FEBRUARY 20

John Dowland

1626 Death of English lutenist and composer John Dowland at age 63, in London. b-Dublin, 1563.

1649 Birth (or 23 FEB 1648?)of English organist and teacher John BLOW. d-Westminster, 1 OCT 1708.

1650 FP of Cavalli's opera L'Orimonte at Teatro San Cassiano, in Venice.

1666 FP of Cavalli's opera Pompey the Great at the Teatro San Salvatore in Venice.

1719 Handel postpone's trip to Halle Germany. Mother is ill, but he must work.

1722 FP of G. F. Handel's Water Music in a concert hall, London.

1724 FP of J. S. Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe and No. 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn on Esto mihi Sunday was part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig 1723-24. [Howard Weiner indicates both cantatas were performed on 7 FEB 1723 as quasi two-part work]

1724 FP of Handel's opera Julius Ceasar at King's Theater, Haymarket, London.

1734 Birth of German composer Franz Ignaz BECK in Mannheim. d-Bordeaux, 31 DEC 1809.

1749 Birth of German violinist and composer Johann Peter SALOMON. d- London, 25 NOV 1815.

1763 Birth of Polish composer Adalbert Vojtech GYROWETZ in Bohmisch. aka Adalbert Vojtech Jirovec. d-Vienna, 19 MAR 1850.

1770 Birth of Italian composer Ferdinando CARULLI in Naples. d-17 FEB 1841.

1791 Birth of Austrian pianist and composer Carl CZERNY in Vienna. d- Vienna 15 JUL 1857.

1802 Birth of Belgian violinist and composer Charles-Auguste de BERIOT in Louvain. d-Brussels, 8 APR 1870.

1816 FP of Gioacchino Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, in Rome.

1817 Birth of tenor and composer Jozef Poniatowski in Rome.  Died 3 July 1873 Debut in premiere of Giovanni di Procida (Poniatowsi) 1839 Teachers, C Zanetti, Fernando Cevecchini.

1820 Birth of Belgian composer and violinist Henri VIEUXTEMPS. d- Algiers, 6 JUN 1881.

1827 FP of Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, Carl Loewe conducting, in Stettin.

1870 Birth of Belgian composer Emiel HULLEBROECK in Gentbrugge. d-Liedekerke, 26 MAR 1965.

1874 ('77 ?) Birth of soprano Mary Garden in Aberdeen.  Died 3 Jan 1967 in Inverurie. Debut as Louise in Louise (Charpentier) 10 Apr 1900 Teachers, Jacques Bouhy, Jules Chevalier, Mrs Robinson Duff, Lucien Fugere Mathilde Marchesi, Giovanni Sbriglia, Angelo Trabadello Pupils, Helen Jepson, Grace Moore, Fanchon Thompson, Beverly Sills Mary McCormick, Jean Tennyson, Ginia Davis Created Natoma in Natoma (Herbert) Melisande in Pelleas & Melisande (Debussy) Chrysis in Aphrodite (Erlanger) Camille in Camille (Forrest) Krusha in Resurrezione (Alfano) Cherubin in Cherubin (Massenet) Sang in premiere of Reine Fiametta (Leroux) Fille de Tabarin (Pierne) Princess Osra (Bunning) Gismonda (Fevrier).

1876 Birth of Russian composer Feodor AKIMENKO. d- Paris, 3 JAN 1945.

1877 FP of P. I. Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, in Moscow.

1881 FP of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, Romantic, Hans Richter, cond. in Vienna.

1897 Birth of German composer Johannes WEYRAUCH in Leipzig. d-Leipzig, 1 MAY 1977.

1897 FP of V. Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1 in g, in Kiev.

1900 Birth of compopser Amadeo de FILIPPI.

1901 Birth of French composer César GEOFFRAY. d-24 DEC 1972.

1904 Birth of soprano Lorri Lail in Oslo. Teacher, A Due-Moller.

1907 Birth of American soprano Nadine CONNOR. Was a lyric soprano who appeared frequently at the Metropolitan Opera. Died at age 96, 1 MAR 2003. LA, Times, Obituary.

1907 FP of N. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

1908 Death of baritone Salvatore Marchesi. Born 15 Jan 1822 in Palermo. Debut as Carlo in Ernani (Verdi) 1848 Teachers, Manuel Garcia Jnr, Francesco Lamperti, Pietro Raimondi, Fontana Pupil, Basser.

1909 Birth of baritone Lorenzo Alvary in Debreczen, Hungary.  Died 13 Dec 1996 Debut as Amonasro in Aida (Verdi) 1934 Teacher, F Tanara.

1910 FP of Debussy's Iberia at a Colonne Concert in Paris, conducted by Pierne.

1911 Birth of American composer Robert McBRIDE in Tucson, Arizona. Studied at University of Arizona where he was professor of counterpoint, 1957-78. He played clarinet, saxophone, organ and piano and was a Tucson Symphony member, 1928-35.

1913 Birth of soprano Nadine Conner in Compton, California. Debut as Marguerite in Faust (Gounod) 1940 Teachers, Horatio Cogswell, Florence Easton, Amado Fernandez Pupil, Susanne Marsee.

1916 Death of tenor and coach Giovanni Sbriglia. Born 23 Jun 1829 in Naples. Debut 1853 Teacher, De Roxas Pupils, Ada Adini, Edouard De Reszke, Jean De Reszke, Carlo Galeffi Josephine De Reszke, Einar Forchhammer, Mary Garden Vilhelm Herold, Felia Litvinne, Riccardo Martin, Ruth Miller, Lilian Nordica, Nouvelli, Denis O'Sullivan, Jane Osborne-Hannah Pol Plancon, Vladimir Rosing, Sybil Sanderson, Clarence Whitehill Perley Dunn Aldrich, Paul Charles, Rene Landormy, Rosalie Chalia.

