classical music history for July 26

John Field

1694 Birth of composer Johann Samuel Endler

1701 FP of Bononcini: G. "Gli affetti più grande vinti dal più giusto" Vienna ( 1701).

1706 FP of BONONCINI: A. "Arminio" Vienna (1706).

1708 FP of ARIOSTI: "Amor tra nemici" Vienna (1708).

1708 FP of Bononcini: G. "Mario fuggitivo" Vienna (1708).

1709 FP of KEISER: "Desiderius, König der Langobarden" Hamburg (1709).

1710 FP of KEISER: "Der Morgen des europäischen Glückes oder Aurora" Hamburg (1710).

1710 FP of BONONCINI: A. "Tigrane, re d'Armenia" Vienna (1710).

1785 FP of GOSSEC: "Le Premier Navigateur, ou Le Pouvoir de l'amour" ballet- opera, Paris (1785).

1737 FP of HASSE: "Atalanta" Dresden (1737).

1757 FP of DUNI: "Le Peintre amoureux de son modèle" Paris (1757).

1773 FP of HAYDN: "L'infedeltà delusa" Esterházy (1773).

1782 Birth of Irish composer, teacher and pianist John FIELD in Dublin. His nocturnes influenced Chopin. d-Moscow, 23 JAN 1837.

1791 Birth of Austrian composer Franz Xaver MOZART in Vienna. Composer and teacher and sixth child and youngest surviving son of W.A. d-Carlesbad, Austria 29 JUL 1844.

1812 Birth of English clergyman and composer Joseph Philip KNIGHT.

1822 Birth of soprano Anne Zerr in Baden Baden. Died 14 Nov 1881 Debut 1846 Teacher, Giulio Bordogni Created Catherine in Pietro il Grande (Jullien) Lady Harriett in Martha (Flotow)

1833 (1836?) Birth of soprano Marie Geistinger, in Graz. d. Sep. 29, 1903. Created Rosalinde in Fledermaus (J Strauss) Fantasca in Indigo (J Strauss) Sang in the premiere of Carneval in Rom (J Strauss) Cagliostro (J Strauss)

1852 FP of BALFE: "The Devil's in It" London (1852).

1856 Birth of dramatist, music critic and music writer George Bernard SHAW in Dublin. d- 2 NOV 1950.

1863 Birth of Latvian composer and teacher Joseph WIHTOL. Founded Riga Conservatory. d- 24 APR 1948.

1866 Birth of Italian opera composer Francesco CILEA in Palmi, Calabria. d-Varazze, 20 NOV 1950.

1871 Birth of tenor Andrei Labinsky in Kharkhiv. Died 8 Aug 1948. Debut in 1897 Teachers, Stanislaus Gabel, V M Samus Created Vsevolod in Invisible City of Kitesh (Rimsky-Korsakov)

1874 (GC, JC=14 JUL) Birth of Russian-American conductor and double-bass player Serge KOUSSEVITZKY in Vishny Volotchok. In 1924, became conductor of Boston Symphony Orchestra. He founded the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, MA in 1940. d-NYC, 4 JUN 1951.

1875 Birth of mezzo-soprano Maria Philippi in Mullheim. Died 16 June 1944. Debut 1901 Teachers, Julius Stockhausen, Pauline Viardot-Garcia, Emil Hegar Pupils, Lore Fischer, Walburga Wegner

1876 Birth of American composer, conductor and pianist Ernest SCHELLING in Belvidere, NJ.

1878 Birth of tenor Theodor Schutz in Prague. Died 28 Aug 1961 Debut as Jenik of Bartered Bride (Smetana) Teacher, Zikes

1882 FP of Wagner's Parsifal with Hermann Levi conducting at Bayreuth. Was first titled "Parzival". CD-Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera

