And Now, For Something Completely Different: "The Typewriter" in Concert

"The Typewriter Leroy Anderson Martin Breinschmid with Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna"

martinbrei123, YouTube (September 10, 2009)
video, 2:11

"Viennese Percussionist Martin Breinschmid with his version of the "Typewriter" Live at the BASF concert hall Ludwigshafen,Germany 2008,Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna"

For the benefit of folks who never saw an IBM Selectric, let alone a Royal Model O, the machine that looks like a desktop printer with a keyboard is a "manual typewriter." Quite a few folks, including the Lemming, learned keyboard skills on something like that.

The Lemming remembers when typewriters sounded like that - minus the orchestra, of course. Ah, the 'good old days' of correction fluid, jammed keys, and - - - there's a reason why manual typewriters are mostly in museums, antique collections, and the occasional orchestral performance.

A Half-Century of ClickatikatikatikatikaDing!

"The Typewriter"
PBS - The Music of Leroy Anderson

"As with all his other compositions, Leroy Anderson wrote The Typewriter for orchestra, completing the work on October 9, 1950. The Typewriter received its first performance when Leroy Anderson conducted his short piece (only one minute and forty-five seconds) for a Decca Records recording session on September 8, 1953. Mills Music published the orchestral version in 1953. Soon after a band arrangement by Fred Werle was also published.

"The Typewriter is used as a theme for numerous radio programs and some television shows. The 1963 film 'Who's Minding the Store?' features Jerry Lewis pantomiming playing the typewriter part in mid-air. Candid Camera, a television show from the 60's, ran a humorous feature of novice typists in a typing class to the music of 'The Typewriter'...."

The Lemming likes "The Typewriter" partly because it's part of childhood memories: mostly as something playing on the radio. That was back when AM music was state-of-the-art, and that's another topic.

Odds are pretty good that you're younger than the Lemming: but maybe you'll enjoy the peppy little melody, too.

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