George Gershwin - George Gershwin George (left) and Ira Gershwin George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937) was an American composer. He was born Jacob Gershowitz in Brooklyn, New York to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Gershwin composed both for Broadway and for the classical concert hall, and his music contains elements of both. He also wrote popular songs with success. Many of his compositions have been used in cinema, and perhaps many more are famous jazz standards: songbooks have been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald (memorable 3 discs recording for Verve, with Nelson Riddle's orchestra), Herbie Hancock and several other singers or players. His most famous works in the classical field include: Rhapsody in Blue, (1924), a symphonic jazz composition for jazz band, piano, and orchestra Piano Concerto.
Ira Gershwin - Ira Gershwin George (left) and Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershwin) (December 6 1896 - August 17 1983) American lyricist, collaborator with, and brother of George Gershwin He is interred in the Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Comments on the Gershwin collection at the Library of Congress From Library of Congress publication (presumably in the public domain, as are all US Govt. publications) http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9809/gershwin.html The music of George and Ira Gershwin runs deep in the American consciousness. The opening clarinet glissando from Rhapsody in Blue, the taxi horn theme from An American in Paris and the songs -- "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You," "The Man I Love," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Fascinating Rhythm," and many others -- are instantly recognizable. Mere mention of the.
George S. Kaufman - George S. Kaufman George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) was a playwright, director, producer, and drama critic most noted for his many collaborations with other writers. He wrote only one play alone, “The Butter and Egg Man,” in 1925. All his other plays were written in collaboration with other writers: with Marc Connelly he wrote “Merton of the Movies” and “Beggar on Horseback”; with Ring Lardner he wrote “June Moon”; with Edna Ferber he wrote “The Royal Family,” “Dinner at Eight,” and “Stage Door”; with John P. Marquand he wrote a stage adaptation of Marquand's novel “The Late George Apley”; and with Howard Teichmann he wrote “The Solid Gold Cadillac.” Possibly his most successful collaboration in the non-musical theatre was with Moss Hart, with whom he wrote several.
January 7 - the English Channel by air. 1789 - First nationwide United States election. 1894 - W.K. Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film. 1896 - Fannie Farmer publishes first cookbook. 1901 - Alferd Packer is released from prison after serving 18 years for cannibalism. 1904 - The distress signal "CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by "SOS." 1911 - Mary Pickford marries Owen Moore. 1924 - George Gershwin completes Rhapsody in Blue. 1926 - George Burns marries Gracie Allen. 1927 - First international telephone call - New York City to London. 1927 - The Harlem Globetrotters play their first game. 1935 - World War II: Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval sign the Italo-French agreements. 1942 - World War II: Siege of the Bataan Peninsula.
James P. Johnson - A Chambermaid", "Carolina Shout", "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)", and "Snowy Morning Blues". He wrote music in many styles, including waltzes, ballet, symphonic pieces and light opera. James P. Johnson served as mentor to Fats Waller. He was also an influence on such other pianists as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Art Tatum, and even Thelonious Monk. Johnson retired from performing after a stroke in 1951. James P. Johnson died in Jamaica, New York. External Links James P. Johnson on RedHotJazz.com Biography with ram files of many of James P. Johnson's historic recordings.
July 11 - the Caribbean off southeast Cuba killing 44 Births 1274 - Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland (1306-1329) 1657 - King Frederick I of Prussia (1701-1713) 1754 - Thomas Bowdler, medical doctor and literary censor 1767 - John Quincy Adams, president of the United States (1825-1829) 1844 - King Peter of Serbia (+ 1921) 1857 - Alfred Binet, phsychologist (+ 1911) 1897 - Eugene Bull Connor), sheriff of Birmingham, Alabama, resisted civil rights (+ 1973) 1899 - E. B. White, writer (+ 1985) 1903 - O. E. Hasse, actor (+ 1978) 1906 - Herbert Wehner, politician (+ 1990) 1913 - Cordwainer Smith, writer 1921 - Ilse Werner, actress 1926 - Frederick Buechner, author 1927 - Brett Somers, actor 1929 - Hermann Prey, bariton (+ 1998) 1930 - Harold Bloom, literary critic 1931.
July 21 - 9 rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia - Pittsburgh then erupts into widespread rioting. 1925 - Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100. 1931 - CBS's New York City station begins broadcasting the first regular seven days a week television schedule in the U. S. The first broadcast included Mayor James J. Walker, Kate Smith, and George Gershwin. 1944 - A day after the July 20 Plot to assassinate him, Adolf Hitler makes an announcement on German radio pledging that "accounts will be settled." 1944 - World War II: Battle of Guam - American troops.
