Today in classical music history July 25

 Heinrich Gebhard

1579 Birth of composer Valerius Otto

1654 Birth of Italian composer, organist and priest Agostino STEFFANI in Castelfranco Veneto. d-Frankfurt-am-main, 12 FEB 1728.

1657 Birth of German composer Philipp Heinrich ERLEBACH in Esens. d-Rudolstadt, 17 APR 1714.

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

1772 Birth of composer Gottlob Benedikt Bierey

1780 Birth of composer Christian Theodor Weinlig

1786 Birth of composer Giacomo Cordella

1788 Mozart finishes a Symphony he began on June 27th, the popular 40th in g. K.550.

1798 FP of Cherubini: "L'Hôtellerie portugaise" Paris.

1814 Death of British composer, singer and promoter Charles Dibdin, in London. b-Southampton, 4 APR 1745.

1831 Death of Polish composer Maria Szymanowska in St. Petersburg, Russia. b-Warsaw, 14 DEC 1789.

1832 Birth of composer Simon Hassler

1847 FP of FESCA: "Der Troubadour" Furstenberg (1847).

1855 Birth of composer Edward Solomon

1867 Birth of French bass Marcel JOURNET in Grasse. d. Vittel, Sep. 7, 1933: MET: Début: Dec. 22, 1900, 8 seasons(1900-08) 225 perf. Debut as Balthasar in Favorita (Donizetti) 1891 Teachers, Louis-Henri Obin, Seneghetti Created Simon Magus in Nerone (Boito) Duke of Mendoza in Inez Mendo (Regnal (Baron D'Erlanger))

1878 Birth of German-American composer and pianist Heinrich GEBHARD in Sobernheim, Rhine Provence. d-North Arlington, NJ, 5 MAY 1963.

1878 (15th?) Birth of French conductor Louis Hasselmans, in Paris. d. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dec. 27, 1957: He began as cellist, taking a first prize at the Conservatoire (1893). He was principal of the Concerts Lamoureux and a member of the celebrated Quatuor Capet before turning to conducting. From (1909-11), he was at the Opéra-Comique, and again (1919-22); Montreal in (1911-13); and at the Chicago Civic Opera (1918-19). MET: Début: Jan. 20, 1922, Faust, 15 seasons (1921-36) 534 perf., 19 works.

1880 Birth of Australian soprano Amy Castles in Melbourne. d. Fitzroy, Nov. 19, 1951. Born into a musical family. Melbourne début at the annual meeting of the Austral Salon (1899). Studied with Mme. Marchesi in Paris, début at St. James's Hall with Ada Crossley and Clara Butt (1901). sang at the Queen's Hall concerts in London and gave a command performance before King Edward VII (1906). appeared in Hamlet at Cologne, Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and Faust. Australian premiere of Puccini's Madame Butterfly. referred to as the Australian Nightingale. At the outbreak of war Castles returned to Australia where she completed a tour of the capital cities. She made her U.S. début at Carnegie Hall, New York (1917), as well as giving concerts for sick and wounded soldiers and opening her Manhattan home to visiting Australians. Williamson Grand Opera Company Castles toured Australia (1919 & 1925). She sang leading soprano roles at the Vienna Opera and was appointed Court Singer for the Hapsburg Court in Vienna.

1883 Birth of Italian pianist, composer and conductor of the Boston Pops 1927-29, Alfredo CASELLA, in Turin. d-Rome, 5 MAR 1947.

1894 Birth of BARANOVIC: Kresimir (con/comp/opera) (1894-1975) Croatian.

1894 Birth of French soprano Yvonne Printemps, in Ermont, Seine-et-Oise. d. Neuilly, nr Paris, Jan. 18, 1977:

1898 Birth of Italian soprano Maria Zamboni, in Peschiera. d. Mar. 25, 1976. Debut in Marguerite in Faust (Gounod) 1921 Teacher, M.Silva Created Liu in Turandot (Puccini) Maria in Staniero (Pizzetti)

1897 Birth of composer Hermann Ambrosius

1899 FP of BERUTTI: "Yupanki" Buenos Aires (1899); w/Enrico Caruso (t) (1873- 1921) It.

1903 Birth of composer Andre Fleury

1907 Birth of German composer Karl HöLLER in Bamberg. d-Hausham, Bavaria, Germany 14 APR 1987.

1907 FP of FALL: "Der fidele Bauer" operetta, Vienna (1907).

1909 Birth of Italian conductor Gianandrea GAVAZZENI in Bergamo. d-Feb. 5, 1996: MET: Début: Oct. 11, 1976, Il Trovatore, 1 season (1976-77) 8 perf., 1 work.

