Tom Lehrer
Overview
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, satirist
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, mathematician
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 and polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...

. He has lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...

d on mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 and musical theater. Lehrer is best known for the pithy, humorous songs that he recorded in the 1950s and 1960s.

His work often parodies popular song forms, such as in "The Elements
The Elements (song)
"The Elements" is a song by musical humorist Tom Lehrer, which recites the names of all the chemical elements known at the time of writing, up to number 102, nobelium. It can be found on his albums Tom Lehrer in Concert, More Songs by Tom Lehrer and An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer...

", where he sets the names of the chemical element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...

s to the tune of the "Major-General's Song
Major-General's Song
I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General is a patter song from Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. It is perhaps the most famous song in Gilbert and Sullivan's operas. It is sung by Major-General Stanley at his first entrance, towards the end of Act I...

" from Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...

's Pirates of Penzance. Lehrer's earlier work typically dealt with non-topical subject matter and was noted for its black humor, seen in songs such as "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park".
Quotations

Andrew Wiles gently smiles,Does his thing, and voila!Q.E.D., we agree,And we all shout hurrah!As he confirms what FermatJotted down in that margin,Which could've used some enlargin'.

That's Mathematics (verse added in 1993 to celebrate the achievement of Andrew WilesAnnouncement and aftermath|Andrew Wiles)

I would like to state at this time that I am not now and have never been... a member of the Boy Scouts of America. Their motto is, as you know, "Be Prepared!" and that is the name of this song.

Introduction to "Be Prepared"

Don't solicit for your sister, that's not nice,Unless you get a good percentage of her price.

"Be Prepared"

If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind,And you come across a Girl Scout who is similarly inclined,Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared. Be prepared!

"Be Prepared"

I always like to make explicit the fact that before I went off not too long ago to fight in the trenches, I was a mathematician by profession. I don't like people to get the idea that I have to do this for a living. I mean, it isn't as though I had to do this, you know, I could be making, oh, 3000 dollars a year just teaching.

Intro to "Lobachevsky"

I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky.In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize! Plagiarize,Let no one else's work evade your eyes,Remember why the good Lord made your eyes,So don't shade your eyes,But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize...Only be sure always to call it please "research".

"Lobachevsky"

In all probabilityI'll lose my virilityAnd you your fertilityAnd desirability,And this liabilityOf total sterilityWill lead to hostilityAnd a sense of futility,So let's act with agilityWhile we still have facility,For we'll soon reach senilityAnd lose the ability.

When You Are Old And Grey

 
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