outfit, and Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel," which was sung by violinist Bob Lido, wearing fake Presley-style sideburns.

Welk never lost his affection for the hot jazz he played in the 1920s, and when a Dixieland tune was scheduled, he enthusiastically led the band.

The type of music on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' was almost always conservative, concentrating on popular music standards, polkas, and novelty songs, delivered in a smooth, calm, good-humored easy listening style and "family-oriented" manner. Although described by one critic as "the squarest music this side of Euclid,", this strategy proved commercially successful and the show remained on the air for 31 years.

Much of the show's appeal was Welk himself. His unusual accent appealed to the audience. While Welk's English was passable, he never did grasp the English "idiom" completely and was thus famous for his "Welk-isms," such as "George, I want to see you when you have a minute, right now" and "Now for my accordion solo; Myron, will you join me?" His TV show was recorded as if it were a live performance, and it was sometimes quite free-wheeling. Another famous "Welk-ism" was his trademark count-off, "A one and a two . . . ," which was immortalized on his California automobile license plate that read "A1ANA2." This plate is visible on the front of a Model A Ford in one of the shows from 1980.

Musical satirist Stan Freberg and his frequent collaborator, arranger Billy May, recorded a scathing 1957 parody of the Welk TV show titled "Wunnerful! Wunnerful!" featuring Freberg, voice actor Daws Butler and members of Jud Conlon's Rhythmairs, mocking the show's corny nature, the band's more predictable arrangements and Welk's own mediocre accordion work. Studio musicians on the session included top Hollywood jazz players, many of whom scorned Welk's music and eagerly participated in the parody. After several "performances" and frequent asides from Freberg of "turn off the bubble machine," the machine spun out of control, sending the Santa Monica Ballroom floating out to sea. Welk was not pleased with Freberg's parody (a hit single that year) and denied he ever used the phrase "Wunnerful! Wunnerful!" though it later became the title of his autobiography.

He often took women from the audience for a turn around the dance floor. During one show, Welk brought a cameraman out to dance with one of the women and took over the camera himself.

Welk's musicians were always top quality, including accordionist Myron Floren, concert violinist Dick Kesner, guitarist Buddy Merrill, and New Orleans Dixieland clarinetist Pete Fountain. Though Welk was occasionally rumored to be very tight with a dollar, he paid his regular band members top scale - a very good living for a working musician. Long tenure was very common among the regulars. For example, Floren was the band's assistant conductor throughout the show's run. He was noted for spotlighting individual members of his band and show. His band was well disciplined and had excellent arrangements in all styles. One notable showcase was his album with the noted jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges.

Welk had a number of instrumental hits, including a cover of the song "Yellow Bird." His highest charting record was "Calcutta", which achieved hit status in 1961. Welk himself was indifferent to the tune, but his musical director, George Cates, said that if Welk did not wish to record the song, he (Cates) would. Welk replied, "Well, if it's good enough for you, George, I guess it's good enough for me." Despite the emergence of rock and roll, "Calcutta" reached number 1 on the U.S. pop charts in 1961; it was recorded in only one take. The tune knocked the Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" out of the #1 position, and it kept the Miracles' "Shop Around" from becoming the group's first #1 hit, holding their recording at #2. It sold more than one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The album "Calcutta" also achieved number-one status. The albums "Last Date," "Yellow Bird," "Moon River," "Young World" and "Baby Elephant Walk and Theme from the Brothers Grimm," produced in the early 60s, were in Billboard's top ten; nine more albums produced between 1956 and 1963 were in the top twenty. His albums continued to chart through 1973.

Welk's insistence on wholesome entertainment led him to be a somewhat stern taskmaster at times. For example, he fired Alice Lon, at the time the show's "Champagne Lady," because he believed she was showing too much leg. Welk told the audience that he would not tolerate such "cheesecake" performances on his show; he later tried unsuccessfully to rehire the singer after fan mail indicated overwhelmingly that viewers disagreed with her dismissal. He then had a series of short-term "Champagne Ladies" before Norma Zimmer filled that spot on a permanent basis. Highly involved with his stars' personal lives, he often arbitrated their marriage disputes.

