Today in classical music history July 31

Jakob Handl (Gallus)

1550 Birth of composer Jakob Handl (Gallus). d-1591.

1629 Birth of composer Johann Jakob Lowe von Eisenach

1767 (30?) Birth of French composer and singer Amelie Julie CANDEILLE in Paris. d-Paris, 4 FEB 1834. Daughter of Pierre-Joseph Candeille (1744-1827) opera singer and composer.

1808 Birth of English-American composer Frederick Nichols CROUCH. d-1896.

1828 Birth of Belgian composer, organist, musicologist and conductor Francois Auguste GEVAERT in Huysse. d-Brussels, 24 DEC 1908. Director Brussels Conservatory 1870 to 1907. Edited ancient music, wrote an organ method and a treatise on instrumentation. Composed the national anthem for the Belgian Congo. Edited the Haydn D-Major Cello Concerto in 1890.

1830 Birth of Czech teacher, conductor and composer Frantisek SKUHERSKY.

1845 Adolph Sax inventor of the saxophone sells his instrument to French Army Bands.

1847 Birth of Cuban pianist and composer Ignacio CERVANTES. d-29 APR 1905.

1848 Birth of French composer J. Robert PLANQUETTE in Paris. d-Paris, 28 JAN 1903.

1856 Death of tenor and singing coach Giulio Marco Bordogni. Born 23 Nov 1789 in Gazzaniga. Debut as Argirio in Tancredi (Rossini) 1813 Teacher, J S Mayr Pupils, Jeanne Anais Castellan, Laure Cinti-Damoreau, Sofia Cruvelli Julie Aimee Dorus-Gras, Marie Cornelie Falcon, Giovanni Mario Heinrich Panofka, Sims Reeves, Hermine Rudersdorff Henrietta Sontag, Leon Achard, Anna La Grange, Anna Thillon William Balfe, Anna Kerr, Johanna Wagner Created Libenskof in Viaggio a Reims (Rossini)

1856 FP of Offenbach: "Le"66" Paris (1856).

1863 Birth of American music critic and writer Richard ALDRICH.

1869 FP of Offenbach: "La Princesse de Trébizonde" Baden-Baden (1869); rev. Dec. 7, 1869.

1877 Birth of American composer Nathaniel Clark SMITH in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. d-1933.

1879 Birth of American bass Donald Chalmers, in Pennsylvania. d. Wannamassa, NJ, May 16, 1937.

1885 Birth of baritone Aristide Baracchi, in Reggio Emiliad. d-Aug. 28, 1964. MET: Début: Apr. 24, 1909 [Guard] Manon, 2 seasons (1908- 10) 22 perf., 3 roles. Created Slave Admonisher in Nerone (Boito) Mandarin in Turandot (Puccini) Vinicio in Nerone (Mascagni) Guardian of Fire & 4th Shepherd in Maria D'Allessandria (Ghedini) Sang in FP of Cena delle Beffe (Giordano) Diavolo el Campanile (Lualdi) Fra Gherardo (Pizzetti) Bella e il Monstro (Ferrari-Fontana) Delitto e Castigo (Pedrollo)

1886 Death of Hungarian composer Franz LISZT at age 74 in Bayreuth. b-Doborján, 22 OCT 1811.

1887 Birth of German soprano Claire Schulthess, in La Fertésous-Jouarre.

1893 Birth of composer Charles Wilfred Orr.

1894 Birth of German composer Heinz Bongartz, in Krefeld. d. 1974.

1894 FP of EDWARDS: "Madeleine" New York (1894).

1896 Birth of Romanian tenor Nicu Apostolescu, in Braila, July 31, 1896. Debut as Amonasro in Aida (Verdi) 1921 Teacher, Dimiter Popovici

1900 Birth of composer Erich Katz

1911 Birth of violinist and conductor George LIBERACE, administrator of Liberace Museum was brother of pianist/entertainer Liberace. d-16 OCT 1983.

