DECEMBER 27 today in classical music history

  • 1696 (26th?)FP of Bononcini's opera Il Trionfo di Camilla at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples.
  • 1723 FP of J. S. Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 64 Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget on the 3rd Day of Christmas as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig 1723-24.
  • 1724 FP of Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 133 Ich freue mich in dir on the 3rd Day of Christmas as part of Bach's second annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig 1724-25.
  • 1725 FP of Bach's Sacred Cantata No. 151 Süsser Trost, mein Jesus kömmt on the 3rd Day of Christmas as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig 1725-27.
  • 1734 FP of Bach's Herrscher der Himmels, erhöre das Lallen third of the six part Christmas Oratorio S. 248, in Leipzig.
  • 1765 Birth of English soprano Elizabeth Billington in London. Died 25 Aug 1818, Debut as Polly in Beggar's Opera (Pepusch) 1783 Teachers:- Johann Christian Bach, James Billington (husband) Venanzio Rauzzini, Antonio Sacchini Created Ceres in Ratto di Prosperina (Winter) Sang in premiere of Inez di Castro (Bianchi) Fernando nel Messico (Portugallo).
  • 1800 Birth of English composer and conductor Sir John GOSS.
  • 1841 Birth of German composer and musicologist Philipp SPITTA in Wechold near Hoya. Biographer of Bach and Schumann. Search Philipp SPITTA.
  • 1841 Franz Liszt performs at the Singakademie in Berlin and becomes popular with women all over Europe.
  • 1856 Birth of French composer and teacher Andre GEDALGE in Paris. d-Paris, 10 FEB 1926. Search Andre GEDALGE.
  • 1858 Death of French composer Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly in Paris. b-Versailles, 19 APR 1785. Search Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly.
  • 1859 Birth of Irish pianist and composer Hope TEMPLE, aka Alice Maude Davis, in Dublin. d-Folkestone, 10 MAY 1938. m- French composer André Messager but did not live with him long. Her pianist career was ruined by a riding accident. She composed sentimental ballads.
  • 1859 Birth of English music historian, writer and teacher William Henry HADOW in Ebrington. d-London, 8 APR 1937. Search William Henry HADOW.
  • 1872 Birth of Danish composer, teacher and violinist Georg HOEBERG in Copenhagen. d-Verboek, 3 AUG 1950.
  • 1882 Birth of English bass Charles Manners in London. Died 3 May 1935, Teacher :- William Shakespeare Debut / Creation as Private Willis in Iolanthe (Sullivan) 1882 Formed Moody Manners Opera Company with his wife Fanny Moody.
  • 1887 Birth of Dutch composer Bernard van DIEREN in Rotterdam. d-London, 24 APR 1936. Search Bernard van DIEREN.
  • 1888 Birth of Spanish soprano Elvira De Hidalgo in  Valderrobres, Teruel Province, Spain. Died 22 Jan 1980, Debut as Rosina in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1908 Teachers:- Bordalba, Melchiorre Vidal Pupils :- Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer, Arda Mandikian, Elvina Ramella J Hill. Search Elvira De Hidalgo. Callas & De Hidalgo: The Pupil and Her TeacherLa perla de Triana
  • 1890 Death of Italian baritone Giovanni Belletti. Born 17 Feb 1813 in Sarzana. Debut as Figaro in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1838 Teacher :- Pilotti.
  • 1891 Birth of American mezzo-soprano Carolina Lazzari in Milford Connecticut. Died 17 Oct 1946 Debut as Giglietta in Isabeau (Mascagni ) 12 Nov 1917.
  • 1892 Birth of American composer Felix LABUNSKI. d-1979. Search Felix LABUNSKI.
  • 1896 FP of Ernest Chausson's Poéme Op. 25. Guy Ropartz conducting, Eugène Ysayë as soloist, in Nancy. CD-Joshua Bell - Poème ~ Chausson · Massenet · Saint-Saëns · Ravel / RPO · Litton.
  • 1906 Birth of American pianist and composer Oscar LEVANT in Pittsburgh. d-Beverly Hills, CA 14 AUG 1972. Played Gershwin's music in movie An American in Paris.  BOOK-A Talent for Genius: The Life and Times of Oscar Levant | Search Oscar LEVANT.
  •  An American in ParisMemoirs of an AmnesiacLevant Plays Gershwin
  • 1906 FP of Florent Schmitt's Psalm XLVII in Paris.
  • 1907 Birth of Dutch conductor and composer Willem van OTTERLOO in Winterswijk. d-Melbourne, Australia 1978. Director of Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. Search Willem van OTTERLOO.
