Synopsis
Music Played in Today's Program
Friedrich Witt (1770 – 1832) Jena Symphony in C Westphalian Symphony; Hubert Reichert, cond. Turnabout LP TV-S 34409
On This Day
Births
1770 - German composer Friedrich Witt, in Niederstetten, Württemberg; Like Beethoven, he composed 9 symphonies, and one of them, his “Jena Symphony,” was for a time mistakenly believed to be an early work by Beethoven;
1883 - English composer Arnold Bax, in Streatham;
1945 - American composer and pianist Judith Lang Zaimont, in Memphis;
Deaths
1599 - Spanish composer Francisco Guerrero, age 71, in Seville;
1890 - Belgian-French composer César Franck, in Paris, age 67;
1894 - Russian composer Anton Rubinstein, age 64, near St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Nov. 20);
1924 - Russian composer Sergie Liapunov, age 65, in Paris;
Premieres
1879 - Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G, Op. 78, in Bonn, by violinist Joseph Joachim and the composer at the piano;
1919 - Stravinsky: "The Soldier's Tale" Suite (for violin, clarinet and piano), in Lausanne; The staged version of "The Soldier's Tale" had premiered in Lausanne at the Théatre Municipal on September 28, 1918;
1926 - Gershwin: musical "Oh, Kay!" at the Imperial Theater in New York City; This show featured Gertrude Lawrence, and included the classic Gershwin songs "Clap Yo' Hands," "Do, Do, Do," and "Someone to Watch over Me";
1936 - Jean Françaix: Piano Concerto, in Berlin.
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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.