DECEMBER 16 Today in classical music history

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN

  • 1770 (1772?) Traditional date of birth of German composer Ludwig van BEETHOVEN in Bonn, not 1772 which may have been the correct year. He often said he may have been born on the 15th of 1772 because his namesake brother, who died as an infant, was born in 1770. The family name is Dutch meaning 'Beet Garden'. d-Vienna, 26 MAR 1827. (His grandfather, with same name, was a church choir director in Belgium). BOOK-Beethoven: The Music and the Life | Search BEETHOVEN.
  • 1771 FP of Gretry's opera Zemire et Azor, in Paris. CD-André Medeste Grétry: Zémire et Azor
  • 1772 Musicologists indicate this as Beethoven's birthday. He insisted the date was his older brother's birthdate...died as a young child. Beethoven said he was born on November 15th 1772. See more at The Beethoven Links Page. | CD-Beethoven: 9 Symphonien.
  • 1775 Birth of French opera composer Francois Adrien BOIELDIEU in Rouen. d-Jarcy, 8 OCT 1834. Search Francois Adrien BOIELDIEU.
  • 1783 Death of German composer Johann Adolf Hasse in Venice. b-Bergedorf, 25 MAR 1699. Search Johann Adolf Hasse.
  • 1798 Death of Italian composer Gaetano Brunetti in Culminal de Oreja, Spain. b-c.1745.
  • 1825 Birth of Irish organist and conductor Robert Prescott STEWART in Dublin. d-Dublin, 24 MAR 1894. Search Robert Prescott STEWART.
  • 1835 FP of Halevy's comic musical L'Eclair, in Paris. L'éclair; Opéra Comique En 3 Actes. Paroles De De Planard & De St. Georges (French Edition).
  • 1838 Birth of German tenor Bernhard Pollini in Cologne.  Died 27 Nov 1897, Debut as Arturo in Puritani (Bellini) 1858 Pupil :- Georg Weikl.
  • 1842 Birth of German soprano Melitta Otto in Dresden. Died 13 Jan 1893, Debut 1860 Teacher :- Theile
  • 1843 Birth of composer Philipp FAHRBACH.
  • 1847 Birth of French composer Augusta Holmès, in Paris. Search Melitta Otto.
  • 1862 Birth of Austrian baritone Hans Schutz in Vienna.  Died 12 Jan 1917, Debut 1891 Teachers:- Emmerich Katzmair, Normi, Joachim Sattler.
  • 1868 Birth of soprano Marie Altona. Died 18 Dec 1916, Teacher :- Julius Stockhausen. Mlle. Marie Altona's Vocal Recital ... November 22nd, 1900 ... Book of Words, etc.
  • 1870 Birth of Australian composer, violinist and conductor Alfred Francis HILL in Melbourne. d-Sydney, 30 OCT 1960. 
  • 1877 Birth of Austrian conductor Artur BODANZKY in Vienna.
  • 1877 FP of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3, 2nd version. Bruckner conducting in Vienna. CD-Mahler: The Complete Symphonies.
  • 1880 Birth of Austrian soprano Grete Forst in Vienna. Debut as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1900 Teacher :- Hermine Granichstatten.
  • 1882 Birth of Hungarian composer, music critic and folksong collector Zoltan KODALY in Kecskemet. d-Budapest, 6 MAR 1967. Search Zoltan KODALY.
  • 1892 Birth of Swedish tenor Folke Andersson. Died 1988, Teachers:- Thekla Hofer, Torsten Lennartsson.
  • 1893 (15th?) FP of Dvorak's New World Sym. By NYPO, conducted by Anton Seidl with Dvorak in audience at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
  • 1893 Birth of French conductor Vladimir GOLSCHMANN in Paris. Search Vladimir GOLSCHMANN.
  • 1894 FP of Emil von Reznicek's opera Donna Diana in Prague. CD-Famous Overtures. Theme song of the   old time radio series, Challenge of the Yukon aka Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. Series available here.
  • 1899 Birth of English composer, actor, playwrite and producer Noel COWARD in Teddington, Middlesex. Search Noel COWARD. The Noël Coward ReaderNoel Coward Album
  • 1901 Birth of Italian bass-baritone Andrea Mongelli in Bari. Died 12 Feb 1970, Debut as Mephistopheles in Faust (Gounod) 1923 Created Dimo in Maria D'Allessandria (Ghedini). Search Andrea Mongelli.
  • 1913 Birth of tenor Heinz Sauerbaum in Rauschen. Died 29 July 1970, Debut 1938 Teacher :- Fiebach Sang in premiere of Pallas Athene Weint (Krenek).
  • 1915 Birth of Russian Composer Georgy Vasilyevich SVIRIDOV, in Fatezh-Kursk, between Moscow and Kiev. d-Moscow, 5 JAN 1998. Compositions. Voice of Russia site. Russian Culture Navigator site.