''The Lawrence Welk Show'' embraced changes on the musical scene over the years. For as long as it existed, the show featured fresh music alongside the classics, even music originally not intended for the big-band sound. During the 1960s and 1970s, for instance, the show incorporated material by the contemporary sources The Beatles, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, The Everly Brothers and Paul Williams and so on, albeit in Welk's signature "Champagne" style. Originally produced in black and white, in 1957 the show began being recorded on videotape, and it switched to color for the fall 1965 season. In time, it featured synthesized music and, toward the end of its run, early chroma key technology added a new dimension to the story settings sometimes used for the musical numbers. Welk referred to his blue-screen effect in one episode as "the magic of television."

During its network run, ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' aired on ABC on Saturday nights at 9 p.m. (Eastern Time), moving up a half-hour to 8:30 p.m. in the fall of 1963. In fact, Welk headlined two weekly prime-time shows on ABC for three years. From 1956 to 1958, he hosted a show titled ''Top Tunes and New Talent'', which aired on Monday nights. The series moved to Wednesdays in Fall 1958 and was renamed ''The Plymouth Show'', which ended in May 1959. During that time, the Saturday show was also known as ''The Dodge Dancing Party''. ABC cancelled the show in the spring of 1971, citing an aging audience. Welk thanked ABC and the sponsors at the end of the last network show. ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' continued on as a first-run syndicated show on 250 stations across the country until the final original show was produced in 1982.

Personal life

Welk was married for 61 years, until his death, to Fern Renner, with whom he had three children. One of his sons, Lawrence Welk Jr., married fellow ''Lawrence Welk Show'' performer Tanya Falan; they later divorced. Welk had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of them, grandson Lawrence Welk III, who usually goes by "Larry Welk," is a reporter and helicopter traffic pilot for KCAL-TV and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. One of the great-grandchildren, Nate Fredricks, reportedly enjoys the same love for music as his great-grandfather did and plays guitar in a band.

Known as an excellent businessman, Welk had investments in real estate and music publishing. Welk was the general partner in a commercial real estate development located at 100 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, California. The 21-story tall white tower is the tallest building in Santa Monica and is located on the bluffs overlooking Santa Monica Bay. It was informally named "The Lawrence Welk Champagne Tower."

Welk enjoyed playing golf, which he first took up in the late 1950s, and was often a regular at many celebrity pro-ams such as the Bob Hope Desert Classic.

A devout, life-long Roman Catholic, Welk was a daily communicant, which is corroborated in numerous biographies, by his autobiography and by his family and his many staff, friends and associates throughout the years The Universal Life Church claims that he was a minister of their church.

Later years

After retiring from his show and from the road in 1982, Welk continued to air reruns of his shows, which were repackaged first for syndication and, starting in 1986, for public television. He also starred in and produced a pair of Christmas specials in 1984 and 1985.

Welk died from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California in 1992 at age 89 and was buried in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery.

Singles

Moritat A Theme From Three Penny Opera { US # 17 - March 1956 }

The Poor People Of Paris { US # 17 - April 1956 }

On The Street Where You Live { US # 96 - June 1956 }

Weary Blues { US # 32 - August 1956 }

In The Alps { US # 63 - August 1956 }

Tonight You Belong To Me { US # 15 - November 1956 } (Featuring Lennon Sisters)

