DECEMBER 22 Today in classical music history

Carl Friedrich ABEL

1723 Birth of German composer Carl Friedrich ABEL in Cöthen. d-London, 20 JUN 1787. Search Carl Friedrich ABEL.

1745 Death of Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, at age 66, in Dresden. b-Lunovice, Czech Republic, 16 OCT 1679. Search Jan Dismas Zelenka.

1808 FP of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, Fifth Symphony and Sixth Symphony, at Theatre-an-der-Wein. CD-Beethoven: 9 Symphonien | CD-Beethoven: Piano Concertos (Box Set).

1819 Birth of German composer and conductor Franz ABT in Eilenberg, Saxony. d-Wiesbaden, 31 MAR 1885. Search Franz ABT.

1821 Birth of Italian composer and cellist Giovanni BOTTESINI in Crema. d-Parma, 7 JUL 1889. Search Giovanni BOTTESINI .

1837 FP of Albert Lortzing's opera Zar und Zimmermann 'Csar and Carpenter', at the Stadttheater in Leipzig. CD-Lortzing - Zar und Zimmermann / Prey · Schreier · Frick · Gedda · Köth - Heger.

1846 Birth of Swedish critic and conductor Johan Andreas HALLEN in Gothenberg, Sweden. d-Stockholm, 11 MAR 1925. Search Johan Andreas HALLEN.

1853 Birth of Venezuelan pianist, singer and composer Maria Teresa CARRENO in Caracas. d-NYC, 12 JUN 1917. Search Maria Teresa CARRENO. 

1853 Birth of Polish bass Eduardo de RESZKE in Warsaw. Died 25 May 1917 Debut as Re in Aida (Verdi) 22 Feb 1876 Teachers:- Alba, Ciaffei, Filippo Coletti, Jean de Reszke, Escudier Giovanni Sbriglia, Steller Pupil :- Emanuel List Created Don Diego in Cid (Massenet) Ruben in Figliuol Prodigo (Ponchielli) Gilberto in Maria Tudor (Gomes) Duc D'Albe in Patrie (Paladilhe) King in Elda (Catalani) Colonel in Lady of Longford (Bach E) Duc de Sante-Fe in Aben-Hamet (Dubois) Sang in premiere of Elaine (Bemberg).

1858 Birth of Italian opera composer Giacomo PUCCINI in Lucca. d-Brussels, 29 NOV 1924. BOOK-Puccini: His Life and Works (Master Musicians Series.)

1868 Birth of American composer Martin DUMLER. d-1958.  Search Martin DUMLER.

1874 Birth of Austrian teacher and composer Franz SCHMIDT in Pressburg. d- Near Vienna, 11 FEB 1939. Search Franz SCHMIDT.

1874 Death of German composer Johann Peter PIXIS in Baden-Baden, Germany. Search Johann Peter PIXIS.

1883 Birth of French-American composer and conductor Edgard VARESE in Paris. d-NYC, 6 NOV 1965. Search Edgard VARESE | BOOK-Edgard Varese.

1884 FP of Ignaz Brulls opera Das Goldene Kreuz in Berlin.

1885 Birth of American composer and music writer-critic Deems TAYLOR in NYC. d-NYC, 3 JUL 1966. BOOK-Deems Taylor: A Biography | Wikipedia Bio.

1888 FP of J. Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 in d, Op. 108, in Budapest. CD-Brahms:The Violin and Viola Sonatas.

1894 Birth of German soprano Elisabeth RETHBERG aka Sattler. Search Elisabeth RETHBERG.

1894 (Jan 3?)Birth of Ukrainian composer Boris Nikolayevich LYATOSHYNSKY in Zhitomir. d-Kiev, 15 APR 1968. Search  LYATOSHYNSKY.

1894 FP of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Orchestra of the Societe National de Musique. Composed in 1892 it was choreographed by Nijinsky. He performed the ballet in 1912 to Paris audiences who thought it was too erotic. CD-Debussy: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune/Images for orchestra/Printemps.

1900 Birth of English composer Alan Dudley BUSH in Dulwich, South London. d-Watford, 31 OCT 1995. Search Alan Dudley BUSH.

1900 Debuts of Louise Homer and Marcel Journet at The MET, NYC, in Verdi's Aida.

1901 (23rd?)Birth of Russian born-American conductor Andre KOSTELANETZ in St. Petersburg. d-Port Au Prince Haiti, 13 JUN 1980. m-Soprano Lily Pons. Biography.

1902 Birth of Italian baritone Afro Poli in Pisa. Died 22 Feb 1987, Debut as Germont in Traviata (Verdi) 1927 Pupil :- Domenic Natole Sang in premiere of Pulce D'Oro (Ghedini) Madonna Imperia (Alfano) Dama Boba (Wolf-Ferrari). Search Amazon.com for Afro Poli. 

