NOVEMBER 20 Today in classical music history

1518 Death of composer Pierre de la RUE in in Courtrai. b-c.1452-1460. Search Amazon.com for Pierre de la RUE

1752 Death of John Shore inventor of the tuning fork in 1711. Search Amazon.com for tuning fork

1758 Death of Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman in Kalmar. Search Amazon.com for Johan Helmich Roman

1776 Birth of Austrian violinist and conductor Ignaz SCHUPPANZIGH in Vienna. d-Vienna, 2 MAR 1830.

1805 FP of Beethoven's Fidelio with overture now known as Leonora No. 2, at the Theatre an der Wein in Vienna. CD-Beethoven: Fidelio

1827 Birth of American composer Edmond Dédé in New Orleans, LA. d-Paris, 1903.

1849 Birth of German baritone Eugen Hildach in Wittenberg. Teacher :- Elisabeth Dreyschock Pupil :- Otto Helgers

1866 In Europe, FP of Johannes Brahms' String Sextet in G, Op. 36, in Zürich, Swizterland. FP in Boston, at a concert by the Mendelssohn Quintet Club on 11 NOV 1866. CD-Brahms: The Sextets

1867 Birth of Russian tenor Ivan Ershov, in Rostow. Died 21 Nov 1943. Debut 1894. Teachers:- Alexandra Alexandrova-Kochetov, Stanislaus Gabel, C Rossi Palechek Pupils :- Sofia Preobrashenskaya Created Grisha in Invisible City of Kitesh (Rimsky-Korsakov) Orestes in Oresteia (Taneyev) Valery in Servilia (Rimsky-Korsakov). Search Amazon.com for Ivan Ershov

1873 Birth of American composer Daniel Gregory MASON in Brookline MA. Music prof. at Columbia University to 1940. d-Greenwich, CT 4 DEC 1953. Search Amazon.com for Daniel Gregory MASON

1879 FP of Brahms' Violin Sonata in G. in Vienna, with Brahms and Joseph Hellmesberger. CD-Brahms: The Violin Sonatas

1882 Death of Hungarian composer Albert Bela Keler.

1887 Birth of Italian mezzo-soprano Flora Perini, in Rome. Died Sep 1975. Debut as Anaconda in Christofo Colombo (Franchetti) 1908 Created Pepa in in Goyescas (Granados) Princess in Suor Angelica (Puccini) Light in L'oiseau bleu (Wolff) Sang in premiere of Il Sueno d'Alma (Buchardo)

1888 Birth of American soprano Lillian Grenville in New York City. Died 1928. Debut as Juliette in Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) 1906 Teachers:- Algier, Rossi, Aramis, Sebastiani Created Salud in Vida Breve (De Falla) Barbara in Natoma (Herbert) Octavie in Cleopatre (Massenet).

1889 FP Mahler's Sym No 1, in Budapest, with Mahler conducting. CD-Mahler: The Complete Symphonies

1890 Birth of Italian mezzo-soprano Gabriella Besanzoni Mezzo-Soprano in Rome. Died 8 July 1962. Debut as Adalgisa in Norma (Bellini) 1911 Teachers:- Hilde Brizzi, Alessandro Maggi Pupils :- Paulo Fortes, Heloisa De Albuquerque Created Morka in Fnlandia (Fracassi) Smaragdi in Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai) Sang in premiere of Jorgen de Danemark (Challan) Jacquerie (Marinuzzi) La Leggende delle sette Torri (Gasco). 

1891 Birth of Polish tenor Joseph Rogatschevsky in Mirogod. d- May 1985. Teachers:- Hettich, Jacques Isnardon, Lucette Korsoff Pupil :- Michel Trempont.

1891 FP of Loeffler's Les Veilees d l’Ukraine Suite. Arthur Nikisch conducting the Boston Symphony.

1893 Birth of Italian soprano Zita Fumagalli-Riva in Milan. Died 4 Oct 1994. Debut in Marken (Bucceri) 1920 Teacher :- Salvatore Cairone Pupils :- Raina Kabaivanska, Franco Tagliavini, Licilio Montefusco Gianni Maffeo, Bonaldo Giaiotti. Leo Nucci, Ottavio Garaventa Sang in premiere of La Sulamita (Zanella)

1894 (GC, JC=8 NOV) Death of Russian composer and pianist Anton RUBENSTEIN in Peterhof. Founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory. b-Vikhvatinets, 28 NOV 1829.

1897 Birth of Australian pianist and teacher Margaret SUTHERLAND in Adelaide. d-Melbourne, 17 AUG 1984.

1899 Birth of Spanish tenor Paolo Civil in Teia Nr Barcelona. d- 28 Dec 1987. Debut as Duke in Rigoletto (Verdi) 9 Sep 1925 Teacher :- Jose Sabater Created Orfeo in Prosperina (Bianchi) Collatino in Lucrezia (Respighi) Lo Sconosciuto in Morte de Frine (Rocca) Sang in premiere of Alcassino e Nicoletta (Barbieri) Il revisore (Zanella) Canigo (Massana)

1901 FP of Jules Massenet's opera Griselidis, in Paris, at the Opera Comique. Search Amazon.com for Griselidis

1907 Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin's MET Opera debut in Mefistofele. Search Amazon.com for Feodor Chaliapin

1908 Birth of British radio and televion host and commentator, Alistair COOKE, Creative Quotations from Alistair Cooke. Omnibus, CBS-TV; Masterpiece Theater, PBS; Letter From America, BBC. d-NYC, 30 MAR 2004.

