March 18 is the birthday of French symbolist poet STÉPHANE MALLARMÉ (1842-1898). His poem "Prélude to the Afternoon of a Faun" inspired one of Debussy's most beautiful compositions.

"Dreams have as much influence as actions."

"The flesh, alas, is sad, and I have read all the books."

Mallarmé's "earlier work owes a great deal to the style of Charles Baudelaire who was recognised as the forerunner of literary Symbolism. Mallarmé's later fin de siècle style, on the other hand, anticipates many of the fusions between poetry and the other arts that were to blossom in the next century. Most of this later work explored the relationship between content and form, between the text and the arrangement of words and spaces on the page." (Wikipedia)

March 18 is the birthday of Russian composer NICOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908).

Rimsky-Korsakov "was a Russian composer, a member of the group of composers known as The Five. He was a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his fifteen operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy-tale and folk subjects." (Wikipedia)

March 17 is the birthday of Broadway composer and Kansas City native JOHN KANDER (b. 1927).

Kander " is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including Cabaret (1966) and Chicago (1975), both of which were later adapted into acclaimed films. He and Ebb also wrote the standard 'New York, New York' (also known as 'Theme from New York, New York'). The team also received numerous nominations, which include five additional Tony Awards, two Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards." (Wikipedia)

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On March 18, 1314, Jacques de Molay, the 23d and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake.

"Continuing to protest his innocence even while on the smoldering pyre, Molay is said to have shouted out a curse on both the king and pope. He reputedly swore that neither men nor their descendants would live beyond one year and one day from this injustice. And, it is true that both Pope Clement V and King Philip IV died within a year of the execution, though it would take another 14 years to wipe out the lineage of the king." (Atlas Obscura)