FEBRUARY 17

Henri VIEUXTEMPS

1444 Birth of Dutch organist Rudolph AGRICOLA aka Roelof Huysman.

1652 Death of Italian priest, singer and composer Gregorio Allegri, at age 67 in Rome. b-Rome, 1582.

1653 Birth of Italian composer Arcangelo CORELLI in Fusignano near Milan. d-Rome, 8 JAN 1713.

1654 Death of composer Michael Lohr, at age 62.

1667 Birth of German composer Georg BRONNER. d-8 MAR 1720.

1675 Birth of German composer Johann Melchior CONRADI.

1696 Birth of composer Baron Ernst GOTTLIEB.

1697 Birth of French composer Louis-Maurice de La PIERRE.

1728 (JC, GC=28 FEB)FP of G. F. Handel's opera Siroe, re di Persia 'Cyrus, King of Persia' at the King's Theater in the Haymarket, in London. The first collaboration with libretto by Metastasio.

1732 Death of French organist and composer Louis Marchand, at age 63 in Paris. b-Lyon, 2 FEB 1669.

1747 Birth of Spanish composer Narciso CASANOVAS. d-1779.

1751 Birth of tenor and composer Domenico Mombelli in Villanova.  Died 15 Mar 1835 Debut in Nitteti (Anfossi) Pupil, Marietta Alboni Created Eumene in Demetrio e Polibio (Rossini) Sang in premiere of Oresto (Cimarosa) Enea e Lavinio (Paisiello).

1754 Birth of Czech composer Jan Jachym KOPRIVA. d-1792.

1792 FP of F. J. Haydn's Symphony No. 93. Was conducted by Haydn at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London.

1796 Birth of Italian composer Giovanni PACINI in Catania. d-Pescia, 6 DEC 1867.

1804 Death of German composer Christian Ernst Graf, at 80.

1807 FP of Etienne Mehul's opera Joseph in Paris.

1813 Birth of baritone Giovanni Belletti in Sarzana.  Died 27 Dec 1890 Debut as Figaro in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1838 Teacher, Pilotti.

1815 Death of composer Franz Gotz, at age 59.

1816 Birth of composer Friedrich Wilhelm MARKKULA.

1820 Birth of French composer Henri VIEUXTEMPS, in Verviers, Belgium. Taught at Brussels Conservatory. d-Mustapha, Algeria, 6 JUN 1881.

1831 Birth of composer Francisco Salvador DANIEL.

1841 Death of Italian composer and guitarist Ferdinando Carulli at age 70 in Paris.

1847 Birth of soprano Mathilde Mallinger in Agram.  Died 19 Apr 1920 Debut as Norma in Norma (Bellini) Teachers, Giovanni Battista Gordigiani, Richard Loewy, Heinrich Vogl Pupils, Johannes Bischoff, Werner Engel, Frieda Langendorff Lotte Lehmann, Henry Trundt, Florence Wickham, Karel Kral Created Eva Pogner in Meistersingers (Wagner) Sang in premiere of Frithjof (Hopffer) Cesario (Taubert).

1850 Birth of German composer Anton URSPRUCH in Frankfurt Germany. d-Frankfurt am Main, 1907.

1850 Birth of composer Ludwig BONVIN. d-1939.

1855 Birth of baritone Antonio Magini-Coletti in Ancona.  Died 21 July 1912 Debut as Valentin in Faust (Gounod) 1882 Teacher, Venaslao Persichini Created Frank in Edgar (Puccini) Aboar in Profeta Velato (Napoletano) Sang in premiere of Le Maschere (Mascagni).

1855 FP of Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Eb. Liszt was soloist with Hector Berlioz conducting in Weimar.

1856 Death of English composer and tenor John Braham, in London. b-London, 20 MAR 1774. Debut 1796 Teachers, Michael Leoni, Venanzio Rauzzini Pupils, Fanny Corri-Paltoni, Adelaide Kemble Created Huon in Oberon (Weber) Araspe in Artemisia (Cimarosa) Tarquinio in Il Trionfo di Clelia (Nasolini) Sang in premiere of Il Ritratto (Zingarelli).

1858 Birth of conductor and composer Ernest FORD.

1859 FP of Verdi opera Un Ballo in Maschera, based on the murder of Gustavus, King of Sweden, at the Teatro Apollo in Rome.

1860 Birth of baritone Max Dawison in Schwedt.  Died 22 Apr 1953 Debut as Herald in Lohengrin (Wagner) 1889 Teachers, Desiree Artot de Padilla, Mariano Padilla y Ramos, Adolf Zebrian Benno Stolzenberg.

