Today in classical music history August 16
1613 Claudio Monteverdi becomes the Republic of Venice's Master of Music.
1698 Johann Joseph Fux becomes the court composer by Leopold I in Vienna.
1731 FP of GRAUN: "Iphigenia in Aulis" Braunschweig (1731).
1755 (14th)Death of French violinist Jean Baptiste Anet in Luneville, a pupil of Corelli. bap-Paris, 2 JAN 1676.
1761 Birth of Russian opera composer Evstigney Ipatovitch FOMIN in St. Petersburg. d. Apr. 27, 1800. BIO.
1769 Birth of composer Jean Aime Vernier
1775 FP of SACCHINI: "La Colonie" arranged from "L'isola d'amore," Paris.
1776 Birth of German conductor and composer Jacob Philipp RIOTTE in St. Wendel, Saar. d-Vienna, 20 AUG 1856.
1782 Birth of tenor Giacomo Guglielmi in Massa di Carera. Died 1820
Debut 1803
Teacher, Ferdinado Mazzanti
Pupil, Enrico Tamberlik
Created Don Ramiro in Cenerentola (Rossini)
Conte in Violenza e Costanza (Mercadante)
1794 FP of Palomba: "Le Astuzie femminili" (Feminine Wiles) Naples.
1794 FP of DITTERSDORF: "Das Gespenst mit der Trommel" singspiel, Oels.
1794 FP of CIMAROSA: "Le Austuzie Femminili" (Feminine Tricks) Naples.
1795 Birth of German opera composer Heinrich August MARSCHNER in Saxony.
d-Hannover, 14 DEC 1861.
1799 Death of Italian composer Vincenzo Manfredini in St. Petersburg, Russia.
1814 Beethoven finishes composing his Piano Sonata in e, Op 90.
1816 Birth of composer Joseph Robinson.
1830 Death of Italian tenor Antonio Benelli. Born 5 Sep 1771 Forli. Debut 1790
Teacher, Padre Mattei
Created Almaviva in Barbiere di Siviglia (Morlacchi)
Sargino in Sargino (Paer).
1834 Birth of French bass Armand Castlemary [Stage name of Cound Armand de Castan] in Toulouse. d. New York, Feb. 10, 1897:
MET: Début Nov. 29, 1893 [Vulcain] Philémon et Baucis, 4 season
(1893-97) 108 perf. 21 roles, 18 works. Debut 1863
Created Don Diego in Africaine (Meyerbeer)
Monk in Don Carlos (Verdi)
Horatio in Hamlet (Thomas)
1836 Birth of German composer Albert BIEHL in Schwarzburg-Rudolfstadt. d-1899.
1836 Birth of composer John Farmer
1857 FP of Verdi: "Aroldo" rev. of "Stiffelio" Rimini (1857).
1863 Birth of composer Cornelia van OSTERZEE in Batavia, Java.
1863 Birth of French organist, conductor and composer Henri-Constant Gabriel PIERNÉ in
Metz. d-Ploujean, near Morlaix, 17 JUL 1937.
1868 Birth of composer Charles Sanford SKILTON in Northampton, MA. d-Lawrence, KS, 12 MAR 1941.
1870 Birth of American composer Harry Benjamin JEPSON. Yale University's first organist. d-1972.
1871 Birth of composer Zakhary Petrovich Paliashvili
1872 Birth of Austrian opera composer Siegmund von Hausegger in Graz, d. Munich, Oct. 10, 1948.
1876 Birth of Hungarian contralto Lula Mysz-Gmeiner, in Kronstadt,
Transylvania. d. Schwerin, Aug. 7, 1948. Teachers, Etelka Gerster, Emile Herzog, Ludwig Lassel, Lilli Lehmann
Raimund von zur Muhlen, Gustav Walter
Pupils, Peter Anders, Carla Henius, Gerda Lammers,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
1876 Birth of composer Karl HOSCHNA. d- 1911.
1876 FP of Wagner's Siegfried
, at Bayreuth, Hans Richter conducting.
