JANUARY 31

1517 Birth of Italian composer Gioseffo ZARLINO.

1573 Birth of German composer Ambrosius METZGER in Nuremberg. d-1632.

1573 Birth of composer Giulio Cesare MONTEVERDI. He was Claudio's younger brother.

1614 Birth of French priest, choirmaster and composer Nicolas SABOLY in Monteux. d-Avignon, 1675.

CD-Christmas Treasures

1679 FP of Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera Bellerophon, at Paris Opera.

1727 '29?(JC, GC=11 FEB) FP of G. F. Handel's opera Admeto re di Tessaglia at the Haymarket Theater in London.

CD-Handel - Admeto / Jacobs, Yakar, Bowman, Dams, Cold, Gomez, van Egmond, Il Complesso Barocco, A. Curtis

1734 Birth of composer Julien-Amable MATHEIU.

1750 Birth of Franz Christian Hartig Tenor Born 31 Jan 1750 Heldenberg 1819 Debut 1772 Teacher :- Anton Raaff Created Karl in Gunther von Schwarzburg (Holzbauer)

1759 Birth of French flutist, bassoonist and composer Francois DEVIENNE in Joinville. d-Paris, 5 SEP 1803.

CD-Devienne: Bassoon Concertos

1783 Death of Caffarelli (Gaetano Majorano) Castrato Born 12 Apr 1710 Bari Died 31 Jan 1783 Debut in Valemaro (Sarro) 1726 Teacher :- Nicola Porpora Created Xerxes in Xerxes (Handel) Faramondo in Faramondo (Handel) Farnaspe in Adriano in Siria (Pergolesi) Alessandro Severo in Alessandro Severo (Handel) Oreste in Andromacca (Leo)

1784 Birth of Prussian composer Carl Wilhelm HENNING.

1788 Death of Italian composer Francesco Maria Zannetti, at 50.

1797 Birth of Austrian composer Franz SCHUBERT in Vienna. d-Vienna, 19 NOV 1828.

VHS-Famous Composers: Franz Schubert
BOOK-Franz Schubert: Music and Belief
CD-Schubert: 8 Symphonies

1798 Birth of German conductor and composer Carl Gottlieb REISSIGER. d-7 NOV 1859.

CD-Romantic Flute Concertos: Reinecke, Reissiger

1827 Birth of Marie Cabel Soprano Born 31 Jan 1827 Luttich Died 1885 Debut as Georgette in Val D'Andorre (Halevy) 1849 Teacher :- Louis-Joseph Cabell (later husband) Created Dinorah in Dinorah (Meyerbeer) Philine in Mignon (Thomas) Manon Lescaut in Manon Lescaut (Auber) Toinon in Bijou Perdu (Adam) Helene in Premier Jour de Bonheur (Auber) Sang in premiere of Georgette (Gevaert) La Promise (Clapisson) Jaguerita l'Indienne (Halevy) Muletier de Tolede (Adam) La Chatte merveilleuse (Grisar) Troyens a Carthage (Berlioz)

1836 Birth of Polish composer Henryk SZULC.

1882 Birth of Australian bass baritone, Peter DAWSON, was widely recorded singer. From 1904 to 1958 he made nearly 2,000 recordings, from cylinders to LPs.

CD-Peter Dawson: Australia's Ambassdor of Song

1854 Birth of American composer, pianist and teacher William Hall SHERWOOD in Lyon, NY. d-Chicago, 7 JAN 1911.

1870 Birth of Felix von Kraus Bass / Teacher of Singing Born 31 Jan 1870 Vienna Died Nov 1937 Teacher :- Julius Stockhausen Pupils :- Karl Burian, Josef Janko, Felix Loeffek, Max Meili Adrienne von Krauss-Osborne (wife) Aage Foenss

1872 Birth of American composer Rupert HUGHES. d-1956.

1881 Birth of Anton Arnold Tenor Born 31 Jan 1881 Weisskirchen Died 13 July 1954 Debut 1909 Teachers:- Paul Greiff, Laura Hilgermann, Created Buckligen in Frau Ohne Schatten (Strauss)

1882 Birth of Peter Dawson Baritone Born 31 Jan 1882 Adelaide Died 26 Sep 1961 Teachers:- Kantorez, Charles Santley Pupils :- Joan Cross, Samuel Rabin

1882 Birth of Russian ballerina Anna PAVLOVA.

VHS-Anna Pavlova
BOOK-Dancing Star the Story of Anna Pavlova

1889 Death of German composer, bandmaster, oboist and choral director Joseph Gungl in Weimar. b-Zsambek, 1 DEC 1810. Uncle of Johann.