1911 FP of Gustav Mahler's Das Lied Von Der Erde, in Munich, Bruno Walter, conducting. CD-Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (SACD)

1913 Debut of Italian tenor Giovanni Martinelli at The MET Opera in La Boheme. Search Amazon.com for Giovanni Martinelli .

1921 Birth of Swiss composer Norbert MORET in Ménières. d-Fribourg, 17 NOV 1998. Search Amazon.com for Norbert MORET

1925 Birth of Chicago based American composer Robert KRITZ. c/o 1825C North Howe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

1925 FP of Aaron Copland's Music for the Theater, Boston Sym Orch. Serge Koussevitzky conducting. Search Amazon.com for Copland's Music for the Theater

1927 Death of Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar at age 56, in Stockholm. b-Stockholm, 7 FEB 1871. Search Amazon.com for Wilhelm Stenhammar

1929 Birth of American conductor Kenneth deWitt SCHERMERHORN in Schenectady, NY.

1932 Birth of American composer John Barnes CHANCE. d-16 AUG 1972. Search Amazon.com for John Barnes CHANCE

1936 Death of German soprano Luise Perard-Petzl. Born 1884 Donau, Bavaria, Germany. Created Sulamith in Sulamith (von Klenau). Search Amazon.com for Luise Perard-Petzl

1937 Birth of American pianist Ruth LAREDO in Detroit. d-NYC, 26 MAY 2005. Search Amazon.com for Ruth LAREDO.

1937 Birth of German tenor Rene KOLLO in Berlin. Debut as Oedipus Rex in Oedipus Rex (Stravinsky) 1965 Teacher :- Elsa Varena. Search Amazon.com for Rene KOLLO.

1938 Death of Hungarian baritone Jean Athanasiou. Born 28 Jan 1885, Bucharest. Debut as Silvio in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) 1912 Teachers:- Manlio Bavagnoli, Ernesto Colli

1939 Death of Norwegian soprano Borghild Bryhn. Born 23 July 1883, Kongvinger, Norway. Debut as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) 1907 Teacher :- Raimund von zur Muhlen

1941 Birth of American double-bass player Gary KARR. Biography. Search Amazon.com for Gary KARR

1943 Birth of American composer, dancer, choreographer and singer Meredith MONK in Lima, Peru. [some biographical dictionaries give 1942; however there are several different birth places: NYC,Lima-Peru, etc.] Search Amazon.com for Meredith MONK

1943 Death of composer Richard Fall in Auschwitz concentration camp. b-3 APR 1882 in Gewitsch. Brother of composer Leo Fall.

1946 Birth of Italian tenor Paolo Barbacini. Sang in premiere of Doctor Faustus (Manzoni)

1946 FP of Paul Hindemith's grand piano concerto, The Four Temperments in NYC.

1947 Birth of American composer Phillip Kent BIMSTEIN.

1948 Birth of American soprano Barbara HENDRICKS in Stephens AK. Debut as Erisbe in Ormindo (Cavalli) 1974 Teacher :- Jennie Tourel Biography.

1949 FP of Ralph Vaughan Williams' An Oxford Elegy in Dorking. CD-A Portrait of Vaughan Williams

1950 Death of Italian opera composer Francesco Cilea at age 84, in d'Varazze. b-Palmi, 26 JUL 1866.

1950 Death of Czech bass Arnold Flogl. Born 10 July 1885 in Kromerz. Teacher :- Emil Burian Pupil :- Jan Hadraba, Bohus Hanak Sang in premiere of Cunning Little Vixen (Janacek)

1952 FP of Roy Harris' Symphony No. 7 original version, Chicago Symphony, Rafael Kubelik conducting. CD-Harris: Symphony No. 7, William Schuman: Symphony No. 6

1955 Birth of American composer Daniel William McCARTHY.

1964 FP of Dimitri Shostakovich's String Quartets Nos. 9 and 10. The Beethoven Quartet, in Moscow. CD-Complete String Quartets

1970 Birth of American composer Geoff KEEZER. Search Amazon.com for Geoff KEEZER

1971 Birth of American composer and guitarist Marco OPPEDISANO in Brooklyn, NY. Search Amazon.com for Marco OPPEDISANO

1974 Birth of American composer Orianna WEBB in Akron, OH. Search Amazon.com for Orianna WEBB

1986 FP of Michael Torke's Green. CD-Michael Torke: Color Music
Milwaukee Symphony, Lukas Foss conducting.

1987 Death of American tenor James Atherton. Born 27 April 1943 in Montgomery Alabama. Teachers:- Rosa Ponselle, Martial Singher Created Pacheco in Ines de Castro (Pasatieri)

1987 FP of John Harbison's String Quartet No. 2, by the Emerson String Quartet at Jordan Hall in Boston.  Search Amazon.com for Harbison's String Quartet No. 2 

1998 Death of baritone Alessandro Cassis. Born 9 Feb 1937. Sang in premiere of La Favola D'Orfeo (Casella).