If they were still alive....

...today would be the birthday of the following notable folks:






Iconic American fallen bible-thumper Tammy Faye Bakker would have turned 69 today.









Brilliant French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel would be 136.  While it is a stirring and inventive work, it is unfortunate that Bolero, his 13 1/2 minute orchestral work is the only Ravel work for which the majority of the world knows him.  He belittled Bolero (originally titled Fandango), calling it "a piece for orchestra without music".  His other works have deservedly gained in popularity and renown since his death in 1937.  His final completed work, a song cycle called Don Quichotte à Dulcinée is, for this listener, one of his greatest:





Immensely influential Dutch modernist painter Piet Mondrian would be 138.  His paintings continue to grow in popularity (and price!  One of his paintings (Victory Boogie Woogie , 1944) sold a few years ago for $40 million.














The greatest Italian film star of the 1950's, Anna Magnani would be 103.  This was not a "Hollywood glamour girl".  She was famous for her earthy, realistic and raw portrayals of everyday women in extraordinary circumstances.  Perhaps Italy's most popular actress of all time, she continues to be lionized there, as well as in the U.S. and the rest of the world.  She was given the Best Actress Oscar in 1955 for her startling performance in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo.