Today's Birthdays in Music: January 31 (Schubert, Glass)

1797 - Franz Schubert, Vienna, Austria; composer

Wikipedia

Schubert documentary, Part 1


Schubert documentary, Part 2


Piano Quintet in A ("The Trout"), 4th mvt.  (Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Itzhak Perlman, Jacqueline DuPré, Pinchas Zuckerman)



1937 - Philip Glass, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia

La Jolla Symphony and Chorus perform the North American premiere of Glass's Cello Concerto (Wendy Sutter, cello; Steven Schick, conductor)

Today's Birthday in Music: January 29 (Delius)

1862 - Frederick Delius, Bradford, England; composer

Wikipedia
Official website

"La Calinda" from Koanga


"Sunset" from Florida Suite (Welsh National Opera Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 28 (Arthur Rubinstein, Tavener)

1887 - Arthur Rubinstein, Łódź, Poland; pianist

Wikipedia
Arthur Rubinstein - The Artist

Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor, Op. 31 (1973 recording)




1944 - John Tavener, Wembley, England; composer

Wikipedia
John Tavener - Life

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, sings "The Lamb" (1998)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 27 (W.A. Mozart, Ehnes)

1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vienna, Austria; composer

Wikipedia

Symphony No. 41 in  C, K.551("Jupiter"), 3rd mvt. (Jeffrey Tate conducts the English Chamber Orchestra)


Clarinet concerto in A, K.622, 2nd mvt. (Eric Hoeprich, basset clarinet; orchestra of the Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens conducting.  Festival la Chaise-Dieu Abbatiale, 2005)


Leontyne Price sings "L'amerò, sarò costante" from Il Re Pastore with Izthak Perlman, violin; Zubin Mehta conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1980).



1976 - James Ehnes, Brandon, Canada; violinist

Wikipedia
Official website

James Ehnes plays the Largo from J.S. Bach's Sonata for violin solo #3 in C, BWV 1005

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 26 (Furtwängler, Dudamel)

1886 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berlin, Germany; conductor, composer

Wikipedia
"Genius forged in the cauldron of war"

Wilhelm Furtwängler conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in the Overture to Wagner's Die Meistersinger (1942)



1981 - Gustavo Dudamel, Barquisimeto, Venezuela; conductor, violinist

Wikipedia
Gustavo Dudamel website

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Arturo Márquez's Danzón No. 2 (Promenade Concerts, London, 2007)

Today's Birthday in Music: January 25 (Lutosławski)

1913 - Witold Lutosławski, Warsaw, Poland; composer

Wikipedia

Witold Lutosławski conducts the London Sinfonietta in his Chain 1


Martha Argerich and Gabriela Montero play Lutosławski's Variations on a Theme of Paganini (Verbier Festival, 2007)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 24 (Farinelli, Hoffmann)

1705 - Farinelli (Carlo Boschi), Andria, Italy; castrato soprano

Wikipedia

1776 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, Königsberg, Germany; author, composer, music critic

Wikipedia

Harp Quintet by E.T.A. Hoffmann (Floraleda Sacchi, harp, with the Arion String Quartet)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 23 (Clementi, Żylis-Gara)

1752 - Muzio Clementi, Rome, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Muzio Clementi Society website

Angela Hewitt plays the Presto from Clementi's Piano Sonata No.. 25, Op. 5



1935 - Teresa Żylis-Gara, Wilno, Poland; opera and concert soprano

Biography and pictures

Teresa Żylis-Gara sings "Gdyby rannem slonkiem" from Stanislav Moniuszko's Halka

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 20 (Chausson, Loriod)

1855 - Ernest Chausson, Paris, France; composer

Wikipedia

Elly Ameling sings Chausson's Le Colibri with Dalton Baldwin, piano (1980 recording)



1924 - Yvonne Loriod, Houilles, Seine-et-Oise, France; pianist

Biography

Yvonne Loriod plays "Le Moqueur Polyglotte" from Olivier Messiaen's Des Canyons aux étoiles

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 17 (G. Weir, Morawetz)

1941 - Gillian Weir, Martinsborough, New Zealand; organist

Wikipedia
Gillian Weir's website


1917 - Oskar Morawetz, Světlà nad Sàzavou. Czechoslovakia; composer

Wikipedia

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Today's Birthday in Music: January 12 (Wolf-Ferrari)

1876 - Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Venice, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Ermanno-Wolf Ferrari website

Renata Scotto sings "O gioia le nube leggera" from Il segreto di Susanna (1980 recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra under John Pritchard)


Tito Gobbi sings "Aprile o bella" from I gioielli della Madonna (1954 recording)


Concertino for bassoon, 2 horns and strings, 1st mvt. (Jim Morgan, bassoon, with the RI Community Orchestra, John Eells conducting; 2003)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 11 (Glière, Duruflé)

1875 - Reinhold Glière, Kiev, Ukraine; composer

Wikipedia
Life and Work

Emma Dogliani sings Glière's Concerto for Coloratura Soprano, 1st mvt.


