APRIL 4

Stephen Storace

1716 Birth of composer John Evangelist Schreiber.

1717 FP of ARIOSTI's "Tito Manlio" in London.

1731 Birth of composer Francisco Morera.

1737 Death of soprano Letitia Cross. b-1681. Created Dorisbe in Arsinoe (Clayton).

1739 FP of Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt. Runs for only three performances at King's Theater in London. It fails possibly because of the use of biblical texts in a theater setting.

1740 Birth of composer Wolfgang Nicolaus Haueisen.

1752 Birth of Italian composer Niccolo ZINGARELLI. d- Nr Naples, 5 MAY 1837.

1755 Birth of composer Vincenc Masek.

1762 Birth of composer Stephen Storace.

1785 Birth of composer Bettina Brentano.

1793 Birth of French (Flemish) soprano Henriette Méric-Lalande, renowned for her supple voice and ability in coloratura, in Dunkirk. d-7 SEP 1867. Debut 1814. Teachers were Manuel Garcia Snr, Davide Banderali, Bonfichi, Talina. Created Imogene in Pirata (Bellini); Zaira in Zaira (Bellini); Bianca in Bianca e Fernando (Bellini); Alaide in Staniera (Bellini); Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti); Elvida in Elvida (Donizetti); Palmide in Crociato in Egitto (Meyerbeer); Isabella di Lara in Cavalieri di Valenza (Pacini); Giovanna d'Arco in Giovanna d'Arco (Pacini); Leonora di York in Carlo di Borgogna (Pacini); Mina in Orfano della Selva (Coccia).

1804 Birth of composer Joseph Fischhof.

1836 Birth of composer Jerome Hopkins.

1843 Birth of Hungarian conductor Hans RICHTER in Raab, Hungary. d- Bayreuth, 5 DEC 1916.

1858 Birth of Italian soprano Medea Mei FIGNER in Florence. d-8 JUL 1952. Debut as Azucena in Trovatore (Verdi) 1875. Teachers were Elidoro Bianchi, Carlotta Carozzi-Zucchi, Heinrich Panofka. Pupil was Lydia Figner-Gerard (daughter). Created Iolanta in Iolanta (Tchaikovsky); Masha in Dubrovsky (Napravnik); Lisa in Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky). Sang in premiere of Francesca da Rimini (Napravnik).

1859 Birth of Italian mezzo-soprano Medea MEI-FINGER in Florence. d-Paris, 8 JUL 1952.

1863 Birth of French soprano Blanche MARCHESI in Paris. d-15 DEC 1940. Photo Debut as Brunnhilde in Walkure (Wagner). Teacher was Mathilde Marchesi (mother). Pupils were Muriel Brunskill, Astra Desmond, Jack Freestone, Virginia Rea, Ellen Gulbranson, Maria Jeritza.

1867 FP of Saint-Saens first violin concerto, with P. Sarasate soloist at Salle Pleyel in Paris.

1869 Birth of American composer Dudley BUCK in Hartford, CT. d-Fairfield, CT, 13 JAN 1941.

1872 Birth of Dutch mezzo-soprano Pauline De Haan-MANIFARGES in Rotterdam. d-2 MAY 1954. Teachers were Julius Stockhausen, Paul Hasse. Pupil was Maartje Offers.

1872 Birth of German tenor Georg MAIKL. d-AUG 1951. Début: [Tamino] Zauberflote (1899).

1872 Birth of composer Nikolai Amani.

1875 Birth of composer Jozef Szulc.

1875 Birth of French conductor Pierre MONTEUX. d-Hancock, ME; 1 JUL 1964. See 1955 below.

1875 FP of Bedrich Smetana's The Moldau. Deafness prevents composer from hearing performance and audience reaction.

1879 Birth of French composer Gabriel GROVLEZ in Lille. d-20 OCT 1944.

1880 Birth of mezzo-soprano Lila ROBESON. d-7 DEC 1960. MET Début Nov. 18, 1912 [Witch] Humperdinck: Königskinder, 8 seasons (1912-20 142 perf., 22 roles, 18 works.

1882 Birth of composer Mary Howe.

1890 Death of Italian baritone Giovanni CORSI. b-Verona, 1822. Debut as Dandini in Cenerentola (Rossini) 1844. Pupils were Bianca Bellincioni, Gemma Belincioni, Annie Louise Cary, Giovanni Tagliapietra. Created Issachar in Ebreo (Apolloni); Diego in Cid (Pacini); Ismaele in Schiava Saracena (Mercadante).

1895 Birth of Spanish tenor Isidoro FAGOAGA  in Navarre Spain. d-MAY 1976. Debut as Samson in Samson et Delilah (Saint-Saens). Teachers were M.Silva, Enrico Thos, Luis Iribarne.

