On this day in Classical music history...

[hal 9000]

I am back home now and would like to personally thank TrumpetMaster for handling the daily posts for me while I was away. And how about that Louis Armstrong write up! Bravo TM! Thanks so much for your generosity!

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 5th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1623 — Italian opera composer Marc Antonio Cesti, in Arezzo;
1694 — Italian composer and organist Leonardo Leo, in San Vito degli Schiavi(near Brindisi); He was one of the founders of the Neapolitan School of composition;
1811 — French composer Ambroise Thomas, in Metz;
1926 — French composer of American parentage Betsy Jolas, in Paris;

Deaths:
1891 — English-born French composer, pianist and music publisher Charles Henry Litolff, age 73, in Bois-Colombes (near Paris);
1916 — English composer George Butterworth, age 31, in France, as a British soldier during the battle of Pozières;

Premieres:
1956 — Ned Rorem: Symphony No. 2, at La Jolla, Calif.;
1972 — David Del Tredici: "Vintage Alice" for soprano and chamber ensemble (to a text by Lewis Carroll), in Saratoga, California;
2000 — Richard Danielpour: Violin Concerto ("A Fool's Paradise"), at the Saratoga Center for the Performing Arts, in Saratoga, N.Y., by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit, with soloist Chantal Juillet;

Other:
1717 — J.S. Bach appointed Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold at Coethen, but is at first prevented by his current employer, Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar, from taking up the post (Bach was even imprisoned for a time by Duke Wilhelm Ernst);
1978 — The citizens of Patowan, Utah, decided to name a local mountain Mr. Messiaen, in honor of the French composer, Olivier Messiaen, who spent a month in Utah in 1973 an composed a symphonic work, "Des canyons aux etoiles" (From the canyons to the stars), which glorified the natural beauty of the region.

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That is all I have for today.

[Trumpetmaster]

[quote]Originally posted by hal 9000:
I am back home now and would like to personally thank [b]TrumpetMaster for handling the daily posts for me while I was away. And how about that Louis Armstrong write up! Bravo TM! Thanks so much for your generosity!

I saw Louis Armstrong play in Flushing Meadow Park a bit before he passed away. Had the Classic White Tux jacket. It was a hot day & he had that trademark towell he used to wipe the persperation off his face when he played. When he did Hello Dolly... I'll never forget that!

Regards,
TM

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 6th

Today is a C&P day

Deaths:
1904 — Austrian music critic and university professor Eduard Hanslick, champion of Brahms and enemy of Wagner, dies in Vienna, aged 78
1970 — German-born American composer Ingolf Dahl, age 68, in Frutigen, Switzerland;

Premieres:
1946 — American premiere of Britten: opera "Peter Grimes," at Berkshire Music Center (Tangelwood), with Leonard Bernstein conducting;
1947 — Villa-Lobos: "Bachianas Brasileiras" No. 8, in Rome, conducted by the composer;
1947 — Von Einem: opera "Dantons Tod" (The Death of Danton) at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;
1966 — Henze: "Die Bassariden" (after Euripides' play "The Bacchae") at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;
1967 — Piston: Clarinet Concerto, during the Fifth Congregation of the Arts at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire;
1988 — Ned Rorem: “Bright Music” for flute, two violins, cello and piano, at Presbyterian Church, Bridgehampton (New York), by the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Associates;
2000 — Joan Tower: "Big Sky" for piano trio, in LaJolla, Calif., at a SummerFest concert featuring Chee-Yun (violin), David Finckel (cello) and Wu Han (piano);

Other:
1826 — At his parent's mansion outside Berlin, the 17-year-old German composer Felix Mendelssohn completes his overture to Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" after reading the play the previous month; The first private performance (in a two-piano version) was given at the family mansion by Felix and his sister Fanny on November 19, 1826; The first public performance (in its orchestral version) was given in Stettlin on February 20, 1827, conducted by Carl Loewe; Mendelssohn returned to the play nearly two decades later after he had become court composer to the King of Prussia, creating a whole score of incidental music besides the overture, and himself conducted the concert premiere of the expanded incidental music in Berlin on November 14, 1842 in Berlin; The complete incidental music integrated into a staging of Shakespeare's play was performed at the Neue Palais at Potsdam on October 14, 1843.