1887 Birth of composer and conductor Leif HALVORSEN in Christiania.

1888 Marriage of violinist Mme Norman-Neruda to English pianist and conductor Sir Charles Halle.

1892 Birth of French composer Philipp JARNACH in Noisy. d-Börnsen, Germany, 17 DEC 1982.

1899 Birth of tenor René Verdière, in Pas-de-Calais. d. May 6, 1981.

1900 Birth of French pianist Jacques FEVRIER. died 1979.

1904 Birth of English conductor, musicologist and critic Jack Allan WESTRUP. Author of a popular book on Henry Purcell.

1906 Birth of American soprano Ruby Mercer, in Athens, OH. d. Toronto, Jan. 26, 1999. Mercer became a soprano, radio host and author. She studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory, and at Juilliard. In 1937, she made her Canadian début with the Compagnie d'opéra de Montréal. She also appeared on Broadway, and in the mid- 1940s, with Vancouver's Theatre Under the Stars. She became the hostess of various radio programs including Opera Time, Opera in Stereo and Saturday Night at the Opera. Mercer was active in the opera field, she founded the magazine Opera Canada (1960), and the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus (1968). She authored the biographies, The Tenor of His Time (1976) and The Quilicos - Louis, Gino and Lina (1990). MET: Début: May 8, 1937 [Marguerite] Faust, 2 seasons (1935-37) 4 perf., 2 works.

1906 Birth of composer Armando Jose Fernandes

1907 Birth of violinist Gioconda de Vito

1918 Birth of bass Bernhard Sonnerstadt in Norrhult, Sweden. Debut as Gremin in Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) 1940 Teachers, Joel Berglund, Giuseppe De Luca, Dagmar Gustafson

1921 Birth of American oboist John de LANCIE in Berkeley, CA. Former principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. d-Walnut Creek, CA 17 MAY 2002. Philadelphia Inquirer Obituary. CD-Strauss: Oboe Concerto/de Lancie, soloist

1922 Birth of composer Andrzej Koszewski

1923 Birth of tenor Oreste Kirkop, in Hamrun, Malta. d. May 10, 1998.

1927 Birth of baritone Hanns Herbert Schulz in Weimar. Created Adam Fletcher in Men of Blackmore (Bush).

1928 Birth of Polish composer Tadeusz BAIRD in Grodzisk Mozowiecki. d-Warsaw, 2 SEP 1981.

1928 Birth of Scottish conductor Bryden THOMSON in Ayr. d- Dublin, Ireland 14 NOV 1991. Succeeded Neeme Jarvi as director of Scottish National Orchestra in 1988. Baker's Bio.

1928 Birth of composer Hans Haselbock

1929 Birth of Bulgarian-French pianist Alexis WEISSENBERG.d-8 Jan 2012

1933 Death of Austrian-Russian pianist Eduard Schutt in Obermias, Italy. b-St. Petersburg, 22 OCT 1856.

1934 Birth of English composer Anthony GILBERT.

1935 Birth of mezzo-soprano Margarita Lilova in Bulgaria. Debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1959 Teachers, Michail Jankoff, Dragan Kardjeff, Ljubomir Piphoff, Maria Zibulka.

1936 Birth of composer Antonio Mastrogiovanni.

1940 FP of Henry Cowell's Pastoral and Fiddler's Delight by the All-American Youth Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting.

1943 Birth of English composer and pianist Roger SMALLEY.

1944 Birth of Canadian composer John HAWKINS in Montreal.

1949 Birth of Irish composer Kevin VOLANS in Pietermaritsburg, South Africa.

1950 Birth of baritone Glenville Hargreaves in Bradford. Debut as Figaro in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1961 Teachers, Frederic Cox, Patrick McGuigan, Basil Smallman Created Sir Charles Keighley & Judge in Tornrak (Metcalf)

1956 Death of Mexican composer Miguel Bernal-Jiménez in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. b-Morelia, 16 FEB 1910.

1965 Birth of Brazilian composer and guitarist Marcelo FORTUNA in Rio de Janeiro.

1967 Death of Dutch composer Matthijs Vermeulen in Laren. b-Helmond, 8 FEB 1888.

1971 Death of tenor Ulysses Lappas. b. Athens, 1881. Debut 1913 Sang in the premiere of Macigno (De Sabata)

1977 Death of Canadian composer Gena Branscombe in NYC. b-Picton, Ontario 1881.

1985 FP of Elliott Carter's Penthode. Ensemble InterContemporain and the Paris Orchestral Ensemble conducted by Pierre Boulez at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1995 Death of Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida in LA, CA. b-in Miracatú, São Paulo, 2 SEP 1917.

2003 FP of Bright Sheng's two act opera Madame Mao with libretto by Colin Graham. Santa Fe Opera conducted by John Fiore in Sante Fe, NM.