1862 Birth of English composer Edward GERMAN (Jones) in Whitechurch, Shropshire. d-11 NOV 1936.

1862 Death of mezzo-soprano Ann Maria Tree. Born Aug 1801 in London. Debut as Rosina in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1819 Teacher, Tom S.Cooke, Lanza Created Clari in Clari (Bishop) Luciana in Comedy of Errors (Bishop).

1870 Birth of soprano Riza Eibenschutz in Budapest.  Died 1946 Debut as Selika in Africaine (Meyerbeer) 1894 Teachers, Marianne Brandt, Joseph Gansbacher Sang in premiere of Orestes (Weingartner) Salome (Strauss) Elektra (Strauss) Das War Ich (Blech) Odysseus Tod (Bungert).

1882 Birth of German composer Kurt SCHINDLER. d-1935.

1883 Death of French guitarist and composer Napoleon Coste, at age 76. Broken arm cost him his career. b-28 JUN 1806.

1884 Birth of German-American conductor Hans LANGE. Conductor New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.

1887 Birth of Finnish composer Leevi MADETOJA in Oulu. d-Helsinki, 6 OCT 1947.

1887 Birth of bass-baritone Wilhelm Rode in Hanover.  Died 2 Sep 1959 Debut as Herald in Lohengrin (Wagner) Sep 1909 Teacher, Rudolf Moest Sang in premiere of Burgschaft (Weill) Schmeid von Gent (Schrecker) Eros und Psyche (Rozycki).

1889 Birth of English composer and conductor Geoffrey TOYE in Winchester. d-London, 11 JUN 1942.

1889 FP of Cesar Franck's d minor symphony, in Paris.

1893 Birth of Spanish guitarist Andres SEGOVIA. d 1987.

1896 Birth of mezzo-soprano Gertrud Wettergren in Esloev, Sweden.  Died 1991 Debut Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) 1922 Teachers, Gillis Bratt, Mme Cappiani, Kallie Sandberg, Oscar Lejdstrom Sang in premiere of Rosa till Amerika (Rosenberg) Kathrin (Korngold) Lycksalighetens (Rosenberg) Backahasten (Atterberg) Created Dona Sirena in Marionetter (Rosenberg) Singoalla in Singoalla (De Frumerie).

1897 Certificated birth date of American contralto Marian ANDERSON in Philadelphia, PA. Best known for her recitals, she became the first black singer to appear as a soloist at The MET, in NYC. She stated her birthday was in 1902. d-8 Apr 1993 Debut as Ulrica in Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) 9 Apr 1939 Teachers, Giuseppe Boghetti, Frank La Forge, Amanda Aldridge.

1900 Birth of soprano Oxana Petrusenko in Kharkiv.  Died 15 July 1940 Teacher, P Saksahansky.

1901 FP of Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, in Vienna.

1901 Death of American composer and pianist Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin, at age 38 in New Haven, CT. b-Edgeworth, PA 25 NOV 1862.

1902 Birth of soprano Leila Ben Sedira in Algeria.  Died 1 Jun 1982 Debut as Olympia in Contes D'Hoffmann (Offenbach) 1929 Teacher, Lazare-Levy Sang in premiere of Cantegril (Roger-Ducasse).

1903 Death of Welsh composer Joseph Parry, at age 61 in Penarth, England. b-Merthyr Tydfil, 21 MAY 1841.

1904 FP of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, at La Scala in Milan.

1906 Birth of composer and violinist Ramon TAPALES.

1909 Birth of Australian operatic soprano Marjorie LAWRENCE in Geelong Victoria. Died 14 Jan 1979 Debut as Elizabeth in Tannhauser (Wagner) 1932 Teachers, Ivor Boustead, Cecille Gilly Pupil, Louise Ann Wohlafka.

1913 Birth of Polish-French conductor and composer Rene LEIBOWITZ in Warsaw. d-Paris, 29 AUG 1972.

1913 Birth of composer Oskar DANON. Chief conductor The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (1970–1974).

1914 FP of Ernst von Dohnányi's Variations on a Nursery Song for piano and orchestra. The composer was soloist in Berlin.

1915 Birth of composer Homer KELLER.

1920 Birth of American composer Paul FETLER in Philadelphia, PA.

1920 Death of baritone Karel Kral. Born 25 Aug 1872 in Stara, Liben.  Died 17 Feb 1920 Debut 1899 Teacher, Mathilde Mallinger.

