Today in classical music history September 8

Marin MERSENNE

1588 Birth of French composer Marin MERSENNE in La Soultiere. d-Paris, 1 SEP 1648.

1613 Death of Italian lutenist and composer Don Carlo Gesualdo in Naples. b-Venosa, 8 MAR 1566. Murdered his first wife and her lover.

1672 Birth of French composer Nicolas de GRIGNY in Reims. d-Reims, 30 NOV 1703.

1698 Birth of violinist and composer Francois FRANCOEUR in Paris. d-Paris, 5 AUG 1787. Music director for Louis XV.

1736 Birth of composer Bernardo Ottani 

1767 Birth of composer Karl August von Lichtenstein

1779 Birth of composer Johann Philipp Samuel Schmidt

1779 FP of BIANCHI: "Castore e Polluce" Florence.

1787 FP of PAISELLO: "Giunone e Lucina" Naples.

1792 Birth of composer Joseph Netherclift

1800 (9th?) Death of French composer and violinist Pierre Gavinies in Paris. b-Bordeaux, 11 MAY 1728.

1815 Birth of Italian soprano Giuseppina Strepponi,  [Clelia Maria Josepha] in Lodi. d. Sant' Agata, near Busseto, Nov. 14, 1897: She belonged to a family of musicians, studied at the conservatory of Milan, and made her debut: [Adria] Chiara di Rosembergh by Ricci, Dec (1834); and began her career at a concert in Lodi. Immediately afterwards. Strepponi also became successful in the theatrical field and completed her first trip outside her native of Italy at Vienna (1835). Four years later she appeared at La Scala. But her poor health and strains from an intense and disordered life allowed her only a short career. Gifted with unusual talent and sensibility, she was the intelligent interpreter of some of the works of the 'maestro' of Roncole; which were Nabucco (1842), Ernani (1844). She retired from opera in (1846), and her real fame remained tied to, above all, that of being second wife to Giuseppe Verdi. Strepponi lived with the great composer from (1848-1859), they married in 1859).

1823 FP of HÉROLD: "Lasthénie" Paris (1823).

1824 Birth of Mexican composer Jaime NUNO-ROCA in San Juan, Spain. d-in USA, 18 JUL 1908. Composed Mexico's national anthem. In 1942 his body was exhumed and broght to Mexico City for reburial in the roundhouse of the illustrious men.

1826 Birth of composer Disma Fumagalli

1827 Birth of composer Emil Naumann

1841 Birth of Czech composer Antonin DVORAK in Nelahozeves, Muhlhausen, near Prague. d-Prague, 1 MAY 1904.

1852 FP of Mendelssohn's Christus unfinished oratorio, in Birmingham, England.

1862 Opening of the Russian Musical Society school which became the St. Petersburg Concervatory.

1863 Birth of composer Gustavo Emilio Campa

1864 FP of BALFE: Operetta; "The Sleeping Queen" London (1864).

1870 Birth of German composer and conductor Hermann Hans WETZLER, in Franfurt am Main, who founded the Wetzler Symphony Orchestra in NYC. d-NYC, 29 MAY 1943.

1883 FP of Graffigna: "Il matrimonio segreto" Florence (1883).

1886 Birth of French soprano Ninon VALLIN. Born Eugénie Vallin near Lyon. She made her Paris debut on 2 APR 1911. Many early recordings. d-Lyon, 22 NOV 1961.

1893 Birth of German conductor Fritz ZWEIG in Moravia. Lived in Mannheim, Berlin and Prague. d-Los Angeles, 28 FEB 1984.

1894 Birth of Dutch pianist and conductor Willem PIJPER in Zeist. Ultra Modern Young Holland school. d-Leidschendam, 18 MAR 1947.

1904 Birth of composer Carlos Sanchez Malaga

1914 Birth of English keyboard player, conductor and writer Lionel SALTER. d-1 MAR 2000. Obituary.

1919 Birth of composer David Johan Kvandal

1921 Birth of German composer Hans ENGELMANN in Darmstaadt. Works list. Photo.

1925 Birth of composer Magnus Blondal Johansson

1925 Birth of composer Heinz Lau

1925 Birth of composer Alexander Nikolayevich Kholminov

1928 Birth of Italian bass-baritone Fabio Giongo, in Milan, Sep. 8, 1928.

1929 Birth of German conductor Christoph Von DOHNANYI in Berlin. Grandson of Hungarian pianist and composer Ernst Von Dohnanyi. Married Soprano Anja Silja. {Fodor notes: Anja Silja was wife #2 of 3, and with whom he had 3 children. (He had 2 children with wife #1 and none with wife #3.) He appears to have retired a/o ’09, having concluded his post as Chief Conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra after the 2009–2010 season. Also, he mentored Alan Gilbert of the NY Phil from ‘95–’97 while at Cleveland (all notes from Wikipedia; who’s to doubt that!) It’s unclear how much work he presently takes on at the age of 85. See, however, http://www.christophvondohnanyi.co.uk/; according to Wiki, he was the Principal Conductor of the Philhamonia in London from ‘97–’08 and now holds the title of “Honorary Conductor for Life.” }

1930 Birth of French baritone Peter Gottlieb, in Brno.

1933 Birth of musicologist and American mixed-media composer Eric SALZMAN in New York City.

1934 Birth of English composer Peter Maxwell DAVIES in Manchester.

1934 Birth of Canadian composer Srul Irving GLICK in Toronto.

1937 Birth of American composer Thomas SCHUDEL Defiance, OH.

1938 Birth of Dutch composer and pianist Reinbert de LEEUW in Amsterdam.

1941 FP of CARVALHO: "Tiradentes" Rio de Janeiro (1941).

1943 FP of DZERZHINSKY: "Nadezhda Svetlova" Orenburg (1943).

1948 Birth of Hungarian soprano Vera KINCSZES (aka Vera KINCSES) in Budapest.

1949 Death of German composer and conductor Richard Strauss, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. b-Munich, 11 JUN 1864.

1951 Birth of American composer Louis KARCHIN Philadelphia, PA.

1951 Birth of Hungarian pianist Deszo RANKI.

1955 Birth of American composer Daniel PALKOWSKI in Oak Ridge, TN.

1956 Birth of American composer Phillip SCHROEDER.

1961 FP of Earle Brown's Available Forms I for 18 players, in Darmstadt.

1970 Birth of German pianist Lars VOGT.

1971 FP of Leonard Bernstein's Mass, A Theater Piece, choreographed by Alvin Ainley, directed by Gordon Davidson, and conducted by Maurice Peress at the inauguration of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

1973 Birth of American composer Dennis DeSANTIS in Warren, MI.

1975 FP of Paul Chihara's Ceremony V Symphony in Celebration in Houston.

1991 Death of American composer Alex North at age 80, cancer, in Pacific Palisades, CA. b-Chester, PA, 4 DEC 1910.

1994 FP of Michael Torke's Javelin. Atlanta Symphony, Yoel Levi conducting.

1995 FP of Lou Harrison's New First Suite for Strings. Stuttgart Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conducting in Majorca.

2000 FP of Tan Dun's Water Passion after St. Matthew with vocal soloists Elizabeth Keusch and Stephen Bryant, violinist Mark O'Connor, cellist Maya Beiser, and percussionist David Cossin, and the orchestra of the Bach Academy conducted by the composer in Stuttgart. One of four passion settings commissioned by the International Bach Academy to honor the 250th anniversary of Bach's death in the year 2000.