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That is all I have for today.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 7th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1818 — English-born French composer, pianist and music publisher Charles Henry Litolff, in London;
1868 — British composer Sir Granville Bantock, in London;
1896 — Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, in Havana; He composed a number of popular Latin pop melodies, including his famous "Malagueña";
1921 — Czech-born, American composer and conductor Karel Husa, in Prague; He became an American citizen in 1959; In 1969 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his String Quartet No. 3;
1925 — Spanish-born American composer Julián Orbón, in Aviles;

Deaths:
1893 — Italian opera composer Alfred Caatalani, age 39, in Milan;
1913 — Czech composer and cellist David Popper, age 69, in Baden (near Vienna);
1970 — German-born American composer Ingolf Dahl, age 58, in Bernem Switzerland;

Premieres:
1912 — Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1, in Moscow, with the composer (age 21) as soloist;
1977 — Hanson: Symphony No. 7 ("A Sea Symphony") at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan;
1981 — Cerha: opera "Baal," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;
1981 — John Harbison: Piano Quintet, at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico, with Edward Auer (piano), Ani Kavafian (violin), Walter Trampler (viola), Timothy Eddy (cello);
1991 — David Del Tredici: "An Alice Symphony" (first complete performance), during the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, Mass.;
2001 — Augusta Read Thomas: "Murmurs in the Mist of Memory," at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, by the International Sejong Soloists;

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

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That is all I have for today.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 8th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
<img src="http://carlsoncm.tripod.com/beethoven.gif" alt=" - " /> 1781 — Austrian composer, violinist, and conductor Michael Umlauff, in Vienna; He conducted the orchestra, chorus, and soloists assembled for the premiere performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Vienna's Kärtnertor Theater on May 7, 1824; After the totally deaf Beethoven set the initial tempos for each movement, the performers were instructed to ignore Beethoven if he continued to beat time, and to follow Umlauf;
1874 — Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor and music critic Reynaldo Hahn, in Caracas;
1875 — English light music composer Albert William Ketèlbey, in Aston;

Deaths:
1919 — Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, age 62, in Montecatini;
1975 — Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, age 68, in Moscow;
1988 — Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, age 83, in Rome;

Premieres:
1862 — Berlioz: opera "Beatrice and Benedick," in Baden-Baden at the Neues Theater, with the composer conducting; The libretto (by Berlioz himself) is based on Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing";
1949 — Orff: opera "Antigone," in Salzburg at the Felsenreitschile;
1972 — London premiere of Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Jesus Christ Superstar";
1978 — Dave Brubeck: oratorio “Beloved Son,” at the American Lutheran Women’s Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., with Richard Sieber conducting;
1979 — Hanson: ballet "Nymph and Satyr" in Chautauqua, Tennessee;
1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 5, during a BBC Proms Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, by the Philharmonia Orchestra, with the composer conducting;

Other:
1703 — J.S. Bach appointed organist at Neuekirche, Arnstadt (see also: August 4 and 14)
1928 — Austrian-born American composer Percy Grainger marries Swedish poet and painter Ella Viola Strom at the Hollywood Bowl in front of an audience of 22,000 concert-goers; Grainger conducted the LA Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of his "To a Nordic Princess," dedicated to his bride.

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That is all I have for today.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 9th

Our first journey today takes us to Montecatini, Italy circa 1919. On this day the composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo passed away. Leoncavallo’s success was unquestionably brilliant. But he also was confronted by major defeats, both before and after he had established himself. He studied music at the Bologna Conservatory. Shortly after completing his studies he wrote his first opera, Chatterton He entrusted the score (along with all the money he had) to an impresario who promised him a performance. That impresario disappeared with the funds. Leoncavallo was penniless. He thus traveled to several different places, earning a meager living playing the piano and singing. It was an unhappy existence, barely getting by and disturbed by frustration and doubt. He eventually found a permanent and well-paying job in Egypt as a pianist. Alas, this turn of fortune would not last when an insurrection against the English in Egypt endangered the lives of all the Europeans there. Leoncavallo had to flee Cairo and make his way, as best he could, out of the country. For twenty-four hours he rode on horseback disguised as an Arab. At Port Said, he had to perform a piano recital to raise the funds to buy passage for France.



