August 12: Names and Notes in Music

[Lance]

AUGUST 12

Births and Deaths

• Died 1942: Pasquale Amato, baritone, born 03-21-1878
• Born 1861: Anton Arensky, composer, died 02-25-1906
• Born 1838: (Sir) Joseph Barnby, conductor/composer/organist, died 01-28-1896
• Born 1644: Heinrich Biber, composer, died 05-03-1704
• Died 1992: John Cage, composer, born 09-05-1912
• Died 1984: John Cook, composer, born 10-11-1918
• Born 1891: Antonio Cortis, tenor, died 04-02-1952
• Died 1982: Olivero De Fabritiis, conductor, born 07-13-1902
• Born 1911: Edward (Olin) Downes, music critic/broadcaster-Metropolitan Opera quizmaster, died 12-26-2001
• Born 1935: György Fischer, conductor
• Died 1612: Giovanni Gabrieli, composer/organist, born c. 1554-1557
• Born 1879: Gerard Hekking, cellist/teacher, died 06-05-1942 [possible birth: 08-22-1879]
• Born 1944: Peter Hofmann, tenor
• Died 1928: Leos Janácek, composer, born 07-03-1854
• Born 1908: Nina Makarova, composer, died 01-15-1976 [wife of composer Aram Khachaturian]
• Born 1918: Michael Minsky, bass singer, died 10-09-1988 [Serge Jaroff Don Cossack singer]
• Born 1942: David Munrow, recorder/EM specialist, died 05-15-1976 [suicide]
• Born 1853: Jean-Louis Nicodé, composer/pianist, died 10-05-1919
• Born 1892: Maria Olczewska, contralto, died 05-17-1969
• Born 1825: (Sir) Frederick Arthur Ouseley, composer/theorist, died 04-06-1889
• Born 1875: Ettore Panizza, conductor/composer, died 11-27-1969
• Born 1886: Engelbert Röntgen, cellist, died-?? [son of composer Julius Röntgen]
• Born 1938: Jerome Rose, pianist/teacher
• Born 1912: Brooks Smith, pianist/accompanist, died 10-31-2000 [accompanist to Heifetz, Ricci, and others]
• Born 1938: Hugette Tourangeau, mezzo-soprano

Musical Quote for Today

"Play Mozart in memory of me."
—Frédérick Chopin, composer/pianist

[GK]

Until recently I believed that Edward Downes the critic took occasional turns at conducting. Since then I learned that the conductor was a different Edward Downes. The latter had a long career with the BBC Symphony. I have a very good recording of his Rachmaninoff Sym.#2.

[Werner]

Were you thinking of Olin Downes, the long time chief critic of the NY Times?

[GK]

Were you thinking of Olin Downes, the long time chief critic of the NY Times?

Olin Downes' son Edward Downes was also briefly a Times critic but was best known as the host of the Met Opera broadcast intermissions. Apparently there is also a British conductor with the same name.

[Lance]

Trust me guys ... I spent considerable time trying to figure out all these DOWNES names. I don't know if I've got it yet!