classical music JULY 8

Heinrich Albert

1574 Birth of composer Giovanni Battista Stefanini

1588 English composer and lutenist John Dowland receives his B. Mus. Degree from Christ Church, Oxford England.

1604 Birth of composer Heinrich Albert

1637 Birth of composer Johann Georg Ebeling

1638 Birth of composer Matteo Coferati

1726 Death of Italian composer Antonio Maria Bononcini in Modena. b-Modena, 18 JUN 1677. musical director to the duke of Modena in 1721. He wrote many operas, most of which were produced in Venice. Brother of Giovanni Batista Bononcini. The son of Giovanni Maria Bononcini.

1757 Birth of composer Richard Wainwright

1791 (7th?)Haydn is given the Mus. D. degree at Oxford. His thesis, The Oxford Symphony is FP there.

1805 Birth of Italian composer the elder Luigi RICCI in Naples.

1819 Birth of composer Vatroslav Lisinski

1826 Birth of German musicologist and critic Friedrich CHRYSANDER.

1826 FP of Kreutzer's "Der Besuch auf dem Lande" Vienna.

1839 Death of Spanish composer Fernando Sor at age 61,in Paris. b-Barcelona, 13 FEB 1778.

1857 Birth of Hungarian composer Rudolf DELLINGER.

1871 Birth of composer Clement Harris

1873 Birth of American soprano Jane Osborn-Hannah in Wilmington, OH. d-13 AUG 1943. Debut as Elisabeth in Tannhauser (Wagner) 1904. Teachers were Mathilde Marchesi, Giovanni Sbriglia, Rose Sucher.

1874 FP of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.

1878 Birth of Italian tenor Edoardo FERRARI-FONTANA in Rome. Wagner specialist. d-Toronto, 4 JUL 1936. MET Opera Début 2 JAN 1914 [Avito] L'Amore dei Tre Re, 2 seasons (1913-15) 11 perf., 1 work. Debut as Tristan in Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) 1909. Teacher was Riccardo Stracciari. Created Avito in Amore dei Tre Re (Montemezzi).

1881 Death of tenor Oscar Arnoldson. b-1830. Father of soprano Sigrid Arnoldson.

1882 Birth of Australian-American pianist and composer Percy Aldrich GRAINGER in Melbourne. USA citizen since 1919. d-White Plains, NY 20 FEB 1961. Search Percy GRAINGER

1900 Birth of American composer George ANTHEIL in Trenton, NJ. d-NYC, 12 FEB 1959. Search  for George ANTHEIL

1906 Death of Russian baritone Ivan Melnikov. b-St Petersburg, 4 MAR 1832. Debut as Riccardo in Puritani (Bellini) 1867. Teachers were Lomakin, Repetto. Created Prince Igor in Prince Igor (Borodin). Boris Godounov in Boris Godounov (Mussorgsky). Demon in Demon (Rubinstein). Prince Nikita Kurlyatev in Enchantress (Tchaikovsky). William Ratcliff in William Ratcliff (Cui). Kalenik in May Night (Rimsky-Korsakov). Vyazminsky in Oprichnik (Tchakovsky).

1907 Birth of composer Kishio Hirao

1911 FP of Riccitelli's "Maria sul Monte" Milan.

1912 Birth of German soprano Christel GOLTZ in Dortmund. MET Opera Début 15 DEC 1954 [Salome] Salome, 1 season (19 54-55) 6 perf., 1 work. Debut as Agathe in Freischutz (Weber) 1935. Teachers were Ornelli-Leeb, Theodor Schenk Created Penelope in Penelope (Liebermann). Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Sutermeister).

1912 Birth of composer Jacques Stehman

1927 Birth of composer Carlo Franci

1931 Birth of American composer Louis BALLARD in Devil's Promenade, Quapaw Indian Reservation, OK. See: Louis W. BALLARD.

1931 Birth of French bass-baritone Etienne BETTENS in Lausanne.

1938 Birth of baritone Ernst Gerold Schramm Debut as Marullo in Rigoletto (Verdi). Teachers were E. Arnold, Martin Grundler, Bruno Vondenhoff.

1940 FP of Randall Thompson's Allelujah. Opening the Berkshire Music Center in Lenox, MA.

1942 (1943?)FP of Sir Lenox Berkeley's Symphony No. 1, conducted by the composer in London.

1949 Death of Bohemian composer Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli in Milan. b-Strakonice, 10 JUL 1882.

1951 Birth of German baritone Matthias HOLLE in Rottwell. MET Opera Début 22 FEB 1985 [Watchman] Die Meistersinger, 3 seasons (1984-85, 86-87, 92- 93) 19 Perf., 4 works.

1952 Death of Italian soprano Medea Mei Figner. b-Florence, 4 APR 1858. Debut as Azucena in Trovatore (Verdi) 1875. Teachers were Elidoro Bianchi, Carlotta Carozzi-Zucchi, Heinrich Panofka. Pupil were Lydia Figner-Gerard (daughter). Created Iolanta in Iolanta (Tchaikovsky). Masha in Dubrovsky (Napravnik). Lisa in Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky). Sang in FP of Francesca da Rimini (Napravnik).

1953 Birth of Chinese composer ZHOU LONG in Beijing.

1954 Birth of Chinese avant garde composer GE GAN-RU in Shanghai.

1960 Birth of Swiss composer Hanspeter KYBURZ.

1961 Death of Spanish composer Julian Bautista in Buenos Aires. b-Madrid, 21 APR 1901.

1962 Death of Italian mezzo-soprano Gabriella Besanzoni. bRome, 20 NOV 1890. Debut as Adalgisa in Norma (Bellini) 1911. Teachers were Hilde Brizzi, Alessandro Maggi. Pupils were Paulo Fortes, Heloisa De Albuquerque. Sang in FP of Jorgen de Danemark (Challan). Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai). Jacquerie (Marinuzzi).

1963 Birth of English soprano Susan CHILCOTT in Bristol. d-Timsbury, 4 SEP 2003 from Breast Cancer. Début Scottish Opera (1991); she appeared at Glyndebourne and sung with the English National Opera, the Welsh National Opera and Opera North. U.S. début Santa Fe [Donna Elvira] (1996); Cincinnati (1999); Royal Opera House [Lisa] Queen of Spades, w/ Placido Domingo (2002). MET: Début [Helena] A Midsummer Night's Dream (Apr. 2003).

1968 FP of L. Berkeley's Magnificat in London.

1973 Birth of Dutch composer Henry KELDER in Groningen.

1986 Death of American soprano Nina Morgana.  b-Buffalo, NY 15 NOV 1895. Debut as Amina in Sonnambula (Bellini) 1913. Teacher was Teresa Arkel.

1987 FP of Judith Weir's opera A Night at the Chinese Opera in Cheltenham, England.

1988 FP of Philip Glass' opera The Making of the Representative for Planet 8. Based on a novel by Doris Lessing. Houston Grand Opera.

2000 FP of John Williams' Tree Song for Violin and Orchestra. Gil Shaham and Williams conducting Boston Symphony, at Tanglewood. Lennox, MA.