Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
Robert Xavier Rodriguez (b. 1946) Frida and Tango Suites Voices of Change; Robert Xavier Rodriguez, cond CRI 824
On This Day
Births
1491 - English monarch, instrument collector and part-time composer Henry Tudor(as King Henry VIII he reigned 1509-1547) in Greenwich;
1712 - Swiss author, philosopher and composer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in Geneva;
1831 - Hungarian violinist and conductor and composer Joseph Joachim, in Kittsee (now Köpcsény), near Poszony;
1902 - American composer Richard Rodgers, in Hammels Station, Long Island, N.Y.;
1913 - English composer George Lloyd, in St. Ives, Cornwall;
1946 - American composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez, in San Antonio, Texas;
Deaths
1745 - French composer and gamba virtuoso Antoine Forqueray, age 74,in Nantes;
1979 - East German composer Paul Dessau, age 85, in Königs Wusterhausen, near (then) East Berlin;
Premieres
1905 - Leoni: opera, "L'oracolo" (The Oracle), in London; The opera's story of opium and crime is set in San Francisco, and caused protests from that city's Chinese community when it was revived in San Francisco in 1937;
1916 - Hindemith: Cello Concerto, Op. 3, by the Frankfurt Conservatory Orchestra, with the composer conducting and Maurits Frank the soloist;
1951 - Leroy Anderson: "Blue Tango" at a Decca recording session in New York City, with the composer conducting; This recording reached No. 1 on the pops charts and earned Anderson a Gold Record award in 1952 when it became the first instrumental record to sell over one million copies (see also June 29);
1959 - Hovhaness: Symphony No. 4 for wind band, in Pittsburgh.
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.