DECEMBER 30 Today in classical music history

William CROFT

1678 Baptismal of English composer William CROFT in Nether Ettington. d-Bath, 14 AUG 1727. Search William CROFT.

1725 FP of J. S. Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 28 Gottlob, nun geht das Jahr zu Ende on the Sunday after Christmas as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig, 1725-27.

1731 First promoted public concert in America, in Boston. Merchant Peter Pelham sponsors a concert "of music on sundry instruments" at the Great Room near the tavern at 6pm. Admission is five cents per ticket.

1752 Birth of Bohemian cellist Anton KRAFT. In service of Prince Esterhazy at encouragement of Haydn who wrote concerto for him.

1756 Birth of Moravian composer Pavel VRANICKY, aka Paul Pavel Wranitzky, in Neureisch. d-Vienna, 26 SEP 1808.

1844 FP of Flotow's opera Alessandro and Stradella in Hamburg.

1853 Birth of French composer and conductor Andre MESSAGER in in Montlucon. d-Paris, 24 FEB 1929. Search Andre MESSAGER BOOK-Andre Messager: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music).

1859 Birth of Czech composer Josef Bohuslav FOERSTER in Prague. d-Novy Vestec, 29 MAY 1951. Search Josef Bohuslav FOERSTER.

1860 Birth of Rumanian tenor Giovanni Dimitrescu in Iasi, Rumania. Died 4 Mar 1913, Debut as Ernani in Ernani (Verdi) 1885 Teachers:- Giuseppe Cima, George Stephanescu, Francesco Lamperti.

1866 Birth of French cellist Andre HEKKING in Bordeaux.

1877 FP of Brahms' Symphony No. 2, Hans Richter conducting in Vienna. CD-Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies.

(20th?) 1879 Birth of German soprano Margarethe Siems in Breslau. Died 13 April 1952, Debut as Margherite in Huguenots (Meyerbeer) 1902 Teachers:- Mattia Battistini, Pauline Viardot-Garcia, Aglaia von Orgeni Louis Bachner Pupil :- Sigrid Onegin Created Chrysothemis in Elektra (Strauss) Marshallin in Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss).

1879 FP Of Gilbert and Sullivans operetta The Pirates of Penzance. At 5th Avenue Theater in NYC. Their only operetta which was written and FP in USA. CD-Gilbert & Sullivan: Pirates Of Penzance.

1880 Birth of German music writer Alfred EINSTEIN in Munich. (Cousin of Albert) Music editor of 1937 edition of the Kochel Mozart catalog. | BOOK-Alfred Einstein on Music : Selected Music Criticisms.

1884 FP of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7. Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Arthur Nikisch. CD-Bruckner: Symphonies 1-9.

1894 Birth of Russian soprano Nina KOSHETZ in Kiev. d-15 MAY 1965 Debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Mozart) 9 Sep 1913 Teachers:- Felia Litvinne, Umberto Mazetti, Sergei Taneyev, Igumnoff Created Fata Morgana in Love of 3 Oranges (Prokofiev) Nastya in Kudeyar (Olenine) Son's beloved in Song of the Earth (Kankarovich). Search Nina KOSHETZ.

1904 Birth of Russian composer and pianist Dimitri KABALEVSKY in St. Petersburg. d-Moscow, 16 FEB 1987. Search Dimitri KABALEVSKY.

1905 FP of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow in Vienna at the Theater-An-Der-Wein. CD-Lehár - The Merry Widow / Schwarzkopf, Wächter, Steffek, Gedda, Knapp, von Matacic.

1910 Birth of American composer and novelist Paul Frederick BOWLES in in Jamaica, NY. d-18 NOV 1999.  Next to Nothing: Collected Poems, 1926-1977.

1914 Birth of French pianist and organist Odette ALLOUARD-CARNY in Paris.

1919 Birth of British organist, conductor and teacher Sir David WILLCOCKS. Search Sir David WILLCOCKS.

1921 FP of Prokofiev's opera Love For Three Oranges Prokofiev conducting at the Chicago Opera House, Chicago IL. CD-Prokofiev: Love for Three Oranges.

1922 Death of German-American pianist and organist Richard Zeckwer in Philadelphia, PA. b-Stendal, Germany 30 APR 1850. Director of Philadelphia Musical Academy, 1876 to 1917, Academy merged with Hahn Conservatory.

