APRIL 20

Anna Maria CROUCH

1594 Birth of composer Matthaus Apelles von Lowenstern.

1705 Birth of composer Balthasar Schmid.

1725 Birth of composer Johann Friedrich Kloffler.

1748 Birth of composer Georg Michael Telemann.

1748 Birth of composer Guillaume Albert Teniers.

1759 Funeral of German-English composer George F. Handel who was buried in Westminster Abbey, London.

1761 Birth of composer Johann Gottlieb Karl Spazier.

1763 Birth of English soprano Anna Maria CROUCH in London. d-2 OCT 1805. Debut as Mandane in Artaxerxes (Arne) 1780. Created Lady Elinor de Courcy in Haunted Tower (Storace). Catherine in Siege of Belgrade (Storace). Lodoiska in Lodoiska (Storace). Aeneas in Dido of Carthage (Storace).

1841 Birth of Russian composer Victor PASCHALOV.

1843 FP of BALFE's "Le Puits d'amour" in Paris.

1858 Birth of composer Auguste Chapuis.

1864 Birth of Italian concertina virtuoso and teacher Giulio REGONDI, who settled in England.

1866 Birth of composer Victor Hollaender.

1869 Death of German composer Karl Loewe at age 72, in Kiel.

1870 Birth of composer Simeon Roncal.

1881 Birth of Russian composer and professor Nikolai MIASKOVSKY in Novogeorgievsk, Poland. 19 Symphonies. Taught Rimsky-Korsakov. d-8 AUG 1950. Opus list.

1881 Birth of Dutch conductor and pianist Sem DRESDEN in Amsterdam. d-The Hague, 30 JUL 1957.

1884 Birth of American pianist Ruth DEYO in Poughkeepsie, NY. d-Cairo, 4 MAR 1960.

1887 Birth of Italian bass Virgilio LAZZARI in Assisi, Italy. d-4 OCT 1953. Debut as Alvise in Gioconda (Ponchielli) 1914. Teacher was Antonio Cotogni. Pupil was Cornell McNeill. MET Opera Debut 28 DEC 1933 [Pedro] L'Africaine, 14 seasons (1933-40, 43-47, 48-51) 226 perf., 19 works.

1900 Birth of composer Fred Raymond.

1902 Birth of composer Vesselin Stoyanov.

1903 Birth of German baritone Josef HERRMANN   in Darmstadt. d-19 NOV 1955. Debut 1925. Teacher was Carl Beines. Sang in premiere of Zauberinsel (Sutermeister).

1904 Birth of Ukrainian tenor Georgi NELEPP in Bobruiky, Ukraine. d-18 JUN 1957. Debut 1930. Teacher was I. S. Tomar.

1904 FP of ERLANGER's "Le Fils de l'étoile" in Paris w/ Jean-François Delmas (bs/b) (1861-1933) Fr.

1907 Birth of William Dollar, St Louis, ballet dancer and choreographer.

1910 FP of Ravel's Ma Mere l'oye in four hand version by two young girls, in Paris.

1918 Death of tenor Alexander Girardi. b-Graz, 5 DEC 1850. Created Kalman Zsupan in Zigeunerbaron (Strauss J). Simon Rymonovicz in Bettelstudent (Millocker). Benozzo in Gasparone (Millocker). Don Sancho in Spitzentuch der Koenigen (Strauss J). Sebastini in Lustige Kreig (Strauss J). Kassim Pasha in Furstin Ninetta (Strauss J). Muller in Waldmeister (Strauss J). Andredl in Verwunsche Schloss (Millocker). Plinchard in Jungfrau von Belleville (Millocker). Piffkow in Feldprediger (Millocker). Adam in Vogelhandler (Zeller). Martin in Obersteiger (Zeller). Sang in premiere of Wiener Frauch (Lehar). Bruder Straubinger (Eysler). Mein Junger Herr (Straus O). Zigeunerprimas (Kalman). Nachtschnellzug (Fall).

1920 Birth of German tenor Rudolf FRANCL in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

1924 Birth of German composer and conductor Gerhard SAMUEL in Bonn, Germany.

1925 Birth of American composer Richard HOFFMAN.

1925 Birth of French pianist Henri RENAUD.

1926 Death of American baritone Oscar Saenger. b-Brooklyn, NY 5 JAN 1868. Teachers were Jacques Bouhy. Pupils were Paul Althouse, Rudolf Berger, Curtis, Bernice de Pasquali, Mabel Garrison, Orville Harrold, Allen Hinckley, Kathleen Howard, Josephine Jacoby, Mary Jordan, Queena Mario, Leon Rains, Marie Rappold, Lila P. Robeson, Henry Scott Warrum, Joseph Regneas, Joseph Bernstein, Florence Hinkle, Riccardo Martin, Sara Anderson, Arnold Voketaitus.

1927 Birth of Italian baritone Enzo SORDELLO in Macerata. Debut as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1953. MET Opera Début 3 NOV 1956 [Marcello] La Bohème, 1 season (1956-57) 10 perf. 3 roles.

