DECEMBER 24 Today in classical music history

John Dunstaple or Dunstable 

1453 Death of English composer John Dunstable in London, b-c.1390. [Dunstaple or Dunstable] English composer of polyphonic music of the late medieval era and early Renaissance. He was one of the most famous composers active in the early 15th century and was widely influential, not only in England but on the continent. Search  John Dunstable.

1625 Birth of German composer Johann Rudolf AHLE in Mühlhausen. d-Mühlhausen, 9 JUL 1673.

1710 Birth of German organist and composer Johann Christoph ALTNIKOL in Berna, Silesia. d- Naumberg, 25 JUL 1759. Search Johann Christoph ALTNIKOL.

1739 FP of G. F. Handel's oratorio Acis and Galetea revision. CD-Handel - Acis and Galatea / Daneman, Petibon, Agnew, Cornwell, A. Ewing, Les Arts Florissants, Christie.

1772 Birth of Austrian composer Joseph WOLFL in Salzburg. d-Great Marylebone Street, London, 21 MAY 1812. Search Joseph WOLFL. 

1781 The first promoted two-piano performance. Mozart and Clementi playing a Paisiello piece, in Vienna. Easy Compositions of Clementi, Haydn and Mozart.

1813 Birth of American composer Henry Wellington GREATOREX. d-1858. Mr. Greatorex's concert, at Gilman's Hall, Wednesday evening, May first, 1839.

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

1821 Birth of Dutch composer Johannes WORP in Broek in Waterland, The Netherlands. d-Groningen, 21 APR 1891.

1824 Birth of German composer and writer Peter CORNELIUS. d-1874. Search Peter CORNELIUS.

1835 Birth of Cosima WAGNER at Lake Como, daughter of Franz Liszt, married H. V. Bulow and R. Wagner. d-Bayreuth, 1 APR 1930. Promoted Bayreuth Festival and works of R. Wagner. 

1840 England's Prince Albert also a composer and conductor, changes Queen Victoria's wind band into a complete orchestra and improves its' repertoire.

1846 Birth of Italian bass-baritone Giovanni TAGLIAPIETRA in Venice. Leading baritone with Patti, died 11 APR 1921. The famous Teresa Carrefio was his first wife.

1871 FP of Aida to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal after Verdi twice refused the commission, at the Khedival Theater in Cairo.CD-Verdi - Aida / Caballé · Domingo · Cossotto · Ghiaurov · Cappuccilli · Roni · NPO · Muti | DVD-Verdi - Aida / Levine, Domingo, Millo, Metropolitan Opera.

1874 Birth of Polish bass Adamo Didur in Sanok, Poland. Died 7 Jan 1946, Debut as Mepistopheles in Faust (Gounod) 1894 Teachers:- Franz Emmerich, Valerie Wysocki Pupils :- Ira Malaniuk, Marian Nowakowski, Eugenia Zareska Andrzej Hiolski Created Ashby in Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Woodcutter in Konigskinder (Humperdinck) Win-Shee in Oracolo (Leoni) Talpa in Tabarro (Puccini) Simone in Gianni Schicci (Puccini) Sang in premiere of Canterbury Pilgrims (De Koven) Anima Allegra (Vittadini) Figlia di Jorio (Franchetti). 

1881 Birth of American composer Charles Wakefield CADMAN in Johnstown, PA. d-LA, 30 DEC 1946. Search Charles Wakefield CADMAN.

1887 (1888?) Birth of Spanish soprano Lucrezia BORI in Valencia. Search Lucrezia BORI. Died 14 May 1960 Debut Micaela in Carmen (Bizet) 31 Oct 1908 Teachers:- Frank La Forge, Gabriele Sibella, Pietro Varvaro Melchiorre Vidal Created Consuelo in Anima Allegra (Vittadini) Sang in premiere of El Suede d'Alma (Buchardo).

1887 FP of George W. Chadwick's Melpomene Overture. Boston Symphony. CD-Chadwick: Aphrodite; Suite Symphonique; Symphonic Sketches.

1906 Birth of German-American conductor and composer Franz WAXMAN (Wachsmann) in Konigshutte. d-LA, 24 FEB 1967. Score for film Sunset Boulevard won 1950 Oscar. Search Franz WAXMAN.

1908 Birth of English conductor and composer Sir Vivian DUNN. d-1958. 

1908 (23rd?) Death of Belgian composer Francois Gevaert in Brussells. b-Huysse, 31 JUL 1828.

1915 Birth of baritone Bruno Aderhold Baritone. Sang in premiere of Amphitrion (Heinrich).

1918 Birth of Canadian-born American cellist Zara NELSOVA. d-10 OCT 2002. Search Zara NELSOVA. 

1920 At the MET Opera in NYC, final performance of Enrico Caruso singing Eleazar in La Juive by Halevy. Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. Caruso died in Naples at the age of 48 on 2 AUG 1921.

1923 Birth of Scottish bass-baritone David Kelly in Kilmarnock. Debut as Timur in Turandot (Puccini) 1955 Pupils :- Gordon Sandison, Marie Slorach Sang in premiere of Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten).