Glière's Horn Concerto, 3rd mvt. (Ionut Podgoreanu, horn; Ploiesti Symphony Orchestra, Romania; Ilarion Ionescu-Galati, conducting)



1902 - Maurice Duruflé, Louviers, France; composer, organist; arranger

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Introit and Kyrie from Duruflé's Requiem (University Singers, Laura Artisani, organ; Dennis Cox conducting; University of Maine, 2008)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 7 (Poulenc, Rampal)

1899 - Francis Poulenc, Paris, France; composer

Wikipedia
Profile

Final scene from Dialogue des Carmélites (Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti conducting)


Francis Poulenc and Jacques Février play Concerto for Two Pianos, 3rd mvt. (Orchestre national de la RTF, Georges Prêtre conducting)



1922 - Jean-Pierre Rampal, Marseilles, France; flautist

Biography
The Man with the Golden Flute

Jean-Pierre Rampal and Francis Poulenc play Poulenc's Flute Sonata, 2nd mvt.


"Véloce" from Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, played by Jean-Pierre Rampal , Claude Bolling and Marcel Sabiani

Today's Birthday in Music: January 6 (Bruch)

1838 - Max Bruch, Cologne, Germany; composer and conductor

Wikipedia

Gil Shahan plays Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, 1st mvt. (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Dan Ettinger conducting; Tel Aviv 2002)


Jascha Heifetz plays and conducts Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, 2nd mvt.


"Nachtgesang" from Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano (Brise Soleil Trio, Wisconsin-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, 2006)

Today's Birthdays in Music: January 2 (Pentland, Tippett)

1905 - Barbara Pentland, Winnipeg, Canada; composer, pianist

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

1905 - Michael Tippett, London, England; composer

Wikipedia

Profile

Michael Tippett conducts the first public performance of The Shires Suite, part 2, "Cantata" (Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra and Schola Cantorum of Oxford. Cheltenham, England, 1970)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 29 (Casals)

1876 - Pablo Casals, El Vendrell, Spain; cellist, composer

Wikipedia
In Search of Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals plays J.S. Bach's Suite No. 1 for Cello Solo (filmed at the Abbaye Saint-Michel-de Cuxa, France, August 1954)


Maynooth Chamber Choir sings "O vos omnes" composed by Pablo Casals


Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 played by Pablo Casals, cello, Jacques Thibaud, violin and Alfred Cortet, piano (HMV recording, 1927)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 28 (Kennedy, Sessions)

1956 - Nigel Kennedy, Brighton, England; violinist and violist

Wikipedia

Nigel Kennedy with Aisling Casey and the Irish Chamber Orchestra plays J.S. Bach's Concerto for Violin and Oboe, BWV 1060, 1st mvt.



1896 - Roger Sessions, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Duo for Violin and Piano, 2nd mvt. (Carlos Bernales and Chris Christopher, Queen's College, 2008)

Todays's Birthdays in Music: December 26 (Thea King, Earle Brown)

1925 - Thea King, Hitchin, England; clarinetist

Wikipedia
Obituary (The Independent, UK, June 2007)

Thea King, with the Allegri String Quartet, plays Crusell's Clarinet Quartet in C minor



1926 - Earle Brown, Lunenburg, MA, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Memorial

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 24 (Larsen, Stich-Randall)

1950 - Libby Larsen, Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.; composer

Official website
Interview

"Concert Piece for Tuba and Piano" (Beth McDonald, tuba; Tedrin Lindsay, piano.  Singletary Center for the Arts, 2008)



1927 - Teresa Stich-Randall, New Hertford, CT, U.S.A.; opera and concert soprano

Biography and pictures
Obituary (The Times, London, July 2007)