Harold Shapero - to composition. As of 2003, Shapero is still actively composing for both acoustic and electronic instruments. Browsing through the score of Shapero's Symphony for Classical Orchestra, one doesn't see too many modern notational quirks. The scoring is pretty much for a "classical Orchestra": regular woodwinds in pairs, plus a piccolo and a contrabassoon, pairs of horns and trumpets, three trombones, three timpani tuned to expected triad positions, and the standard complement of strings. This Symphony is in B flat major. The use of accidentals is much lighter than say, in a work of Anton Bruckner. While Shapero uses some modern notation in his scores, he uses it in a clear way, employing procedures that have already been established by other modern composers or creating his own notation from traditional notation in.
Herbie Hancock - "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (from the Head Hunters album) and his rendition of George Gershwin's "Summertime". He has played with many other artists; in the 1960s he joined the quintet led by Miles Davis, with whom he stayed for more than five years. During 1982 Hancock had a mainstream hit and Grammy award with the scratch-based single "Rockit", which also featured an innovative animated music video. In 1986 he played and acted in the film 'Round Midnight. He also wrote the score, for which he won an Academy Award for Original Music Score. Hancock is a Buddhist, and writes about the influence Buddhism has had on his life and his music in the introduction he wrote to the nonfiction bestseller The Buddha In Your Mirror. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Discography.
Henry Cowell - John Cage when he was developing the prepared piano. Cowell's interest in harmonic rhythm, as discussed in New Musical Resources led him to commission Leon Theremin to invent the Rhythmicon or Polyrhythmophone, a machine capable of playing periodic rhythms in proportion to the pitches and vice versa. Cowell subsequently began to use indeterminacy (chance) in his music more and more, though in his later works the style is rather more conservative, with simpler rhythms and a more traditional harmonic language. He began to teach and write about music more. He is often said to be instrumental in the rediscovery of Charles Ives' music, and also promoted the music of Edgar Varese. His students included John Cage, George Gershwin and Lou Harrison. He was elected to the American Institute of Arts and.
Houston Grand Opera - presents both the standard operatic repertoire as well as new works. Since 1973, Houston Grand Opera has presented 28 world and six American premieres. In 1976, HGO revived George Gershwin Porgy and Bess and helped secure its place in the American operatic repertoire. It was also the first opera company in America to present Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. HGO's home base is the Wortham Theater Center, which opened in October 1987. The state-of-the-art facility, housing both the 2,363-seat Brown and 1,065-seat Cullen theaters, was built entirely with private funds. The Wortham's opening events included a new production of Verdi's Aida with Mirella Freni and Plácido Domingo; the world premiere of John Adams' Nixon in China, directed by Peter Sellars; and an updated staging of Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. The company.
Gilbert and Sullivan - kings who believe in "republican equality". Their most popular work was The Mikado (1885), where English bureaucracy was made fun of in a Japanese setting. Gilbert's plots remain perfect examples of "topsy-turvydom," in which primeval fairies rub elbows with English lords, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy and pirates reconcile with major-generals. Gilbert's lyrics employ double (and triple) rhyming and punning, and served as the very model for such 20th century Broadway lyricists as Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, and Lorenz Hart. Sullivan, a classically-trained musician who devoted much of his career to religious hymns and grand opera, contributed catchy melodies which were also emotionally moving. As seamless as their onstage collaboration was, Gilbert and Sullivan were temperamentally incompatible, and their partnership was frequently ruptured. Their last joint work, The Grand Duke, opened.
Grammy Awards of 1978 - for Mahler: Symphony No. 9 in D Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance Neville Marriner (conductor), Janet Baker & the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields for Bach: Arias Best Opera Recording Thomas Z. Shepard (producer), John De Main (conductor), Donnie Albert, Carol Brice, Clamma Dale & the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra for Gershwin: Porgy and Bess Best Choral Performance (other than opera) Georg Solti (conductor), Margaret Hillis (choir director) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Verdi: Requiem Best Classical Performance Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with orchestra) Itzhak Perlman & the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Best Classical Performance Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (without orchestra) Artur Rubinstein for Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E Flat/Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 12 Best Chamber Music Performance The Juilliard String.
Grammy Awards of 1977 - recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1976. Record of the Year Tommy LiPuma (producer) & George Benson for "This Masquerade" Album of the Year Stevie Wonder (producer & artist) for Songs in the Key of Life Song of the Year Bruce Johnston (songwriter) for "I Write the Songs" performed by Barry Manilow Best New Artist Starland Vocal Band Children's Best Recording for Children Karl Bohm (conductor) & Hermione Gingold for Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals Classical Best Classical Orchestral Performance Raymond Minshull (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance Beverly Sills for Herbert: Music of Victor Herbert Best Opera Recording Michael Woolcock (producer), Lorin Maazel (conductor), Leona Mitchell, Willard White & the Cleveland Orchestra.
