FEBRUARY 18

 Nicola Fago

1632 Birth of Italian composer Giovanni Battista VITALI, in Bologna. d-Bologna, 12 OCT 1692.

1655 Birth of Italian stringed instrument craftsman Pietro Giovanni GUARNERI. d-1720.

1716 Birth of Swiss composer Gaspard FRITZ.

1735 The first opera performed in America, known as either Flora or Hob in the Well, was presented in Charleston, SC.

1743 (JC, GC=1 MAR)FP of Handel's oratorio Samson at Covent Garden, London, with great success. Runs eight performances.

1745 Death of Italian composer Nicola Fago, at 67.

1751 Birth of composer Karl HAACK.

1770 Birth of German composer Johann Christian Heinrich RINCK in Elgersberg. d-Darmstadt, 7 AUG 1846.

1771 Birth of composer Friedrich Christian RUPPE.

1790 Death of composer Wilhelm Gottfried Enderle, at age 67.

1799 Birth of Russian composer Aleksey Nikolayevitch VERSTOVSKY in Selivyorstovo. d-Moscow, 5 SEP 1862.

1799 Death of composer Maurus Haberhauer, at age 52.

1806 Death of soprano Brigitta Banti-Giorgi. Born 1756 in Monticelli, D'Ongina. Debut 1776 Teachers, Abel, Piozzi, Antonio Sacchini Sang in premiere of Eraldo ed Emma (Mayr) Created Zenobia in Zenobia (Mount Edgcumbe).

1807 Publication of Beethoven's Appassionata, f minor Piano Sonata, No 23, Op 57.

1818 Birth of soprano Marianna Barbieri-Nini in Florence.  Died 27 Nov 1887 Debut as Antonina in Belisario (Donizetti) 1840 Teachers, Luigi Barbieri, Giuditta Pasta, Nicola Vaccai, Romani Created Lucrezia in I Due Foscari (Verdi) Gulnara in Corsaro (Verdi) Luisa Strozzi in Lorenzino de Medici (Pacini) Merope in Merope (Pacini) Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Verdi) Leila in Ebrea (Apolloni) Beatrice in Buendelmonte (Pacini) Sang in premiere of Mazeppa (Campana).

1819 Birth of composer Joseph Philbrick WEBSTER.

1829 Death of composer Jan Krtitel Kuchar, at 77.

1833 Death of composer Georg Johann Schinn, at 64.

1833 Death of composer Ignac Ruzitska, at 55.

1841 Birth of composer Samuel Prowse WARREN.

1846 Death of composer Giovanni Liverati, at 73.

1850 Birth of German baritone, composer, conductor, and founder of the London Symphony concerts, George HENSCHEL in Breslau. Was first conductor of the Boston Sym Orchestra 1881 to 1884. d-Scotland 10 SEP 1934. Teachers, Franz Goetz, Adolf Schultze Pupils, Marie Brema, George Hamlin, Roland Hayes, Lillian Henschel Paul Reimers, Kennerley Rumford, Louis Arthur Russell Mariska Aldrich, Steuart Wilson, Michael Head, Cuthbert Smith Frederick Grisewood, Evangeline Florence, Gervase Elwes.

1855 Birth of Russian pianist Vera TIMANOFF. d-1942.

1864 Birth of Boston Music Company founder Gustave SCHIRMER in NYC, son of music publisher Gustave Sr. American music publisher, G. Schirmer Co. d-Boston, 15 JUL 1907. See: Boston Music Company.

1874 FP of N. Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphony No. 3, in St. Petersburg.

1880 Birth of American organist, conductor, composer and music critic Eric De LAMARTER. d-Orlando, 17 MAY 1953.

1882 Birth of soprano Berta Kiurina in Linz. Died 3 May 1933 Debut 1904 Teacher, Gustav Geiringer.

1885 Death of English contralto and composer Charlotte Helen Sainton-Dolby, at 61. b-17 May 1821 London Died 18 Feb 1885 Teachers, J Bennet, Elliott, Domenico Crivelli

1893 FP of Hector Berlioz's opera La Damnation de Faust in Monte Carlo, starring tenor Jean De Reszke; it was concieved as an oratorio. Berlioz conducted the first oratorio performance at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 6 DEC 1846.

1893 FP of J. Brahms' Intermezzo No. 1, for piano, Op. 117, in Vienna.

1894 (8th?) Birth of pianist Rosita RENARD in Chile. d- 24 MAY 1949.

1895 FP of Charles Martin Loeffler's Quintet for three violins, viola and cello, by the Kneisel Quartet joined by violinist William Kraft at Union Hall, Boston.

1896 Birth of Greek naturalized American conductor Dimitri METROPOULOS in Athens. NY Philharmonic 1949-58. d-Milan, 2 NOV 1960, while rehearsing Mahler's 3rd Sym with La Scala Orch.

1915 Birth of French composer Marcel LANDOWSKI in Prêt L'Abbé, Finistère.

1915 Birth of Flemish pianist and composer David van de WOESTIJNE in Llanidloes. d-Brussels, 18 MAY 1979. Photo/Works list.

1916 FP of Daniel Mason's First Symphony. Philadelphia Orchestra.

1917 Birth of mezzo-soprano Eva Gustavson in Horten, Norway. Debut 1946 Teachers, Signe Amundsen, Bokken Larsson, Andrjeva von Skilondz Soffi Schonning.

