DECEMBER 9 Today in classical music history

1610 Birth of Italian castrato Baldassare Ferri in Perugia. Died 8 Sep 1680, Debut 1625 Teacher, Vincenzo Ugolini.

1621 Death of Italian tenor Francesco Rasi. Born 14 May 1574 in Arezzo. Debut as Amynter in Euridice (Peri) 1600 (Premiere) Teacher, Giulio Caccini Created Ovid & Apollo in Dafne (Da Gagliano) Orfeo in Orfeo (Monteverdi) Sang in premiere of Rapimento di Cefalo (Caccini) Arianna (Monteverdi).

1715 Birth of Danish composer Georg Gottfried PETRI.

1721 FP of Handel's opera Floridante in London. CD-Handel: Floridante

1728 Birth of Italian composer Pietro GUGLIELMI in Tuscani. d-Rome, 1804. Search Pietro GUGLIELMI.

1745 (19th?) Birth of Italian composer Giuseppe GIORDANI in Napoli. d-Fermo, 4 JAN 1798. Caro Mio Ben - Giuseppe Giordani.

1745 Birth of Italian vocalist and violinist Maddalena Lombardi SIRMEN in Venice. d-Venice, 18 MAY 1818.

1752 Birth of Austrian music teacher Leopold KOZELUH. Followed Mozart as court composer in Prague.

1754 Birth of German bassoonist, teacher and composer Etienne OZI. Search Etienne OZI.

1770 Death of composer Gottlieb Theophil Muffat, at 80.

1791 Birth of Scottish tenor John Sinclair in Edinburgh. d- 23 Sep 1857, Teachers:- Rossini, Banderali, Pellegrini Created Idrenus in Semiramide (Rossini) Sang in premiere of Guy Mannering (Bishop) Slave (Bishop).

1791 Birth of composer Peter Joseph Von LINDPAINTNER. d-21 AUG 1856. Search   Peter Joseph Von LINDPAINTNER.

1796 Birth of French composer Prudent-Louis Aubery du BOULLEY.

1814 Death of composer Jose Angel Lamas, at 39. Search Jose Angel Lamas.

1827 Death of composer Francois Leonard Rouwyzer, at 90.

1832 FP of Hector Berlioz Lélio, ou Le Retour à la vie 'Lelio, or The Return to Life'. François-Antoine Habaneck conducting and Berlioz was an additional timpanist, in Paris. CD-Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Excerpts from Lélio

1836 FP of Mikhail Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar at the Main Theater in St. Petersburg. To be titled Ivan Susanin after its lead character, but as a tribute to the Tsar was retitled following the Russian Revolution. . CD-Glinka: Life for the Tsar

1837 Birth of French composer Charles Emile WALDTEUFEL (VALD' toy fel) in Strasbourg, France. d- 12 FEB 1915. Search Charles Emile WALDTEUFEL.

1842 FP of Glinka's opera Russlan and Ludmilla at the Main Theater in St. Petesrburg.

1843 Birth of Bohemian-Czech cellist and composer David POPPER in Prague. m-pianist Sophie Menter. d-Baden, 7 AUG 1913. Search David POPPER 

1847 Birth of English baritone George Grossmith in London. d- 1 Mar 1912, Created John Wellington Wells in Sorcerer (Sullivan) Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore (Sullivan) Reginald Bunthorne in Patience (Sullivan) Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe (Sullivan) Gama in Princess Ida (Sullivan) Ko-Ko in Mikado (Sullivan) Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore (Sullivan) Jack Point in Yeoman of the Guard (Sullivan).

1850 Birth of American soprano Emma Abbott in Chicago. Died 5 Jan 1891, Debut as Marie in Figlia del Reggimento (Donizetti) 2 May 1876 Teachers:- Seth Abbott(father), Enrico Delle Sedie, Achille Errani Mathilde Marchesi, Antonio Sangiovanni, Pier-Francoise Wartel, Seth Abbott (father).

1854 Birth of Dutch composer Pekka HANNIKAINEN.

1859 Birth of composer Algernon ASHTON.

1862 Birth of Bohemian conductor and composer Karel KOVAROVIC. Conductor of the Prague National Opera. Search Karel KOVAROVIC.

1864 Birth of composer Sidney HOMER. 

1869 Birth of Swedish soprano Anna Bartels in Gafle, Sweden. Died 17 Feb 1950, Debut as Harriet in Martha (Flotow) 1897 Teachers:- Desiree Artot de Padilla, Signe Hebbe.

1882 Birth of Spanish composer Joaquin TURINA in Seville, Spain. d-Madrid, 14 JAN 1949. The catalan fan site has solid bio & nearly complete works list here. Search Joaquin TURINA.

