JANUARY 1 Today in classical music history

Giovanni Gabrieli

1583 Birth of Italian soprano Virginia Andreini in Milan. Died 1630, Created Arianna in Arianna (Monteverdi).

1585 Italian Composer Giovanni Gabrieli is second organist at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. His uncle Andrea Gabrieli was first. Search Giovanni Gabrieli.

1602 German organist and composer Hans Leo Hassler named court organist in Prague. Search Hans Leo Hassler .

1637 German harpsichordist and composer Johann Jakob Froberger, (1616 - 1667), a student of Frescobaldi, joins the Imperial Chapel in Vienna. Search Johann Jakob Froberger.

1666 FP of Benedetto Pallavicino's (1551-1601) first opera Demetrio at the Teatro San Moise in Venice.

1714 Birth of Italian castrato Giovanni Battista Mancini in Ascoli, Piceno. Died 4 Jan 1800 Teachers:- Antonio Mario Bernacchi, Leo Leonardo Pupil :- Celeste Coltellini.

1732 Death of Italian castrato Nicolino (Nicolo Grimaldi). Born Apr 1673 in Naples. Debut as Armillo in Stellidaura vendicata (Provenzale) 1685 Teacher :- Francesco Provenzale Created Rinaldo in Rinaldo (Handel) Amadigi in Amadigi di Gaula (Handel) Idaspe in Amanti Generosi (Mancini) Ambleto in Ambleto (Gasparini) Catone in Catone in Utica (Leo) Idreno in Semiramide Riconosciuto (Porpora) Tigrane in Tigrane (Scarlatti A) Sang in premiere of Caduta di Mineo (Scarlatti A) Prigioniero Fortunato (Scarlatti A) Scipione nelle Spagni (Scarlatti A) Cambise (Scarlatti A) Idaspe Fedele (Mancini) Massimiano (Orlandini) Didone Abbandonati (Vinci) Siroe Re di Persia (Vinci).

1764 Leopold Mozart and his two children dine at the French court.

1773 FP of the poem Amazing Grace by John Newton in Olney England. BOOK- Amazing Grace: The Story of America's Most Beloved Song by Steve Turner, Judy Collins (Introduction).

1777 Birth of American composer Micah HAWKINS in Head of the Harbor, NY. He played flute, piano and violin. Composed the first opera by an American composer on an American theme. The Saw-Mill, or Yankee Trick was performed at the Chatham Garden Theater in NYC in 1824-25. d-1825. Search Micah HAWKINS.

1780 Death of German composer Johann Ludwig Krebs in Altenburg. b-Buttelstedt, subarban Weimar 10 OCT 1713. Search Johann Ludwig Krebs.

1782 Death of German composer Johann Christian BACH in London at age 47. Youngest surviving son of J.S. Bach. b-Leipzig, 5 SEP 1735. Search  Johann Christian BACH. 

1801 The first musical presentation at the White House. The U.S. Marine Band performs for New Years day reception of President John Adams.

1806 Birth of Italian bass Giulio Pellegrini in Milan.  Died 12 July 1858, Teacher :- Davide Banderali. 

1821 Birth of French bass-baritone Joseph Tagliafico in Toulon. Died 27 Jan 1900, Debut 1844 Teachers:- Luigi Lablache, Piermarini Created Lefort in Pietro il Grande (Jullien).

1843 Birth of Russian composer Nikolay Nikolayevitch LODYZHENSKY in St. Petersburg. d-15 FEB 1916.

1847 FP Schumann's Piano Concerto in a. Clara Schumann, pianist, in Vienna. CD-Robert Schumann/Edvard Greig: Concertos For Piano And Orchestra.

1848 Birth of tenor Adolf Krossing in Prazan. Died 28 Jan 1933, Debut in Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) 10 Nov 1870 Teacher :- J V Vogel Created Skrivanek in Secret (Smetana) Michalek in Devil's Wall (Smetana) Sang in premiere of Debora (Foerster).

