May 9: Names and Notes in Music

[Lance]

MAY 9

Births and Deaths

• Died 1770: Charles Avison, organist/composer, born 02-16-1709
• Born 1950: Michel Beroff, pianist
• Died 1999: Harry Blech, violinist/conductor, born 03-02-1910
• Died 1973: Owen Brannigan, bass singer, born 03-10-1908
• Died 1707: Dietrich Buxtehude, composer/organist, born 1637
• Born 1976: Andrea Cesare Coronella, tenor
• Born 1927: Mary Curtis-Verna, soprano
• Died 1949: Amleto Galli, bass singer, born 09-10-1886
• Born 1914: Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor, died 06-13-2005
• Born 1961: Marc-André Hamelin, pianist
• Born 1814: Adolf von Henselt, composer/pianist, died 10-10-1889
• Died 1791: Francis Hopkinson, composer, born 09-21-1737
• Died 1977: Walter Kraft, organist/composer, born 06-09-1905 [perished in a hotel fire, Amsterdam]
• Born 1934: Soo Bee lee, soprano, died 08-31-2005
• Died 1906: Hellen Lemmens-Sherrington, soprano, born 10-04-1834 [wife of Nicholas Jacues]
• Died 1990: Luigi Nono, composer, born 01-29-1924
• Born 1955: Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
• Born 1740: Giovanni Paisiello, composer, died 06-05-1816
• Born 1525: Giovanni Palestrino, composer, died 02-02-1594
• Died 1957: Taurino Parvis, baritone, born 09-15-1879
• Died 1957: Ezio Pinza, bass singer, born 05-18-1892
• Born 1855: Julius Röntgen, composer, died 09-13-1932
• Born 1882: Josef Rosenblatt, cantor, died 06-19-1933
• Born 1904: Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling, composer, died 12-09-1985
• Died 1967: Philppa Duke Schyler, pianist/composer, born-?? [helicopter crash]
• Died 1956: Léon Vallas, musicologist, born 05-17-1879
• Died 1745: Thomas Antonio Vitali, composer, born 03-07-1663
• Died 1979: Ben Weber [William Jennings Bryan], composer, born 07-23-1916
• Died 2004: Percy M. Young, critic/author, born 05-17-1912 [Elgar biographer]

Musical Quote for Today

"In Frederic Chopin's compositions boldness is always justified; richness, often exuberance, never interferes with clearness; singularity never degenerates into the uncouth and fantastic; the sulpturing is never disordered; the luxury of ornament never unloads the chaste eloquence of the principal lines."
—Franz Liszt, pianist/composr

What happened on this day in music histiry?

In 1965, the historic return of pianist Vladimir Horowitz occurred at New York's Carnegie Hall.

[premont]

[*]Died 1977: Walter Kraft, composer, born 06-09-1905

Walter Kraft was first and foremost organist, organist-of-residence at Marienkirche, Lübeck, the same church, where Buxtehude spent most of his active life. I think, that we, who remember Walter Kraft (I have heard him in recital many times) in the first hand think of him as organist, even if he composed many organ works and some choir works and a sonata for violin and celesta. I have heard him play some of his works as well as improvising after his recitals, and his music was (is) so to say wild and untamed within a strict neoclassical frame, but to day he is already almost forgotten. Frankly spoken I think his importance as an organist was much greater, than his importance as a composer. He perished in a hotel fire in Amsterdam, a sad fate for this brilliant and charismatic musician.

[Lance]

[*]Died 1977: Walter Kraft, composer, born 06-09-1905

Walter Kraft was first and foremost organist, organist-of-residence at Marienkirche, Lübeck, the same church, where Buxtehude spent most of his active life. I think, that we, who remember Walter Kraft (I have heard him in recital many times) in the first hand think of him as organist, even if he composed many organ works and some choir works and a sonata for violin and celesta. I have heard him play some of his works as well as improvising after his recitals, and his music was (is) so to say wild and untamed within a strict neoclassical frame, but to day he is already almost forgotten. Frankly spoken I think his importance as an organist was much greater, than his importance as a composer. He perished in a hotel fire in Amsterdam, a sad fate for this brilliant and charismatic musician.

As always, I appreciate your input. I've made the corrections to my original post. Please, always give your thoughts on this material, and/or corrections where necessary!