70th Birthday

Just before Paul Fromm’s 70th birthday, Gunther Schuller sent out a reminder to a wide circle of friends about the patron’s special day. Perhaps he was thinking of the celebrations associated with the 70th birthday of another legendary 20th-century patron, Paul Sacher. The composers responded with enthusiasm; not only did they send letters and cards, but some – including Ernst Krenek, Theodore Antoniou, and Milton Babbitt – sent handwritten, newly composed birthday songs.