When The White Lilacs Bloom Again { US # 70 - November 1956 }

Liechtenstein Polka { US # 48 - December 1957 }

Last Date { US # 21 - December 1960 }

Calcutta { US # 1 - February 1961 }

Theme From My Three Sons { US # 55 - April 1961 }

Yellow Bird { US # 71 - July 1961 }

Riders In The Sky { US # 87 - October 1961 }

One A-Two A-Cha Cha Cha { US # 117 - December 1961 }

Runaway { US # 56 - May 1962 }

Baby Elephant Walk { US # 48 - September 1962 - AC # 10, 1962 }

Zero-Zero { US # 98 - December 1962 }

Scarlet O'Hara { US # 89 - June 1963 }

Breakwater { US # 100 - June 1963 }

Blue Velvet { US # 103 - October 1963 }

Fiesta { US # 106 - October 1963 }

Stockholm { US # 91 - March 1964 }

Apples And Bananas { US # 75 - April 1965 - AC # 17, 1965 }

The Beat Goes On { US # 104 - April 1967 }

Green Tambourine { AC # 27 - March 1968 }

Southtown U.S.A. { AC # 37 - February 1970 }

Sources: Billboard Top Pop Singles 1955-2006 Billboard Top Adult Songs 1961-2006 Billboard Bubbling Under The Hot 100 1959-2004

Honors

In 1961, he was inducted as a charter member of the Rough Rider Award from his native North Dakota.

He served as the Grand Marshal for the Rose Bowl's Tournament of Roses parade in 1972.

In 1994, he was inducted into the International Polka Music Hall Of Fame.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6613½ Hollywood Blvd.

In 2007, he became a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in Richmond, Indiana.

Legacy

Welk's band continues to appear in a dedicated theater in Branson, Missouri. In addition, the television show has been repackaged for broadcast on PBS stations, with updates from show performers appearing as wraparounds where commercial breaks were during the original shows. The repackaged shows are broadcast at roughly the same Saturday-night time slot as the original ABC shows, and special longer Welk show rebroadcasts are often shown during individual stations' fund-raising periods. These repackaged shows are produced by the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.

A resort community developed by Welk and promoted heavily by him on the show is named for him. Formerly known as "Lawrence Welk Village," the Welk Resort and Champagne Village are just off Interstate 15 north of Escondido, California, about 38 miles north of downtown San Diego. Lawrence Welk Village was where Welk actually lived in a rather affluent "cottage." The resort is open to the public and contains two golf courses, dozens of upscale timeshares, and a theater that contains a museum of Welk's life. The Welk Resort Theatre performs live Broadway musicals year round.

His organization, The Welk Group, consists of: his resort communities in Branson and Escondido; Welk Syndication, which broadcasts the show on public television; and the Welk Music Group, which operates record labels Sugar Hill, Vanguard and Ranwood. From the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, the Welk Group was known as "Teleklew," in which ''tele'' stood for television and ''klew'' was Welk spelled backwards.

The "Live Lawrence Welk Show" makes annual concert tours across the United States and Canada, featuring stars from the television series, including Ralna English, Mary Lou Metzger, Jack Imel, Gail Farrell, Anacani and Big Tiny Little.

Welk's variety show has been parodied in a recurring 2000s sketch on ''Saturday Night Live'', in which he is portrayed by Fred Armisen.

See also

The Lennon Sisters - mainstay singers for Welk from 1955 to 1968

Aragon Ballroom (Ocean Park)

Books

All books written with Bernice McGeehan and published by Prentice Hall (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), except where indicated:

''Wunnerful, Wunnerful: The Autobiography of Lawrence Welk'', 1971, ISBN 0-13-971515-0

''Ah-One, Ah-Two! Life with My Musical Family'', 1974, ISBN 0-13-020990-2

''My America, Your America'', 1976, ISBN 0-13-608414-1

''Lawrence Welk's Musical Family Album'', 1977, ISBN 0-13-526624-6

Welk with McGeehan, illustrated by Carol Bryan, ''Lawrence Welk's Bunny Rabbit Concert'', Indianapolis: Youth Publications/Saturday Evening Post Co., 1977, ISBN 0-89387-501-5 (children's book)

''This I Believe'', 1979, ISBN 0-13-919092-9

''You're Never Too Young'', 1981, ISBN 0-13-977181-6

References

External links

Lawrence Welk's recordings in the 1920s and 1930s, along with other info

"Spiked Beer," from the aforementioned website

Lawrence Welk's Best Kept Secret

Welk Musical Family website

WelkNotes fansite

"Old Fans Still Bubble Along to Lawrence Welk" article (''The New York Times'')

