Tom Lehrer- Alma

You need to read this( which is the introduction to the song) to really get what its about:
Last December 13th, there appeared in the newspapers the juiciest, spiciest, raciest obituary that has ever been my pleasure to read. It was that of a lady name Alma Mahler Gropius Werfel who had, in her lifetime, managed to acquire as lovers practically all of the top creative men in central Europe, and, among these lovers, who were listed in the obituary, by the way, which was what made it so interesting, there were three whom she went so far as to marry.

One of the leading composers of the day: Gustav Mahler, composer of Das Lied von der Erde and other light classics. One of the leading architects: Walter Gropius of the Bauhaus school of design. And one of the leading writers: Franz Werfel, author of the song of Bernadette and other masterpieces. It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age he had been dead for two years. It seemed to me, I'm reading this obituary, that the story of Alma was the stuff of which ballads should be made so here is one.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• tom
• lehrer
• alma

[vonOhzu]

And today we have "dick in a box".

[xunvala]

"Gustav Mahler, composer of Das Lied von der Erde and other light classics." Light classics??

[cestmarrant]

Thank you so much for posting this song and video. I grew up listening to Tom Lehrer. I wish I knew of someone with his talent and wit performing today. I love the lyrics on the blackboard!

[D60433]

Alma Mahler's  Obit can be found on Wiki

[MultiRichas]

Alma is a Muslim name haha

[weejockrock]

I can't be the only person who paused to investigate that mystery box.

[TheRobbieAB]

@meburgess100 According to WikiPedia she died on 11 December 1964, aged 85, in the US.

[meburgess100]

@entropyftw I tried to access a newpaper database to see if it was accessible. The song by Lehrer is copyrighted 1965-66 so I'm assuming she died in '64 or around there. Someone with access to the NYTimes archives might be able to pull it up. I, too, would love to see it. My parents, both musicians, played Lehrer's records for us as kids. When I'm senile in a home and can't remember my husband or kids, I'll probably still remember all the Lehrer son gs. (Tom probably has a copy in a file)

[meburgess100]

Tried to hunt up the actual obit. The song is copyrighted from 1965-1966 so I'm assuming she died between 1963 and 1966. I can't get into the NYTimes archives with my small town library card but perhaps someone in a more dense population might have access. I doubt Lehrer read it in a Vienna newspaper so I'm assuming it was published here in the US. Keep looking for Alma's obit.  It has to be out there somewhere. (I'll bet Lehrer still has a copy in a file cabinet somewhere...)

[35Chappell]

@TheRachaelLefler Not " 3 relationships". Three marriages. Though I suppose, by today's standards, it's prudish to say that marriage should mean anything.

[entropyftw]

Anyone have a link to that obituary?