Grammy Awards of 1983 - for "Alabama Jubilee" Best Country Song Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher & Mark James (songwriters) for "Always on My Mind" performed by Willie Nelson Folk Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording Queen Ida for Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour Gospel Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational Amy Grant for Age to Age Best Gospel Performance, Traditional Blackwood Brothers for I'm Following You Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional Al Green for Precious Lord Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary Al Green for Higher Plane Best Inspirational Performance Barbara Mandrell for He Set My Life to Music Historical Best Historical Album Alan Dell, Don Wardell & Ethel Gabriel (producers) for The Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra Sessions - Vols.1,2 & 3 performed by Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra Jazz Best Jazz Vocal Performance,.
Grammy Awards of 1961 - Marvin Schwartz (art director) for Latin a la Lee performed by Peggy Lee Pop Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Single or Track Ella Fitzgerald for "Mack the Knife" Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Album Ella Fitzgerald Mack the Knife - Ella in Berlin Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Single or Track)]] Ray Charles "Georgia on My Mind" Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Album Ray Charles for Genius of Ray Charles Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Eydie Gorme & Steve Lawrence for "We Got Us" Best Performance by a Chorus Norman Luboff for Songs of the Cowboy performed by the Norman Luboff Choir Best Performance By a Band for Dancing Count Basie for Dance With Basie Best Pop Instrumental Performance Henry Mancini for Mr. Lucky Best Performance.
Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording - Max Wilcox (producers), James Levine (conductor), Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Teresa Stratas, & the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Verdi: La Traviata Grammy Awards of 1983 Andrew Kazdin (producer), Pierre Boulez (conductor), Jeannine Altmeyer, Hermann Becht, Peter Hofmann, Siegfried Jerusalem, Gwyneth Jones, Manfred Jung, Donald McIntyre, Matti Salminen, Ortrun Wenkel, Heinz Zednik & the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra for Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen Grammy Awards of 1982 James Mallinson (producer), Charles Mackerras (conductor), Jiri Zahradnicek, Ivo Zidek, Vaclav Zitek & the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for Janáček: From the House of the Dead Grammy Awards of 1981 Gunther Breest, Michael Horwath (producers), Pierre Boulez (conductor), Toni Blankenheim, Franz Mazura, Yvonne Minton, Teresa Stratas & the Orchestre de l'Opera de Paris for Berg: Lulu Grammy Awards of 1980 Vittorio Negri (producer), Colin Davis (conductor),.
Ella Fitzgerald - She began her solo career in 1941. Started as a swing singer, she encompassed bebop, scat, and performed blues, bossa nova, samba, gospel, calypso, and Christmas songs. Ella's later concerts were often enriched by some hilarious imitations of other singers: in particular, she was able to render quite perfectly Marilyn Monroe's voice and typical gestures, as well as Louis Armstrong's. Among her best known recordings was a series produced by Norman Granz of the songbooks of the great American popular composers, Harold Arlen, George Gershwin (with Nelson Riddle)'s orchestra), Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, and Duke Ellington. With Ellington's band, Lady Ella (as she was now called by other singers) toured Europe and North America, classically opening their shows with the famous Ellington's hit "Take the 'A' train",.
Etta Moten Barnett - January 1933, the first black star to perform at the White House. She appeared in two musical films in 1933, Flying Down to Rio (singing "The Carioca") and Gold Diggers of 1933. She married Claude Barnett, the head of the Associated Negro Press. She was cast by George Gershwin as a replacement Bess in the Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess in 1942, and was also in the touring company. She stopped performing in 1952, because of vocal problems. She subsequently was involved with the National Council of Negro Women, the Chicago Lyric Opera and the Field Museum. She was also host of a radio show in Chicago. She died of pancreatic cancer at Chicago's Mercy Hospital. Stage Fast and Furious, a musical revue (1931) Zombie, a play (1932) Porgy and.
Domenico Scarlatti - Venice, where he studied under Gasparini, and met Thomas Roseingrave who would later lead the enthusiastic reception of the composer's sonatas in London. Domenico was already a harpsichord-player of eminence, and there is a story that at a trial of skill with George Friderich Handel at the palace of Cardinal Ottoboni in Rome he was adjudged perhaps superior to Handel on that instrument, although inferior on the organ. In 1709, Domenico entered the service of Marie Casimire, queen of Poland, then living in Rome, and composed several operas for her private theatre. He was Maestro di Cappella at St Peter's from 1715 to 1719, and in the latter year came to London to direct his opera Narciso at the King's Theatre. In 1720 or 1721 he went to Lisbon, where he.
