October 4 today in classical music

Albert de KLERK
1917 - 1998

1505 Death of English composer Robert Wydow. Recieved first MusD. degree issued Oxford University. Was a priest of one of the chantries in Canterbury Cathedral from 1474 to 1478.

1659 Birth of composer Franz Weichlein

1738 (JC, GC=15 OCT)Publication of G. F. Handel's first set of six organ concertos transcribed for solo keyboard as op.4.

1739 (JC, GC=15 OCT)Handel finishes his Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6, no. 2, in London.

1743 Death (suicide) of English opera composer Henry Carey, in London. Wrote Sally in Our Alley. b-Yorkshire, 1687.

1744 Birth of composer Domenico Corri

1746 FP of LECLAIR: "Scylla et Glaucus" Paris.

1749 Birth of French cellist Jean Louis DUPORT in Paris. Professor at the Paris Conservatory. Composer of cello works. Developed modern cello technique and author of Essai on fingering and bowing. d-Paris, 7 SEP 1819.Search Amazon.com for Jean Louis DUPORT

1762 Birth of composer Tommaso Sogner

1772 Birth of composer Francois-Louis Perne

1781 FP of BIANCHI: "La Zemira" Naples.

1801 Michael Haydn composes The Mass commissioned by Maria Theresa, FP at Laxenburg with the Empress singing soprano roles.

1803 FP of L. Cherubini's opera Anacreon at Paris Opera.  CD- Cherubini,Luigi: Overtures

1804 FP of Paër's: "Leonora, ossia L'amore conjugale" Dresden.

1812 Birth of Italian soprano Fanny PERSIANI, aka Fanny Tacchinardi, for whom Donizetti wrote Lucia di Lammermoor. Her portrait. m-Giuseppe Persiani, composer.

1815 FP of G. Rossini's Elisabetta Regina d'Inghilterra in Naples.  CD-Rossini: Elisabetta, Regina D'Inghilterra

1825 FP of CARAFA: "Gl' italici E gl' indiani" Naples.

1840 Birth of composer Charles Ferdinand Lenepveu

1841 Birth of American composer Stephen Albert EMERY. d-15 APR 1891.

1846 Birth of American composer Silas G. PRATT in Addison, VT. d-Pittsburgh, PA 30 OCT 1916.

1857 Birth of American composer Henry SCHOENEFELD. d-1936.

1859 (16th?)Birth of Polish composer and pianist Henryk PACHULSKI in Lasa. d-Moscow, DEC 1921.

1861 Birth of composer Joao Marcellino Arroyo

1865 Birth of German tenor Willi Birrenkoven, in Kölnborn. d. Hanstedt, Mar. 8, 1955.

1875 Birth of Lituanian composer Mikolajus Konstantinas CIURLIONIS in Varena. d- near Warsaw, 10 APR 1911.

1875 FP of CELLIER: "The Tower of London" Manchester.

1877 FP of BRÜLL: "Der Landfriede" Vienna.

1881 Edward Leveaux of Sussex, England, received a patent for his player piano.

1889 FP of SMAREGLIA: "Il Vassallo di Szigeth" Vienna.

1893 Birth of Swedish soprano Gota LJUNGBERG in Sundsval. d-nr Stockholm, 28 JUN 1955. MET: Début: Jan. 20, 1932 [Sieglinde] Die Walküre, 4 seasons (1931-35) 57 perf., 13 roles, 11 works.

1894 Birth of Australian soprano Margherita Grandi, in Tasmania. d. 1974.

1895 FP of SUPPÉ: "Das Modell" Vienna.

1900 Birth of French soprano Marcélle Bunlet,  in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, d. Paris, Dec. 19, 1991.

1905 Birth of Dutch composer Léon ORTHEL in Roosendaal. d-The Hague, 6 SEP 1985.

1905 Birth of composer Rene Defossez

1910 Thirteen year old composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold premieres his opera The Snowman at Vienna Court Opera with Alexander Zemlinsky conducting.

