As I was thinking about the anniversary remembrance of Elvis, I suddenly thought about another musician, one named Edward, and began a short but poignant comparison of these two musicians. Both men were very famous during their lives. Both men were on U.S. postage stamps. Both men died when they were in their forties.

In case you are wondering who Edward is... Edward MacDowell was a famous American composer. He composed two concertos, a symphony, "Indian Suite," and hundreds of piano works. Edward was the Chair of the music department at Columbia University in New York. He was described by the college president, Seth Low, as "the greatest musical genius America has produced." He began his duties in 1896 at Columbia where he taught all music courses for the first two years. Course 111 included general theory, dictation, harmony, modulation, imitation, analysis, and the commencement of composition in the smaller forms. Edward was the conductor of the Mendelssohn Glee Club in addition to his teaching and composing schedule.

EVERYONE knows who Elvis Presley is. He was a super star! Elvis loved music and played the piano too. The picture of the white and gold piano is a replica of Elvis's piano. The piano shown is really a large collectible cookie jar that is numbered. You may notice that on the piano music rack there appears the name of Elvis's favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art" with his signature in gold.

The piano pictured was found in Joplin, Missouri at an antique shop last summer. My collection of 150 pianos is now complete with this unusual find for sure! Pianos come in all shapes and colors. I was excited to find the Elvis piano. I listened to all his songs in high school and still like to hear them.

Edward MacDowell gave an insight into his thoughts on music in a lecture at Columbia University. He stated, "To hear and to enjoy music seems sufficient to many persons, and an investigation as to the causes of this enjoyment seems to them superfluous. And yet, unless the public comes into closer touch with the tone poet than that objective state which accepts with the ears what is intended for the spirit, which hears the sounds and is deaf to their import, unless the public can separate the physical pleasure of music from its ideal significance, our art, in my opinion, cannot stand on a sound basis." MacDowell added this quote from Pere Amiot, "Music must fill the ears to penetrate the soul."

The music of Elvis penetrated our souls and I hope Edward's music may penetrate our souls again. It is amazing that so many thousands of fans still visit Graceland Mansion in Memphis every year. His mansion is on a 13 acre estate at 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. I personally wish that Elvis's home could be used for composers to stay in and create music. The MacDowell Colony, the home of Edward MacDowell, is used for that purpose. His estate was on 400 acres in New Hampshire. Hundreds of composers, artists and writers have stayed there and created art and music. The MacDowell Colony is a living legacy of Edward.

Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He purchased his first guitar at the age of thirteen for 13 dollars and taught himself to play. His first million selling record was "Heartbreak Hotel" and his first movie was Love Me Tender. Elvis died on August 16, 1977 at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Elvis died 25 years ago. Edward died 94 years ago on January 23, 1908 in New York.

The postage stamps of these men are no longer for sale at the post office, however, their music IS still available for your listening pleasure.

Elvis is loved all over the world! This stamp is from Egypt.

The music sample for this month is an arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" from Creative Keyboard's Complete Church Pianist.