July 25 Dateline

Birthdays

1853 - David Belasco, American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story Madame Butterfly for the stage, and he launched the theatrical career of many actors, including James O'Neill, Mary Pickford, Lenore Ulric and Barbara Stanwyck.

1883 - Alfredo Casella, Italian composer, arranger, pianist and conductor. He developed a deep admiration for Debussy's output after hearing Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in 1898, but pursued a more romantic vein (stemming from Strauss and Mahler) in his own writing of this period, rather than turning to impressionism. His first symphony of 1905 is from this time, and it is with this work that Casella made his debut as a conductor when he led the symphony's premiere in Monte Carlo in 1908.(Alfredo Casella - Symphony No.1 in B-minor, Op.5 (1906), uploaded by KuhlauDilfeng4. Accessed July 25, 2015. Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma.Conductor: Francesco La Vecchia.) 

1934 - Don Ellis (born Donald Johnson Ellis), American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. He also worked as a film composer, contributing a score to 1971's The French Connection and 1973's The Seven-Ups.

1978 - Louise Joy Brown, English woman who was the first human to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilisation, or IVF. On the 25th July 2018 Louise celebrated her 40th birthday. marking the 40th year since the first successful treatment of IVF at Bourn Hall Clinic in the UK. Louise would spend most of the year travelling the world talking about her life and experiences in the fertility spotlight.

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 25 July - On This Day.

 

Listening Pleasure: 

Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550. YouTube, uploaded by Am4d3usMOz4rt. Accessed July 25, 2018.  The 4 movements: 1. Molto Allegro 2. Andante 3. Menuetto; Allegretto 4. Allegro assai. 

Other Link:
Mozart Symphonies Nos. 39-41

Historical Events

1788 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his humanity's masterpiece, the 40th Symphony, the "Great G-minor Symphony," No. 40, KV 550. The composition occupied an exceptionally productive period for the composer for just a few weeks in 1788, during which time he also completed the 39th and 41st symphonies (26 June and 10 August, respectively).  Note July 25, 2016: At first I was hesitant to include this due to arguments from some Mozart biographers about the dates. Thanks to a Mozartian friend, Cristina Iordache, for sharing the information from researches of musicologist Dr. Michael Lorenz. (Mozart: Symphony No. 40 | Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Concentus Musicus. Youtube, uploaded by DW Classical Music. Accessed 25 July 2025.)

1797 - Admiral Nelson is badly wounded in his right arm as he leads a disastrous assault on the Spanish city of Santa Cruz, Tenerife. A musket ball shatters his bone and opens a major artery. To save his life, his arm is amputated without anesthetic on board HMS Theseus.

July 24 Dateline

Birthdays

1802 - Alexandre Dumas Sr., French writer, also known as Alexandre Dumas Père, best known for The Three Musketeers. His works have been translated into many languages, and he is one of the most widely read French authors. Movies adapted from Alexandre Dumas works include: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998) The Three Musketeers (2011) The Musketeer (2001) The Three Musketeers (1948) The Three Musketeers (1973) The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974).  (Alexandre Dumas, Sr.)

1803 - Adolphe-Charles Adam, French composer and music critic, best known for the ballet Giselle (1941). and Le corsaire (1856). He's also a prolific composer of operas, including Le postillon de Lonjumeau (1836), Le toréador (1849) and Si j'étais roi (1852). His Christmas carol Minuit, chrétiens! (1844), later set to different English lyrics and widely sung as "O Holy Night" (1847), is extremely popular. (Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings "O, Holy Night". (Adolphe Adam arr. David Cullen). Performed with Philharmonia Orchestra, Carl Davis / conductor. Recorded at Barbican Center, London, UK, 1988. YouTube, uploaded by Dame Kiri Lover. Accessed July 24, 2012.) Adam was a noted teacher, who taught Delibes and other influential composers.(Enjoy Giselle ballet video below.)

1874 - Oswald Chambers, early twentieth-century Scottish baptist and Holiness Movement evangelist and teacher, best known for the devotional 'My Utmost for His Highest'.

1880 - Ernest Bloch,  Swiss-born American composer. He was a preeminent artist in his day, recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing musical scores, Bloch had an academic career that culminated in his recognition as Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley in 1952. Bloch's musical style does not fit easily into any of the usual categories. He studied variously with Jaques-Dalcroze, Iwan Knorr and Ludwig Thuille, corresponding with Mahler. His works draw heavily on his Jewish heritage.(Ernest Bloch - Prayer. YouTube, uploaded by JahanChannel. Accessed July 24, 2020.)

1895 - Robert (von Ranke) Graves, British poet, historical novelist, critic, and classicist. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival. Robert Graves produced numerous works. His poems - together with his translations and innovative analysis and interpretations of the Greek myths; his memoir of his early life, including his role in World War I, Good-Bye to All That; and his speculative study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess - continue to be in print.

1897 - Amelia (Mary) Earhart, American aviatrix, aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of 'The Ninety-Nines', an organization for female pilots.

 
1900 - Zelda Fitzgerald ( (née Sayre), American socialite, novelist, painter and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. She was noted for her beauty and high spirits, and was dubbed by her husband as "the first American Flapper". (The Secret Role of Zelda Fitzgerald. Uploaded by Strand Book Store. Accessed July 24, 2019.)  

1914 - Frances Oldham Kelsey, CM (Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey), Canadian-born American pharmacologist and physician. As a reviewer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she refused to authorize thalidomide for market because she had concerns about the lack of evidence regarding the drug's safety. Dr. Kelsey helped shape and enforce amendments to FDA drug regulation laws to institutionalize protection of the patient in drug investigations. These regulations required that drugs be shown to be both safe and effective, that informed consent be obtained from patients when used in clinical trials, and that adverse reactions be reported to the FDA. In 1995, the town of Mill Bay, British Columbia, honored Dr. Kelsey by naming the Frances Kelsey Secondary School for her. In 2000, Kelsey was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. (Changing the Life of Medicine: Dr. F. Kelsey Bio. Accessed July 24, 2016.)

1920 - Arthur Boyd, AC OBE (born Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd), Australian painter of the middle to late 20th century. His work ranges from impressionist renderings of Australian landscape to starkly expressionist figuration, and many canvases feature both. Several famous works set Biblical stories against the Australian landscape, such as The Expulsion (1947–48), now at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Having a strong social conscience, Boyd's work deals with humanitarian issues and universal themes of love, loss and shame.

1947 - Peter (Adolf) Serkin, American classical pianist. He won the Grammy Award for Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist in 1966, and he performed globally, known for not only "technically pristine" playing but also a "commitment to contemporary music". He taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Yale University, and Bard College.

1949 - Michael Anthony Richards, Actor, American retired comedian, and television producer. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. He went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays, and some film starring roles.

Lefties:
Actor and TV Producer Michael Richards

More birthdays and historical events today, 24 July - On This Day.




Natalia Osipova as Giselle and Carlos Acosta as Albrecht in Act II of Peter Wright's production of Marius Petipa’s Giselle.  Natalia Osipova, in a breath-taking interpreation of the title role, was formerly a Bolshoi star then later Royal Ballet principal.



Adolphe Adam's Giselle remains one of the most popular Romantic ballets of all time.