1928 FP of Maurice Martenot's electronic musical instrument the The Ondes-Martenot (1928) ondes musicales, in Paris. According to Groves Concise and Musical Times archive... [addendum.]:"On 20 APR 1928 Dimitrios Levidis's Poème symphonique was premiered at the Paris Opéra, The soloist was Maurice Martenot, performing for the first time in public on an electronic device of his own invention." -LM 4-20-02

1934 Birth of French baritone Claude CALES in Villeneuve. Debut as Zurga in Pearl Fishers (Bizet) 1961. Teachers were Jean Clavarie, Marthe Nespoulous Created Orpheus in Eurydice (Damase).

1935 Birth of American composer Ran BLAKE.

1936 Birth of English organist and conductor Christopher ROBINSON.

1941 Birth of Canadian tenor Paul FREY in Heidelberg, Ontario.

1943 Birth of English conductor Sir John Eliot GARDINER in Oxford, Fontmell Magna, Dorset. Founder of Monteverdi Choir, conducted at Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden. Artistic director of the Goettingen Handel Festival in Germany (1981-1990). Music director of the Opera de Lyon in France (1983-1988). Founded the English Baroque Soloists, featuring Mozart operas and other works; touring Europe and on recordings.

1945 Death of tenor Emil Olsovsky. b-Brno, 9 DEC 1890. Debut 1911. Created Filka Morozov in From House of the Dead (Janacek). Sang in premiere of Makropulos Affair (Janacek).

1950 Death of French tenor Paul Franz. b-Paris, 30 NOV 1876. Debut as Lohengrin in Lohengrin (Wagner) 1909. Teacher was Louis Delaquerriere. Pupils were Edouard Kriff, Georges Valliant. Created Ratan-Sen in Padmavati (Roussel). Antar in Antar (Dupont).

1952 Birth of American composer Robert KYR.

1956 Birth of German composer Herbert GRONEMEYER.

1959 Death of Canadian tenor Edward Johnson. b-Ontario, 22 AUG 1878. Debut as Andrea Chenier in Andrea Chenier (Gounod) 1912. Teachers were Vincenzo Lombardi, Louise von Feilitsch. Created Aethelwold in King's Henchman (Deems Taylor). Sir Gower Lackland in Merry Mount (Hanson). Peter Ibbetson in Peter Ibbetson (Deems Taylor). No relation to Edward L. Johnson.

1961 The Federal Communications Commission approval for FM stereo broadcasting. Stimulating classical and easy-listening radio formats.

1967 Death of American soprano Anna Fitziu   . b-Huntingdon West Virginia, 1887. Debut as Elsa in Lohengrin (Wagner) 1910. Teacher was William Thorner. Pupil was Shirley Verrett. Created Rosario in Goyescas (Granados). She sang first in Chicago in musical comedy, then traveled to France for study. Operatic début in Rimini [Elsa] Loherngrin (1912). Fitziu also sang as a guest at the Costanzi, Rome, Florence, Madrid, and others. She returned to the U.S. in 1916. Sang [Rosario] in the FP of Granados's Goyescas at the Metropolitan. In 1917, Chicago in Tosca. She sang Tosca with Matinelli in Havana (1924), also sang [Desdemona]. In retirement she moved to Chicago and became a successful vocal teacher. MET Opera Début, 28 JAN 1916. [Rosario] Goyescas, 1 season (19 15-16) 7 perf, 1 work.

1967 Death of baritone David ALLEN.

1970 Death of Swedish mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg. b-Venjan, 19 MAY 1896. Debut as Ortrud in Lohengrin 23 May 1924.

1974 FP of Jacob Druckman's Lamia by Labnay Sym.

1976 Death of Canadian soprano Flora Nielsen. b-Esquimalt Vancouver, 28 AUG 1900. Debut 1910. Teachers were Felicie Kaschovska, Anna Thurfield, Elena Gerhardt. Pupils were Sheila Armstrong, Norma Burrowes, Lesley Garrett, Felicity Lott, Kathryn Harries.

1979 FP of George Perle's Concertino for Piano, Winds, and Timpani. Morey Ritt and the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago, conducted by Ralph Shapey.

1980 Death of Austrian soprano Hilde Konetzni  . b-Vienna, 21 MAR 1905. Debut as Sieglinde in Walkure (Wagner) 1929. Teachers were Anny Konetzi (sister), Hess, Rudolf Nillius. Ludmilla Prochaska-Neumann. Created Niobe in Niobe (Sutermeister).

1982 Death of Austrian tenor Rudolf Christ. b-Vienna, 1916. Debut 1941. Teacher was Adolf Vogel.

1986 At the age of 92, Vladimir Horowitz returns to his native country after 60 years to give piano recital at Moscow Conservatory.

1988 Death of baritone Frederick Sharp. b-Mansfield, 19 OCT 1911. Debut as Junius in Rape of Lucretia (Britten) 1946. Pupils were John Brecknock, John Hall, Paul Wilson, Anthony James, John Broad. Created Sid in Albert Herring (Britten). Earl of Dunmow in Dinner Engagement (Berkeley). Sang in premiere of Manana (Benjamin)

2001 FP of Richard Danielpour's String Quartet. American String Quartet in Kansas City, MO.