March 4 is the birthday of Italian composer ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741).

"Music is the expression of harmony in sound. Love is the expression of harmony in life."

Vivaldi “was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music.Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers. He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music. He consolidated the emerging concerto form, especially the solo concerto, into a widely accepted and followed idiom." (Wikipedia)

March 4 is the birthday of Japanese painter KANŌ TAN'YŪ (1602-1674).

"Prolific in a variety of painting styles, Tan'yū's most famous works are probably those he produced for these large-scale commissions. They are screens and panels, prime examples of the Momoyama style, depicting natural subjects such as tigers, birds and plants, in bright colors and with extensive use of gold leaf. The gold, often used to represent clouds, water, or other background elements, would reflect what little light was available indoors, brightening a castle's dark rooms." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of Tan’yū’s art, CLICK HERE.

March 4 is the birthday of Ukrainian Greek priest and composer of the Ukrainian national athem MYKHAILO VERBYTYSKY (1815-1870).

March 4 is the birthday of American cartoonist and animator MILT GROSS (1895-1953).

"His work is noted for its exaggerated cartoon style and Yiddish-inflected English dialogue. He originated the non-sequitur 'Banana Oil!' as a phrase deflating pomposity and posing. His character Count Screwloose's admonition, 'Iggy, keep an eye on me!,' became a national catchphrase. ... Gross made occasional animated films through the silent film era, including The Ups & Downs of Mr. Phool Phan (his first), Useless Hints by Fuller Prunes, Izzy Able the Detective and How My Vacation Spent Me. Most of these were for Bray Productions, the studio of John R. Bray. Others were for Universal. In 1939, he returned to animation with two MGM cartoons, Jitterbug Follies and Wanted: No Master, featuring Count Screwloose (voiced by Mel Blanc) and J.R. The Wonderdog. According to Bill Littlejohn, they were both extremely funny works. But Fred Quimby thought them to be too vulgar and had Gross fired." (Wikipedia)

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On March 4, 1924, the "Happy Birthday Song" was first published. The tune was actually written and published in 1893 by two Kentucky schoolteachers, Patty and Mildred Hill, as "Good Morning to All." It became so popular, students started singing it at birthday parties, changing the lyrics to those we know today. Robert Coleman was the first to publsih the song with those lyrics.