1865 Birth of Italian-American composer Giuseppe FERRATA in Gradioli. d-New Orleans, LA 1928.

1870 Birth of Dutch bass-baritone Anton Van Rooy in Rotterdam. Died 29 Nov 1932 Debut as Wotan in Ring (Wagner) 1897 Teacher :- Julius Stockhausen.

1871 Birth of Franch tenor Charles Dalmores in Nancy. Died 6 Dec 1939, Debut as Siegfried in Ring (Wagner) 1899 Teachers:- Dauphin, Edmond-Alphonse Verguet, Franz Emmerich Created Lancelot in Roi Arthus (Chausson) Sang in premiere Oracolo (Leoni). 

1871 Birth of German baritone Freidrich Weidemann in Ratzeberg. Died 30 Jan 1919, Debut 1896 Teachers:- Wilhelm Vilmar, Conrad Muschler.

1873 Birth of American recording executive and producer Frederick William GAISBERG. d-1951. See: Sound recording in India..

1876 Birth of bass Paul Payan. Died 1 Nov 1959. Teacher :- Jacques Isnardon Sang in premiere of La Habanera (Laparra) Macbeth (Bloch) Lepreuse (Lazzari) Marouf (Rabaud).

1878 Birth of American Bandmaster and composer Edwin Franko GOLDMAN in Louisville, KY. d-NYC, 21 FEB 1956. Search Edwin Franko GOLDMAN.

1879 FP of Brahms Violin Concerto, Brahms conducting, Joseph Joachim, soloist, in Leipzig. CD-Hilary Hahn ~ Brahms · Stravinsky - Violin Concertos.

1885 Birth of American composer Roland DIGGLE. d-1954. Search Roland DIGGLE.

1889 Birth of Russian-American conductor Alexander SMALLENS in St. Petersburg.

1889 Birth of Polish-American composer Tadeusz JARECKI. d-1955. Trio: Fugato e Aria, for Piano, Violin and Cello, or Viola. Opusii. [Score and parts.].

1891 Antonin Dvorak was named professor of music at Prague Conservatory.

1892 Birth of Polish conductor Artur RODZINSKI. d- 1958. Search Amazon.com for Artur RODZINSKI. 

1892 Birth of Swedish bass Sven D'Ailly in Stockholm. Died 14 Aug 1969, Teachers:- A Ekholm, Gillis Bratt Debut 1912.

1894 FP of Antonin Dvorák's String Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96 American, in Boston. CD-Dvorák: The String Quartets.

1897 Death of French tenor Joseph Theodor Barbot. Born 12 April 1824 in Toulouse. Debut 1848. Teachers:- Elwart, Manuel Garcia Jnr Pupils :- Albert Vaguet, Meyriane Heglon Created Faust in Faust (Gounod).

1898 Birth of Austrian conductor and accompaniest Viktor ULLMAN in Prague. d-Auschwitz, 18 OCT 1944. Search Viktor ULLMAN .

1898 Birth of German soprano Marta FUCHS in Stuttgart. d-22 SEP 1974 in Stuttgart. Sang in premiere of Der Gunstling (Wagner-Regeny). 

1907 Birth of Swiss conductor Erich SCHMID in Balsthal. d-Zurich, 17 DEC 2000. Search Erich SCHMID.

1908 Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), chosen as new conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in NYC, conducting Tristan and Isolde.

1911 Birth of Polish-American violinist Roman TOTENBERG. Father of Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio's legal affairs correspondent. Search Roman TOTENBERG.

1911 Birth of Italian baritone Cesare Bardelli in Sanpierdarena, Genoa. Died 13 Dec 2000, Debut as Amonasro in Aida (Verdi) 1937 Teacher :- Alfredo Bardelli (father), Barsanti, Pizzi.

1920 Birth of French soprano Suzanne Juyol in Paris. Debut as Margared in Roi D'Ys (Lalo) Teacher :- Claire Croiza Sang in premiere of Sampiero Corso (Tomasi).