1891 Birth of German composer Max DRISCHNER.

CD-The Mystic Organ

1895 Birth of Otakar Macha Tenor Born 31 Jan 1895 Klagenfurt Debut 1915 Teacher :- Karl Burian, August Iffert

1901 Birth of Slovenian composer Blaz ARNIC.

1906 Birth of English composer Benjamin FRANKEL in London. d-12 FEB 1973.

1909 Death of German composer Hermann Schröder, II in Berlin. b-Suburban Halberstadt, 28 July 1843.

1910 Death of Gustav Walter Tenor Born 11 Feb 1834 Bohemia Died 31 Jan 1910 Debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1855 Teacher :- Heinrich Vogl Pupils :- Mme Charles Cahier, Lula Mysz-Gmeiner, Franz Pacal Created Assad in Queen of Sheba (Goldmark)

1910 First live opera broadcast. Radio pioneer Lee DeForest arranged the first live origination from the Metropolitan Opera House of New York, where the operas Il Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana were presented. Live opera presentations did not become popular until the 1920s, however, when radio transmission technology was greatly improved.

1913 Birth of Argentinian composer Hector Iglesias VILLOUD in San Nicolás.

1916 Birth of Benno Kusche Bass-Baritone Born 31 Jan 1916 Freiburg Debut as Melitone in Forza del Destino (Verdi) 1938 Teacher :- Fritz Harlan Created Titus in Titus Feuerfuchs (Sutermeister) Sang in premiere of Antigonae (Orff)

1917 Birth of Filipino composer, musicologist, teacher and performer, Jose MACEDA. d-2004.

CD-José Maceda: Gongs and Bamboos

1921 Birth of American motion picture actor and tenor Mario LANZA (Alfredo Arnold Cocozza) in Philadelphia, PA at 636 Christian Street. d-Rome, 7 OCT 1959. Lanza Institute. Films: That Midnight Kiss, The Great Caruso, Because You’re Mine, The Student Prince. Hit Songs, Be My Love, The Loveliest Night of the Year, Because You’re Mine.

DVD-Mario Lanza: The American Caruso
CD-Lanza: Greatest Hits

1922 Death of Austrian composer Heinrich Reinhardt, at age 56.

1923 FP of Delius' Cello Concerto in Vienna by Alexander Barjansky, Ferdinand Lowe, cond.

CD-Jacqueline du Pré - The Concerto Collection

1925 FP of Vladimir Dukelsky's ballet Zéphir et Flore in Paris. He composed popular music under the name Vernon Duke.

1935 Birth of Bulgarian composer Bojidar DIMOV in Lom. d-Cologne, JUN 2003.

1935 FP of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Cello Concerto. New York Philharmonic, with cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.

1937 Birth of American minimalist composer Philip GLASS in Baltimore, MD.

BOOK-Glass: A Portrait

1943 FP of Richard Strauss' Divertimento on pieces by Couperin in Vienna.

1945 Birth of American composer Noah CRESHEVSKY.

1947 Birth of American composer Jim NOLLMAN.

1948 Birth of Kolos Kovacs Bass Born 31 Jan 1948 Mohacs Hungary Debut 1970 Teacher :- Ferenc Revhegyi

1952 FP of Leon Kirchner's Sinfonia in NYC.

1953 FP of Vittorio Giannini's opera The Taming of the Shrew, as concert work, in Cincinnati, OH.

1955 Birth of Robert Gambill Tenor Born 31 Jan 1955 Indianapolis Debut Lerma in Don Carlos (Verdi) 1977 Teacher :- Hans Kagel Created Michael in Donnerstag aus Licht (Stockhausen)

1955 Death of Frantisek Krampera Tenor Born 2 Feb 1877 Prague 31 Jan 1955 Debut 1899 Teacher :- Konrad Wallerstein

1955 Debut of Soprano Renata Tebaldi at the Metroplitan Opera in Otello.

1960 Birth of English composer and pianist George BENJAMIN in London.

1961 Birth of English organist, pianist and conductor Wayne MARSHALL. Educated at Chetham's School, Manchester.

1965 Birth of Israli born Canadian cellist Ofra HARNOY, who studied with her father, as well as M. Rostropovich and Jacquline DuPre. After moving to Canada she soloed at the age of 10 with the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.

1969 Death of composer Alexander Mikhaylovich Dzegelyonok, at age 77.

1972 Death of conductor Howard Barlow, conductor for many years of radio's Voice of Firestone, at age 79.

1972 Death of Hungarian composer Istvan Szelenyi, at age 67. b-8 AUG 1904.

1973 Death of Giuseppina Zinetti Mezzo-Soprano Born 1889 Ferrara Died 31 Jan 1973 Debut as Annina / Flora in Traviata (Verdi) 25 Feb 1913 Teacher :- Oreste Poli

1975 Death of Elsa Alsen Soprano Born 7 Apr 1880 Obra Poland Died 31 Jan 1975 Debut as Azucena in Trovatore (Verdi) 1902 Teachers:- Jetke Finkenstein, Louise Reuss-Belce

1978 Death of Margit Angerer Soprano Born 6 Nov 1903 Budapest Died 31 Jan 1978 Debut as Leonora in Forza Del Destino (Verdi) 1926

1986 FP of Joan Tower's Piano Concerto Homage to Beethoven.Hudson Valley Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Imre Pallo, Jacquelyn M. Helin, piano.

1987 FP of David Maslanka's Wind Quintet No. 2. Manhattan Quintet at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in NYC.

1989 Death of Japanese composer Yasushi Akutagawa, at age 63. b-Tokyo, 12 July 1925.

1994 Barcelona opera theater Gran Teatro del Liceo burns down.