October 16 Today in classical music history

Suzanne Murphy
b-1951

1607 Birth of violin maker Giuseppe GUARNERI in Cremona Italy. Search Amazon.com for Giuseppe GUARNERI [ED note: Received additional information on this entry "referring to Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (known as Joseph Guarnerious del Gesu, perhaps the most famous of the family line), it appears that he died on 17 Oct 1744, and was born on 21 Aug 1698. See the following links: Wikipedia and Guarneria.com.]

1621 Death of Dutch organist and composer Jan Sweelinck in Amsterdam. b-Deventer, 1562. Search Amazon.com for Jan Sweelinck

1679 Birth of composer Jan Dismas ZELENKA in Lounovice. d-Dresden, 22 DEC 1745. Search Amazon.com for Jan Dismas ZELENKA

1688 Birth of Italian composer Domenico ZIPOLI in Prato. d-Córdoba, Argentina, 2 JAN 1726. Search Amazon.com for Domenico ZIPOLI

1704 FP of Bononcini's opera Gli amori di Cefalo e Procri in Berlin.

1723 Birth of composer Johann Andreas Joseph Giulini

1729 Birth of Dutch composer Pieter Van MALDERE in Brussels. d-Brussels, 1 NOV 1768. Search Amazon.com for Pieter Van MALDERE

1750 Death of German lutenist and composer Silvius Leopold Weiss in Dresden. b-Breslau, 12 OCT 1686. Search Amazon.com for Silvius Leopold Weiss

1765 Birth of composer Frederic Nicolas Duvernoy

1771 FP of HASSE's "Il Ruggiero ovvero L'eroica gratitudine" Milan (1771).

1790 FP of ALESSANDRI's opera L'ouverture du grand opéra italien à Nankin in Berlin.

1811 Birth of composer Gaetano Capocci

1821 Birth of Austrian composer Albert Franz DOPPLER in Lwów, Lemberg. d-Baden, nr. Vienna, 27 JUL 1883. Search Amazon.com for Albert Franz DOPPLER

1826 Birth of composer Piotr Studzinski

1832 French soprano known as GRISI makes her debut in title role of Rossini's Semiramide.

1835 Birth of American soprano Cora DE Wilhorst, IN NYC. d. ?

1837 Birth of composer John Francis Barnett

1849 Birth of composer Arnold Krug

1849 Birth of composer Charles Harford Lloyd

1855 Birth of British musicologist William Barclay SQUIRE in London. d-London, 13 JAN 1927. From 1917 head of the Royal Music Library. Search Amazon.com for William Barclay SQUIRE

1857 Birth of Polish pianist Henryk PACHULSKI. Search Amazon.com for Henryk PACHULSKI

1876 FP of CELLIER's "Nell Gwynne" Manchester.

1878 Birth of composer Carlos Pedrell

1881 FP of HALLÉN's "Harald Viking" Leipzig.

1884 Birth of Chilean soprano Sofia del Campo. d. Santiago, June 24, 1964. Search Amazon.com for Sofia del Campo

1891 First afternoon concert by the Chicago Symphony at the Chicago Auditorium, with Theodore Thomas conducting music of Wagner, Faust Overture, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Rafael Joseffy, and Dvorák's HussiteOverture. Search Amazon.com for Theodore Thomas conducting

1897 Birth of composer Harrison Kerr

1903 Birth of composer Mario Pilati

1910 Birth of composer William Leonard Reed

1912 FP of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire in Berlin, after 40 rehearsals. Work for speaking voices and chamber orchestra. Search Amazon.com for Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire

1913 Birth of Italian baritone Geno Bechi, in Florence, Oct. 16, 1913; d. Florence, Feb. 2, 1993

1913 Birth of composer Cesar Bresgen, Austrian

1916 FP of FALL's "Die Kaiserin" Berlin.

1918 Birth of French baritone Geori Boué, in Toulouse, Oct. 16, 1918.

1919 FP of LEONCAVALLO's "A chi la giarettiera?" posthumous/operetta; Rome.

1920 Death of Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomunceno in Rio de Janeiro. b-Fortaleza, 6 JUL 1864.

1924 FP of KRENEK's "Zwingburg" Berlin.

1925 FP of Richard Strauss' Parergon to the Symphonia domestica for piano left hand and orchestra, Paul Wittgenstein performing in Dresden.