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C&P Source

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Other events C&P

Births:
1781 — Austrian composer, violinist, and conductor Michael Umlauff, in Vienna; He conducted the orchestra, chorus, and soloists assembled for the premiere performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Vienna's Kärtnertor Theater on May 7, 1824; After the totally deaf Beethoven set the initial tempos for each movement, the performers were instructed to ignore Beethoven if he continued to beat time, and to follow Umlauf;
1874 — Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor and music critic Reynaldo Hahn, in Caracas;
1875 — English light music composer Albert William Ketèlbey, in Aston;

Deaths:
1988 — Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, age 83, in Rome;

Premieres:
1862 — Berlioz: opera "Beatrice and Benedick," in Baden-Baden at the Neues Theater, with the composer conducting; The libretto (by Berlioz himself) is based on Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing";
1949 — Orff: opera "Antigone," in Salzburg at the Felsenreitschile;
1972 — London premiere of Andrew Lloyd-Webber: musical "Jesus Christ Superstar";
1978 — Dave Brubeck: oratorio “Beloved Son,” at the American Lutheran Women’s Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., with Richard Sieber conducting;
1979 — Hanson: ballet "Nymph and Satyr" in Chautauqua, Tennessee;
1988 — Peter Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 5, during a BBC Proms Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, by the Philharmonia Orchestra, with the composer conducting;

Other:
1703 — J.S. Bach appointed organist at Neuekirche, Arnstadt (see also: August 4 and 14)
1928 — Austrian-born American composer Percy Grainger marries Swedish poet and painter Ella Viola Strom at the Hollywood Bowl in front of an audience of 22,000 concert-goers; Grainger conducted the LA Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of his "To a Nordic Princess," dedicated to his bride.

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That is all I have for today.

<small>[ 08-08-2005, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: hal 9000 ]</small>

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 10th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1813 — American composer and journalist, William Henry Fry, in Philadelphia; Some earlier sources list August 19 as Fry's birth date;
1865 — Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: July 29);
1893 — American opera composer Douglas Moore, in Cutchogue (Long Island), N.Y.;
1932 — German-born English composer Alexander Goehr, in Berlin;
1935 — Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, in Tbilisi, former USSR;

Deaths:
1806 — Austrian composer Michael Haydn (younger brother of Franz Joseph), in Salzburg, age 68;
1970 — German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, age 52, commits suicide in Königsdorf, leaving behind his posthumous "Requiem";
1997 — American composer Conlon Nancarrow, age 84, in Mexico City;

Premieres:
1949 — Milhaud: Octet for Strings, at Mills College in California, by the combined Budapest and Paganini Quartets;
1965 — Wm. Schuman: "Philharmonic Fanfare," by the New York Philharmonic conducted by William Steinberg, at the orchestra's first outdoor concert in New York's Central Park;
1968 — Grofé: "Virginia City: Requiem for a Ghost Town," in Virginia City, Nevada;
1981 — John Tavener: "Akhmatova: Requiem," at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland;
1992 — James MacMillan: "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" (Percussion Concerto), at Royal Albert Hall in London, with soloist Evelyn Glennie and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Sarsate conducting;
2001 — Per Norgard: String Quartet No. 9 ("Into the Source"), at the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival, by the Orion String Quartet;

Other:
1778 — Mozart finishes his "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'" Serenade (K. 525) in Vienna;
1788 — Mozart finishes his "Jupiter" Symphony in C Major (No. 41, K. 551) in Vienna;
1825 — Mendelssohn, age 16, finishes his opera "Camacho's Wedding";
1895 — The late-summer "Promenade" Concerts"(better known as "The Proms") are launched in London by Sir Henry Wood and Robert Newman.