1922 Death of Polish-American composer and pianist Jaroslaw de Zielinski in Santa Barbara, CA. b-Lubycza Krolewska, 31 MAR 1844.

1925 Birth of English composer and conductor Kenneth ALWYN.

1925 Birth of French-Australian tenor Albert Lance, aka Lancelot Albert Ingram, in Adelaide, Australia.

1926 Birth of George Maran Tenor Born 25 July 1926 Attleboro Mass Teachers, Merle Alcock, Ruth Streeter Sang in the premiere of Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten)

1926 Birth of Maran, George (t) U.S. b. Attleboro, MA, July 25, 1926;

1926 Birth of composer Teodor Grigoriu, composer

1929 Birth of German soprano Vera Schlosser.

1930 Birth of Canadian contralto Maureen FORRESTER in Montreal, Canada. aka Kathleen Stewart. Debut as Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) 1961 Teachers, Bernard Diamant, Sally Martin, Franck Rowe

1932 Birth of composer Gibson N Kente

1934 Birth of American composer Don ELLIS in Los Angeles, CA. d-Los Angeles, CA 1978.

1935 Birth of French tenor Jean Belliard.

1935 Birth of Croatian soprano Bettina Jonic in Zadar, Yugoslavia. Created Elmire in Tartuffe (Benjamin)

1936 Birth of American composer Edward GOLD in Brooklyn, NY.

1937 (1942?) Birth of Croatian mezzo-soprano Ruza Baldani, née Ruza Pozpis in Varazdin, Yougoslavia, (Croatia). MET: Début: Feb. 16, 1966 [Maddalena] Rigoletto, 6 seasons (1965-67, 69-73) 57 perf., 11 roles.

1937 FP of Aaron Copland's Music For Radio in CBS radio broadcast, he later renamed it Prairie Journal.

1937 FP of Samuel Barber's Symphony No. 1 at Salzburg Festival, with the Vienna Philharmonic, Arthur Rodzinski conducting.

1938 Birth of American composer Richard TRYTHALL.

1939 FP of Panizza: "Bisanzio" Buenos Aires (1939).

1939 Birth of composer Richard Akre Trythall.

1942 FP of DELANNOY: "Ginevra" comic opera, Paris (1942).

1943 Debut of American Mezzo-soprano Nan Merriman, soloist with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini conducting.

1948 Birth of Rumanian tenor Cornelius Murgu, in Timisoara. MET: Nov. 3, 1982 [Riccardo] Un Ballo in Maschera, 1 season (1982-83) 5 perf., 1 work.

1953 Birth of New Zealand composer Christopher CREE-BROWN in Christchurch.

1954 Death of Dutch bass-baritone Louis Van de Sande. Born 18 Nov 1887 in Tilburg, Holland. Teacher, Anton Sistermans

1955 Birth of English composer Ian VENABLES in Liverpool, Lancashire.

1955 Death of Finnish composer and pianist Toivo Hannikainen in Kuhmoinen. b-Jyvaskyla, 19 OCT 1892.

1957 Birth of Danish composer Jacob VEJSLEV in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1957 Birth of Italian bass-baritone Natale de Carolis, in Anagni. MET: Début Jan. 4, 1989 [Figaro] Le Nozze di Figaro, 2 seasons (1988-89, 90-91) 9 perf., 2 roles.

1963 Death of Dutch composer Daniël Ruyneman in Amsterdam. b-Amsterdam, 8 AUG 1886.

1967 Death of French composer Andrés Orchassal Sas in Lima, Peru. b-Paris, 6 APR 1900.

1969 Death of American opera composer, Douglas Moore at age 75, in Greenport, NY. b-Cutchogue, NY, 10 AUG 1893.

1970 FP of Dutilleux's Tout un monde lointain for Cello and Orchestra, in Aix-en-Provence.  Henri Dutilleux.

1972 Birth of Columbian composer Johann HASLER in Medellín.

1976 FP of Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach at the Théatre Municipale, Avignon Festival, France.

1979 Death of soprano Dora Gatta. Born 1921 in Foggia. Debut 1942 Sang in the premiere of Cordovano (Petrassi)

1983 Death of American composer, film and broadway, Jerome Moross in Miami, FL. b-Brooklyn, NY 1 AUG 1913. 

2014 Death of Italian tenor Carlo BERGONZI in Parma, Pollisene. NYT Obit MUSIClassical Musician Milestones. b-13 JUL 1924.