Or when he is disposed

Violinist Itzhak Perlman was born on this day in 1945.

"When a man is not disposed to hear musick, there is not a more disagreeable Sound in Harmony than that of a violin." -- Richard Steele.

Still the kings

Paul McCartney born on this day in 1942.

"The Beatles are not merely awful...They are so unbelievably horrible, so appallingly unmusical, so dogmatically insensitive to the magic of the art, that they qualify as crowned heads of anti-music." -- William F. Buckley.

"Well, you know, a lot of Americans are unbalanced." -- Paul McCartney.

He should have had a sitcom

German composer Richard Wagner was born today in 1813.

"Wagner had some wonderful moments but awful half hours." -- Rossini.

Striking him right in his well-tempered clavicle

This is the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach, born in 1685.

"Classical music is the kind we keep hoping will turn into a tune." -- Kin Hubbard.

Giving Edison the needle

Thomas A. Edison was granted a patent on the phonograph on this day in 1878.

"Dear Mr. Edison: I am astonished and terrified at the results of this evening's experiment. Astonished at the wonderful form you have developed and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music will be put on records forever." -- Sir Arthur Sullivan.

Billy Ray Cyrus, are you listening?

The first broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry was today in 1925.

"Music is essentially useless, as life is." -- George Santayana.