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That is all I have for today.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 11th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1900 — Soviet composer Alexander Mossolov, in Kiev (Julian date: July 29);
1929 — Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott, in Bargoed (Wales);

Deaths:
1949 — Austrian composer Karl Weigl, age 68, in New York City;

Premieres:
1943 — R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 2, at the Salzburg Festival by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Karl Böhm, with Gottfried von Freiburg, the principal horn of the orchestra, as soloist;
1955 — Bernstein: "On the Waterfront" Symphonic Suite, at Tanglewood by the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer;
1955 — Avery Claflin: madrigal "A Lament for April 15" (to an IRS text describing how to file an income tax return), at the Berkshire Center in Tanglewood, Mass.;
1957 — Hindemith: opera, "The Harmony of the World," in Munich, with the composer conducting;
1968 — Milhaud: "Music for New Orleans" at the Aspen Festival in Colorado; This work was commissioned originally to celebrate the 250th anniversary of New Orleans in 1966, but was rejected by the anniversary committee as unfit for the occasion;
1984 — Rachmaninoff: opera "Monna Vanna" (Act 1 only, orchestrated by Buketoff), posthumously, as a concert performance in Saratoga, N.Y.; Rachmaninoff left this work unfinished in 1907;
1985 — Han Werner Henze realization of Monteverdi's opera "Il ritorno d'Ulisse" (The Return of Ulysses) at the Salzburg Festival;
2003 — Judith Weir: "The Voice of Desire" for voice and piano, at an afternoon BBC Proms concert at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and pianist Julius Drake;
2003 — O'Connor: Violin Concerto No. 6 ("Old Brass"), at an evening BBC Proms concert at Royal Albert Hall in London, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Kenneth Sillito and the composer as soloist;

Other:
1922 — Founding of the International Society for Contemporary Music in after a Festival of Contemporary Music in Salzburg, Austria (with the Society's central office to be located in London).

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That is all I have for today.

[OperaTenor]

Hey Hal,

It's been awhile, but I reiterate my appreciation for your efforts here. You are tireless and so consistent with this, and it benefits all of us.................well, except Bones, I'm sure.

[hal 9000]

Thank you, OT.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 12th



C&P Source

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Other events C&P

Births:
1644 — Bohemian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber, in Wartenburg (now Straz pod Ralskem) near Reichenberg (now Liberec);

Deaths:
1612 — Italian composer Giovanni Gabrieli, age c. 55 (his exact birthdate is uncertain), in Venice;
1928 — Czech composer Leos Janácek, age 74, in Ostrava;

Premieres:
1845 — Verdi: opera "Alzira," in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo;
1964 — David Del Tredici: "I Hear an Army" for soprano and string quartet (based on a poem by James Joyce) at Tangelwood Festival in Massachusetts;
1964 — Panufnik: "Sinfonia Sacra," in Monaco, as the prize-winning work in an international competition sponsored by Prince Rainer III
1984 — Berio: opera "Un Re in ascolto" (A King Listening), at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Lorin Maazel
2001 — Esa-Pekka Salonen: "Foreign Bodies," at the Schlewswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, with the Finnish Radio Symphony conducted by Esa-Pekka Saraste;

Other:
<img src="http://carlsoncm.tripod.com/beethoven.gif" alt=" - " /> 1845 — A statute of Beethoven is unveiled in Bonn, Germany, the composer's birthplace; Ludwig Spohr conducts a performance of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" at the Bonn cathedral; Liszt had been instrumental in raising funds for the statue, and was present, as was Hector Berlioz, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain, and the King and Queen of Prussia;
1877 — Frequently cited (and almost certainly incorrect) date on which the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison recorded his own voice reciting, "Mary had a little lamb" on a tin-foil cylinder phonograph of his own design; Edison filed the patent for his new invention on December 24, and it was granted on February 19, 1878; In London in April of 1888, Edison’s phonograph would record excerpts from a live Crystal Palace performance of Handel’s oratorio, “Israel in Egypt,” and in Vienna on December 2, 1889, some snippets of Brahms performing at the piano, introduced by a voice long thought to be Brahms himself, but more likely that of Theo Wangemann, Edison’s representative
1922 — First live broadcast concert of the New York Philharmonic over New York radio station WJZ; The concert was broadcast from Lewisohn Stadium during the orchestra's summer series, and included music by Dvorák, Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn, Rimksy-Korsakov, Brahms, and Gluck. The conductor was Willem van Hoogstraten, the orchestra's regular summer-event director; On October 5, 1930, the New York Philharmonic began its regular weekly series of Sunday afternoon national broadcasts over the Columbia radio network

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That is all I have for today.

