APRIL 22

Giuseppe TORELLI

1658 Birth of Italian composer Giuseppe TORELLI in Verona. d- 8 FEB 1709.

1723 J. S. Bach becomes music director and cantor at St. Thomas church in Liepzig. Was their third choice.

1749 FP of J. P. Rameau's opera-ballet Naïs in Paris.

1776 Death of German composer Johann Adolf Scheibe. b-5 MAY 1708.

1781 Birth of composer Christian Friedrich Hermann Uber

1818 Birth of German critic, teacher and singer Ferdinand GUMBERT in Berlin. d-Berlin, 6 APR 1896.

1828 Birth of composer Guilherme Antonio Cossoul

1845 FP of Auber's "La barcarolle, ou L'amour et la musique" in Paris.

1850 Birth of French-American soprano Fides DEVRIES in New Orleans, LA. d-1941. Teacher was Louis-Gilbert Duprez. Created the part of Chimene in Cid (Massenet).

1858 Birth of English composer and sufragette, Dame Ethel SMYTH in Kent. d-Woking, Surrey, 8 MAY 1944. Opera "Fantasio" (Weimar, 1898); "Der Wald" (Berlin, 1902); "The Wreckers" (1st as "Strandrecht," in German, Leipsig, 1906, [Rrev] London, 19 APR4 1939); "The Boatswain's Mate" (London, 1916); "Fête galante" (Birmingham, 1923); "Entente cordiale" (Bristol, 1926).

1860 Birth of tenor Alex Ritter von Bandrowski in Lubackzov, Galatia. d-28 MAY 1913. Debut 1881. Teacher was Antonio Sangiovanni. Created Manru in Manru (Paderewski).

1868 Birth of Portuguese composer José Vianna da MOTTA. d-31 MAY 1948. Wikipedia

1872 Birth of American composer Arthur FARWELL. d-1952.

1872 Birth of German bass Rudolf MOEST in Karlsruhe. d-28 APR 1919. Debut, 1892. Teachers were Carl Hermann, Franz Krukl, Wilhelm Rode.

1874 FP of Thomas' "Gille et Gillotin" in Paris.

1875 Birth of Swedish soprano Ida EKMAN. d-14 APR 1942.

1875 FP of Offenbach's "Les Hannetons" in Paris.

1876 FP in US America of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture. New York Philharmonic, Leopold Damrosch conducting.

1880 Birth of German baritone Guido SCHUTZENDORF. d-APR 1967. Teacher was Franz Wullner.

1884 Birth of German tenor Carl CLEWING in Schwerin. d-15 MAY 1954. Teachers were Francisco D'Andrade, Wilhelm Flam, Ernst Grenzebach, Wilhelm Gruning.

1884 Birth of composer Armas Emmanuel Launis

1885 FP of Antonin Dvorák's Symphony No. 7. Royal Philharmonic conducted by the composer, in London.

1890 FP of Cowen's "Thorgrim" in London.

1891 Birth of composer Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev, in Sontsovka Ukraine

1892 Birth of composer Nikolai Obouhov

1892 Death of French composer Eduard Lalo aka Edouard, in Paris, age 69. b-Lille, France, 27 JAN 1823.

1899 Birth of English baritone and actor Martyn GREEN. d- 10 FEB 1975.

1903 Birth of Italian bass Eraldo CODA in Biella. Created Bebro in Maria D'Alessandria (Ghedini). Sang in premiere of Oro (Pizzetti). Lo Starnuto (Mascagni).

1904 FP of George W. Chadwick's Euterpe overture. Boston Symphony with Chadwick conducting;

1906 Birth of English composer, writer and Delius scholar, Eric FENBY. d- 1997.

1909 Death of German singing teacher Julius Hey. b-Irmelshausen, 29 APR 1832. Teacher was F. Schmitt. Pupils were Andreas Dippel, Albert Hoeberg, Charlotte Huhn, Rose Olitzka, Karl Perron, Georg Unger.

1912 Birth of English contralto Kathleen FERRIER  in High Walton. d-London, 8 OCT 1953. Debut, Lucretia in Rape of Lucretia (Britten) 1946 (World Premiere). Teachers were Roy Henderson, J Hutchinson, Cesare Chiesa.

1912 FP of Paul Dukas' ballet La Péri in Paris.

1912 FP of De Lara's "Naïl" in Paris.

1912 FP of Mary Moore's "Narcissa, or the Cost of Empire" in Seattle.

1912 Birth of composer Gavalda Miguel Querol

1916 (21st?) Birth of American violinist Yehudi MENUHIN in NYC. d-Berlin, 12 MAR 1999.

1918 Death of Italian baritone Antonio PINI-CORSI in Milan. b-Zara [now Zadar], Dalmatia, JUN 1858. MET Opera Début [Bartolo] Il Barbiere di Siviglia, 7 seasons (1899-01, 09-14) 275 perf., 29 roles, 25 works. Debut Dandini in Cenerentola (Rossini) 1878. Teachers were Achille Corsi, Ravasio. Pupil was Toti Dal Monte. Created Schaunard in Boheme (Puccini). Ford in Falstaff (Verdi). Happy in Fanciulla del West (Puccini). Sang in Premieres of Konigskinder (Humperdinck). Siberia (Giordano). Madeleine (Herbert).

