October 18 Today in classical music history

Shinichi SUZUKI (1898-1998)


  • 1545 Death of English church composer and organist John Taverner, in Boston, England, at age 55. b-South Lincolnshire, 1490. Search Amazon.com for John Taverner. [Not to be confused with English composer John Tavener].

  • 1611 Birth of composer Valentin Strobel

  • 1702 FP of KEISER's "Sieg der fruchtbaren Pomona" Hamburg.

  • 1706 Birth of Italian opera composer Baldassare GALUPPI in Burano, near Venice. Choirmaster at St. Mark's. d-Venice, 3 JAN 1785. With librettist Carlo Goldoni wrote over 100 popular operas. Search Amazon.com for Baldassare GALUPPI

  • 1728 FP of KEISER's "Lucius Verus oder Die siegende Treue" Hamburg.

  • 1752 FP of Rousseau's opera The Village Seer before the King at Fontainebleau. "Le devin du village".

  • 1789 Birth of composer Giovanni Tadolini

  • 1792 FP of GRÉTRY's "Basile, ou A tromperr, trompeur et demi" Paris.

  • 1794 Birth of composer Ferdinand Lukas Schubert

  • 1817 Death of French composer Etienne Mehul in Paris at age 54. b-Givet, 22 JUN 1763. Search Amazon.com for Etienne Mehul

  • 1817 FP of HÉROLD's "La Clochette" Paris.

  • 1833 Birth of composer Johannes Habert

  • 1834 FP of DONIZETTI's "Buondelmonte" a revised "Maria Stuarda".

  • 1842 Birth of German violinist Emanuel WIRTH in Luditz. d-Berlin, 5 JAN 1923. Played in Joachim Quartet.

  • 1844 Birth of composer Emille-Louis-Victor Mathieu

  • 1850 Birth of French composer Francis THOME' in Mauritius. d-Paris, 16 NOV 1909. Search Amazon.com for Francis THOME'

  • 1854 FP of GOUNOD's "La Nonne sanglante" Paris.

  • 1873 FP of Johannes Brahms' String Quartet in a, Op. 51, no. 2. Joachim Quartet in Berlin. CD-Brahms: The Three String Quartets; Piano Quintet

  • 1876 FP of LECOCQ's "Kosiki" Paris.

  • 1879 Birth of Polish composer Gregor FITELBERG in Latvia. Founded a young composers group with Szymanowski in Berlin in 1905. In 1935 conductor of Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In London from 1940. d-Katowice, 10 JUN 1953. Father of Jerzy.

  • 1887 FP of Brahm's Double Concerto. Brahms conducting, Joachim, violin and Hausmann, cello, in Cologne. CD-Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 / Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 - Gidon Kremer / Clemens Hagen / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Nikolaus Harnoncourt

  • 1893 Death of French composer Charles Gounod in Paris at age 75. b-Saint-Cloud, 17 JUN 1818. Search Amazon.com for Charles Gounod

  • 1894 Birth of French soprano Jane Laval,  [Jane Santiard] in Nizza. d. 1986. Search Amazon.com for Jane Laval

  • 1879 Birth of composer Grzlegorz Fitelberg

  • 1891 Birth of composer Vaclav Kalik

  • 1898 Birth of Japanese violinist and teaching administrator Shin'ichi SUZUKI in Nagoya. d- 1998. BIO. Founded Tokyo String Quartet, 1930. Search Amazon.com for Shin'ichi SUZUKI

  • 1898 Birth of Austrian-American actress, dancer and singer Lotte LENYA in Vienna. d -27 NOV 1981. m-composer Kurt Wiell. Search Amazon.com for Lotte LENYA.

  • Theatre Songs

  • 1901 Birth of composer Vladimir Grigor'yevich Zakharov

  • 1903 Birth of Dutch composer and American lawyer Henri Emile ENTHOVEN in Amsterdam. d-NYC, 26 DEC 1950.

  • 1904 FP of Mahler's Fifth Symphony. Gürzenich Orchestra, composer conducting, in Cologne. CD-Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Zander, Philharmonia Orchestra

  • 1910 Birth of composer Vojislav Vuckovic

  • 1919 Birth of soprano Irmgard Arnold. Search Amazon.com for Irmgard Arnold

  • 1920 Birth of English tenor Basil Alexander Young. d- 5 MAR 2000. Studied at Royal College of Music, London. Debut Edinburgh Festival,1950. Know as good dramatist.

  • 1921 FP of STOLZ "Der Tanz ins Glück" operetta, Vienna.

  • 1922 Birth of composer Camillo Togni

  • 1922 The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) was formed to bring information, cultural programming, arts and music to homes in the UK.

  • 1923 FP of Stravinsky's Octet for winds with composer conducting, in Paris, at a Koussevitsky Concert CD-Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments, etc.