[Trumpetmaster]

Hal9000,
Hope you don't mind but I wanted to post additional info on Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber.
Regards,
TM
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Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber
Born: Liberec bap. 12 Aug 1644
Died: Salzburg 3 May 1704
Nationality: Bohemian
Occupation: composer

History: He is important for his works for the violin, of which he was a virtuoso. In the mid-1660s he entered the service of the Prince-Bishop of Olomouc who maintained an excellent Kapelle at his Krom&ecaron;rí&zcaron; castle. By 1670 Biber had moved to the Salzburg court Kapelle, becoming Kapellmeister in 1684. His formidable violin technique is best seen in the eight Sonatae violino solo with continuo (1681), where brilliant passage-work (reaching 6th and 7th positions) and multiple stopping abound in the preludes, variations and elaborate finales. Most of the Mystery (or Rosary) Sonatas (ca. 1676, for violin and bass) require scordatura tuning: by linking the open strings to the key the sonority and polyphonic possibilities of the violin were increased. The unaccompanied Passacaglia here, built on 65 repetitions of the descending tetrachord, is the outstanding work of its type before Bach. Besides other violin works (which include a Battalia , with strings and continuo), Biber composed sacred music (in a cappella style as well as large-scale concertato works for solo and ripieno voices), 15 school dramas, three operas (only Chi la dura la vince , 1687, survives) and much instrumental ensemble music (often for unusual combinations including brass). Especially notable are the Requiem in F minor, the Missa Sancti Henrici (1701), the 32-part Vesperae (1693), the motet Laetatus sum (1676), and the Sonata S Polycarpi for eight trumpets and timpani. Biber may have composed the 53-part Missa salisburgensis (1628) formerly attributed to Benevoli.

[hal 9000]

TrumpetMaster- No, I don't mind added entries at all! In fact I encourage them.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 13th



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Other events C&P

Births:
1879 — English composer John Ireland, in Inglewood (Bowdon), Cheshire;

Premieres:
1841 — R. Schumann: "Concert Fantasy" for Piano and Orchestra, at a closed rehearsal of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Felik Mendelssohn, with Clara Schumann (8 and 1/2 months pregnant) as the soloist; This "Concert Fantasy" was revised as the first movement of Schumann's Piano Concerto in a, Op. 54, which Clara Schumann premiered in Dresden on December 4, 1845 at a concert conducted by Ferdinand Hiller;
1876 — First complete performance of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle begins at Bayreuth with a performance of "Das Rheingold" (this opera had received its premiere performance in Munich on Sept. 22, 1869);
1964 — Mahler: Symphony No. 10, arranged for performance by the English musicologist Deryck Cooke, is performed complete for the first time by the London Symphony conducted by Berthold Goldschmidt; With the assistance of Colin and David Matthews, Cooke revised his performing edition of Mahler's Tenth, and this revised version - known as "Cooke II" - was first performed on October 15, 1972, by the New Philharmonia under Wyn Morris;
1973 — Thea Musgrave: Viola Concerto at a London Proms Concert, with her husband, Peter Mark, the soloist;
1976 — Duke Ellington: ballet "Three Black Kings" (posthumously), at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center in New York, by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Duke Ellington Orchesttra conducted by Mercer Ellington.

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[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 14th

<img src="http://carlsoncm.tripod.com/la.jpg" alt=" - " /> Let us now journey to the year 1953. Born on this day was the popular film composer James Horner. Horner studied under Gyorgi Ligeti at the Royal College of Music in London. After receiving his doctorate from UCLA, he wrote an avant-garde concert piece called Spectral Shimmers, but soon became disillusioned with the world of musical academia. He moved into feature films in the late 1970s and early 1980s, scoring American Film Institute projects and movies for the notorious producer Roger Corman's New World Pictures. His first big job was to be asked to score the second Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan, in 1982 and since then he has never looked back. His incredible rise to fame has never been equalled in Hollywood composing circles, and his contributions to the film world have included some of the best and most memorable scores of recent years, including Krull, Brainstorm, Cocoon, Aliens, Willow, Glory, Field of Dreams, Legends of the Fall, Braveheart and Apollo 13. His score for James Cameron's epic Titanic was honoured with a Golden Globe. He also won a Grammy Award in 1986 for the Linda Ronstadt/James Ingram ballad Somewhere Out There, which he wrote for the film An American Tail. James Horner is married, to Sarah, has two daughters and lives in Malibu Canyon, California.