Teresa Stich-Randall sings "Non mi dir" from Mozart's Don Giovanni (1960)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 23 (Gruberová, Boismortier)

1946 - Edita Gruberová, Bratislava, Slovakia; opera and concert soprano

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Edita Gruberová sings "Ach ich liebt" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1989, Karl Böhm conducting)



1689 - Joseph Boismortier, Thionville, France; composer

Wikipedia

"Air de dessus" from Motet à grand choeur (Véronique Gens, soprano, with Le Concert Spirituel, directed by Hervé Piquet)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 22 (Puccini)

1858 - Giacomo Puccini, Lucca, Italy; composer

Wikipedia

Tito Gobbi and Maria Callas in the finale of Act 2 of Tosca (Covent Garden, 1964)



Renata Scotto sings "Quando m'en vo'" (Musetta's Waltz Song) from La Bohème (1982 Franco Zeffirelli Metropolitan Opera production; conductor James Levine)


"Gloria" from Messa di Gloria (Coro Rossini, Sassano, Sardinia)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 21 (Turp, Tilson Thomas)

1925 - André Turp, Montreal, Canada; opera tenor

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

1944 - Michael Tilson Thomas, Los Angeles, U.S.A.; conductor, pianist, composer

Wikipedia

Official website

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt. (BBC Promenade Concert, London, 2007)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 17 (Beethoven)

1770 - Ludwig van Beethoven, Bonn, Germany; composer and pianist (baptized December 17; date of birth probably December 15 or 16)

Wikipedia
The Magnificent Master

Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, 1st mvt. (Rome, 2001)


Glenn Gould plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, final mvt. (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Karel Ančerl)


String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135, 3rd mvt. (Amadeus Quartet, 1973)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 16 (Kodály, Pinnock)

1882 - Zoltán Kodály, Kecskemét, Hungary; composer

Wikipedia

Janos Starker plays Kodály's Sonata for Solo Cello, 1st mvt. (Tokyo, 1988)


Dances of Galánta (Philharmonia Hungarica, conducted by Ervin Acél at the Vatican)




1946 - Trevor Pinnock, Canterbury, England; conductor and harpsichordist

Wikipedia

Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert play J.S. Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052, 1st mvt. (Allegro)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 11 (Berlioz, E. Carter)

1803 - Hector Berlioz, La-Côte-Saint-André, France; composer

Wikipedia
Hector Berlioz website

"Un bal" (2nd mvt.) from Symphonie Fantastique (Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, 1970)


"Gloire à Didon" from Les Troyens (N.Y. Metropolitan Opera, 1983)



1908 - Elliott Carter, New York, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Elliott Carter at 99 (Los Angeles Times, August 2008)

Interview with Elliott Carter (2008)


Quintet for Piano and Strings (Part 1) (Arditti Quartet with Ursula Oppens, piano; Amsterdam, 1999)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 10 (Messiaen, Franck)

1908 - Olivier Messiaen, Avignon, France; composer, organist

Wikipedia

Turangalîla Symphony, Final (10th) mvt. (Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Paris, Myung-Whun Chung conducting, 1990)


Messiaen on Birds (Yvonne Loriod, piano)



1822 - César Franck, Liège, Belgium; composer, organist

Wikipedia

Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra (Georges Cziffra, piano; György Cziffra Jr. conducting)


Renée Fleming sings "Panis Angelicus" (Mainz Cathedral, 2005)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 8 (Sibelius, Martinů)

1865 - Jean Sibelius, Hämeenlinna, Finland; composer

Wikipedia
Jean Sibelius website

Finlandia (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Berglund)


Violin Concerto in D minor, 1st mvt. (Christian Fatu, violin, with the Kansas City Philharmonia, conducted by Andres Franco)



1890 - Bohuslav Martinů, Polička, Bohemia; composer

Wikipedia

Piano Quartet, 3rd mvt. (Carl Banner, piano, David Cho, cello, Judith Spokes, violin, Andrea Vercoe, viola; Washington Musica Viva concert, 2008)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 7 (Mascagni)

1863 - Pietro Mascagni, Livorno, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Mascagni and Mussolini

Fiorenza Cossotto and chorus sing "Inneggiamo, Il Signor non è morto" ("Easter Hymn") from Cavalleria Rusticana (Herbert von Karajan conducting)


Meray Boustan and Adam Shelton sing "Suzel, buon di" ("Cherry Duet") from L'Amico Fritz (University of Arizona production)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 6 (Górecki, Harnoncourt)

