Composer
Tom Lehrer
American musician (1928–2025)
1928–2025
9 works in the index
- Born
- 1928
- Died
- 2025
- Birthplace
- New York City
- Place of death
- Cambridge
- Citizenship / historical state
- United States
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Contemporary
Biography
Thomas Andrew Lehrer ( ; April 9, 1928 – July 26, 2025) was an American musician and mathematician. He recorded pithy, humorous, and often political songs that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. His songs parodied popular musical forms, often with original melodies.
Lehrer's early performances dealt with non-topical subjects and dark humor in songs such as "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park". In the 1960s, he produced songs about timely social and political issues, particularly for the U.S. version of the television show That Was the Week That Was. Lehrer quoted a friend's explanation: "Always predict the worst and you'll be hailed as a prophet." In the early 1970s, Lehrer largely retired from public performance to devote his time to teaching mathematics and musical theater history at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- mathematician; singer; university teacher; lyricist; songwriter; satirist; theoretical physicist; musician; composer; pianist
- Education
- Harvard University; Harvard College; Loomis Chaffee School; Horace Mann School; Columbia University
- Career institutions / employers
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Wellesley College; University of California, Santa Cruz; Harvard University; Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Recorded memberships
- Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Genres
- satire; stand-up comedy
- Notable works
- National Brotherhood Week
- Languages used
- English
- VIAF ID
- 32937981
- ISNI
- 0000000109635908
- GND ID
- 124729088
- Library of Congress ID
- n81071191
- MusicBrainz ID
- 359363a8-1dc7-40c9-9337-f5aa507000b6
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Piano, Vocal, Voice
- Works with composition dates
- 0 of 9
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Works
Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.
| Work | Year composed | Catalogue / opus | Key in title | Listed instruments | Genre | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 1 |
| The Old Dope Peddler | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 1 |
| Alma | — | — | — | Piano, Voice, Vocal | — | 4 |
| Send the Marines | — | — | — | Piano, Voice, Vocal | — | 4 |
| The Folk Song Army | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 1 |
| Be Prepared | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| The Irish Ballad | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Pollution | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| The Wild West Is Where I Want to Be | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. Authority record: VIAF 32937981. Portrait: Paul Winik of Boston, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.