Lydia the Tattooed Lady Lydia the Tattooed Lady "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" is a 1939 song written by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen. It first appeared in the Marx Brothers movie "At the Circus" (1939) and became one of Groucho Marx's signature tunes. The complex lyrics by Harburg – with clever rhymes such as "Lydia/encyclopedia" and "Amazon/pajamas on" – were inspired by W. S. Gilbert. Harburg made many contemporary references to topical personalities such as Grover Whalen, who opened the 1939 New York World's Fair. Among the items, persons, and scenes tattooed on Lydia's body are the Battle of Waterloo (on her back), "The
Variations on a Nursery Tune (Dohnányi) The "Variations on a Nursery Tune" consists of an Introduction and Theme, 11 Variations and a Coda. The Introduction is Wagnerian in its writing, with faux pathos, brasses blaring and strings thick and dense. The outline of the theme appears indistinctly but unmistakably in the horns, a hint of what is to come. After a long drawn-out conclusion which grows ever quieter while continually building the tension, we have a belch from the orchestra and a short pause, followed by a quiet restatement of the theme on the piano accompanied by pizzicato strings. What follows is a witty, artful set