July 3 Dateline

Birthdays

1854 - Leoš Janáček (Leos Janacek), Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. His "Sinfonietta" is widely considered his finest orchestral work, most vibrant and life-affirming music. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research. While his early musical output was influenced by contemporaries such as Antonín Dvořák, his later, mature works incorporate his earlier studies of national folk music in a modern, highly original synthesis, first evident in the opera Jenůfa, which was premiered in 1904 in Brno. The success of Jenůfa (often called the "Moravian national opera") at Prague in 1916 gave Janáček access to the world's great opera stages. Janáček's later works are his most celebrated. They include operas such as Káťa Kabanová and The Cunning Little Vixen, the Sinfonietta, the Glagolitic Mass, the rhapsody Taras Bulba, two string quartets, and other chamber works. Along with Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, he is considered one of the most important Czech composers. (Leoš Janáček "Sinfonietta", interpreted by Jiří Bělohlávek, uploaded by HarpsichordA6, Accessed July 3, 2019. Sinfonietta performed by Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder, conductor Live recording. London, Proms 2011. YouTube, uploaded by Classical Vault 1. Accessed July 3, 2022.)

1878 - George Michael Cohan, American song composer, entertainer, playwright, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans". Known in his time and before WWI as "the man who owned Broadway", he is considered the father of American musical comedy. His life and music were depicted in the Oscar-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. His statue in Times Square New York City commemorates his contributions to American musical theatre.

1883 - Franz Kafka,  German-speaking Bohemian Jewish novelist and short-story writer, regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His strange and disturbing tales have had great influence. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those found in his writing.  (Literature: Frank Kafka. Uploaded by The School of Life. Accessed July 3, 2017.  Here's a brilliantly illustrated presentation of The Metamorphosis by Franz kafka, illustrated by Sandy Veliz, music by Dmitri Shostakovitch. Uploaded by Andrew Boswell. Accessed July 3, 2019.)

1906 - George (Henry) Sanders, British film and TV Actor, singer-songwriter, composer, and author. His upper-class English accent and bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous characters. Amongst others, he's best known as Jack Favell in Rebecca (1940),  Addison DeWitt in All About Eve (1950, for which he won an Oscar), Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert in Ivanhoe (1952), King Richard the Lionheart in King Richard and the Crusaders (1954), and Mr. Freeze in a two-parter episode of Batman (1966). He was also Simon Templar, The Saint, in five films made in the 1930s & 1940s, before the famous 1960s TV series of the same title portrayed by the late Sir Roger Moore.

1927 - Ken Russell (born Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell), British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were  mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives unusual for the time. He directed feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning film Women in Love, The Devils, The Who's Tommy, and the science fiction film Altered States. Russell also directed films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.

1930 - Carlos Kleiber, Austrian conductor who is widely regarded as being among the greatest conductors of all time. Kleiber's unique conducting style is preserved on video in a number of performances, including: Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 7 from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus from Munich, Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier from both Munich and Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 36th symphony and Brahms' second symphony from the Musikverein in Vienna; Mozart's 33rd symphony and Bizet's Carmen from Vienna. He led the New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic in 1989 and 1992, both preserved on video. (The Art of Conducting - Carlos Kleiber. YouTube, uploaded by berlinzerbelus. Accessed July 3, 2020. Fantastic! Sheer brilliance that is Kleiber!)

1937 - Tom Stoppard, Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter, prolifically writing for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, The Invention of Love, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He co-wrote the screenplays for Brazil, The Russia House, and Shakespeare in Love. He has received an Academy Award and four Tony Awards. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship and political freedom, often delving into the deeper philosophical thematics of society. One of the most performed dramatists of his generation, he has been a key playwright of the National Theatre. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 11 in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". (The Hard Problem - An interview with Tom Stoppard. Uploaded by LincolnTheaterCentre. Accessed July 3, 2019.) 

1943 - Judith Durham AO (born Judith Mavis Cock), Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian popular folk music group the Seekers in 1963.The group became the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the U.K. and the U.S. selling over 50 million records worldwide. (The World of The Seekers (1968 TV Special). YouTube, uploaded by Phildy65. Accessed July 3, 2022.) Judy Durham left the group in mid 1968 to pursue her solo career however made sporadic recordings and performances with the Seekers, though she remained primarily a solo performer. On 1 July 2015, she was named Victorian of the Year for her services to music and a range of charities. (The Seekers - The Carnival is over. Youtube, uploaded by rich963. Accessed August 5, 2022. Seekers - I'll never find another you. Youtube. uploaded by Seeker Keeper. Accessed August 5, 2022.)

 

1957 - Laura (Ann) Branigan, American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit "Self Control". In the UK, both "Gloria" and "Self Control" made it to Top 10 in the Singles Chart.

1962 - Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV), American actor and producer. He has received various accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Awards and three nominations for Academy Awards. With a net worth of $570 million as of 2020, he is one of the highest-paid actors in the world. In addition, his films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $10.1 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time.

1970 - Audra Ann McDonald, American actress and singer. Her melodious soprano voice and expressive stage presence made her a primary figure on Broadway in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win all four acting categories. She has performed in musicals, operas, and dramas such as A Moon for the Misbegotten, 110 in the Shade, Carousel, Ragtime, Master Class and Porgy and Bess. (I'll be Here, Audra McDonald. Provided by NoneSuch. Accessed July 3, 2016. A. McDonald - Somewhere Over the Rainbow. YouTube, uploaded by ljcisner. Accessed July 3, 2020.)

Lefties:
Author and Columnist Dave Barry
Actor Tom Cruise

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 3 July - On This Day.

Featured: 

Franz Kafka, a Grieving Girl and her Doll 

A story about Franz Kafka and his gift to a grieving girl.

There are many versions of this story. I've chosen two from my readings and searches: One from The Charlotte Observer (Reading Matter) written by Dannye Romine Powell entitled "Kafka's gift to a grieving girl"; the other, from HUFFPOST by May Benatar entitled "Kafka and the Doll: The Pervasiveness of Loss".

Related link:  Where Franz Kafka lived, 1923/24: Berlin-Steglitz (Ševčik -- Bratza). (Uploaded by jurek46pink. Accessed July 3, 2016.)  Kafka's laryngeal tuberculosis worsened and in March 1924 he returned from Berlin to Prague, where members of his family, principally his sister Ottla and Dora Diamant, took care of him. He went to Dr. Hoffmann's sanatorium in Kierling just outside Vienna for treatment on 10 April, and died there. I'm sharing this related video, "Where Franz Kafka lived, 1923/24: Berlin-Steglitz (Ševčik -- Bratza)", and where the experience must have transpired.

Historical Events

1608 - The settlement of Quebec is founded by Samuel de Champlain, marking the beginning of European settlement of Canada.

1886 - Inventor and car manufacturer, Karl Benz, demonstrates in Mannheim his automobile in public. The vehicle travels at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).

1928 - Inventor John Logie Baird, following his demonstration of colour television in 1927, makes the first colour television transmission across the Atlantic.

1988 - The U.S.S. Vincennes shoots down an Iran Air jet airliner over the Persian Gulf after mistaking it for an Iranian F-14 fighter. The 290 passengers on board are killed. This is during the Iran-Iraq war.





Resources:

1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)

2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timestables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org



(c) June 2007. Updated July 3, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.