1925 Birth of English clarinetist Dame Thea KING. Search Dame Thea KING.

1927 Birth of American soprano Teresa STITCH-RANDALL in West Hartford CT. Debut as Gertrude Stein in Mother of us All (Thomson) Premiere 7 May 1947 Created Evangeline in Evangeline (Luching) Sang in premiere of Mystere de la Nativite (Martin). Search Teresa STITCH-RANDALL.

1929 Birth of American composer Noel Da COSTA. d-2002.

1930 Death of composer Oscar Nedbal. Oscar Nedbal: Ballet Music (Andersen / From Tale To Tale).

1931 Birth of Argentine conductor and composer Mauricio KAGEL in Buenos Aires. Search Mauricio KAGEL.

1932 Death of Norwegian composer Eyvind Alnaes in Oslo. b-Fredrikstad, 29 APR 1872. Search Eyvind Alnaes.

1935 Death of composer Alban Berg, in Vienna, from an absessed tooth. b-Vienna, 9 FEB 1885.

1938 Birth of Russian tenor Denis Korolyov in Moscow. Debut as Lenski in Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) 1964.

1939 Birth of Swedish conductor Arnold OSTMAN, in Malmö. Search Arnold OSTMAN.

1942 Birth of Italian soprano Maria Chiara in Oderzo, Italy. Debut as Desdemona in Otello (Verdi) 1965 [Ed. note: According to WHO'S WHO IN OPERA (1976 Ed.) which was compiled from questionnaires to the artists themselves, Maria Chiara was born in 1942, but on November 24, not December. The year of her debut as Desdemona in Otello (Verdi) at La Fenice is also given as 1966, not 1965.] Teachers:- Maria Carbone, Antonio Cassinelli. Search Maria Chiara. 

1943 Birth of Czech mezzo-soprano Libuse Marova in Susice. Debut as Azucena in Trovatore (Verdi) 1965 Teachers:- Premysl Koci, Josef Frydl, Stepanka Stepanova, Michael Zabejda. Search Libuse Marova.

1945 Death of German soprano Adelina Stehle. Born 30 Jun 1860 in Graz. Debut as Amina in Sonnambula (Bellini) 1881 Pupil :- Giannini Arangi-Lombardi Created Walter in Wally (Catalani) Nanetta in Falstaff (Verdi) Nedda in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Adin in Condor (Gomes) Maria in Guglielmo Ratcliffe (Mascagni) Matilde in Silvano (Mascagni). Century of Great Voices 1.

1950 Birth of American composer Libby LARSON aka Elizabeth Brown, in Wilmington, DE. Search Libby LARSON.

1951 FP of Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. Live Christmas Eve broadcast on the NBC-TV network by the NBC Television Opera Theater. CD-Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors.

1953 Birth of German composer Hans-Jurgen von BOSE in Munich.

1954 Birth of American composer Cynthia FOLIO.

1954 Death of German mezzo-soprano Ella Gmeiner. Born 12 Nov 1874 in Kromstadt. Teachers:- Etelka Gerster, Emilio Herzog.

1957 Birth of American baritone Richard Cowan in Euclid, Ohio. Debut as Angelotti in Tosca (Puccini) Created Maestro Wolfgang in Ispirazione (Bussotti).

1960 Birth of American composer and pianist Michael JONES.

1965 Death of tenor Mariss Vetra. Born 19 July 1901 in Tirza, Latvia. Died 24 Dec 1965 Debut as Faust in Faust (Gounod) 1922 Created Laimons in Vaidelote (Medins) Edgars in Uguni (Kalnins) Sang in premiere of Kaiserin Katharina (Kattnig).

1966 Death of Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó in Madrid. b-Barcelona, 30 SEP 1897. Search  Gaspar Cassadó.

1967 Birth of American composer Andrew Earle SIMPSON. Search Andrew Earle SIMPSON.

1969 Death of Italian baritone Armando Dado. Born 1902 in Rome. Debut as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1929 Sang in premiere of Gli Orazi (Porrino).

1972 Death of French composer César Geoffray. b-20 FEB 1901. Search César Geoffray.

1975 Death of American composer and conductor Bernard Herrmann, in Los Angeles, at age 64, just completing the filmscore for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. b-29 JUN 1911. Search Bernard Herrmann.

1976 Birth of American composer Philip ROTHMAN in Buffalo, NY.

1987 Death of Italian soprano Sara Scuderi. Born 11 Dec 1906 in Catania. Debut as Desdemona in Otello (Verdi) 1925 Teacher :- Matteo Aderno Sang in premiere of Volte Della Vergine (Carmassi) Giulio Cesare (Malipiero).

2000 Death of Danish bass-baritone Aage Haugland. Born 1 Feb 1944 in Copenhagen. Died 24 Dec 2000 Debut as Brewer in Comedy on Bridge (Martinu) Teachers:- Kristian Riis, Mogens Woeldike Created Jason in Freispruch fur Medea (Liebermann). Nielsen: Saul And David.

2002 Death of Italian conductor Luciano Chailly in Milan. b-Ferrara, 19 JAN 1920. Composer of 13 operas, ballets and other works. Father of famed conductor Riccardo Chailly.

2012 Death of British composer Richard Rodney Bennett. b-Kent, England 29 MAR 1936. OBIT