Today in classical music history August 7

Karl Formes

1580 Birth of Italian composer, singer and organist Baldassare DONATO. Cantor St. Marks Seminary, Venice.

1615 Death of German cantor and composer Melchior Vulpius in Weimar.

1802 Death of French baritone Henri Larrivee. Born 9 Jan 1737 Lyon. Debut as Priest in Castor et Pollux (Rameau) 1755 Created Ubaldo in Armide (Gluck) Hercules in Alceste (Gluck) Agamemnon in Iphigenie en Aulide (Gluck) Orestes in Iphigenie en Tauride (Gluck) Danaus in Danaides (Salieri) Ricimir in Ernelinde Princesse de Norvege (Philidor) Orestes in Iphigenie en Tauride (Piccinni) Orestes in Andromaque (Gretry) Oreste in Electre (Lemoyne) Sabinus in Sabinus (Gossec)

1804 FP of Boieldieu: "Abderkhan" St Petersburg (1804).

1815 Birth of German bass Karl Formes in Mulheim on Rhine Died 15 Dec 1889 Debut as Sarastro in Zauberflote (Mozart) 1841 Pupil, Dennis O'Sullivan Created Plunkett in Martha (Flotow) Rossona in Pietro il Grande (Jullien)

1818 Birth of English composer Henry Charles LITOLFF in London. d-Bois-Colombes, France 5 AUG 1891.

1823 Birth of composer Faustina Hasse Hodges

1829 Mendelssohn visits Fingal's Cave in the Hebrides Islands west of Scotland coast and starts composing the Hebrides Overture.

1835 Birth of Irish-American bass Allan James FOLEY in Tipperary. Sung until his death in 1899.

1846 Death of German composer Johann Christoph Heinrich Rinck in Darmstadt. b-Elgersberg, 18 FEB 1770.

1847 FP of SUPPÉ: "Das Mädchen vom Lande" Vienna (1847).

1857 (8th?)Birth of French composer Cecile CHAMINADE in Paris. d-Monte Carlo, 13 APR 1944.

1864 FP of GRANDVAL: "La Comtesse Eva" Paris (1864).

1868 Birth of British composer and teacher Sir Granville Ransome BANTOCK, in London. d-London, 16 OCT 1946.

1881 Birth of Romanian composer George ENESCU in Liveni-Virnav. d-Paris, 4 MAY 1955.

1883 Birth of American baritone Reinald WERRENRATH in Brooklyn, NY. d. Platts, NY, Sep. 12, 1953: MET: Début Feb. 19, 1919 [Silvio] Pagliacci, 3 seasons, (1918-21) 9 perf., 3 roles. Debut as Silvio in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) 1919 Teachers, David Bispham, Victor Maurel, F K Clark, Carl Dufft, A Mees Percy Rector Stevens, George Werrenrath (father) Herbert Witherspoon

1887 Birth of composer Luckey Roberts. He was an American composer and stride pianist who worked in the jazz, ragtime, and blues styles.

1893 Death of Italian opera composer Alfredo Catalani at age 39, in Milan. b-Luca, 19 JUN 1854.

1896 Birth of Cuban composer of Malaguena Ernesto LECUONA in Havana. d-Canary Islands, 29 NOV 1963.

1902 Birth of tenor Nino Martini in Verona Died 9 Dec 1976 Debut as Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1925 Teachers, Maria Gay, Giovanni Zenatello

1903 Birth of Japanese composer Saburo MOROI in Tokyo. d-Tokyo, 24 MAR 1977.

1903 Birth of English soprano Margaret Ritchie, in Grimsby. d. Ewelme, Oxfordshire, Feb. 7, 1969: She studied at the Royal College of Music. She soon established a reputation as a concert singer and as principal soprano of the Intimate Opera Company. Ritchie joined Sadler's Wells Opera [Dorabella] Così Fan Tutte (1944); Glyndebourne (1946-7); English Opera Group (1947). She became a teacher and founded a singers' summer school in Oxford (1960).

1903 Birth of Austrian soprano Maria Reining, in Vienna. d. Vienna, Mar. 11, 1991. Debut 1931 Pupil, Gabriele Fuchs

1906 Birth of composer Gerhard Frommel

1912 FP of Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in Moscow. Prokofiev soloist.

1913 Death of Czech composer and cellist David Popper at age 69, in Baden, suburban Vienna. b-Prague, 9 DEC 1843.

1919 Birth of Finnish bass and composer Kim BORG in Helsinki. d. Copenhagen, Apr. 28, 2000: MET: Début: Oct. 30, 1959 [Almaviva] Le Nozze di Figaro, 3 seasons (1959-62) 39 perf., 7 roles. Debut as Colline in Boheme (Puccini) 1951 Teachers, Magnus Anderson, Heikki Teittinen, Andryeva Von Skilondz Sang in premiere of Visitation (Schuller)

1920 Birth of Hungarian baritone Gyorgy Radnai. Debut as Tonio in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) 1949 Teacher, Geza Laszo

1921 Birth of Czech born, American composer and conductor Karel HUSA in Prague.

1925 Birth of Spanish-born American composer Julián ORBON, in Aviles. Raised in Cuba. d-Miami Beach, FL 20 MAY 1991.

1926 Birth of American composer Marilyn ZIFFRIN.

1930 Birth of Estonian composer Veljo TORMIS in Kuusalu.

1931 Birth of American composer Betty DARDESS.

1944 Death of Paraguayan composer Augustín Barrios Mangoré in San Salvador, El Salvador. b-San Bautista de las Misiones, 23 MAY 1885.