1912 Birth of composer Alfonso Letelier-Llonas

1916 FP of Richard Strauss' revised one-act opera Ariadne auf Naxos, at the Vienna Opera. CD-R. Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos / Schwarzkopf · Seefried · Streich · Schock · Prey · PO · Karajan

1917 Birth of Dutch composer Albert de KLERK in Haarlem. d-Haarlem, 1 DEC 1998.

1921 Founding of The American Academy in Rome. Grants the first fellowship in music to Leo Sowerby.

1921 Birth of Italian tenor Gianni POGGI in Piacenza. d- 16 DEC 1989. Studied in Milan and had début in Palermo as Ismaele in Nabucco, 1947. He sang in Spain and Portugal, début at La Scala as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, 1948. MET Opera d ébut 14 DEC 1955 as Duke in Rigoletto, 2-seasons, 15-perf. 6 roles.

1928 LEHÁR: "Friederike" operetta, Berlin.

1930 Birth of composer Jozsef Soproni

1931 Birth of English mezzo-soprano Anna REYNOLDS in Canterbury.

1934 Birth of Russian-American pianist Vladimir PLESHAKOV in Shanghai, China.

1936 FP of A. Dvorak's Symphony in E-flat 32 years after his death. By Czech Radio Orchestra in Prague. It is the first symphony he composed, in 1873. Published after his death.

1937 Birth of American composer D. Martin JENNI.

1940 Birth of French conductor Alain LOMBARD in Paris. MET Opera début, 27 MAR 1966. Dance Works Concerning Oracles, 8 seasons (1965-73) 76 perf., 6 works.

1941 FP of Manuel Ponce's Concierto del Sur in Montevideo. CD-Manuel Ponce: Piano Concerto/Concierto Del Sur/Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

1945 FP of Aaron Copland's orchestral suite of Appalachian Spring ballet at Carnegie Hall. New York Philharmonic conducted by Artur Rodzinski. Performances the next day by the Boston Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra. Ballet was choreographed by Martha Graham which premiered 30 OCT 1944 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. CD-Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO

1949 Birth of American tenor John ALER in Baltimore.

1950 Birth of Mexican tenor Francisco ARAIZA in Mexico City. MET: Début: Mar. 12, 1984 [Belmonte] Die Entführung aus dem Serail, 7-seasons (1983-84, 1988-91, 1992-93, 1994-96) 55-perf., of 10-roles.

1951 FP of Tamkin: "The Dybbuk" New York, w/ Frances Bible (m/s) (1919-2001) U.S. [Frade].

1955 Birth of American composer Larry Alan SMITH.

1956 FP of Leon Kirchner's Toccata for strings, winds and percussion. Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski conducting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

1956 FP of Bohuslav Martinu's Piano Concerto No. 4 Incantations. Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski conducting, with pianist Rudolf Firkusny at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. CD-Martinu: Piano Concertos

1959 FP of D. Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 by Leningrad Philharmonic, Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting and soloist M. Rostropovich. CD-Shostakovich/Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto No. 1

1962 FP of William Schuman's Symphony No. 8 for the opening season of the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.

1963 FP of MALIPIERO: "Sogno d'un tramonto d'autunno" RAI, Milan.

1964 Birth of American composer David DZUBAY in Minneapolis.

1969 Birth of English mezzo-soprano Anna Reynolds, in Canterbury, Oct 4, 1936. MET: Début Feb. 22, 1969 [Flosshilde] Das Rheingold, 2 seasons (1968-69, 74-75) 11 perf., 5 roles, 3 works.

1970 Birth of American composer James COMBS in Seattle, WA.

1970 Death of American composer George Frederick McKAY in Stateline, NV. b-Harrington, WA. 11 JUN 1899.

1982 Death of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould in Toronto. b-Toronto, 25 SEP 1932.

1982 FP of Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi film score at Radio City Music Hall Film Festival in NYC. CD-Koyaanisqatsi (1998 Re-recording) DVD-Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance

1987 Death of Belgian composer Karel Albert in Antwerp. b-Antwerp, 16 APR 1901.

1991 FP of Lou Harrison's Homage to Pacifica. Broadcast by KPFA radio in Berkeley, CA.

1997 FP of Michael Daugherty's Niagra Falls for winds, by the University of Michigan Symphonic Band, conducted by H. Robert Reynolds in Ann Arbor, MI. CD-Niagra Falls; UFO: The Music of Michael Daugherty