Today in classical music history August 20

Jacopo PERI 

1561 Birth of Italian composer Jacopo PERI in Rome. Opera pioneer whose work based on Rinuccini's poem Dafne (1600) may have been the first opera. d-Florence, 12 APR 1633.

1611 Death of Spanish organist and composer Tomas Luis de Victoria in Madrid. b-Avila, 1548.

1666 Birth of composer Alphonse d' Eve

1720 Birth of composer Bernard de Bury

1756 Birth of composer Bernardo Bittoni

1768 FP of GRÉTRY: "Le Huron" Paris.

1788 Birth of composer Jose Bernardo Alcedo

1813 Death of Bohemian composer Jan Krtitel Vanhal (aka, Johann Baptist Vanhal and Wanhall) at age 74, in Vienna. b-Nové Nechanice, Czech Republic, 12 MAY 1739.

1815 Birth of Irish conductor, singer and composer Joseph ROBINSON in Dublin. d-Dublin, 23 AUG 1898.

1820 Birth of composer Adolfe Louis Eugene Fetis

1827 (22nd baptismal) Birth of Austrian composer Josef STRAUSS, in Vienna. Was the waltz composer and brother of famous Viennese composers of light music. d-Vienna, 21 JUL 1870.

1828 FP of ROSSINI: "Le Comte Ory" Paris.

1839 Birth of soprano Carolina Ferni in Como. Died 4 June 1926. Debut as Leonora in Favorita (Donizetti) 1862 Teacher, Giuditta Pasta Pupils, Eugenia Burzio, Enrico Caruso, Eugenio Giraldoni Sang in premiere of Violino del Diavolo (Mercuri)

1843 (3rd?) Birth of Swedish soprano Christine NILSSON in Sjoabol. d-Stockholm, 22 NOV 1921. Studied in Stockholm, début Paris, 1864, [Violetta]. Sang at London, New York, St Petersburg, Brussels, Munich.Created [Ophélie] Hamlet, one of her finest roles. Married in 1872, French banker August Rouzeaud, and in 1887, Spanish count Casa di Miranda. MET: Début: Oct. 22, 1883 [Marguerite] Faust, 1 season (1883-84) 59 perf, 8 roles, 7 works. Debut as Violetta in Traviata (Verdi) 27 Oct 1864 Teachers, Franz Berwald, Enrico Delle Sedie, Baroness Leuhusen Victor Masse, Pierre-Francois Wartel Created as Ophelia in Hamlet (Thomas) Myrrha in Sardanapale (De Joncieres) Lucrezia in Talismano (Balfe)

1873 Birth of American composer Daniel Gregory MASON in Brookline, MA. d-Greenwich, CT 4 DEC 1953.

1873 Birth of soprano Jeanne Tiphaine. d. 1958. Debut 1894 Teacher, Saint Yves Bax Created Noemia in Cendrillon (Massenet)

1873 Birth of composer William Henry Bell

1877 Birth of Dutch composer Jan ZWART in Zaandam. d-Zaandam, 13 July 1937.

1878 Birth of German bass Fritz Soot, in Wellersweiler. d. Berlin June, 9, 1965. Debut as Tonio in Fille du Regiment (Donizetti) Teacher, Karl Scheidemantel Created Drum-Major in Wozzeck (Berg) Italian Singer in Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Voice in Rembrandt van Rijn (Von Klenau) Babinski in Schwanda the Bagpiper (Weinberger) Sang in premiere of Verurteilung des Lukullus (Dessau)

1881 Birth of composer Nikolay Yakovlevich Myaskovsky

1882 FP of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture in Moscow.

1885 American debut of The Mikado, by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City.

1888 Birth of composer George Sklavos

1889 Birth of composer Witold Friemann

1893 FP in USAmerica of Smetana's "The Bartered Bride", in Chicago.

1907 Birth of Russian born, English conductor Anatole FISTOULARI, in Kiev. d-1995.

1918 Marriage of tenor Enrico Caruso & Dorthy Park Benjamine.

1920 Death of soprano and coach Etelka Gerster. Born 25 June 1855 in Hungary. Died 20 Aug 1920 Debut as Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1876 Teacher, Mathilde Marchesi Pupils, Clara Butt, Julia Culp, Susanne Dessoir, Birgit Engell Mary Hagen, Lotte Lehmann, Lula Mysz-Gmeiner, Signe Rappe Elisabeth Ohlhoff, Therese Bahr-Schnabel, Ella Gmeiner Magda Von Dulong

1924 Birth of American composer Elias TANENBAUM.

1927 Death of Austrian-American pianist Fanny Bloomfield Zeisler in Chicago at age 64. b-Austrian Silesia, 16 JUL 1863. Sister of Maurice Bloomfield.