1930 Birth of American composer Nancy Van De VATE in Plainfield, NJ. Search Nancy Van De VATE .

1932 Birth of American composer H. Leslie ADAMS in Cleveland, OH.  Love Rejoices: Songs of H. Leslie Adams/Taylor.

1934 Death of Danish tenor Peter Cornelius. Born 20 Jan 1865 in Jutland.   Died 30 Dec 1934, Debut as Escamillo in Carmen (Bizet) 1892 Teachers:- Julius Lieban, Nyrop, Hermann Spiro Created Jonathan in Saul og David (Nielson).

1935 Birth of Italian pianist Bruno CANINO. Search Bruno CANINO.

1943 Birth of American composer Rolf GEHLHAAR. Search Rolf GEHLHAAR.

1943 FP of Aram Khachaturian's Symphony No. 2 in Moscow.

1945 Birth of American composer Preston TROMBLY.

1946 Birth of American baritone David Arnold in Atlanta, Georgia. Sang in premiere of Winter's Tale (Harbison) Full Monn in March (Harbison).

1946 Death of American composer Charles Wakefield Cadman at age 65, in Los Angeles, CA. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on December 24, 1881.  Search Charles Wakefield Cadman.

1948 Birth of Hungarian composer Abraham Zalman WALKER.

1948 Death of New Zealand soprano Rosina Buckman. b-Blenheim, New Zealand, 16 MAR 1881, the second child of Henrietta Matilda Chuck, a singer and organist. Debut as Zara in Moorish Maid (Hill) 1905 Teacher :- George Arnold Breeden Pupil :- Tom Williams Created Mrs Walters in Boatswain's Mate (Smyth) Nail in Nail (De Lara). Search Rosina Buckman.

1949 Death of German baritone Heinrich Rehkemper. Born 24 May 1894 in Schwerte. Died 30 Dec 1949, Debut as Reich in Merry Wives of Windsor (Nicolai) 19 Mar 1919 Created Mr Heedless in Torneo Notturno (Malipiero) Sang in premiere of Herz (Pfitzner). Search Heinrich Rehkemper. 

1950 ('52?) Birth of American soprano June Anderson in Boston. Debut as Queen of the Night in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1978 Teacher :- Robert Leonard.  June ANDERSON.

1952 Birth of American composer Tina DAVIDSON. Search Tina DAVIDSON.

1954 Birth of American composer Stephen JAFFE. Music of Stephen Jaffe, Vol. 3.

1954 Birth of Scottish soprano Janis Kelly in Glasgow. Debut as Yum Yum in Mikado (Sullivan) 1979 Teachers:- Janice Chapman, Elisabeth Grummer, David Keren Audrey Langford Created Kitty in Anna Karenina (Hamilton) Sang in premiere of Hell's Angels (Osborne).

1955 Death of German tenor Heinrich Bensing. Born 26 July 1911 in Metz. Debut 1938 Teachers:- H Ditt, O Waldner Created Telemachus in Odysseus (Reutter).

1958 Birth of English baritone Geoffrey Dolton in Shrewsbury. Debut as Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte (Mozart) 1983 Created Lazar in Family Affair (Grant).

1959 Birth of American conductor Antonio PAPPANO. Search Antonio PAPPANO.

1961 FP of D. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4. Moscow Philharmonic, Kiril Kondrashin conducting. CD-Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies.

1967 Death of Welsh baritone Ronald Lewis. Born 1916 Pengam Glamorgan. Sang in premiere of Manana (Benjamin).

1971 Birth of German-American composer Garrett BYRNES in Bad Kreuznach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

1971 Death of Dutch composer Jan Mul in Overveen. b-Haarlem, 20 SEP 1911. Concertos for Piano Duet and Orchestra Volume 3 (Konzerte dur Klavier vierhandig) (Koch).

1973 Birth of Polish composer Slawomir ZAMUSZKO in Lodz. Slawomir ZAMUSZKO.

1973 Death of Franch singing coach Henri Busser in Toulouse. Pupil :- Georgi Boue.

1974 Death of Belgian soprano Blanche Bergmann. Born 19 Aug 1955 in Ghent. Teacher :- Gaetano Abrami.

1974 Death of Czech bass Hanus Thein. Born 17 Jan 1904 in Pardubice. Debut as Benes in Dalibor (Smetana) Teacher :- Egon Fuchs.

1977 FP of Daniel Pinkham's The Miracle at Cana. Liselyn Adams, flute and Barry Turley, organ at their wedding at King's Chapel in Boston.

1978 Death of Italian tenor Gino Del Signore. Born 30 Apr 1906 in Rome. Debut 1930 Created Faoute in Nerone (Mascagni) Sang in premiere of Fiery Angel (Prokofiev).

1979 Death of American composer Richard Rodgers at age 77, in NYC. b-NYC, 28 JUN 1902. Search Richard Rodgers | BOOK-Richard Rodgers.