1897 FP of Ernest Chausson's Poème for violin and orchestra at a Colonne Concert with Eugene Ysäye as soloist in Paris.

1903 Birth of Mexican bass-baritone Friedrich GYNROD in Mexico City. d-22 APR 1978. MET: Début: Feb. 3, 1945 [Kurwena] Tristan und Isolde, 2 seasons (1944-46) 4 perf., 2 works.

1905 Birth of French conductor and composer Eugene BOZZA in Nice.

1919 Birth of Antony Tudor, in England, choreographer (Metropolitan Opera 1957).

1922 Birth in NYC of American composer Elmer BERNSTEIN. Academy Award-winning composer of film scores: Thoroughly Modern Millie [1967]; Sudden Fear, The Man with the Golden Arm, Ten Commandments, Sweet Smell of Success, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Walk on the Wild Side, and The Magnificent Seven. Studied with Roger Sessions. d-Ojai, CA 18 AUG 2004. He began his career as a concert pianist. 2001 marked his 50th anniversary as a feature film composer who has written the music for over 200 major film and television scores.

1931 Death of American composer George Whitefield Chadwick in Boston, age 76. b- Lowell, MA 13 NOV 1854.

1933 Birth of Swedish tenor Sven-Olaf ELIASSON in Boliden Sweden. Debut 1961. Teacher was Ragnar Hulten. Created Nadir in Queen of Golconda (Berwald). Paul Ree in Lou Salome (Sinopoli). Sang in premiere of House with Double Entrance (Rosenberg); Wahrer Held (Klebe).

1933 Birth of composer Seoirse Bodley.

1935 Birth of composer Francois-Bernard Mache, composer

1937 Birth of mezzo-soprano Laura ZANNINI in Trieste. Debut as Isobella in Italiana in Algeri (Rossini) 1955. Teachers were Gilla Dalla Rizza, Bruno Maderna. Sang in premiere of Panchina (Liberovici); Orfeo A.D.MCMXLVII (Ramous); Requiem per Elisa (Hazon).

1940 Birth of bass (baritone) Fernand DUMONT in Creteil. Debut as Zuniga in Carmen (Bizet) 1970. Sang in premiere of Ondine (Daniel-Lesur); Cume des Jour (Denisov).

1946 Birth of Russian baritone Sergei LEIFERKUS. Debut as King in Die Kluge (Orff) 1972. Teachers were Yuri Barsov, Sergei Shaposhnikov, Maria Matveyeva.

1947 Birth of Italian composer Salvatore SCIRORINO in Palermo.

1951 Birth of American baritone Patrick J. RAFERTY in Washington, D.C. Début: [Shchelkalov] Boris Godounov (1980).

1954 In NYC Arturo Toscanini conducts his last concert with the NBC Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall ten days after his 87th birthday. It ended a 17-year association with the orchestra.

1955 FP of Igor Stravinsky's Greeting Prelude. Performed to honor the 80th birthday of conductor Pierre Monteux. Boston Symphony conducted by Charles Munch.

1957 Birth of English organist Thomas TROTTER.

1960 Birth of English soprano Jane EAGLIN in Lincoln. Debut as Lady Ella in Patience (Sullivan) 1984. Teachers were Tito Gobbi, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Joseph Ward.

1964 Death of American mezzo-soprano Cyrena Van Gordon. b-Camden, OH 4 SEP 1866. Photo Debut as Amneris in Aida (Verdi) 1913. Teacher was Louise Dotti.

1968 Death of Mexican mezzo-soprano Fanny Anitua. b-Durango, 22 JAN 1887. Debut as Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) 1909. Photo. Teachers were Leonor de Samaniego, Ariste Frances Chitti. Pupils were Marta Ornelas (Domingo), Oralia Dominguez. Created Etra in Fedra (Pizzetti).

1972 Death of German-born American composer Stefan Wolpe at age 69, in NYC.

1975 Death of American tenor (baritone) Joseph Bentonelli. b-Missouri, 10 SEP 1898. Debut as Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Mozart) 1924. Teachers were Jean de Reszke, Vittorio Vanzo. Created Donatello in Fiamma (Respighi).

1975 FP of George Rochberg's Violin Concerto. Pittsburgh Symphony, Isaac Stern was soloist.

2000 Death of bass Marian Nowakowski. b-Westphalia, 3 AUG 1912. Debut 1937. Teacher was Adamo Didur. Pupil was Willard White.

2002 FP of Daniel Asia's String Quartet No.2 by the Cypress Quartet at the University of Arizona in Tucson.