1887 Birth of French tenor Louis Cazette in Nantes. Died 30 April, 1922 Debut as Noctambule in Louise (Charpentier) 14 Jun 1919 Teachers:- A Delpouget, Emile Engel, Jan Redev, Albert Saleza. Pour un baiser

1890 Birth of Czech tenor Emil Olsovsky in Brno. Died 20 Apr 1945, Debut 1911 Created Filka Morozov in From House of the Dead (Janacek) Sang in premiere of Makropulos Affair (Janacek).

1891 Birth of German soprano Kathe Herwig in Berlin. Died 28 Oct 1953,  Debut as Shepherd Boy in Tannhauser 1914 Teacher :- Ernst Grenzebach Created Ghita in Zwerg (Zemlinsky).

1893 Death of English organist, teacher and composer George Job Elvey, at age 77 in Windlesham, Surrey. b-Canterbury, 27 MAR 1816. Preces and Responses as used at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Harmonized and arranged by G. Elvey.

1899 Birth of Dutch choir conductor Frans van AMELSVOORT. d-25 AUG 1975.  Magnificat. [C major.] Milaan 1760 ... Bewerkt door Frans van Amelsvoort ... voor sopraan-en tenorsoli (alt- en bassoli ad libitum), 4-stemmig gemengd ... 2 hoorns en orgel. < Piano-uittreksel. >

1895 Birth of Spanish Mezzo-Soprano Conchita SUPERVIA. d-1936. Search Conchita SUPERVIA 

1900 FP of Debussy's Nuage and Fetes conducted by Camille Chevillard at a Lamoreux concert in Paris. CD-Debussy: La Mer - Jeux - Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre

1905 Death of composer Henry Holmes, at 66.

1905 FP of R. Strauss one-act opera Salome from story by Oscar Wilde, at the Dresden Court. Condemned as obscene. First use of the heckelphone, a baritone oboe invented by W. Heckel. CD-Strauss - Salome / Studer, Rysanek, Hiestermann, Terfel, Bieber, A. Murray, Sinopoli.

1906 Birth of Dutch soprano Greet Koeman in Zaandam.  Died 2 Sep 1961, Debut as Barbarina in Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) 1938 Teachers:- Johann Den Hertog, Aaltje Noordewierreddingius Created Duchess in Francois Villon (Dresden) Sang in premiere of Philomela (Andriessen).

1906 FP of Alexander Glazunov's Symphony No. 8, in St. Petersburg. CD-A. Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8

1908 Birth of American baritone / tenor Emery Darcy in Chicago. Debut as Malatesta in Don Pasquale (Donizetti) 1932 Teachers:- Lucie Lenox, Walter Taussig, Hermann Weigart. Der Rosenkavalier : Erster Aufzug, Fürstliche Gnaden haben den Notari.

1915 Birth of German soprano Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF in Jarotschin, Germany. d.- 3 AUG 2006. Appreciated for her performances in R. Strauss Der Rosenkavalier. Debut as Flower Maiden in Parsifal (Wagner) 1938 Teachers:- Egenolf, Maria Ivogun, Lula Mysz-Gmeiner, Erich Vietheer Pupils :- Thomas Hampson, Jane Leslie Mackenzie, Rita Shane Dana Talley, Eduardo Villa, Barry Banks, Jane Eaglen Alison Hagley, Mary Hegarty, Ingrid Attrot, Tinuke Olafimihan Hans-Gunter Dotzauer, Stephan Genz, Mariane Nicolescu Created Anne Trulove in Rake's Progress (Stravinsky) Sang in premiere of Trionfo D'Afrodite (Orff). Search Amazon.com for Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF. 

1917 Birth of bass / baritone Tomislav Neralic in Karlovac, Croatia. Debut 1939 Teacher :- Sergio Nazor Sang in premiere of Konig Hirsch (Henze).

1924 Death of Dutch composer Bernard Zweers, Gisbertus of Aemstel, at age 70 in Amsterdam. b-Amsterdam, 18 MAY 1854. Search Bernard Zweers. 

1925 Death of composer Eugene Gigout (GEE joh), at age 81 in Paris. b-Nancy, 23 MAR 1844.

1926 FP of Darius Milhaud's Carnival d'Aix for piano and orchestra with the composer as the piano soloist in NYC. CD-Karneval - Carnival - Carnaval -- Milhaud: Le Carnaval d'Aix / Johan Severin Svendsen: Norwegischer Künstlerkarneval, Op. 14 / Britten: Canadian Carnival, Op. 19

1927 Birth of Welsh mezzo-soprano Helen Watts in Milford Haven. Teachers:- C Hatchard, Fred Jackson. 

1927 Birth of French composer Pierre HENRY in Paris. Search Pierre HENRY.

1927 Birth of English music writer Benny GREEN. Obit.

1928 FP of M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Piano Concerto, in Rome.

1929 Birth of film composer Michel FANO.

1931 Death of German soprano Marie Lehmann. Born 15 May 1851 in Hamburg. Debut as Annchen in Freischutz (Weber) 1867 Teachers:- Lilli Lehmann, Marie Loewe, Melanie Kurt Created Wellgunde in Gotterdammerung (Wagner).