1933 - Henryk Górecki, Tschirne, Germany (now Czernica, Poland); composer

Wikipedia

Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs") - Lento e Largo (Isabel Bayrakdaraian with the Sinfonietta Cracovia, conducted by John Axelrod; taken from "Holocaust - A Musical Memorial Film from Auschwitz")


Górecki Piano Sonata, 1st mvt. (Roger McVey, piano; Mercer University, Georgia)



1929 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Berlin, Germany; conductor, cellist, violist

Wikipedia
Biography and Pictures
Interview (November 2000)

Nikolaus Harnoncourt leads the Concentus Musicus Vienna and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir in J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 147 "Heart and mouth and deed and life" (Advent Concert, Benedictine Monastery of Melk)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 4 (Harty, Minton)

1879 - Hamilton Harty, Hillsborough, Ireland; composer and conductor

Wikipedia

Scherzo from An Irish Symphony.  The composer conducts the Hallé Orchestra (1929 recording)



1938 - Yvonne Minton, Sydney, Australia; opera and concert mezzo-soprano

Biography and pictures

Yvonne Minton performs "Der Abschied", the final movement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti conducting)

Today's Birthday in Music: December 3 (Webern)

1883 - Anton Webern, Vienna, Austria; composer and conductor

Wikipedia

Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 10 (Südwestfunk Baden-Baden, conducted by Jascha Horenstein; 1964 recording)


Piano Variations Op. 27 (Brenno Ambrosini, piano; 1908)

Today's Birthdays in Music: December 1 (Grøndahl, Buchbinder)

1847 - Agathe Grøndahl, Holmestrand, Norway; pianist and composer

Wikipedia

Biography

1946 - Rudolf Buchbinder, Leitmeritz, Czechoslovakia; pianist

Official website
Biography and pictures

Rudolf Buchbinder at the 12th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival (Warsaw, 2008)

Today's Birthday in Music: November 29 (Donizetti)

1797 - Gaetano Donizetti, Bergamo, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Donizetti Foundation website

Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor (Greg Turay, Ruth Ann Swenson, Beth Clayton, Valerian Ruminski, Kim Josephson, Eric Cutler; Julius Rudel conducting.  Richard Tucker Gala, Avery Fisher Hall, N.Y., 2001)


Duet from Don Pasquale Act 3 (Beverley Sills and Gabriel Bacquier, 1979)

Today's Birthday in Music: November 28 (Anton Rubinstein, Lully)

1829 - Anton Rubinstein, Vykhvatinets, Ukraine; pianist, composer and conductor

Wikipedia

String Quartet in F, op. 17, no. 3, 1st mvt. (Covington String Quartet, Washington, 2008)



1632 - Jean-Baptiste Lully, Florence, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Passacaille from Armide (danced by Philippa Waite)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 27 (Cozzolani, H. Hahn)

1602 - Chiara Cozzolani, Milan, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Cappella Clausura performs "Laudate pueri" from Cozzolani's Vespro della Beata Vergine



1979 - Hilary Hahn, Lexington, VA, U.S.A.; violinist

Wikipedia
Official website

Hilary Hahn plays Korngold's Violin Concerto, 3rd mvt. (Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, conducted by Kent Nagano)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 25 (V. Thomson, Kempff)

1896 - Virgil Thomson, Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Virgil Thomson Foundation website

Thomson's The River accompanies display of photos of the Pacific Northwest by Darius Kinsey



1895 - Wilhelm Kempff, Jüterbog, Germany; pianist and composer

Wikipedia
Majestic Poet

Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven's Sonata No. 27, Op. 90, 1st mvt. (filmed in 1970)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 24 (Schnittke)

1934 - Alfred Schnittke, Engels, USSR; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Concerto for Piano and Strings (part 2) (Svetlana Ponomareva, piano; Omsk Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yuri Nikolaevsky; Omsk, Russia, 2003)


Suite in the Old Style: Menuett (R. Mints, viola d'amore, A. Karpenko, harpsichord, D. Vlasik, percussion; Homecoming Chamber Music Festival)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 23 (Penderecki, Falla)

1933 - Krzysztof Penderecki, Dębica, Poland; composer and conductor

Wikipedia

Excerpt from Polish Requiem, conducted by the composer


Concerto for Viola, Part 1 (Tabea Zimmerman, viola; conducted by the composer)