1917 Death of baritone Vaclav Anton. Born 16 May 1850 in Pilsen. Created Levi in Nikola Subic Zrinjski (Zajc).

1919 Birth of tenor Georges Athana in Saloniki. Debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca (Puccini) 1949 Teacher,    A Belliel.

1919 FP of Deems Taylor's Through The Looking Glass. NY Chamber Music Society.

1922 Death of mezzo-soprano Marie Goetze. Born 2 Nov 1865 in Berlin. Debut in Azucena in Trovatore (Verdi) 1884 Teachers, Desiree Artot de Padilla, Jenny Meyer Created Magdalena in Evangelimann (Kienzl) Sang in premiere of Hero (Frank) Genesius (Weingartner) Regina (Lortzing) Die Beichte (Hummel F) Heilmar der Narr (Kienzl) Rose von Pontevedra (Foerster).

1923 Birth of mezzo-soprano Isabella Andreani in Corsica. Debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1950 Teachers, Jeanne Fourestier, Mireille Sabatier Sang in premiere of Belle de Paris (Etcheverry / Ducreux).

1924 Death of tenor Victor Capoul. Born 27 Feb 1839 in Toulouse. Died 18 Feb 1924 Debut in Chalet (Adam) Teachers, Mocker, Revial Pupils, Bessie Abott, Augustin Nuibo, Herbert Witherspoon Created Guy de Kerdrel in Grande Tante (Massenet) Sang in premiere L'Absent (Poise) Premier jour de bonheur (Auber) Vert Vert (Offenbach) Paul et Virginie (Masse).

1926 Birth of Belgian contralto Rita GORR in Ghent. Debut as Fricka in Walkure (Wagner) 1949 Teachers, Maria Carpi, Pacquot-D'Assy, Poelfiet Sang in premiere of Numance (Barraud).

1926 Birth of baritone Mordechai Ben-Shacher in Rumania. Debut as Escamillo in Carmen (Bizet) 1951 Sang in premiere of Crook (Avidom).

1927 First broadcast by Singer Jessica Dragonette, on radio’s Cities Service Concerts.

1930 Birth of Canadian pianist and composer Andre MATHIEU.

1931 Birth of composer Dieter SCHONBACH.

1933 Birth of soprano Bella Jasper in Szony, Hungary. Died Mar 1992 Debut as Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1958 Teacher, Olga Revhegyi Created Ida in Der Junge Lord (Henze).

1934 Birth of Italian conductor Aldo CECCATO, in Milan. Detroit Sym Orch 1973-77. Interview.

1939 Birth of Polish conductor Marek JANOWSKI.

1939 Birth of Brazilian composer Marlos NOBRE in Recife. Seminars... at University of Arizona. Biography.

1939 Death of composer Ludwig Bonvin, at age 89.

1943 Birth of American composer Alice SHIELDS in NYC.

1947 FP of Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera The Telephone. New York Ballet Society.

1951 Birth of American composer Donald CROCKETT in Pasadena, CA.

1952 FP of S. Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125 "Cello Concerto" No. 2 with Sviatoslav Richter conducting and Mstislav Rostropovich the soloist in Moscow.

1955 FP of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 5 Sinfonia Sacra. Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting.

1956 Death of French composer French composer Gustave Charpentier, in Paris. b-Lorraine, 25 JUN 1860.

1959 Death of Romanian composer Alfred Alessandrescu, at 65.

1959 Death of Austrian composer Eric Zeisl, at age 53 in Los Angeles, CA. b-Vienna, 18 MAY 1905.

1959 Death of composer Jaroslav Kvapil, at 66.

1964 Birth of American composer John BISHARAT.

1965 FP of Alberto Ginastera's Harp Concerto. Nicanor Zabaleta with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting.

1966 Death of composer Casimir von Paszthory, at 79.

1967 Death of composer Manuel Palau Boix, at 74.

1974 Death of mezzo-soprano Conchita Velasquez. Born 1904 in Cartagena.  Died 18 Feb 1974 Debut 1928 Sang in premiere of Lucretia (Guastella).

1975 Death of Austro-Hungarian composer Luigi Dallapiccola. b-Pisino 3 FEB 1904.

1977 Death of bass-baritone Theo Hermann. Born 26 Jan 1901 in Vienna.  Died 18 Feb 1977 Debut as Mephistopheles in Faust (Gounod) 1922 Pupil, Geraint Evans.

1985 Death of tenor Willy Alberti. Born 14 Oct 1926 in Amsterdam. Teacher, Maria Hoving van Driel.

1985 Death of Hungarian composer Gábor Darvas in Budapest. b-Szatmárnémeti, 18 JAN 1911.

1986 Death of Brazilian composer Francisco Paolo Mignone in Rio de Janeiro . b-São Paulo, 3 SEP 1897.

1987 Death of Russian composer Dimtri Kabalevsky at age 82, in Moscow. b-St. Petersburg, 30 DEC 1904.

1997 Death of English musicologist and Delius' associate, Eric William Fenby, at 90.

1997 Death of French-American conductor and musicologist Antonio de Almeida (dal MAY dah) in Pittsburgh. b-Neuilly, Paris, 20 JAN 1928.

1998 FP of Thea Musgrave's Phoenix Rising. BBC Symphony, Andrew Davis conducting at Royal Festival Hall in London.