  • 1921 Death of French composer Camille Saint-Saens in Algiers at age 86. b-Paris, 9 OCT 1835. BOOK-Camille Saint-Saens : A Life | Search Camille Saint-Saens.
  • 1921 FP of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto. Composer was soloist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra Frederick Stock, conducting in Chicago. CD-Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos
  • 1923 FP of Siegfried Wagner's opera Der Schmied von Marienburg, in Rostock.
  • 1924 Birth of American soprano Mildred Miller in Cleveland, Ohio. Debut 1949 Teacher :- Maria Sundelius.
  • 1925 Birth of American composer Alice Stuart PARKER.
  • 1925 Birth of English clarinetist Thea KING. Search Thea KING.
  • 1926 Birth of American tenor James McCracken in Gary, Indiana. Died 30 April 1988, Debut as Rodolfo Boheme (Puccini) 1952 Teachers:- Marcello Conati, Ezekiel, Joyce McLean Mario Pagano, Elsa Seyfert.
  • 1929 Birth of Canadian tenor Donald Grobe in Ottawa. Died 1 April 1986, Debut as Borsa in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1952 Teachers:- Robert Long, Martial Singher, Margarethe von Winterfeldt Robert Weede Created Claude Vallee in Play of Love and Death (Cikker) Astor in Untergang der Titanic (Siebert) Wilhelm in Junge Lord (Henze) Arundel in Elisabeth Tudor (Fortner) Sang in premiere of Ophelia (Kelterborn) Gespenstersonate (Reimann).
  • 1931 Birth of Canadian harpsichordist Kenneth GILBERT. Search Kenneth GILBERT.
  • 1932 Birth of Russian composer Rodion SHCHEDRIN in Moscow. Publisher's Biography. Search Rodion SHCHEDRIN.
  • 1933 Birth of French bass Pierre Thau in Toulouse. Debut in Fanciulla del West (Puccini) 1962 Teacher :- Mme Izar.
  • 1938 FP of Aaron Copland's An Outdoor Overture in NYC. CD-The Copland Collection, 1936-1948
  • 1939 Birth of English tenor Philip Langridge in Hawkhurst Kent. Debut as Manservant in Capriccio (Strauss) 1964 Teachers:- Celia Bizony, Bruce Boyce, Erich Vierheer Created Zephyre in Zephyre (Rameau) Balder in Jesse Tree (Maconchy) Kong in Second Mrs Kong (Birtwistle) Orpheus the Man in Mark of Orpheus (Birtwistle) Sang in premiere of Therese (Taverner) Boreades (Rameau). Bio: Philip LANGRIDGE.
  • 1945 (15th?) Debut of American baritone Robert Merrill at the MET in Verdi's La Traviata. Search Robert Merrill.
  • 1946 Birth of English harpsichordist and conductor Trevor PINNOCK. Search Trevor PINNOCK.
  • 1946 FP of D. Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 3. Beethoven Quartet in Moscow. CD-Complete String Quartets
  • 1949 FP of Bernard Wagenaar's Symphony No. 4 in Boston, MA.
  • 1952 Birth of Cuban guitarist Manuel BARRUECO (bar WAY koh). Search Manuel BARRUECO. Tarrega! (Capricho Arabe, Recuerdos de la Alhambra and other works and transcriptions by Francisco Tarrega)
  • 1961 Death of Italian tenor Giuseppe Nessi. Born 25 Sep 1887 in Bergamo. Debut as Alfredo in Traviata (Verdi) 1910 Teachers:- Melli, Alessandro Vezzani Created Pong in Turandot (Puccini) Gobrias in Nerone (Boito) Icelo in Nerone (Mascagni) Donna Pasqua Polegano in Campiello (Wolf-Ferrari) Fra Simone in Fra Gherardo (Pizzetti) Sang in premiere of Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai).
  • 1965 Death of Italian tenor Tito Schipa. Born 2 Jan 1888 in Lecce. Debut as Alfredo in Traviata (Verdi) 1910 Teachers:- Alceste Gerunda, Emilio Piccoli Pupils :- Andrej Kucharsky, Cesare Valletti, Bruce Brewer Created Ruggero in Rondine (Puccini) Sang in premiere of Capminante (Sanchez De Fuentes). Nimbus Prima Voce: Tito Schipa
  • 1966 Birth of Dutch violinist Isabelle van KEULEN (Fon KOO lin). Official Web site | Search Isabelle van KEULEN. The Violin Sonata Around 1900Plays Schnittke & Lutoslawski
  • 1989 Death of Italian tenor Gianni Poggi. Born 1924 in Piacenza. Died 16 Dec 1989, Debut as Rodolfo in Boheme (Puccini) 1947 Teachers:- Emilio Ghirardini, Valeria Mann.
  • 1999 Death of American soprano Ruth Welting. Born 11 May 1949 in Memphis. Debut as Blondchen in Entfuhrung (Mozart) Teachers:- Janine Reiss, Luigi Ricci, Daniel Ferro.