1922 Birth of Ukrainian baritone Andrzej Hiolski in Lvov Lemberg. Died 26 Feb 2000, Debut 1941 Teachers:- Adamo Didur, H Oleska Sang in premiere of Devils of Loudon (Penderecki).

1926 Birth of German soprano Ingeborg Wenglor in Dresden. Debut as Marie in Waffenschmied (Lortzing ) 1948 Teacher :- Elise Stunzner Sang in premiere of Der Arme Konrad (Forest).

1928 Birth of Portugese-American conductor Antonio de ALMEIDA. d-1997. Search Antonio de ALMEIDA.

1930 Birth of German composer Werner HEIDER in Furth.

1934 Birth of Italian soprano Liliana Poli in Florence. Debut as Micaela in Carmen (Bizet) 1959 Created Woman in Tutto cio che accade (Bartolozzi) Sang in premiere of Persefone (Lupi).

1934 Birth of Dutch mezz-soprano Joyce Blackham in Rotherham. Debut as Olga in Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) 1955 Teacher :- Joseph Hislop.

1936 Birth of American conductor and Music Director of the Opera Orchestra of New York, Eve QUELER in NYC. Search Eve QUELER.

1940 Birth of Hungarian composer Laszlo SARY in Gyor.

1941 Birth of Portugese pianist Alberto PORTUGHEIS. Search Alberto PORTUGHEIS.

1942 FP of Carlos Chavez's Piano Concerto. Eugene List, pianist, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Dimtri Mitropoulos in NYC. CD-Carlos Chávez: Concierto para Violin; Concierto para Piano

1947 Birth of bass Laszlo Polgar in Somogyszentpal, Hungary. Debut as Ceprano in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1971 Pupil :- Istvan Kovacs.

1948 Birth of American composer Bernadette SPEACH. Search Bernadette SPEACH.

1948 Death of German pianist and conductor Herman Karl Zilcher in Wurzburg. b-Frankfurt-am-Main, 18 AUG 1881.

1953 Birth of American composer Kevin HANLON. 

1953 FP of Ernest Bloch's Suite Hebraïque in Chicago. CD-Ernest Bloch: Works for Viola & Piano - Suite for Viola & Piano (1919) / Meditation & Processional / Suite Hébraique / Suite for Solo Viola.

1955 Birth of American mezzo-soprano Carol Sparrow in North Carolina. Created Miranda in Tempest (Hoiby).

1965 Death of Italian baritone Vincenzo Guicciardi. Born 28 Oct 1889 in Modena. Died 1 Jan 1965 Created Robincan in Vole di Notte (Dallapiccola) Sang in premiere of La Notte di Zoraima (Montemezzi) Antonio e Cleopatra (Malipiero) Re Lear (Frazzi) Ivania (Pizzi).

1977 Death of American tenor Roland Hayes in Boston at 89. Born 3 Jun 1887 Chattanooga. Teachers:- Victor Beigel, A Calhoun, Georg Henschel, Arthur J Hubbard Amanda Aldridge Pupil :- Kenneth J Spencer.  

1994 Death of tenor Stefan Islandi. Born 6 Oct 1907 in Iceland. Debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca (Puccini) 1933 Teacher :- Ernesto Caronna.

1998 Death of American baritone Todd Duncan. Born 12 Feb 1903 in Danville Ky. Died 1 Jan 1998, Debut as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) 1934 Pupils :- Lawrence Winters, Philip Booth, David Griffith, Jerry Jennings Blair Wilson Created Porgy in Porgy and Bess (Gershwin) Rev Stephen Kumalo in Lost in the Stars (Weill).  Playbill for the 1942 Revival of Porgy and Bess Starring Todd Duncan and Etta Motten.

1998 Death of bass-baritone Randolph Symonette. Born 23 Nov 1918 in the Bahamas. Teachers:- Paul Althouse, Clytie Mundie. Americana: Randolph Symonette, baritone; Leslie Harnley, piano. lp.