Birthdays
1802 - Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer. Bériot lived with the opera singer Maria Malibran and had a child (Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot, a piano professor who taught Maurice Ravel and Enrique Granados amongst other) with her in 1833. They were married in 1836 when Malibran obtained an annulment of her previous marriage. De Bériot composed a great amount of violin music including ten concertos. His pioneering violin technique and Romantic style of composition make his concertos and etudes an important stepping stone for the serious violin student wishing to gain a firm foundation before studying the major concertos of the Romantic era. His most popular concertos are No. 9 in A minor Op. 104 and No. 7 in G major Op. 76. (Here, beautifully interpreted by Bernard Chevalier, De Beriot's Violin Concerto #9 Op. 104 in A minor. Accessed February 20, 2019. Charles Auguste de Bériot: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 32. Uploaded by Johann Rufinatscha. Accessed February 20, 2020. Artists: Philippe Quint, Violin. Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Kirk Trevor, Conductor.)
1924 - Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, American clothing designer and entrepreneur, artist, author, actress, socialite. She was a member of the Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN television anchor Anderson Cooper. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, each sought custody of her and control over her trust fund. Called the "trial of the century" by the press, the court proceedings were the subject of wide press coverage due to the wealth and prominence of the involved parties, and the scandalous evidence presented to support Whitney's claim that Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was an unfit parent. As an adult in the 1970s, Vanderbilt launched a line of fashions, perfumes, and household goods bearing her name. She was particularly noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans.
1925 - Robert Bernard Altman, American film director, screenwriter, and producer. A five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, Altman was considered a "maverick" in making films with a highly naturalistic but stylized and satirical aesthetic, unlike most Hollywood films. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in American cinema. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized Altman's body of work with an Academy Honorary Award. He never won a competitive Oscar despite seven nominations. His films MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Nashville have been selected for the United States National Film Registry.
1927 - Sidney Poitier, KBE, Bahamian-American actor and film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first black actor to win that award, and was nominated a second time. In addition, he was nominated six times for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (BAFTA) for Best Foreign Actor, winning each once. From 1997 to 2007, he served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. Poitier also received critical acclaim for A Raisin in the Sun and A Patch of Blue. Poitier continued to break ground in three successful 1967 films, each dealing with issues of race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night, making him the top box-office star of that year. He received nominations for the Golden Globes and BAFTAs for the latter film, but not for the Oscars, likely due to vote splitting between his roles. After twice reprising his Virgil Tibbs character from In the Heat of the Night and acting in a variety of other films, Poiter turned to acting/directing with the action-comedies. (In the Heat of the Night (1967) Movie. Accessed February 20, 2018. Note: I consider this movie an absolute classic film about the horror as well as absurdity of racial attitudes. Sidney Poitier is excellent as Virgil Tibbs, the more experienced African-American police detective, whilst Rod Steiger's performance is superb as the weary, frustrated police chief of a small town struggling to cope with a murder he can't solve without accepting reluctant help from the more experienced officer, Tibbs. As their respect for each other begin and develop, there is awesome chemistry between them.)
1937 - Nancy Sue Wilson, American Jazz singer. She was notable for her single "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" and her version of the standard "Guess Who I Saw Today". Wilson recorded more than 70 albums and won three Grammy Awards for her work. She was labeled a singer of blues, jazz, R&B, pop, and soul; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer". The title she preferred, however, was "song stylist". She received many nicknames including "Sweet Nancy", "The Baby", "Fancy Miss Nancy" and "The Girl With the Honey-Coated Voice".
1947 - Peter Lawrence Strauss, American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries. He is five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. He won an Emmy Award for his role on the 1979 made-for-television movie The Jericho Mile, and he starred in a television remake of the classic film Angel on My Shoulder in 1980. He played Abel Roznovski in the miniseries Kane & Abel based on Jeffrey Archer's book. His other noted television miniseries credits include starring roles in Rich Man, Poor Man, its sequel Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, and Masada. Strauss played Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. in the 1977 TV movie Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy. In 1973, he portrayed Stephen Linder, Mary Richards' suave younger boyfriend in The Mary Tyler Moore Show fourth-season episode, "Angels in the Snow."
1966 - Cynthia "Cindy" Ann Crawford, American model, actress and businesswoman. Her years of success at modeling made her an international celebrity that have led to roles in television and film as well as other business ventures. During the 1980s and 1990s, Crawford was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, and in fashion campaigns.
Leftie:
Musician Kurt Cobain
Feature:
The Barber of Seville Overture by G. Rossini. YouTube, uploaded by Classical Music Only. Accessed 20 February 2016.
1472 - Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, pawns the isles of Orkney and Shetland to James III of Scotland in lieu of a royal dowry for his daughter Princess Margaret.
1724 - George F. Handel's opera Julius Caesar is first performed at King's Theatre, London.(Two excerpts from Julius Caesar exquisitely performed by Dame Janet Baker. Produced in 1984: British production of Handel's Giulio Cesare (Julius Ceasar), starring the magnificent voice of mezzo soprano Janet Baker. The Chorus & Orchestra of the English National Opera is conducted by the legendary Charles Mackerras. Scene 1. "Empio diro, tu sei" ("Tyrant, avoid my sight!") Scene 2."Va tacito e nascosto" ("How silently, how slyly"). Uploaded by GreatPerformers1. Accessed February 20, 2015.)
The Barber of Seville Overture by G. Rossini. YouTube, uploaded by Classical Music Only. Accessed 20 February 2016.
Historical Events
1472 - Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, pawns the isles of Orkney and Shetland to James III of Scotland in lieu of a royal dowry for his daughter Princess Margaret.
1724 - George F. Handel's opera Julius Caesar is first performed at King's Theatre, London.(Two excerpts from Julius Caesar exquisitely performed by Dame Janet Baker. Produced in 1984: British production of Handel's Giulio Cesare (Julius Ceasar), starring the magnificent voice of mezzo soprano Janet Baker. The Chorus & Orchestra of the English National Opera is conducted by the legendary Charles Mackerras. Scene 1. "Empio diro, tu sei" ("Tyrant, avoid my sight!") Scene 2."Va tacito e nascosto" ("How silently, how slyly"). Uploaded by GreatPerformers1. Accessed February 20, 2015.)