1930 Death of English organist George John Bennett, in Lincoln.

1931 Birth of Ames, Richard (t) U.S. b. Cleveland. Teachers:- Mario Basiola, Max Lorenz, Franz Schuch-Tovini Created Dictator in Leather Heads (Weishappel)

1933 Birth of Dutch composer and pianist Maarten BON in Amsterdam. d-Amsterdam, 19 OCT 2003. Brother of composer Willem Frederik.

1935 Birth of American composer Charles SHERE in Berkeley, CA.

1935 Death of Czech composer and teacher Otakar Ostrcil in Prague. b-Smidrov, 25 FEB 1879.

1939 (1941?) Birth of English soprano Anne Evans in London. Debut in Annina in Traviata (Verdi) 1967 Teachers, Maria Carpi, Herbert Graf, Vida Harford, Lotvi Mansouri Ruth Packer, Luigi Ricci, Josephine Veasey. MET: Feb. 6, 1992 [Elisabeth] Tannhäuser, 2 seasons (1991-92, 93-94) 8 perf., 2 works.

1943 FP of Ponce's Violin Concerto in Mexico City. Carlos Chavez conducting. (Family pronunciation is POHNC' eh).

1944 Death of tenor Arthur Preuss. Born 23 Feb 1878 in Konigsberg. Debut 1899 Teachers, Franz Krolop, Benno Stolzenberg Sang in premiere of Dreimaderlhaus (Berte)

1949 Birth of soprano Marina Mader-Todorova.

1949 Birth of composer in Leonard J. LEHRMAN in Ft. Riley, Kansas.

1950 Birth of English composer Andrew DOWNES in Birmingham.

1954 Death of American baritone Arthur Cranmer. Born 5 May 1885 in Birmingham. Pupil David Galliver

1955 Birth of French counter tenor Dominique Visse.

1956 FP of Sir Arthur Bliss' Edinburgh Overture at the opening of the Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama.

1958 Birth of American composer Jean HASSE in Cleveland, OH.

1958 FP of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera Maria Golovin at the International Exposition in Brussels, Belgium.

1960 Birth of American soprano Deborah Green.

1960 Birth of American composer David C. MECKLER.

1961 FP of John Harbison's Duo for flute and piano. Flutist Neil Zaslaw and pianist Juliette Arnold at the Brooklyn Museum.

1963 Death of American soprano Mabel Garrison. Born 24 April 1886 in Baltimore. Debut as Philine in Mignon (Thomas) 19 Apr 1912 Teachers, Edward Heimendahl, Pietro Minetti, Lucien O'Denthal, Oscar Saenger, Herbert Witherspoon

1965 FP of Harrison Birtwistle's Tragoedia for chamber ensemble, during the Castle Summer School of Music, by the Melos Ensemble conducted by Lawrence Foster at Wardour Castle in England.

1965 FP of PASATIERI: "The Wemon" Aspen (1965).

1967 Birth of American composer Amos ELKANA in Boston, MA.

1973 FP of Carl Orff's cantata De Temporum Fine Commedia 'A Play of the End of Time' Herbert von Karajan conducting at the Salzburg Festival.

1974 (15th?)Birth of Russian violinist Maxim VENGEROV in Novosibirsk.

1979 FP of John Harbison's opera The Winter's Tale in San Francisco, CA.

1980 Birth of American composer Thomas DEMPSTER in Sandusky, MI.

1980 FP of Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No. 11. BBC Northern Symphony in London.

1992 FP of Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 5 work is dedicated to Joan Harris, at the opening of the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

2000 Death of English soprano Nancy Evans. Born 19 March 1915 in Liverpool. Debut 1938 Teachers, Maggie Teyte, John Tobin, Eva De Reusz Pupil, Beverley Mills Created Nancy in Albert Herring (Britten) Poet in Growing Castle (Williamson)