  • 1923 FP of Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto in D, Marcel Darrieux the violinist. CD-Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Violin Concertos no 1 / Rostropovich, Vengerov

  • 1924 Birth of Norwegian composer, organist and critic Egil HOVLAND in Mysen. Search Amazon.com for Egil HOVLAND

  • 1930 Birth of American baritone Barry McDANIEL in Lyndon-Topeka, Kansas. MET Début: Jan. 19, 1972 [Pelléas] Pelléas et Mélisande, 1 season (1971-72) 7 perf., 1 work. Search Amazon.com for Barry McDANIEL

  • 1932 Birth of composer John BIGGS. 

  • John Biggs: Symphony Nos. 1 & 2; The Ballad of William Sycamore

  • 1933 Birth of French composer and organist Jacques CHARPENTIER in Paris. Search Amazon.com for Jacques CHARPENTIER

  • 1933 Birth of Italian bass Alfredo Giacomotti, in Voghera.  Search Amazon.com for Alfredo Giacomotti

  • 1934 Birth of Swedish soprano Berit Lindholm. MET Début: Feb. 20, 1975 [Brünhilde] Die Walküre, 1 season (19 74-75) 6 perf., 3 works. Search Amazon.com for Berit Lindholm

  • 1935 Birth of composer Jorge Cervello

  • 1937 Birth of Swedish soprano Catarina Ligendza.  Search Amazon.com for Catarina Ligendza.

  • 1939 Birth of tenor Reiner Goldberg. MET Début: Jan. 27, 1992 [Floestan] Fidelio, 1 season (1991-92) 6 perf., 2 works. Search Amazon.com for Reiner Goldberg

  • 1943 FP of Jerome Moross' Symphony No. 1. Seattle Symphony, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. CD-Moross: Symphony No.1/The Last Judgement/Variations on a Waltz for Orchestra

  • 1944 Death of Austrian composer and conductor Viktor Ullmann in Auschwitz. b-Teschen, 1 JAN 1898. Search Amazon.com for Viktor Ullmann

  • 1945 Birth of American soprano Betsy Norden, in Cincinnati, OH. MET Début: Apr. 29, 1972 [Barbarina] Le Nozze di Figaro, 21 seasons (1971-92) 522 perf., 39 roles, 35 works. Search Amazon.com for Betsy Norden

  • 1946 (Oct 8?) Birth of American composer Howard SHORE. Search Amazon.com for Howard SHORE Wikipedia

  • 1946 FP of Copland's Third Symphony by the Boston Symphony with S. Koussevitsky conducting. Im memory of conductor's wife Natalie. CD-Copland: Third Symphony/Music For The Theatre

  • 1953 Death of English mezzo-soprano Marguerite d'Alvarez in Alassio. b. Liverpool, 1886.

  • 1953 FP of Igor Stravinsky's Preludium for Jazz Ensemble with Robert Craft conducting. An "Evenings on the Roof" concert in Los Angeles, CA. 

  • Preludium for Jazz Band (Instrumental)

  • 1954 Birth of American composer Justin Dello Joio. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, The Steinhardt School of Education, New York University, NYC. Search Amazon.com for Justin Dello Joio

  • 1957 FP of Paul Creston's Toccata for orchestra. Cleveland Orchestra. CD-Creston: Symphony 5 / Toccata / Out of the Cradle

  • 1958 FP of Harald Saeverud's Minnesota Symphony. Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati conducting. CD-Sæverud: Cello Concerto; Symphony No. 8

  • 1961 Birth of American trumpet virtuoso Wynton MARSALIS in New Orleans, LA. Search Amazon.com for Wynton MARSALIS.

  • 1964 Birth of English composer Dominy CLEMENTS in Newport, South Wales.

  • 1967 Birth of Argentinian composer Sebastian ZUBIETA.

  • 1981 FP of Pierre Boulez' Répons for 30 instruments and electronics. Donaueschingen Festival of Contemporary Music in West Germany. CD-Pierre Boulez: Répons / Dialogue de l'Ombre Double (20/21 series).

  • 1984 FP of Harrison Birtwistle's Secret Theatre for chamber ensemble. London Sinfonietta, David Atherton conducting. CD-Harrison Birtwistle: Secret Theater / Tragoedia / Five Distances / Three Settings of Celan - Pierre Boulez / Ensemble InterContemporain

  • 1990 FP of Elisabetta Brusa's Nittemero Symphony. London Chamber Orchestra, Odaline de la Martinez conducting. CD-Brusa: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

  • 2000 FP of Lukas Foss' Solo Transformed for piano and orchestra. Peter Serkin with the Minnesota Orchestra, Eiji Oue conducting. Search Amazon.com for Lukas Foss

  • 2003 FP of Daniel Catan's Suite from Florencia en el Amazonas. Madison Symphony, John DeMain, conducting in Madison, WI. CD-Catán: Florencia en el Amazonas