NEW YORK -- The tributes were predictably extravagant at the 80th-birthday party for Broadway composer Charles Strouse one recent evening at the posh 21 Club. "Melodies that touch the heart and lodge in the head," was how his longtime collaborator, "Bye Bye Birdie" lyricist Lee Adams, described the music Strouse has written for 30 shows over 50 years. You might expect to see the recipient of such plaudits walking on air or water; instead, Strouse faced his friend of many years and muttered, "I didn't know you liked me." He wasn't quite serious - but when President Bush's birthday proclamation was read by one of his four children, Strouse assumed it was a family prank. It wasn't. An explanation is warranted. "There's something in my nature - it's complicated. I'm not humble," says Strouse, "but I'm modest." He's still thrilled...
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