1876 - Manuel de Falla, Cádiz, Spain; composer

Wikipedia

Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Céderic Tiberghien, piano; Orchestre National de Lille, conducted by Paul Polivnik)


"Ritual Fire Dance" from film of the ballet (El Amor Brujo

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 22 (Britten, Nagano)

1913 - Benjamin Britten, Lowestoft, England; composer, conductor, violist, pianist

Wikipedia
Biography and more

"To hell with all your mercy": finale of Peter Grimes (Peter Pears as Peter Grimes, Heather Harper as Ellen Orford, London Symphony Orchestra and Ambrosian Chorus, conducted by Benjamin Britten.  1969 TV production)


"Playful Pizzicato" from Simple Symphony (Ensemble Instrumental de Corse)



1951 - Kent Nagano, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.; conductor

Biography (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal)
Homepage
The Nagano Mystique (La Scena Musicale, January 2007)

Kent Nagano conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in Mozart's Symphony No. 41 (Jupiter),1st mvt.


Kent Nagano, Robert Charlebois and l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 18 (Weber, Paderewski)

1786 - Carl Maria von Weber, Eutin, Germany; composer, conductor, pianist

Wikipedia (d.o.b. probably incorrect)
Biography (Grove Dictionary)

Overture to Abu Hassan (London Symphony Orchestra)


Clarinet Concerto No. 1, 3rd mvt. (Calogero Palermo, clarinet)



1860 - Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Kuryłówka, Ukraine; pianist, composer, statesman

Wikipedia
Biography and pictures

Paderewski plays his Menuet in G (1937 recording)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 16 (Hindemith, Tibbett)

1895 - Paul Hindemith, Hanau, Germany; composer, conductor

Wikipedia
Hindemith Foundation website

Paul Hindemith conducts his Concerto for Orchestra


Glenn Gould plays the Fugue from Hindemith's Piano Sonata No. 3



1896 - Lawrence Tibbett, Bakersfield, CA, U.S.A.; opera baritone

Wikipedia
Biography and photos

Lawrence Tibbett sings "Oh du mein holder Abenstern" from Wagner's Tannhäuser

Todays's Birthdays in Music: November 14 (Copland, Mendelssohn-Hensel)

1900 - Aaron Copland, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.A.; composer, pianist

Wikipedia

"Hoedown" from the ballet Rodeo, arranged for piano by Copland (James Tocco, piano)


Andante from Copland's Clarinet Concerto (Richard Stolzman, clarinet; London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas)



1805 - Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Hamburg, Germany; composer, pianist

Wikipedia
Life and Music

Klavierstücke for four hands (Duo Vela, Barcelona)


Diana Damrau sings Bergeslust

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 13 (Richards, Kokkonen)

1921 - Joonas Kokkonen, Iisalmi, Finland; composer

Wikipedia (birthdate incorrect)
Obituary (The Independent, London, Oct. 1996)

1817 - Brinley Richards, Camarthen, Wales; composer

Wikipedia

Philip Sear plays "Evening" (Nocturne) by Brinley Richards

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 12 (Borodin, Papineau-Couture)

1833 - Alexander Borodin, St. Petersburg, Russia; composer

Wikipedia

Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa)



1916 - Jean Papineau-Couture, Montreal, Canada; composer, educator, administrator

Biography (Encyclopedia of Music in Canada)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 10 (Couperin, Scholl)

1688 - François Couperin, Paris, France; composer, organist, harpsichordist

Wikipedia

Tierce en Taille from "Messe des Couvents" (Jean-Baptiste Robin, organ; Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, Poitiers, France)



1967 - Andreas Scholl, Eltville, Germany; opera and concert countertenor

Wikipedia

Andreas Scholl sings "Sicut erat in principio" and "Amen" from Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, conducted by Paul Dyer)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 8 (Bax, Hines)

1883 - Arnold Bax, Streatham, England; composer

Wikipedia

Summer Music (1920), played by the Ulster Orchestra, Richard Howarth conducting



1921 - Jerome Hines, Hollywood, U.S.A.; opera bass and composer

Biography
Wikipedia
Obituary (The Guardian, UK, February 2003)

Jerome Hines as the Grand Inquisitor, Paul Plishka as the King, in Verdi's Don Carlo (Metropolitan Opera, 1980)


Jerome Hines in The Last Supper Scene from his opera I Am The Way (Bolshoi, 1993)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 6 (Sax, Sousa)

