DECEMBER 31 Today in classical music history

1724 FP of J. S. Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 122 Das neugeborne Kindelein on the Sunday after Christmas as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig 1724-25.

1762 Leopold Mozart and his son and daughter leave Vienna to Salzburg.

1782 Mozart finishes the first of his 'Haydn' string quartets, K. 387.

1791 Birth of Austrian tenor Franz WILD.

1809 Death of German composer Franz Ignaz Beck in France. b-Manheim, 20 FEB 1734.

1827 Birth of French soprano Marie CARVALHO, aka Marie Felix-Miolan, in Marseilles. Died 10 July 1895 Debut as Isabella in Robert Le Diable (Meyerbeer) 1849 Teachers:- Louis-Gilbert Duprez, Francois Felix-Miolan (father) Pupil :- Elisabeth Parkina Created Marguerite in Faust (Gounod) Baucis in Philemon et Baucis (Gounod) Mireille in Mireille (Gounod) Sylvie in Colombe (Gounod) Juliette in Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Topaze in Reine Topaze (Masse) Sang in premiere of Giralda (Adam) Noces de Jeannette (Masse)

1830 Death of Italian tenor Giacomo Davide. Born 1750 in Bergamo. Debut in premiere of Zon Zon (Gazzaniga) 1773 Teacher :- Nicola Sala Pupils :- Giovanni Davide(son), Andrea Nozzari Created Alceo in Aristo e Temira (Bertoni) Lucio Paperio in Quinto Fabio (Bertoni) Sang in premiere of Circe (Cimarosa) Idalide (Sarti) Lodoiska (Mayr) Ginevra di Scozia (Mayr) Zon Zon (Gazzaniga) Sang in premiere of Zaira (Federici).

1832 Death of Italian mezzo-soprano Adelaida Malanotte. Born 1785 in Verona. Debut 1806 Created Enrico in Elisabetta D'Inghilterra (Pavesi) Semiramide in Semiramide (Rossini) Sang in premiere of Alzira (Manfroce)

1837 Birth of American composer John R. SWENEY in West Chester, PA. d-Chester, PA 10 APR 1899. On Joyful Wing: A Book of Praise and Song.

1842 FP of Albert Lortzing's opera Der Wildschütz 'The Poacher' at the Stadttheater in Leipzig.

1865 FP of Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony No. 1, Balakirev conducting, in St. Petersburg. CD-Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Tsar's Bride Overture; Fantasia.

1869 Death of tenor Anton Haizinger. Born 14 Mar 1796 in Lichtenstein. Debut as Gianetto in Gazza Ladra(Rossini) 1821 Teachers:- Giuseppe Mozatti, Antonio Salieri, Wolkert Created Adolar in Euryanthe (Weber).

1871 Birth of tenor Charles DALMORES. d-1939. 

1876 Birth of soprano Elisabeth Van Endert-Bohm in Neuss.  Died 27 Feb 1956, Debut 1908 Teacher :- Richard Muller, Wally Schauseil.

1877 Death of singing coach Alberto Mazzucato. Born 28 July 1813 in Udine. Pupils :- Sim Reeves, Marcella Lotti della Santa, Marietta Gazzaniga.

1879 Birth of soprano Genevieve Vix in Le Havre. Died 25 Aug 1939, Debut as Aphrodite in Aphrodite (Erlanger) 1906 Created Concepcion in L'Heure Espagnole (Ravel) Circe in Circe (Hillmacher) Sang in premiere of Francisca da Rimini (Leoni) Demoiselles de Saint-Cyr (Chapuis). "Qui Te Fais Si Severe" ("Thais", J. Massenet).

1879 Opening of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance in London. FP in USA, the night before.

1885 Birth of German conductor Frans Von HOESSLIN in Munich. d-France, 28 SEP 1946.

1889 Birth of Panamanian composer Alberto GALIMANY.

1892 Birth of tenor Frank Titterton in Handsworth. Died 24 Nov 1956, Teachers:- William Bennett, Ernesto Beraldi, Jean De Reszke Charles Victor, Mary Ann Wooley Pupils :- John Fryatt, Eric Shilling.

1894 Birth of British composer Ernest John 'Jack' MOERAN in Heston, Middlesex. d-Kenmare, Ireland 1 DEC 1950.

1899 Birth of Mexican composer and violinist Silvestre REVUELTAS in Santiago, Papasquiaro. d-Mexico City, 5 OCT 1940. Search Silvestre REVUELTAS.

1899 Death of Austrian composer Karl Millöcker in Baden. b-Vienna, 29 APR 1842. Search  Karl Millöcker.

1903 R. Strauss finishes Sinfonia Domestica.

1904 Birth of Russian-American violinist and composer Nathan MILSTEIN in Odessa. d-1993. Search Nathan MILSTEIN. 

1907 Birth of tenor Lesley Chabay in Beksesaba, Hungary.  Died 16 Mar 1989, Debut 1932 Teachers:- Fritz Feinhals, Edoardo Garbin Sang in premiere of Casanova in der Schweiz (Burkhard).