1933 Birth of French tenor Gilbert Py in Sete. Debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Puccini) 1964.

1933 Birth of Italian tenor Luciano Saldari in Ascoli Piceno. Debut as Duke in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1957 Teacher :- Antonio Melandri.

1934 Birth of Bulgarian bass Anton Diakov in Sofia. Debut in Rangoni in Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky) 1960 Teachers:- Assem Dimitrov, Luigi Ricci Created Mayor in Drache (Meier) Sang in premiere of Augustin (Meier). Search Anton Diakov.

1934 Birth of English composer Alan RIDOUT. d-19 March 1996.

1938 Birth of American composer William Thomas McKINLEY in New Kensington, PA. Search William Thomas McKINLEY

1938 Birth of American Mezzo-Soprano Tatiana TROYANOS. d-1993. Search Tatiana TROYANOS.

1938 FP of John Cage's Trio for Percussion in Santa Monica, CA. CD-John Cage: Music for Percussion

1939 FP of Cage's First Construction (in Metal) for six percussionists, in Seattle, WA. CD-The 25-Year Retrospective Concert of the Music of John Cage.

1942 FP of A. Khachaturian's Gayne ballet in Perm. CD-Khachaturian:Gayne Ballet Music/Shostakovich: Symphony No.5.

1942 FP of Aaron Copland's Danzón Cubano for Two Pianos played by the composer and Leonard Bernstein. League of Composers 20th Anniversary concert at the Town Hall Forum, in NYC. Titled Birthday Piece on Cuban Themes. CD-Copland: Appalachian Spring/Fanfare For The Common Man/El Salón México/Danzón Cubano

1942 American conductor George Szell makes his MET Opera debut conducting Salome. Search George Szell.

1949 FP of Samuel Barber's Piano Sonata. Vladimir Horowitz, in Havana, Cuba.

1950 Death of Austrian bass-baritone Georg Hann. Born 30 Jan 1897 in Vienna. Debut 1927 Theodor Lierhammer Created Sergeant in Friedenstag (Strauss) La Roche in Capriccio (Strauss)

1950 FP of Miaskovsky's Symphony No. 27, posthumously, in Moscow. CD-Symphony 27/Sinfonia

1953 Birth of Scottish counter-tenor Christopher Robson in Falkirk. Debut as Argone in Samson (Handel) 1979 Teachers, Paul Esswood, James Gaddarn, Thomas Hemsley Helga Mott, Geoffrey Parsons, Peter Pears, Laura Sarti John Shirley Quirk, Nigel Wickens Created Ometh in Golem (Casken). Bio: Christopher ROBSON. Official site

1956 Death of composer and organist Hans Barth, at 59.

1958 Birth of English soprano Susan Bullock in Cheshire. Debut as Pamina in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1986 Teacher :- Audrey Langford, Marjorie Thomas.

1958 Birth of English cellist Stephen ISSERLIS. Search Stephen ISSERLIS.

1960 Death of Norwegian tenor Gunnar Graarud. Born 1 Jun 1886 in Oslo. Debut 1919 Teachers:- Fred Husler, Konrad von Zawilowski Pupil :- Otto Edelmann Sang in premiere of Campana Sommersa (Respighi).

1960 Death of French soprano Mado Robin. Born 29 Dec 1918, Tours. Debut as Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi) 12 Aug 1945 Teachers:- Mario Podesta, Mme Fourestier. 

1966 Death of composer Yuri Alexandrovich Shaporin, at 79. Yuri Shaporin: The Decembrists

1967 Birth of American violinist Joshua BELL. Search Joshua BELL.

1969 FP of Peter Maxwell Davies' Vsalii Icones in London.

1971 Birth of Slovakian composer Anton STEINECKER in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.

1974 Death of composer Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos, at 64.

1974 Death of Austrian bass Ludwig Weber. Born 29 July 1899 Vienna. Debut as Fiorello in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1920 Teachers:- Alfred Boruttau, Roller Pupils :- Frederick Guthrie, Olivera Miljakovic, Hans Christian Created Holsteiner in Friedenstag (Strauss).

1974 FP of Lou Harrison's Suite for Violin with American Gamelan, violinist Lauren Jakey at Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, CA. CD-Harrison: Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Javanese Gamelan

1976 Death of Italian tenor Nino Martini. Born 7 Aug 1902 in Verona. Debut as Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1925 Teachers:- Maria Gay, Giovanni Zenatello.

1982 Death of Polish-Dutch violist Paul Godwin [Goldfein], at 80. Search Paul Godwin.

2003 Concert by The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, Mohammed Amin Ezzat, conductor and the National Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin, conductor with Guest Soloist Yo-Yo Ma, cello at Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.

2012 Death of American pianist and writer Charles ROSEN. BIO

2014 Death of Russian violinist Lydia Mordkovitch. b-30 APR 1944. OBIT