Visit this Website for a complete list of Mr. Horner's film scores.

<img src="http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/troy/james_horner/troypres.jpg" alt=" - " />

Happy 52nd Birthday, James Horner!

C&P Source

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Other events C&P

Births:
1892 — English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (Christian name Leon Dudley), in Chingford, to a Parsi father and Spanish-Sicilian mother); His major work, "Opus Clavicembalisticum," is one of the longest and most complex solo piano works ever written;
1910 — French composer Pierre Schaeffer, in Nancy; He pioneered a style of electronic music known as "musique concrète";

Deaths:
1972 — American composer and pianist Oscar Levant, age 65, in Beverly Hills, Calif.;
1987 — American composer Vincent Persichetti, age 72, in Philadelphia;

Premieres:
1814 — Rossini: opera, "Il Turco in Italia" (The Turk in Italy), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala;
1876 — first complete performance of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle continues at Bayreuth with a performance of "Die Walküre" (The Valkyrie); This opera had received its premiere performance in Munich on June 26, 1870;
1942 — Rubbra: Symphony No.4, in London;
1952 — R. Strauss: opera "Die Liebe der Danae," produced posthumously at the Salzburg Festival; A dress rehearsal of the opera attended by the composer had taken place at Salzburg on August 16, 1944, but the actual premiere was cancelled due to the war;
1954 — Malcolm Arnold: Harmonica Concerto, at a Proms Concert in London, by harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler;
1961 — Cowell: "Scherzo" (from "Air and Scherzo") for saxophone and piano, at the Camp Kinhaven in Weston, Vt., by saxophonist Sigurd Rascher; Cowell later arranged this work for saxophone and chamber orchestra;

Other:
1703 — Johann Sebastian Bach begins his duties as organist at the Bonifaciuskirche in Arnstadt, where he would stay for four years (see also: August 4 and 9)

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That is all I have for today.

[hal 9000]

Today in Classical Music History- August 15th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1875 — English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, in London; His father was from Sierra Leone and his mother English; He composed a very successful trilogy of oratorios based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Hiawatha": "The Song of Hiawatha" (1898), "The Death of Minnehaha" (1899) and "Hiawatha's Departure" (1900);
1890 — French composer Jacques Ibert, in Paris;
1896 — Russian inventor Lev Sergeivitch Termen (anglicized to Leon Theremin) in St. Petersburg (Julian date: August 3); He invented the theremin, an electronic instrument whose sound was used or imitated in a number of film scores (“Spellbound,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, etc.) and in the Beach Boys’ song “Good Vibrations”
1922 — German-born American composer and conductor Lukas Foss, in Berlin (presumed date; Foss says his birth year is not authenticated and he has no birth certificate);

Deaths:
1728 — French composer and gamba virtuoso Marain Marais, age 72, in Paris;
1985 — American composer Richard Yardumian, age 68, in Bryn Athyn, Pa.;

Premieres:
1865 — Liszt: oratorio, "St. Elizabeth," in Pest, Hungary;
1935 — Grofé: "Hollywood" Suite, at the Hollywood Bowl;
1986 — Penderecki: opera "The Black Mask," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria;
2000 — Saariaho: opera "L'amour de loin," at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, with a cast including Dawn Upshaw, Dwayne Croft, and Dagmar Peckova; and Kent Nagano conducting the Southwest German Radio Orchestra of Baden-Baden;

Other:
1772 — Johannes Nepomuk Maelzel, German inventor credited with the creation of the metronome, is born in Regensburg; For a time he was the friend of Beethoven and collaborated with him on various projects;
1969 — The three-day Woodstock Music and Arts Fair begins in Bethel, fifty miles south of Woodstock, N.Y., attended by nearly half a million rock 'n' roll enthusiasts.