1877 Birth of composer Karl L Hoschna
1878 Birth of German soprano Grete Forst. d. 1942
1880 Birth of French soprano Marguerite Carré, [Orig. Giraud] in Bordeaux. d. Dec. 26, 1947:
1885 Birth of soprano Carmen Melis in Longone al Segrino. Died 19 Dec 1967. Debut as Thais in Thais (Massenet) 1905
Teachers, Carlo Carignani, Antonio Cotogni, Jean De Reszke,
Teresina Singer
Pupils, Alfredo Giacometti, Rita Orlandi Malaspina, Adriana Maliponte
Renata Tebaldi, Marcella De Osma, Gudrun A Simonar
Created Ginevra in Cena delle Beffe (Giordano)
Sang in premiere of Petronio (Giovannetti). Debut as Mimi in Boheme (Puccini) 1899
Pupil, Janine Micheau
Created Nina in Cherubin (Massenet)
Zina in Vieil Angle (Gunsbourg)
Jana in Cobzar (Ferrari)
Jacqueline in Fortunio (Messager)
Louise in Julien (Charpentier)
Sang in premiere of Mariage de Telemaque (Terrasse)
1887 Birth of Hungarian soprano Florica Cristoforeanu. d. 1960.
1890 Birth of Russian soprano Maria Kurenko, in Tomsk, Siberia. d. May 17, 1980.
1892 Birth of American soprano Sophie BRASLAU in NYC. d-NYC, 22 DEC 1935.
Début at the Met in 1913, as the Voice in Parsifal, and she was a
contract artist for 7 seasons (1913-20) 242
perf., 22 works, 25 Roles. She was the mistress of
the all-powerful manager Arthur Judson of the Columbia Artists.
Beginning in 1916, she was a recitalist in New York and on
tour around the U.S. Sang only
on occasion in opera, at Ravinia Park (1918), and with the
Philadelphia Company at the end of her career. In 1946, she was vocal
instructor at the Julliard School of Music in New York. Debut as Voice in Parsifal (Wagner) 27 Nov 1913
Teachers, Albert Buzzia-Peccia, Mario Marafioti, Marcella Sembrich
Gabriele Sibella, Herbert Witherspoon
Created Shanewis in Shanewis (Cadman)
1895 Birth of composer Jacinto Guerrero
1897 Birth of American baritone Robert Ringling. d. Jan.
3, 1950.
1897 Birth of composer Vicente Ascone
1898 Birth of American bass Arthur Anderson, in Harvey IL. MET: Début: Feb. 26, 1932 [Donner] Das Rheingold, 4 seasons
(1931-35) 66 perf. 11 works, 12 roles..
1899 Birth of Italian contralto Camilla Rota, in Milan. d. June 14,
1977.
1902 Birth of composer Stefan Boleslaw Poradowski
1904 Birth of English organist Ralph DOWNES in Derby. d-1993.
1907 Birth of composer Alexander Uriah Boskovich
1909 Birth of composer Paul Smith Callaway
1913 Birth of American bass-baritone Osie Hawkins, in Phoenix City AL. d. July 13, 1993: 6'2, 240 pounds, MET: Début: Jan. 22,
1942 [Donner] Das Rheingold, 25 seasons (1941-63, 64-65, 84-86) 961
perf., 53 roles, 39 works. Debut as Donner in Rheingold (Wagner) 22 Jan 1942
Teacher, Friedrich Schorr
1917 Birth of Panamanian composer Roque CORDERO in Panama City.
1917 FP ROMBERG: "Maytime" operetta, New York (1917).
1917 Death of Polish composer Philipp Scharwenka in Bad Nauheim, Germany. b-Samter, nr Posen.
1920 FP of BOUGHTON: "The Birth of Arthur" (Glastonbury (1920).
1921 Birth of Italian bass-baritone Guido Mazzini. d.
Apr. 23, 1996. Début [Silvio] Pagliacci (1949). Teachers, Manfredi Polveresi, Riccardo Stracciari
Created Don Calogero in Gattopardo (Musco)
1925 Birth of American composer Kirke MECHEM.
1928 FP of bass Carlo Cava, in Ascola. Debut as Mustafa in Italiana in Algeri (Rossini) 1955
Created Second Beggar in Tesoro (Napoli)
Sung in premiere of Campagne (Rossellini)
Amleto (Zafred)
1929 Death of American composer Frank van der Stucken in Hamburg, was buried in Ohlsdorfer Cemetery, Germany. b-Fredricksburg, TX, 15 OCT 1858.
1932 FP of George Gershwin's Cuban Overture called a rumba, by the NY Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates, at Lewisohn Stadium.