1921 Birth of English composer and conductor Ruth GIPPS. d-23 FEB 1999.

1925 Birth of Italian organist and composer Marco Enrico BOSSI in Salò. d-at sea, 20 FEB 1925.

1926 Birth of soprano Friederike Sailer in Regensburg. Sang in premiere of Revisor (Egk).

1926 Birth of mezzo-soprano Carol Smith in Oak City, Illinois. Debut 1961 Teachers, Mario Cordone, Lola Fletcher Sang in premiere of Beatrix Cenci (Ginastera).

1929 Birth of Japanese composer Toshiro MAYUZUMI, in Yokohama. d-10 APR 1997.

1931 Death of bass Grigory Pirogov. Born 24 Jan 1885 in Novoselki, Ryazan. Debut 1908 Teachers, Donsky, Medvedyev, Alexander Dodonov.

1935 Birth of Hungarian composer Sandor BALASSA in Budapest.

1936 Birth of soprano Alma Fohstrom. Born 2 Jan 1856 in Finland. Debut as Marguerite in Faust (Gounod) 1878 Teachers, Desiree Artot de Padilla, Francesco Lamperti, H Nissen-Salomon.

1937 FP of Prokofiev's Lt. Kije, composer conducting, in Paris. A radio performance of the film music suite was broadcast in Moscow on 21 DEC 1934.

1939 Birth of tenor Giorgio Merighi in Ferrare. Debut as Riccardo in Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) 1962 Teachers, Leodino Ferri, Arturo Melocchi, Raggi-Valentini Sang in premiere of Visita Meravigliosa (Rota).

1940 Birth of German pianist and conductor Christoph ESCHENBACH.

1942 FP of Gian Carlo Menotti's one-act opera The Island God at the MET in NYC.

1943 FP of Carl Orff's opera Die Kluge at the Städtische Bühnen in Frankfurt.

1947 Birth of Italian composer Carlo DOMENICONI in Cesena. Studied guitar with Carmen Lenzi Mozzani and has played and taught throughout Europe. Works highlight regional folk influences.

1948 Birth of English conductor Barry WORDSWORTH in Worster Park, Surrey.

1950 Birth of American composer Henry MARTIN.

1951 Birth of American composer Anthony DAVIS in Patterson, NJ.

1953 Birth of American composer Cindy McTEE in Tacoma, WA.

1953 Birth of Italian conductor Riccardo CHAILLY (SHY'ee).

1957 Birth of tenor Hermann Gallos. Born 21 Jan 1884 in Vienna. Teacher, Philipp Forsten Pupils,Walter Berry, Hans Braun, Ferry Gruber, Karl Terkal Sang on premiere of Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss).

1958 Birth of Canadian composer Colin EATOCK in Hamilton.

1961 Death of Australian composer and pianist Percy Grainger in White Plaines NY, at age 78. b-Melbourne, 8 JUL 1882.

1962 FP of Henri Lazaroff's Viola Concerto, in Monaco.

1965 Birth of Canadian composer Ian CRUTCHLEY in Toronto.

1965 Death of bass Ludwig Welter. Born 14 Nov 1917 in Pirmasens. Created Pehrson Dahlsjo in Bergwerk zu Falun (Wagner-Regeny) Sang in premiere of Mystere de la Nativite (Martin).

1966 Death of tenor Fernand Francell. Born 1879 in Paris. Debut as Vincent in Mireille (Gounod) 1906 Pupils, Xavier Depraz, Tony Poncet Created Fortunio in Fortunio (Messager) Sang in premiere of Bonhomme Jadis (Jacques-Dalcroze) Mariage de Telemaque (Terrasse) La Habanera (Laparra) Francesca da Rimini (Leoni) Chiquita (Nougues) Danseuse de Pompei (Nougues) Voile du Bonheur (Pons).

1969 Birth of American minimalist composer Alex ABELE in Concord, MA.

1970 Death of mezzo-soprano Marta Krasova. Born 16 Mar 1901 in Protivin. Debut as Julia in Jacobin (Dvorak) 1924 Teachers, Olga Borova-Valouskova, Ruzena Maturova, Paul Ulanowsky Ludmilla Prohaska-Neumann Pupil, Jadwiga Wysoczanska.

1974 Death of Norwegian composer David Monrad Johansen in Baerum. b-Vefsn, 8 NOV 1888.

1983 Death of baritone Arno Schellenberg. Born 16 Nov 1903 in Berlin. Debut as Schwanda in Schwanda the Bagpiper (Weinberger) 1929 Teacher, Julius von Raatz-Brockmann, G.Schuneman, F L Hoerth Pupil, Reiner Goldberg Created Laromal in Arabella (Strauss) Sang in premiere of Hexe von Passau (Gerster) Daphne (Strauss) Massimilia Doni (Schoeck) Wirtin von Pinsk (Mohaupt).

1995 Death of Italian composer Ugo Amendola in Venice. b-Venice, 28 AUG 1917.

1996 Death of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. b-8 OCT 1930.

2003 FP of Tan Dun's The Map with Yo-Yo Ma, cello. Boston Symphony, Tan Dun, conducting, in Boston.

2004 FP of Augusta Read Thomas´ Silver Chants the Litanies. Dedicated to composer Luciano Berio. Greg Hustis, horn; Southern Methodist University Orchestra, Delany, conducting, in Dallas, TX.