1921 FP of the Koussevitzky Concerts organized and conducted by Russian conductor and music patron Serge Koussevitzky in Paris.

1922 Final performance by Geraldine Farrar at the MET in NYC in Leoncavallo's 'Zaza.

1924 FP of Victor Herbert's "The Dream Girl" Operetta, in New Haven, CT.

1925 Death of tenor Bela Kornyei. b-Krumau, 16 MAY 1875. Debut as Don Jose in Carmen (Bizet) 1907.

1925 Death of French composer André Caplet age 46, in Paris. b-Le Havre, 23 NOV 1878.

1926 Birth of American composer Robert Hall LEWIS in Portland, ME. d-Baltimore, MD 1996.

1926 Birth of Hungarian tenor Lajos PASZTOR in Budapest.

1926 Birth of French bass Xavier DEPRAZ aka Xavier Delaruelle in Albert. d-St Geoirs, 18 OCT 1994.

1926 FP of Gurlitt's "Wozzeck" in Bremen.

1927 Birth of composer Pascal Bentoiu

1927 FP of Roger Sessions' Symphony No. 1 in e. Boston Symphony with Serge Koussevitzky conducting.

1932 Birth of American composer Michael COLGRASS in Chicago.

1935 Birth of Italian contralto and mezzo soprano Fiorenza COSSOTTO near Turin, Crescentino, Apr. 22, 1935. MET Opera Début 6 FEB 1968 [Amneris] Aida, 15 seasons (1967-73, 76-80, 82- 83, 84-86, 87-89) 148 perf., 10 works. Debut, Mathilde in Carmelites(Poulenc) 26 Jan 1957 (World Premiere). Teachers were Ettore Campogalliani, Paola Delle Torre. Created Sister Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmelites (Poulenc). Jim in Isola del Tesoro (Tosatti).

1935 Birth of American bass Richard BEST in Chicago. Début [Zuniga] Carmen, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Chicago. Appeared with Santa Fe Opera (10 seasons); Lyric Opera of Chicago (7 seasons); Seattle Opera (4 seasons); San Francisco Opera [Don Pasquale]; Philadelphia Opera; Opera Theater of St. Louis; Glyndebourne, L'Italiana in Algire. Professor of Voice at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. MET Opera Début 2 APR 1969 [Apprentice] Wozzeck, 10 seasons (1968-78) 545 perf. 39-roles, 32-works.

1938 FP of Leo Sowerby's Organ Concerto. Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting.

1939 FP of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera The Old Man and the Thief an NBC radio broadcast in NYC.

1941 Birth of Russian mezzo-soprano Galina BORISOVA in Moscow. Debut, Otruk in City of Kitesh (Rimsky-Korsakov). Teachers were Olga Borisova, F. S. Petrova.

1942 FP of Farkas' "The Magic Cupboard" in Budapest.

1944 FP of Harry Partch's Eight Hitchhiker Inscriptions from a Highway Railing. Carnegie Hall, NYC.

1944 Birth of American conductor, pianist and musicologist Joshua RIFKIN.

1947 Birth of composer Barry Guy

1947 Death of French tenor Charles Friant. b-Montmartre, 12 JAN 1890. Debut 1914. Teacher was Leon Melchissedec.

1948 FP of Morton Gould's Fall River Legend. American Ballet Theater in NYC.

1953 Death of baritone Max Dawison. b-Schwedt, 17 FEB 1868. Debut as Herald in Lohengrin 1889. Teachers were Desiree Artot de Padilla, Mariano Padilla y Ramos, Benno Stolzenberg, Adolf Zebrian.

1956 Birth of Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka SARASTE.

1960 Birth of Australian soprano Cheryl BARKER in Sydney. Debut, Blonde in Entfuhrung (Mozart). Teacher was Joan Hammond.

1961 FP of Alberto Ginastera's Piano Concerto No. 1, in Washington, D.C.

1967 Birth of American composer Brian NELSON in Madison, WI.

1967 FP of Alan Hovhannes' "The Travelers" in Los Altos Hills, CA.

1969 FP of Peter Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King in London.

1978 Death of Mexican bass-baritone Friedrich Ginrod. b-1903. Debut as Herald in Lohengrin (Wagner) 1929.

1999 FP of George Harbison's Four Psalms. Vocalists Lisa Saffer, Lorraine Hunt, Frank Kelley, and James Maddalena and the Chicago Symphony and Chorus, Christoph Eschenbach conducting.

2001 Death of American composer, pianist and author Robert Starer age 77, in Woodstock, N.Y. b-Vienna, 1924.

2001 Final performance of the Philharmonica Hungarica in Düsseldorf. Founded by Hungarian musicians who fled to West Germany after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. The honorary president was the Hungarian-American conductor Antal Dorati.