1561 Birth of Italian composer Jacopo PERI in Rome. Opera pioneer whose work based on Rinuccini's poem Dafne (1600) may have been the first opera. d-Florence, 12 APR 1633.
1611 Death of Spanish organist and composer Tomas Luis de Victoria in Madrid. b-Avila, 1548.
1768 FP of GRÉTRY: "Le Huron" Paris.
1813 Death of Bohemian composer Jan Krtitel Vanhal (aka, Johann Baptist Vanhal and Wanhall) at age 74, in Vienna. b-Nové Nechanice, Czech Republic, 12 MAY 1739.
1815 Birth of Irish conductor, singer and composer Joseph ROBINSON in Dublin. d-Dublin, 23 AUG 1898.
1827 (22nd baptismal) Birth of Austrian composer Josef STRAUSS, in Vienna. Was the waltz composer and brother of famous Viennese composers of light music. d-Vienna, 21 JUL 1870.
1828 FP of ROSSINI: "Le Comte Ory" Paris.
1839 Birth of Carolina Ferni Soprano
Born 20 Aug 1839 Como Died 4 June 1926
Debut as Leonora in Favorita (Donizetti) 1862
Teacher :- Giuditta Pasta
Pupils :- Eugenia Burzio, Enrico Caruso, Eugenio Giraldoni
Sang in premiere of Violino del Diavolo (Mercuri)
1843 (3rd?) Birth of Swedish soprano Christine NILSSON in Sjoabol. d-Stockholm, 22 NOV 1921. Studied in Stockholm,
début Paris, 1864, [Violetta]. Sang at
London, New York, St Petersburg, Brussels, Munich.Created
[Ophélie] Hamlet, one of her finest roles. Married in 1872, French banker August Rouzeaud, and in 1887,
Spanish count Casa di Miranda. MET: Début: Oct. 22, 1883
[Marguerite] Faust, 1 season (1883-84) 59 perf, 8 roles, 7 works. Debut as Violetta in Traviata (Verdi) 27 Oct 1864
Teachers:- Franz Berwald, Enrico Delle Sedie, Baroness Leuhusen
Victor Masse, Pierre-Francois Wartel
Created as Ophelia in Hamlet (Thomas)
Myrrha in Sardanapale (De Joncieres)
Lucrezia in Talismano (Balfe)
1873 Birth of American composer Daniel Gregory MASON in Brookline, MA. d-Greenwich, CT 4 DEC 1953.
1873 Birth of Tiphaine, Jeanne (s) (1873-1958) b. Aug. 20, 1873; d. 1958.
Debut 1894
Teacher :- Saint Yves Bax
Created Noemia in Cendrillon (Massenet)
1877 Birth of Dutch composer Jan ZWART in Zaandam. d-Zaandam, 13 July 1937.
1878 Birth of Soot, Fritz (bs) (1878-1965) Ger. (86) b. Wellersweiler, Aug. 20,
1878; d. Berlin June, 9, 1965. Debut as Tonio in Fille du Regiment (Donizetti)
Teacher :- Karl Scheidemantel
Created Drum-Major in Wozzeck (Berg)
Italian Singer in Rosenkavalier (Strauss)
Voice in Rembrandt van Rijn (Von Klenau)
Babinski in Schwanda the Bagpiper (Weinberger)
Sang in premiere of Verurteilung des Lukullus (Dessau)
1882 FP of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture in Moscow.
1885 American debut of The Mikado, by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City.
1893 FP in USAmerica of Smetana's "The Bartered Bride", in Chicago.
1907 Birth of Russian born, English conductor Anatole FISTOULARI,
in Kiev. d-1995.
1918 Marriage of Enrico Caruso (t) (1873-1921) It. & Dorthy Park Benjamine.
1920 Death of Etelka Gerster Soprano / Teacher of Singing
Born 25 June 1855 Hungary Died 20 Aug 1920
Debut as Gilda in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1876
Teacher :- Mathilde Marchesi
Pupils :- Clara Butt, Julia Culp, Susanne Dessoir, Birgit Engell
Mary Hagen, Lotte Lehmann, Lula Mysz-Gmeiner, Signe Rappe
Elisabeth Ohlhoff, Therese Bahr-Schnabel, Ella Gmeiner
Magda Von Dulong
1931 Birth of Ames, Richard (t) U.S. b. Cleveland. Teachers:- Mario Basiola, Max Lorenz, Franz Schuch-Tovini
Created Dictator in Leather Heads (Weishappel)
1933 Birth of Dutch composer and pianist Maarten BON in Amsterdam. d-Amsterdam, 19 OCT 2003. Brother of composer Willem Frederik.
1935 Birth of American composer Charles SHERE in Berkeley, CA.
1935 Death of Czech composer and teacher Otakar Ostrcil in Prague. b-Smidrov, 25 FEB 1879.
1939 (1941?) Birth of Anne Evans Soprano
Born 20 Aug 1939 London
Debut in Annina in Traviata (Verdi) 1967
Teachers:- Maria Carpi, Herbert Graf, Vida Harford, Lotvi Mansouri
Ruth Packer, Luigi Ricci, Josephine Veasey. MET: Feb. 6,
1992 [Elisabeth] Tannhäuser, 2 seasons (1991-92, 93-94) 8 perf., 2
works.
1943 FP of Ponce's Violin Concerto in Mexico City. Carlos Chavez conducting. (Family pronunciation is POHNC' eh).
1944 Death of Arthur Preuss Tenor
Born 23 Feb 1878 Konigsberg Died 20 Aug 1944
Debut 1899
Teachers:- Franz Krolop, Benno Stolzenberg
Sang in premiere of Dreimaderlhaus (Berte)
1949 Birth of Mader-Todorova, Marina (s) b. Aug. 20, 1949;
1961 FP of John Harbison's Duo for flute and piano. Flutist Neil Zaslaw and pianist Juliette Arnold at the Brooklyn Museum.
1963 Death of Mabel Garrison Soprano
Born 24 April 1886 Baltimore Died 20 August 1963
Debut as Philine in Mignon (Thomas) 19 Apr 1912
Teachers:- Edward Heimendahl, Pietro Minetti, Lucien O'Denthal,
Oscar Saenger, Herbert Witherspoon
1965 FP of Harrison Birtwistle's Tragoedia for chamber ensemble, during the Castle Summer School of Music, by the Melos Ensemble conducted by Lawrence Foster at Wardour Castle in England.
1965 FP of PASATIERI: "The Wemon" Aspen (1965).
1967 Birth of American composer Amos ELKANA in Boston, MA.
1973 FP of Carl Orff's cantata De Temporum Fine Commedia 'A Play of the End of Time' Herbert von Karajan conducting at the Salzburg Festival.
1974 (15th?)Birth of Russian violinist Maxim VENGEROV in Novosibirsk.
1979 FP of John Harbison's opera The Winter's Tale in San Francisco, CA.
1980 Birth of American composer Thomas DEMPSTER in Sandusky, MI.
1980 FP of Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No. 11. BBC Northern Symphony in London.
1992 FP of Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 5 work is dedicated to Joan Harris, at the opening of the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.
2000 Death of Nancy Evans Mezzo-Soprano
Born 19 March 1915 Liverpool Died 20 Aug 2000
Debut 1938
Teachers:- Maggie Teyte, John Tobin, Eva De Reusz
Pupil :- Beverley Mills
Created Nancy in Albert Herring (Britten)
Poet in Growing Castle (Williamson)
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