1814 - Adolphe Sax, Dinant, Belgium; musical-instrument designer (inventor of the saxophone)

Wikipedia
Extensive biography
Pictures of Sax saxophones

The Aurelia Saxophone Quartet (Uden, Netherlands) plays Jean Baptiste Singelée's Premier Quatuor Op. 53 on original Adolphe Sax saxophones



1854 - John Philip Sousa, Washington, U.S.A.; composer and conductor

Wikipedia
Library of Congress website

Tufts University's Saxophone Ensemble plays Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever


Theme song for the Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show (aka Sousa's Liberty Bell March) (played by the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra)

Today's Birthday in Music: November 4 (A. Cooke)

1906 - Arnold Cooke, Gomersal, England; composer

Wikipedia
Arnold Cooke website

Today's Birthday in Music: November 3 (Bellini)

1801 - Vincenzo Bellini, Catania, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Biography

Maria Callas sings "Casta diva" from Norma


Juan Diego Florez, with Mariola Cantarero and chorus, sings "A te o cara" from I Puritani (Las Palmas, 2004)

Today's Birthdays in Music: November 2 (Dittersdorf, Sinopoli)

1739 - Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Vienna, Austria; composer and violinist

Wikipedia
Biography and picture

Concerto for Double Bass in E major, 1st mvt. (Soloist Gábor Fánczi; Szent István Filharmonics Orchestra, conductor Kálmán Záborszky.  Budapest)



1946 Giuseppe Sinopoli, Venice, Italy; conductor and composer

Wikipedia
Interview (1986)

Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts the Triumphal March scene from Verdi's Aida (Dresden, 2001)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 30 (Warlock, Mintz)

1894 - Peter Warlock, London, England; composer and music critic

Wikipedia
Peter Warlock Society website

Capriol Suite for String Orchestra, parts 1-3 (Chamber Ensemble Muenster, 1994)



1957 - Shlomo Mintz, Moscow, Russia; violinist and conductor

Wikipedia
Shlomo Mintz webpage

Shlomo Mintz plays Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1, 1st mvt., on "Il Cannone", Paganini's own 1742 Guarneri violin (Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Yoel Levi conducting, Maastricht, Netherlands 1997)

Today's Birthday: October 27 (Paganini)

1782 - Niccolò Paganini, Genoa, Italy; violinist, violist, guitarist, composer

Wikipedia
Legendary violinists

Jascha Heifetz plays Caprice No. 24 (accompanist Emanuel Bay)


Leonid Kogan plays Paganini's variations on the theme "Di tanti palpiti" from Rossini's Tancredi

Today's Birthday in Music: October 26 (D. Scarlatti)

1685 - Domenico Scarlatti, Naples, Italy; composer

Wikipedia
Baroque composers

Luc Beauséjour plays Scarlatti's Sonata in d minor, K. 1


Sinfonia in C major: allegrissimo (Europa Galante, directed by Fabio Biondi)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 25 (Bizet, J. Strauss II)

1838 - Georges Bizet, Paris, France; composer and pianist

Wikipedia
Grove's Dictionary biography

Julia Migenes Johnson sings the Habanera from Carmen (1985 film)


Minuet from L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2 (Bulent Evcil, flute, with the Instanbul State Symphony Orchestra)



1825 - Johann Strauss II, Vienna, Austria; violinist, conductor, composer

Wikipedia

Herbert von Karajan conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in "Unter Donner und Blitz" (New Year's Eve concert, Vienna 1987)


Kiri Te Kanawa sings "Klange der Heimat" (Czsárdás) from Die Fledermaus (Covent Garden 1984, Placido Domingo conducting)

Today's Birthdays in Music: October 23 (Lortzing, Rorem)

1801 - Albert Lortzing, Berlin, Germany; composer, actor and singer

Wikipedia
Albert Lortzing website

"Heil, sei dem Tag" from Zar und Zimmerman (with Hans Sotin; Hamburg State Opera production, conductor Charles Mackerras, 1969)



1923 - Ned Rorem, Richmond, Indiana, U.S.A.; composer

Wikipedia
Official website

Rorem's Romeo and Juliet for flute and guitar, 8th mvt. (Ryu Cipris, flute, and Max Zuckerman, guitar, Baltimore, 2006)


Anne Hogan sings three songs by Ned Rorem (Dublin, 2008)