  • 1909 Birth of American tenor Charles Holland in Norfolk, Va. Died 7 Nov 1987, Teacher :- Clyde Burrows Sang in premiere of Four Saints in 3 Acts (Thomson). Fundamentals of Multicomponent Distillation.
  • 1916 Death of Russian music critic, writer and teacher Nikolai F. Soloviev in St. Petersburg. b-Petrozavodsk, 9 MAY 1846.
  • 1920 Birth of  German soprano Sigrid Ekkehard in Berlin. Debut 1943 Teacher :- Hedwig Francillo-Kauffmann, Maja Nissen-Stone Lula Mysz-Gmeiner.
  • 1925 Birth of American composer Allan BLANK. Works by Allan Blank and Margaret Brouwer.
  • 1927 Birth of American composer Joseph CASTALDO.
  • 1927 FP of Jerome Kern's Showboat in NYC. Search Kern Showboat | CD- Showboat: Presented By The Chicago Musical Review.
  • 1930 Birth of Belgian composer Jacqueline FONTYN in Antwerp. Search Jacqueline FONTYN.
  • 1931 Death of French tenor Agustarello Affre. Born 23 Oct 1858 in St Chinian. Debut as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1890 Teachers:- Edmond Duvernoy, Pierre Gailhard Pupil :- Marcel Clavare Sang in premiere of Mage(Massenet).
  • 1931 FP of George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing in NYC. Search Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing | CD-Of Thee I Sing.
  • 1932 Birth of French composer Louis-Noël BELAUBRE in Muret. Search Louis-Noël BELAUBRE.
  • 1932 Opening of S. L. 'Roxy' Rothafel's Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
  • 1934 FP of Daniel Gregory Mason's English Folk Song Suite and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Bruno Walter. Rachmaninov was pianist. CD-Serge Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4/Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini.
  • 1936 Birth of Russian mezzo-soprano Glafira Korolyova. Born 27 Dec 1936 in Perm Debut as Olga in Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) 1963 Teachers:- R J Alpert, E K Levinson, F S Petrova.
  • 1944 Death of American composer and pianist Amy Marcey Cheney (Mrs. H.H.A.)Beach, age 77, in NYC. b-Henniker, NH 5 SEP 1867.Search Mrs. H.H.A. Beach.
  • 1945 Birth of Indian-born composer, longtime resident in Europe, Clarence Albertson BARLOW in Calcutta, India.
  • 1947 Birth of American soprano Janet Perry in Minneapolis, MN. Debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Mozart) 1969 Teacher :- Eufemia Giannini-Gregory.
  • 1949 Birth of American mezzo-soprano Isola Jones in Chicago. Debut as Olga in Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) 15 Oct 1977. 
  • 1949 Birth of American composer Carson KIEVMAN. Search Carson KIEVMAN.
  • 1954 FP of Menotti's The Saint of Bleecker Street in NYC. Won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Music. CD-Menotti: The Saint of Bleecker Street.
  • 1958 Birth of Russian composer Igor PANOV in Magnitogorsk.
  • 1958 Birth of English baritone Quentin Hayes in Southend, Essex, England.. Debut as Morales in Carmen (Bizet) 1985 Teachers:- Rudolf Piernay, Arthur Reckless Created Eddy in Greek (Turnage) Soldier in What is the Point(Gregory) Benno in East & West (McQueen) Taft in Camera (Moore). Sailor/Bearkeeper/Collinson/Helmsman in Tornrak (Metcalf).
  • 1970 Birth of Russian conductor and composer Vsevolod CHMOULEVITCH in Iaroslavl. aka Vsevolod Polonsky.
  • 1978 Birth of American composer Jason THOMAS in Tennessee.
  • 1983 Death of Spanish soprano Fidelia Campigna. Born 1894 in Almeria, Andalusia.  Died 27 Dec 1983, Debut as Margherita in Mefistofele (Boito) 1913 Teacher :- Antonio Dabuyo Pupil :- Carlos Guichandut.
  • 1986 Death of Swedish composer Lars Erik Larsson in Hälsingborg. b-Akarp, 15 MAY 1908. Search Amazon.com for Lars Erik Larsson.
  • 1992 Death of American composer Stephen Joel Albert, in a car accident in Truro, MA. b-NYC, 6 FEB 1941.
  • 1995 Death of Ukranian-American pianist Shura Cherkassky age 86. b-Odessa, 7 OCT 1911. Search Shura Cherkassky. Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Shura Cherkassky Vol. IShura Cherkassky: The Piano's Last Czar