1926 Birth of American soprano Madelaine CHAMBERS, aka Madelaine Herenchak and Alice Chemerys, in NYC. d-Philadelphia, PA, 30 APR 1999 of Leukemia. Attended New York University, Columbia University, the Juilliard School of Music, and received a Fulbright Scholarship for one year's study in Italy, 1952. First place at the International Competition for Opera Singers at Lausanne. Won the Metropolitan Auditions of the Air, 1955. Début as Musetta in La Bohèm, Teatro Nuovo, Milan, 1954; New York City Opera as Micaela in Carmen. MET Opera début 2 FEB 1956 as Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, 4 seasons, 136 perf., 11 roles.

1926 FP of Zoltan Kodaly's opera Hary Janos in Budapest. Search Amazon.com for Hary Janos

1930 Birth of Scottish conductor and pianist James LOCKHART in Edinburgh. Search Amazon.com for James LOCKHART

1931 Birth of American baritone Heinz Blankenburg, in New York. Search Amazon.com for Heinz Blankenburg

1932 Birth of American conductor Henry LEWIS in LA, CA. Married briefly to soprano Marilyn Horne from 1960 to divorce in 1977. d-NYC, 26 JAN 1996: MET Opera 6 seasons 1964-65, 72-77, 139-perf. of 6-works.

1932 Birth of Australian mezzo-soprano Margreta Elkins, in Brisbane. Search Amazon.com for Margreta Elkins

1933 Death of French baritone Maurice RENAUD in Paris. b-Bordeaux, 24 JUL 1861.

1934 FP of Miaskovsky's Symphony No. 13. Musikkollegium orchestra, Hermann Scherchen conducting in Winterthur, Switzerland. CD-Myaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 13

1936 Birth of composer Gerardo Gandini

1938 FP of Aaron Copland's ballet Billy the Kid Ballet Caravan Company, with pianists Arthur Gold and Walter Hendel performing a two-piano version of the score in Chicago. CD-Copland: El Salón México/Danzón Cubano/Billy The Kid

1940 Birth of Swiss soprano Elisabeth Speiser, in Zurich. Search Amazon.com for Elisabeth Speiser

1941 Birth of English composer and conductor Derek BOURGEOIS.

1941 Birth of composer Erkki Jokinen

1942 FP of Aaron Copland's one-act ballet Rodeo. Produced in NYC, at Metropolitan Opera House, by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. CD-Copland: Rodeo/El Salón México/Danzón Cubano

1944 Death of Czech composer and conductor Hans Krasa in Auschwitz. b-Prague, 30 NOV 1899. Search Amazon.com for Hans Krasa

1946 Death of English composer Sir Granville Bantock in London. b-London, 7 AUG 1868. Search Amazon.com for Sir Granville Bantock

1951 Birth of soprano Suzanne Murphy.  BIO.

1952 FP of Graffigna's "Maria di Brabante" Trieste.

1954 Birth of American electronic music composer Larry POLANSKY. Search Amazon.com for Larry POLANSKY

1958 Conductor-lecturer Leonard Bernstein's first presentation of a 'major view of American music' with The New York Philharmonic performing works by Wallingford Riegger, John J. Becker and Carl Ruggles. Search Amazon.com for Leonard Bernstein

1959 Birth of Estonian composer Erkki Sven TüüR in Kardla, Estonia. Search Amazon.com for Erkki Sven TüüR

1960 FP of Olivier Messiaen's Chronochromie in Donaueschingen, Germany. CD-Olivier Messiaen: Chronochromie/La Ville d'en haut/Et Exspecto

1962 Birth of Russian Baritone Dmitri HVOROSTOVSKY in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Search Amazon.com for Dmitri HVOROSTOVSKY

1963 Birth of soprano Iano Tamar. 

1969 FP of Leon Kirchner's Music for orchestra. New York Philharmonic, with the composer conducting. Search Amazon.com for Kirchner's Music 

1976 FP of Peter Maxwell Davies' Five Klee Pictures for orchestra. Young Musicians' Symphony, James Blair conducting in London. CD-Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 5; Chat Moss; Cross Lane Fair; Five Klee Pictures

1988 FP of Stephen Paulus' Five for the Flowers Near the River for viola and piano, by Cynthia Phelps and Warren Jones, in Minneapolis. CD-Cynthia Phelps, Principal Viola, New York Philharmonic

1992 FP of Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 3 dedicated to conductor JoAnn Falletta. Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Bill McGlaughlin. CD-Tower: Concerto; Duets

2003 FP of Tan Dun's Paper Concerto. Essa Pekka Salonen conducting Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrating the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, CA. 

Search Amazon.com for Tan Dun's Paper Concerto