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[Trumpetmaster]

Here is a bit more info on Ibert. I enjoy his music! Regards, TM

Jacques Ibert 1890 - 1962
<img src="http://vcenter.acaweb.org/Music/Moore/Ibert/portrait.jpg" alt=" - " />

Jacques Ibert was born on August 15, 1890, in Paris, France. His earliest studies were in violin and piano, inspired by his father, an amateur violinist, and his mother, a fine pianist who had studied with Marmontel. He studied at the Paris Conservatory (1910-1914) under Émile Pessard, André Gédalge, and Paul Vidal, during which time he developed a close friendship with Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud, two lifelong friends. Ibert served in various capacities during World War I, eventually reaching the rank of naval officer. At the end of the war he entered and won the 1919 Prix de Rome competition and began a three-year residency in the Italian capital the following year, a period which led to the creation of many of his best-known works, including the opera Persée et Andromède and Escales for orchestra. He returned to Paris in 1923 and continued composing while teaching and conducting. In 1937, Ibert began a twenty-three year directorship of the French Academy in Rome, and was welcomed at the Villa Médicis as the first musician to hold this post since the Academy's founding in 1666. Upon his retirement from the Academy in 1960, he returned to Paris where he died two years later on February 5, 1962. Among the many French composers living in Paris during the early Twentieth Century, the music of Jacques Ibert occupies a unique place apart from all others. His compositions span a sixty year period and mix compositional elements from Nineteenth-Century Romanticism, Impressionism, Neo-Classicism, and touches of Expressionism. His use of many musical styles led to a blending of compositional techniques coupled with an intense love for drama and a fondness for sudden shifts of character to yield a distinctive style uniquely his own. Although he achieved his greatest fame as a composer of orchestra works, operas, ballets, and film, he wrote many lighter pieces for piano and chamber ensembles. His love for life and all artistic forms was vividly recreated throughout his career in musical settings ranging from the most somber to the most exuberant.

<img src="http://vcenter.acaweb.org/Music/Moore/Ibert/navy.jpg" alt=" - " />
Ibert as a naval officer in World War I.

<img src="http://vcenter.acaweb.org/Music/Moore/Ibert/UStrip.jpg" alt=" - " />
With his wife, on a trip to the United States in 1950

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Today in Classical Music History- August 16th

Today is a C&P day

Births:
1795 — German opera composer Heinrich August Marschner, in Saxony;
1863 — French composer, conductor and organist Gabriel Pierné, in Metz;
1929 — American jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans, in Plainsfield, N.J.;

Deaths:
1914 — Russian composer Anatol Liadov (Gregorian date: August 28);
1977 — Rock superstar Elvis Presley, age 44, in Memphis, Tennessee;

Premieres:
1876 — First complete performance of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle continues at Bayreuth with the world premiere performance of "Siegfried";
1932 — Gershwin: "Cuban Overture" (under the title "Rumba"), by the New York Philharmonic at a Lewisohn Stadium concert conducted by Albert Coates;
1936 — R. Strauss: "Olympic Hymn" at the opening of the Olympiad in Berlin;
1944 — R. Strauss: opera "Die Liebe der Danae" (The Love of Danae), in a dress rehearsal performance in Salzburg at the Festspielhaus; The premiere was cancelled due to the closing of all German theaters and the declaration of "total war"; The belated premiere occurred on August 14, 1952, during the Salzburg Festival;
1961 — Kodály: Symphony (dedicated to the memory of Arturo Toscanini), at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland;
1973 — Bernstein: "Dybbuk Variations," in Auckland, New Zealand, conducted by the composer; Bernstein's ballet, "Dybbuk," choreographed by Jerome Robbins, had premiered at the New York City Ballet on May 16, 1973;
1995 — Michael Torke: "July" for saxophone quartet, at Cardiff Bay by the Apollo Saxophone Quartet;
2001 — Lowell Liebermann: Violin Concerto, at Saratoga Arts Center, N.Y., by soloist Chantal Juillet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit conducting;
2001 — Kaija Saariaho: "Nymphea Reflection," at the Schlewswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, by Sinfonietta Cracova, Axelrod conducting;

Other:
1613 — Claudio Monteverdi becomes Master of Music, Republic of Venice;

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