The Physical Revue, by Tom Lehrer
Notes and stories about the show and the performances
This show, performed in 1951 and 1952 in the Harvard physics department, created a remarkable nexus of people who would go on to great things. Tom Lehrer, of course, became a very successful satirical songwriter -- one of the two or three most widely known during the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Two of the other cast members were advisors to U.S. presidents, one became a photographer for Time and Life magazines, and three others became highly-regarded professors at Tulane, Case Western, and UC Davis. The recording of the show was made by a young professor, Norman Ramsey, who went on to win the Nobel Prize. Read about their remarkable lives below.
Richard
N. Schwab "History Major" (1952 performance) |
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James E. Hanson, "pianist j.g."
The Show (version from the
second performance):
These are the earliest recordings made of Tom Lehrer,
almost* the only recordings of Lehrer songs with contrapuntal words
(i.e. two people simultaneously singing different words to different
tunes), and the only recordings in which Lehrer sings together with
other singers. The microphone for these recordings was not close to
the performers, and the recording was made with a wire recorder. Therefore,
the audio fidelity is adequate, though not great. Still, it is wonderful
that there is a recording of this historic show!
*There is a short contrapuntal section at the
end of "Selling Out", available only on the 3-CD set "The
Remains of Tom Lehrer". (Lehrer sings all four parts!)
Note: Recordings are posted only for the seven songs marked *. (The others either appear on Lehrer's albums, or are set to copyrighted tunes.)
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Background image: covers from some of Tom Lehrer's albums