1924 Death of Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto at age 55 in Hausjärvi-Oiti.

1925 Death of soprano Alwina Valleria. Born 12 Oct 1848 in Baltimore. Debut as Linda in Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti) 1871 Teacher, Luigi Arditi, Wallworth Sang in premiere of Troubadour (Mackenzie) Velleda (Lenepveu) Created Nadeshda in Nadeshda (Goring Thomas) Columba in Columba (Mackenzie).

1926 Birth of American pianist and composer Lee HOIBY in Madison, WI.

1926 Birth of Austrian avante-garde composer Friedrich CERHA in Vienna.

1927 FP of Deems Taylor's opera The King's Henchmen at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.

1929 Birth of composer Eugene V. HANCOCK. d-1993.

1930 Birth of Finnish composer Usko MERILAINEN.

1930 Death of mezzo-soprano Louise Kirkby-Lunn. Born 8 Nov 1873 in Manchester. Debut as Nora in premiere of Shamus O'Brien (Stanford) 2 Mar 1896 Teachers, Jacques Bouhy, J H Greenwood, Alberto Visetti, Gustave Garcia.

1933 Death of Dutch composer and conductor Henri Viotta, author Handbook of Music, at age 84.

1943 FP of Aaron Copland's Music for Movies. Town Hall Forum concert in NYC.

1944 Birth of Dutch cellist Anner BYLSMA (BILEz mah).

1944 Birth of Welsh composer Karl JENKINS.

1944 Birth of soprano Ellen Shade in New York City. Debut as Liu in Turandot (Puccini) 1972 Teacher,    Cornelius Reid Created Eve in Paradise Lost (Penderecki).

1947 FP of Aaron Copland's orchestral Danzón Cubano. Baltimore Symphony.

1948 FP of David Diamond's Violin Sonata No. 1. Joseph Szigeti, violin and Josef Lhevinne, piano at Carnegie Hall in NYC.

1949 Birth of English composer Fred FRITH in Heathfield.

1950 Death of soprano Anna Bartels. Born 9 Dec 1869 in Gafle, Sweden.  Died 17 Feb 1950 Debut as Harriet in Martha (Flotow) 1897 Teachers, Desiree Artot de Padilla, Signe Hebbe Sang in premiere of Erwin und Elmire (Gardeweg).

1951 Death of composer Nikoghayos Fadeyi Tigranyan, at age 94.

1952 FP of H. Henze's opera Boulevard Solitude at the Landestheater in Hanover, Germany.

1955 Death of Hungarian-American musiclogist Otto J. Gombosi, at age 52.

1959 Birth of American composer Robert Scott THOMPSON in CA.

1961 FP of Elie Siegmeister's Flute Concerto, in Oklahoma City, OK.

1962 Death of conductor Bruno Walter at age 85 in Beverly Hills, CA. b-Berlin, 15 SEP 1876.

1970 Death of American composer and film conductor Alfred Newman, at age 69 in Los Angeles, CA.

1972 Death of Russian composer Gavril Nikolayevich Popov, at age 67 in Repino. b-Novocherkassk, 12 SEP 1904.

1973 Birth of American composer Michelle McQuade DEWHIRST.

1977 FP of Elliott Carter's A Symphony of Three Orchestra. New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez conducting.

1982 FP of George Perle's Ballade for piano. Richard Goode, piano at Alice Tully Hall in NYC.

1983 Death of bass Tancredi Pasero. Born 11 Jan 1893 in Turin. Debut as Re in Aida (Verdi) 1917 Teacher :- Arturo Pessina Pupil, Zdenek Kroupa Created Babilio in Nerone (Mascagni) Judge in Margherita di Cortona (Refice) Hassan in Re Hassan (Ghedini) Lawyer in Re (Giordano) Sang in premiere Emeral (Barilli) Gli Orazi (Porrino).

1991 Death of soprano Gitta Alpar. Born 5 Mar 1903 in Hungary. Debut as Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1923 Teacher, Laura Hilgermann.

1995 Death of soprano Uta Graf. Born 5 Jan 1915 in Dusseldorf. Debut 1938 Teachers, Anna Bahr-Mildenburg, Ria Ginster, Helene Schlusnus Pupil, Barbara Blanchard Sang in premiere of Sampiero Corso (Tomasi).

1999 Death of soprano Sabine Hass. Born 8 Apr 1949 in Brunswick. Debut 1970 Teachers, Karl Heinz Lohmann, Esther Muhlbauer.