1918 Birth of American musicologist Jan LA RUE in Sumatra of American parents. His father a botanist working on rubber plants. President of American Musicologist Assn, 1966-68. Prepared many thematic catalogs.

1919 Birth of English conductor Norman DEL MAR in London. d-6 FEB 1994.

1920 Birth of composer Rudolf Halaczinsky

1922 FP of Paul Hindemith's Kammermusik No. 1, Op. 42a, with Hermann Scherchen conducting at Donaueschingen, Germany. CD-Kammermusik.

1924 Birth of soprano Sofia Bandin, in Buenos Aires.

1928 Birth of soprano Ingeborg Zobel,  in Gorlitz. Debut as Amelia in Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) 1952 Teacher, Eduard Plate

1929 Birth of Canadian bass Don GARRARD in Vancouver.

1930 Birth of Andalusien tenor Pedro Lavirgen,  in Bajalance. Debut as Radames in Aida (Verdi) 1964 Teacher, Miguel Barrosa

1931 Birth of bass Ivan Rebroff.  

1931 Birth of bass Don Garrard, in Vancouver. Debut as Speaker in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1952 Teacher, Luigi Borgonovo Created Burden in Willie Stark (Floyd)

1938 FP of Morton Gould's Second American Sinfonietta conducted by Gould at a New York Philharmonic concert at Lewisohn Stadium in NYC.

1939 Birth of English conductor and pianist Steuart BEDFORD in London, July 31, 1939; MET: Début: Oct. 18, 1974, Death in Venice, 4 seasons (1974-77, 96-97) 39 perf., 3 works.

1940 Death of German soprano Lucie Weidt, in Bohemia (Silesia) in 1876 or 79. She sang at Paris, La Scala, Buenos Aires, Vienna and the MET Opera. Studied in Vienna and made her operatic début at Leipzig [Elisabeth] Tannhäuser (1900); and her début rôle (1902). The [Marschallin] and [Kundry] were generally regarded as her finest interpretations. In 1919, she created to role of "The Nurse" [Amme] Die Frau ohne Schatten. After her retirement, she taught in Vienna and resided there till her death. Gustav Mahler was a great admirer. MET Opera Début, Nov. 18, 1910 [Brünnhilde] Die Walküre, 1 season (1910-11) 10 perf., 3 works. Debut 1900 Teacher, Heinrich Weidt (father), Rosa Paper-Paumgartner Created Nurse in Frau Ohne Schatten (Strauss)

1943 Birth of American soprano Patricia Wise.

1945 Birth of composer Tomas Vackar

1952 Birth of German violinist and conductor Reinhard GOEBEL.

1953 Birth of composer Randall DAVIDSON.

1958 Birth of Australian soprano, Mezzo-soprano Deborah Riedel, in Sydney. MET: Début: Nov. 5, 1997 [Donna Anna] Don Giovanni, 1 season (1997-98) 6 perf., 1 work.

1960 Death of tenor Otto Feustel. Sang in premiere of Viel Larm um Nichts (Heinrich)

1982 FP of George Rochberg's opera The Confidence Man based on the novel by Hermann Melville, at the Sante Fe Opera, NM.

1989 Death of Italian baritone Piero Guelfi. Born 1914 in Genoa. Created Dionysus in Baccanti (Ghedini) Sempronio in Celestina (Testi) Satin in Albergo dei Poveri (Testi) Sang in premiere of Allegra Brigata (Malipiero) Stirpe di Davide (Mannino) Misteri Gloriosi (Cattozzo)

1989 Death of baritone Horst Lunow. Born 1929 in Schwerm. Sang in premiere of Tagebuch eines Irren (Searle) Fiesta (Milhaud)

1992 Death of tenor Pietro Medici. Born 17 Jun 1914 Sassuolo Modena 31 July 1992 Debut in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Jan 1937 Teacher, Emilio Piccioli

2003 Death of Austrian opera conductor Walter Taussig. b. Vienna, 1908.

2004 FP of Jennifer Higdon's Loco by the Chicago Symphony, Christoph Eschenbach conducting at the Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, IL 60035. Ravinia Centennial.