Welk Musical Family blog

Lawrence Welk Collection at North Dakota State University

Category:1903 births Category:1992 deaths Category:American accordionists Category:American bandleaders Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Mercury Records artists Category:Musicians from North Dakota Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Emmons County, North Dakota Category:Polka musicians Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:Gennett recording artists Category:Dot Records artists Category:Coral Records artists Category:Vocalion Records artists Category:Infectious disease deaths in California

da:Lawrence Welk de:Lawrence Welk it:Lawrence Welk nl:Lawrence Welk

Jeremy Scott is an American fashion designer born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York for fashion design. Scott started his runway career in Paris and has since shown collections in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, London, Moscow, and Seoul.

Scott is known for his high octane and outrageous designs favored by pop stars and celebrities. His designs have been worn by celebrities over the world including Jedward, Madonna, Rihanna, Kanye West, Björk, Beyoncé, Uffie, M.I.A., Santogold, Robyn, Katy Perry, Tori Amos, Beth Ditto, Fergie, Perez Hilton, Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj, Kylie Minogue, Victoria Beckham, Sir Jason Twist, Lil Wayne, Lil'Kim, Kelis, Ciara, Lindsay Lohan, Cory Kennedy, BoA,Wonder Girls, Lee Hyori, SHINee, Big Bang, 2NE1, Matsushita Yuya, Gwen Stefani, Agyness Deyn, Lady Gaga, Yelle and Hayley Williams.

Scott dressed Britney Spears as a futuristic airline stewardess for her Toxic video. He is also the first designer to dress the muppet diva Miss Piggy herself and she has claimed he is her favorite designer. Agyness Deyn, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rye Rye have each named Jeremy Scott as their favorite designer. His designs incorporate unconventional looks, including one-legged pants, fast food as inspiration for dresses, and icons such as Mickey Mouse. He has been referred to as the Jeff Koons of fashion because of his use of iconic Pop cultural references. ''The Fader'' described his first installment for Adidas as a "glittery-gold selection of irresistibly cut (wearable) harem pants, sequins, sporty fringed tanks and coveted winged hightops" while his next installment abandoned his black-gold-and-silver, Studio 54 color palette for a hue explosion and elongation of the tribal streetwear trend pioneered by M.I.A. and Cassette Playa.

Karl Lagerfeld said in the newspaper Le Monde that Scott was the only designer who could ever take over after him when he leaves Chanel. Jeremy Scott is known for his iconic and humorous prints, channelling the essence of new rave which are splayed all over his clothes and the carry all bags that he designs each season for French luxury company Longchamp. Jeremy was named number 31 in the ''Face''’s ‘Most Important People in Fashion’ issue. Jeremy Scott appeared on the cover of fashion English magazine ''I-D'' in July 2007, he is the first designer ever to be featured on the cover wearing his own clothes and shot as a self portrait, (with actress, model and muse Devon Aoki whom he discovered). He also has appeared in the Larry Clark film Wasssup Rockers as parody of a fashion photographer to great reviews of his acting ability. Jeremy designed the Manhattan night club Happy Valley which is now closed. His photography has appeared on the covers of international fashion magazines such as ''I-D'', ''Dazed & Confused'', ''Paper magazine'', and ''Les Inrockuptibles''. Jeremy Scott has a second collection he designs with sportswear giant Adidas. The line called Jeremy Scott for Adidas originals by originals features apparel and footwear, one such piece as his high top with a wing extending from it have become an instant best seller and a cultural Icon for Adidas. Jeremy has worked closely with the foundation for the late artist Keith Haring for which Jeremy did a shoe and track suit using Haring's graphic art work with Adidas for a special project called AdiColor.

Jeremy Scott has been interviewed by news sources such as Full Frontal Fashion, The Huffington Post, i-D Magazine, Dazed & Confused, NYLON, Purple Magazine, 10 Magazine, Numero, and Self Service. Scott's designs have been featured editorially by publications such as i-D Magazine, Dazed & Confused, NYLON, ELLE, Vogue, Pop Magazine, and Purple Magazine. Scott assisted in curating Prim Magazine's N°10 edition alongside Vena Cava, La Roux, Kristin Prim, and menswear designer Todd Lynn. Jeremy Scott lives and resides in Los Angeles California.