1903 Birth of Hungarian mezzo-soprano Rosette Anday in Budapest. Died 21 Sep 1977, Debut 1920 Teachers:- Gyorgy Anthes, Mme Charles Cahier, Gino Tessari Created Simon's Wife in Danton's Tod (Von Einem) Mother in Werbeklied (Salmhofer). 

1903 Death of French composer Paul Agricole Genin in Paris. b-Avignon, 14 FEB 1832. Berceuse, Op. 6 (English and French Edition).

1906 (21st?) FP of A. Glazunov's Symphony No. 8, in St. Petersburg.

1908 Birth of Austro-Italian tenor Rodolfo Moraro in Capodistria. Died 18 Aug 1994, Debut in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1939 Created Doctor in Sasso Pagano (Viozzi).

1913 Birth of German soprano Elfriede Trotschel in Dresden. Died 20 June 1958, Debut as Aennchen in Freischutz (Weber) 1935 Teachers:- Sophie Kuhnau-Bernard, Paul Schoeffler, Doris Winkler Sang in premiere of Hochzeit des Jobs (Haas). Search Amazon.com for Elfriede Trotschel. 

1915 Birth of American conductor (Hollywood Bowl Symphony) Felix SLATKIN in St. Louis, MO. Father of conductor Leonard Slatkin. d-Los Angeles, 8 FEB 1963. Search Felix SLATKIN.

1916 Birth of Swiss bass Fernando Corena in Geneva., Died 26 Nov 1984 Debut as Varlaam in Boris Godounov (Mussorgsky) 1947 Teacher :- Enrico Romani Created Cannizares in Cordovano (Petrassi) Sang in premiere of Figliuol Prodigo (Malipiero). 

1921 Birth of Greek composer, teacher and guitarist Dimitri FAMPAS. d-3 MAY 1996. Father of guitarist Eva Fampas. Search Dimitri FAMPAS.

1921 Birth of composer Robert KURKA. d-12 DEC 1957. Search Robert KURKA.

1922 Birth of American soprano Anne Bollinger in Lewiston, Ohio. Died 11 July 1862, Debut as Frasquita in Carmen (Bizet) 1 Nov 1949 Teachers:- Rosalie Miller, Lotte Lehmann.

1928 Death of vocal coach Selma Nicklass-Kempner. Born 2 Apl 1849. Debut 1867 Teacher :- Jenny Meyer Pupil :- Rita Fornia, Gertrude Forstel, Mary Hagen, Frieda Hempel Estelle Liebling, Ottilie Metzger-Lattermann, Rachel Morton Ursula van Dieman, Julie Shelley.

1935 Birth of Rumanian mezzo-soprano Viorica Cortez in Bucium, Rumania. Debut as Delilah in Samson et Delilah (Saint-Saens) 1965 Created Lupa in Lupa (Tutino) Sang in premiere of Noces de Sang (Chaynes) Ondine (Daniel-Lesur).

1935 Death of American mezzo-soprano Sophie Braslau. Born 16 Aug 1892 in New York. Died 22 Dec 1935. Debut as Voice in Parsifal (Wagner) 27 Nov 1913 Teachers:- Albert Buzzia-Peccia, Mario Marafioti, Marcella Sembrich Gabriele Sibella, Herbert Witherspoon Created Shanewis in Shanewis (Cadman) Sang in premiere of Madame Sans-Gene (Giordano). 

1938 Birth of Lithuanian-American composer Gunther TAUTENHAHN in Kowno. Search  Gunther TAUTENHAHN.

1940 Death of Italian baritone Enrico Nani. Born 4 Nov 1873 in Rome.  Died 22 Dec 1940, Debut as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) 1899 Teacher :- Antonio Cotogni.

1943 Birth of Australian composer Ross EDWARDS. 

1950 Death of American composer and conductor Walter Damrosch, at age 88, in NYC. b-Breslau, 30 JAN 1862. Search Walter Damrosch.

1952 Birth of American composer Robert KAPILOW: Boston resident does witty radio pieces on how great pieces of music "work". Search Amazon.com for Robert KAPILOW.

1953 Birth of American composer David LEISNER in Los Angeles, CA. Search  David LEISNER.

1954 Birth of English mezzo-soprano Jean RIGBY.

1960 Birth of American composer Nathan CURRIER.

1977 Death of Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk David in Stuttgart. b-Eferding, 30 NOV 1895. Search Johann Nepomuk David.

1981 Birth of American composer Zhou TIAN.

1991 Death of Austrian avant-garde composer, teacher and writer Ernst Krenek in Palm Springs, CA. b-Vienna, 23 AUG 1900. His Jazz-Opera Jonny spielt auf (1925) was his best-known work. He came to the USAmerica in 1937. Search Ernst Krenek.