1945 Birth of Russian composer Alexander ZHURBIN in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

1946 Birth of American soprano Gail Robinson,  in Meridian, MS. Has sung with the Chicago Lyric, New Orleans, and Orlando Opera. MET: Aug. 21, 1967 [Swallow] The Happy Prince, 19 seasons (1966-67, 69-73, 74-88) 214 perf., 28 roles, 26 works. Debut as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 1967 Teachers, Robley Lawson, J Norvell Taylor

1947 Death of German tenor Karl Seydel. Born 14 Dec 1879 Dresden-Blasewitz. Debut 1907 Teacher, Enid Pinks Sang in premiere of Der Mond (Orff)

1948 Death of German soprano Gertrud Runge. b. Brandenburg, 1880. 

1948 Death of Hungarian contralto Lula Mysz-Gmeiner. b. Kronstadt, Transylvania, Aug. 16, 1876; d. Schwerin. Teachers, Etelka Gerster, Emile Herzog, Ludwig Lassel, Lilli Lehmann Raimund von zur Muhlen, Gustav Walter Pupils, Peter Anders, Carla Henius, Gerda Lammers,Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

1949 Death of Spanish bass-baritone Emilio Sagi-Barba. Born 26 Mar 1876 in Barcelona. Sang in premiere of Golondrinas (Usandizaga) Dogaresa (Millan)

1949 Birth of American composer Dan LOCKLAIR.

1952 Birth of English pianist and conductor Ian HOBSON in Wolverhamton.

1954 Death of German tenor Curt Taucher. Born 25 Oct 1885 in Nurnberg. Debut as Faust in Faust (Gounod) 1908 Teacher, Heinrich Hermann Created Menelaus in Aegyptische Helena (Strauss) Aurelius Galba in Toten Augen (D'Albert)

1954 FP of FRANÇAIX: "Paris à nous deux" Fontainebleau (1954).

1957 Birth of German violinist Christian ALTENBURGER.

1959 Birth of bass Harry Peeters, in Roermond.

1961 FP of LOCKWOOD: "Early Dawn" Denver (1961).

1963 Death of Spanish composer Salvador Bacarisse in Paris. b-Madrid, 12 SEP 1898.

1965 Birth of English composer Francois EVANS in London.

1970 Death of German-born American composer Ingolf Dahl at age 58, in Bernem Switzerland.

1973 Death of American bass Chase Baromeo. b. Augusta, 1893; d. Birmingham, MI. MET: Début: Dec. 20, 1935 [Ramfis] Aida, 3 seasons (1935-38) 46 perf., 9 roles. Debut in Forza del Destino (Verdi) 1922 Teachers, Carlo Schneider, Giuseppe Campanari Pupils, Edward Allen Baird, Thomas Tipton, Alan Crofoot

1975 Death of Italian tenor Ettore Bergamaschi. Born 10 Feb 1884 in Bologna. Debut as Alvaro in Forza del Destino (Verdi) 1912

1977 FP Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 7 at Interlochen.

1981 FP of John Harbison's Piano Quintet, with Edward Auer, piano;, Ani Kavafian, violin; Walter Trampler, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello, at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico.

1984 Birth of American composer Joseph TRAPANESE.

1984 Death of German tenor Martin Ritzmann. Born 21 Feb 1919. Debut as Postillion in Postillion von Longjumeau(Adam) 1951

1984 FP of BERIO's "Un Re in ascolto" Salzburg (1984); w/Thomas Moser (t) U.S.

1988 Death of Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi in Rome. b-8 JAN 1905.

1997 Death of American Marine Band conductor Col. Albert F. Schoepper in Alexandria VA, age 83.

1981 FP of Friedrich Cerha's opera Baal at the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

1981 FP of John Harbison's Piano Quintet. Edward Auer, piano; Ani Kavafian, violin; Walter Trampler, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello. Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival in NM.

1984 Birth of American composer Joseph TRAPANESE.

1988 Death of Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi in Rome. b-8 JAN 1905.

1991 FP of David Del Tredici's An Alice Symphony. Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, MA.

2001 FP of Augusta Read Thomas' Murmurs in the Mist of Memory. International Sejong Soloists at the Aspen Music Festival in CO.