On July 13, 2010, Jeremy appeared on The Young and the Restless as himself. He is also known to be close friends to CL, leader of Korean girl group 2NE1. He has given her and the other girls some dresses as gifts. He has appeared in 2NE1 TV Season 2 and 3 (a reality show of 2NE1's life while releasing their newest album) along with Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. As well as appearing with 2NE1, in November, in the 2010 O'live OnStyle Sytle Icon Awards in which Scott appeared to give the award to 2NE1, as most Fashionable Female Group.

References

External links

Official site

Category:Living people Category:American fashion designers

fr:Jeremy Scott (mode) pl:Jeremy Scott

name	Demeulemeester, Ann
birth date	December 29, 1959
birth place	Waregem, Belgium }}

Ann Demeulemeester (born 1959, Waregem, Belgium) is a fashion designer whose eponymous label 'Ann Demeulemeester' is mainly showcased at the annual Paris Fashion Week.

Early life

Ann Demeulemeester was born in Waregem, a city in the Flemish province of Belgium in 1959, and later lived in the city of Bruges. Her father, a chicory professor, and her mother both currently live in Waregem. Initially, Demeulemeester showed no interest in fashion. She attended art school for three years, where she discovered her fascination with people and portraiture, which led her to begin thinking about clothing attire. From this, Ann went on to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from 1978 to 1981. In 1986, Demeulemeester, along with her fellow students from the Antwerp Royal Academy, went to London to showcase their collections. As a result, she is often referred to as a member of the 'Antwerp Six', the radical and distinctive Belgian designers of the 1980s. This group of avant-garde designers are known for their decontructivist styles of creating untraditional clothing lines. Other notables from the group include Dries van Noten and Walter Van Beirendonck.

Fashion career

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1981, Demeulemeester found success almost immediately. A year after her graduation, she won the Gouden Spoel, an annually awarded prize to the year's most promising fashion designer. Ann began working as a freelance designer for a few years, and then proceeded to release her own line in 1985 with husband Patrick Robyn. Her first collection was shown in a Parisian art gallery with a makeshift runway and somber models in 1992. In 1996, she debuted her own menswear line.

With a close attention to detail and use of cutting-edge techniques and materials, Ann Demeulemeester consistently produces pieces that are distinctive and instantly recognizable. She began by drawing influence from gothic, punk, and Japanese styles while still remaining true to her own ideas. Her pieces, which at times have been described as "funereal", have subtle hints of emotion and emphasis on sexuality. In 1994, her silhouette became more elongated and streamlined. Though Demeulemeester works with a very specific aesthetic, she continuously strives to push conventions and produce fresh looks for each season.

"I could do it the easy way, give the same pieces, but if I don't try new things then I'm not pushing myself, and I feel bad. I feel lazy."

Despite being approached by major fashion houses (names of which she refuses to divulge), Ann Demeulemeester emphasizes both design and financial independence, and chooses to remain with her own line. She opened her own shop in Antwerp in 1999. Her collections are now sold in over 30 countries worldwide.

Ann Demeulemeester worked with the artist Jim Dine, and draws much of her inspiration from the androgynous singer, Patti Smith . Currently, she is working on a clothing line inspired by Jackson Pollock.

Personal life

Demeulemeester is married to photographer Patrick Robyn and has a son, Viktor. The couple live in Antwerp, in the only house in Belgium designed by Le Corbusier.

Awards

1982 Golden Spindle Award, Belgium

See also

Antwerp Six

List of fashion designers

References

External links

Designer auf Designerhistory.com

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Belgian fashion designers Category:High fashion brands Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp)

de:Ann Demeulemeester el:Ανν Ντεμεουλμέστερ es:Ann Demeulemeester fr:Ann Demeulemeester it:Ann Demeulemeester nl:Ann Demeulemeester ja:アン・ドゥムルメステール fi:Ann Demeulemeester vls:Ann Demeulemeester