1908 Birth of baritone Marko Rothmuller in Zagreb. Died 20 Jan 1993, Debut as Ottokar in Freischutz (Weber) 1932 Teachers:- Franz Steiner, Eugen Robert Weiss Pupil :- Gillian Sands Created Truchess von Waldburg in Mathis der Maler (Hindemith). 

1908 Birth of Russian-born American pianist Victor BABIN. d-1972. Search Victor BABIN.

1915 FP of Ernest Schelling's Impressions from an Artist's Life, composer was the pianist, the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Karl Muck.

1916 Birth of Jaap SCHROEDER, in Amsterdam, Holland. Dutch violinist, conductor, and pedagogue.

1925 American concert debut of pianist Ottorino Respighi. Also well known as Italian composer. Playing his Mixolydian Mode Piano Concerto with the NY Philharmonic.

1927 Birth of soprano Jutta Vulpius in Erfurt. Debut as Queen of the Night in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1951 Teacher :- Franziska Martienssen-Lohmann Created Lydia Barbent in Noch Einen Loffel Gift Liebling (Matthus).

1931 Birth of bass-baritone Noel Mangin  in Wellington, New Zealand. Died 4 Mar 1995. Debut as Rodolfo in La Boheme (Puccini) Teachers:- Domenique Modesti, Joseph Hislop, Alexander Kipnis Created Dr Turtlespit in Help Help the Globolinks (Menotti) King in Taverner (Maxwell-Davies) Black Will in Arden Must Die (Goehr) Brown in Knife (Jones).

1934 Paris Opera gives 2,000th performance of Gounod's Faust.

1936 Birth of mezzo-soprano Eva Randova in Kolin. Czech Teacher :- J Svabova. Debut 1962. Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben (Chorus).

1938 Birth of American composer Calvin HAMPTON in Kittanning, PA. d-Port Charlotte, FL 5 AUG 1984.

1941 Death of soprano Mary Lewis. Born 29 Jan 1897 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Debut as Marguerite in Faust (Gounod) 19 Oct 1923 Teachers:- Jean De Reszke, Alice Henniger, William Thorner Created Mary in Hugh the Drover (Vaughan Williams).

1948 Birth of English conductor Stephen CLEOBURY in London. Search Stephen CLEOBURY.

1948 Death of English composer, pianist and violinist Ethel Barnes in Maidenhead. b-1874.

1948 FP Antiles' Sym No 5. Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.

1948 FP of Howard Hanson's Piano Concerto. Pianist Rudolph Firkusny with Boston Symphony Orchestra. CD-Music of Howard Hanson, Vol.2.

1950 Death of French composer Charles Koechlin, (SHARL KERSH' Lin) in Canadel, France. b-Paris, 27 NOV 1867. BOOKS-Catherine Urner (1891-1942) and Charles Koechlin (1867-1950): A Musical Affaire | Charles Koechlin, 1867-1950: His Life and Works (Contemporary Music Studies, Vol. 1).

1954 Death of Dutch composer and conductor Peter van Anrooy in The Hague. b-Zaltbomme, 13 OCT 1879. Search Peter van Anrooy.

1962 Birth of American composer Jennifer HIGDON in Brooklyn, NY. Search Jennifer HIGDON.

1962 Death of soprano Bella Alten. Born 30 June 1877 in Zaxaczewo, Poland. Debut as Aennchen in Freischutz (Weber) 1897 Teachers:- Gustave Engel, Aglaia von Orgeni Salvatore Baccaloni Bass Born 14 Apr 1900 Rome Died 31 Dec 1969 Debut as Bartolo in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Apr 1922 Teacher :- Giuseppe Kaschmann Created Georgibus in Prezione Ridicole (Lattuada) Astolfi in Campiello (Wolf-Ferrari) Sang in premiere of Fra Gherardo (Pizzetti) Madama di Challant (Guarino) Maddalena (Michetti) Farsa Amorosa (Zandonai) Vigna (Guerrini) Il Dibuk (Rocca).

1970 Death of British composer Cyril Scott, in Eastbourne, England. b-Oxton near Birkenhead, 27 SEP 1879. Search Amazon.com for Cyril Scott | BOOK-Cyril Scott: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music). 

1970 FP of Bruno Maderna's Oedipe-Roi in Monte Carlo.

1977 Death of soprano Maria Janowska. Born 20 Mar 1890 in Poznan, Poland. Debut as Zofi in Halka (Moniuszko) 1913 Teacher :- Jean de Reszke Created Angele in Tsar Has A Photograph Taken (Weill).

1981 Death of soprano Cesarini Valobra. Born 3 July 1907. Debut in Boheme (Puccini) 1928 Teacher :- Vittorio Vanza Created Lisabetta in Cena delle Beffe (Giordano) Sang in premiere of Delitto e Castigo (Pedrollo) Maddalena (Michetti).