1936 FP of Richard Strauss' Olympic Hymn at the opening of the Olympiad in Berlin.
1937 Birth of American composer David BEHRMAN in Salzburg
1939 Birth of American mezzo-soprano Janis Martin, in Sacramento. MET:
Début: Dec. 19, 1962 [Flora] La Traviata, 11 seasons (1962-65, 73-
75, 76-77, 88-90, 91-92, 93-94, 96-97) 147 perf., 23 roles, 20
works. Debut as Teresa in Sonnambula (Bellini) 1960
Teacher, Julia Monroe
Created Sister Anne in Blood Moon (Dello Joio)
1941 Death of tenor John Coates. Born 29 June 1865 in Bradford. Debut as Don Jose in Maritana (Wallace) 14 Jan 1893
Teachers, J C Bridge, William Shakespeare, J G Walton, R S Burton
Pupils, Parry Jones, Dorothy Reid
Created Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing (Stanford)
1942 Birth of opera compooser Jacques Delacote.
1943 Allied bombers damage La Scala Opera House in Milan.
1945 Birth of soprano Evelyn Mandac, in Manila. MET: Début:
Dec. 19, 1975 [Lauretta] Gianni Schicchi, 2 seasons (1975-76, 77-
78) 8 perf., 3 works. Debut as Mimi in Boheme (Puccini)
Teachers, Aureliano Estanislao, Hans Heinz, Daniel Ferro, Jennie Tourel
Created Ines de Castro in Ines de Castro (Pasatieri)
Berta in Black Widow (Pasatieri)
1947 Birth of American tenor William Pell, in Denver. d.
Nashville, July 26, 2003.
1948 Birth of Canadian composer Stephen BROWN in Nottingham, England.
1952 Birth of American soprano Gianna ROLANDI in NYC. MET: Début:
Dec. 26, 1979 [Sophie] Der Rosenkavalier, 4 seasons (1979-80, 82-85)
17 perf., 4 works. Debut as Olympia in Contes D'Hoffman (Offenbach) 1975
Created Young Aurelia Havisham in Miss Havisham's Fire (Argento)
1954 Birth of William Mackie Bass-Baritone
Born 16 Aug 1954 Ayr
Debut as Antonio in Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) 1980
Teacher, Neilson Taylor
Created Colomba in Colomba (Leighton)
1955 Birth of Roumanian bass Alexandru Agache, in Cluj, Napoca, Aug. 16, 1955;
MET: Début Jan. 25, 1999 [Simon] Simon Boccanegra, 1 season (1998-
99) 14 perf., 3 roles. Debut as Silvano in Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) 1979
1956 Birth of American soprano Angela Maria Blasi, in New York.
1958 Birth of Dutch composer Hans van ECK in Zwolle.
1959 Death of Polish born, French harpsicordist and pianist Wanda Landowska,
in Lakeville, Connecticut at age 80. b-Warsaw, 5 JUL 1879.
1959 Death of Chilean composer Humberto Allende Saron in Santiago.
1960 Birth of Austrian conductor Franz WELSER-MOST in Linz.
1961 FP of Zoltan Kodály's Symphony, dedicated to Arturo Toscanini, at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.
1968 Death of Franch soprano Jane Rolland. Born 1908 in Toulouse. Debut in Peau de Chagrin (Levade). Created Rosette & Aquilina in Peau de Chagrin (Levade).
1973 Death of mezzo-soprano Astra Desmond. Born 10 April 1893 in Torquay. Teachers, Blanche Marchesi, Ernst Grenzebach, Conrad Von Bos
1973 FP of Bernstein's Dybbuk Variations conducted by Bernstein in Auckland New Zealand.
1972 Birth of Scottish composer Alan FLEMING-BAIRD in Paisley.
1974 Death of English lutenist, guitarist and violist Desmond Dupre at age 57.
1981 Birth of American composer Alexandra du Bois.
1995 FP of Michael Torke's July for saxophone quartet. Apollo Saxophone Quartet at Cardiff Bay.
2001 FP of Lowell Liebermann's Violin Concerto. Chantal Juillet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit conducting at Saratoga Arts Center, NY.
2001 FP of Kaija Saariaho's Nymphea Reflection. Sinfonietta Cracova, Axelrod conducting at the Schlewswig-Holstein Festival in Germany.
