Famous Birthdays
1801 - Vincenzo Bellini, Italian composer known for his long-flowing melodic lines, famous for operas Norma and La Sonnambula/The Sleepwalker. He was the quintessential composer of the Italian bel canto era of the early 19th century. (A biography of Bellini from Encyclopaedia Britannica - here.) Bellini was admired by fellow composers like Verdi as he was by the public. A large amount of what is known about him comes from surviving letters written over his lifetime to his friend Francesco Florimo, whom he had met as a fellow student in Naples and with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship. Other sources of information come from correspondence saved by other friends and business acquaintances. (Listen to "Casta Diva" from Norma, famously sung by Maria Callas, with the depth and richness of her feelings. YouTube, uploaded by Th Paw. Accessed November 3, 2011. Featuring Bellini's opera Norma, performed by The Australian Opera & The Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, with Dame Joan Sutherland, Norma, conducted by Richard Bonynge. Sydney Opera House, 1978)
1841 - Isabella MacDonald Alden (pseudonym: Pansy), author. She wrote more than 120 books focusing on private religious commitment, Bible study and a moral duty to improve lives of the poor.
1921 - Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky), American actor who was often cast in roles of police officers, gunfighters, or vigilantes in revenge-oriented plot lines. He had long-term collaborations with film directors Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson and appeared in 15 films with his second wife, Jill Ireland. At the height of his fame in the early 1970s, he was the world's No. 1 box office attraction, commanding $1 million per film.
1933 - John Barry, OBE, English composer and conductor of film music (Here's Top 10 John Barry Scores, including 'Out of Africa', 'Somewhere in Time' and 'Dances with Wolves' aside from the famous James Bond movies soundtracks. Barry composed the scores for 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987, and also arranged and performed the "James Bond Theme" to the first film in the series, 1962's Dr. No. He wrote the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning scores to the films Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa, as well as the theme for the British television cult series The Persuaders!, in a career spanning over 50 years. In 1999, he was appointed OBE for services to music. (The Music of John Barry. Performed by English Chamber Orchestra. Youtube, uploaded by Juancitoamericano. Accessed August 29, 2022.)
1933 - Jeremy Brett (Peter Jeremy William Huggins), English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series from 1984 to 1994 in all 41 episodes. His career spanned from stage, to television and film, to Shakespeare and musical theatre.
Leftie:
English actor Jeremy Brett, best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.
Recommended Listening:
In memory of John Barry: Here's his Academy Award-Winning for music score, "Out of Africa" movie soundtrack (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985). Composed and Conducted by John Barry.)
1871 - After six months in Africa searching for missionary Dr. David Livingstone, Henry Stanley finds him living in Lake Tanganyika. Dr. Livingstone had not seen another white man for six and a half years. He refused returning to England and died two years later.
1899 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tsar's Bride opens in Moscow.
1954 - The first Godzilla movie is released in Japan. The classic monster film is the story of a giant beast awoken from a million-year slumber by the nuclear weapons being tested in the South Pacific.
1957 - The U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik II carrying Laika, the first living animal to be sent into space. The dog is provided the basic food, water and air. Laika does not return to planet Earth and dies when her oxygen runs out.
1958 - Per Norgaard's Constellations, a concerto for 12 solo strings or twelve string groups, is first performed, in Copenhagen.
1966 - The Arno River breaks its banks that causes flooding in Florence, Italy for three days. It destroys and damages art treasures, and drown an estimated 150 people.
Video Credit:
Montserrat Caballe "Casta diva" from Bellini's opera Norma. Youtube, uploaded by Onegin65. Accessed November 3, 2016.
Resources:
In memory of John Barry: Here's his Academy Award-Winning for music score, "Out of Africa" movie soundtrack (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985). Composed and Conducted by John Barry.)
Historical Events
1871 - After six months in Africa searching for missionary Dr. David Livingstone, Henry Stanley finds him living in Lake Tanganyika. Dr. Livingstone had not seen another white man for six and a half years. He refused returning to England and died two years later.
1899 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tsar's Bride opens in Moscow.
1954 - The first Godzilla movie is released in Japan. The classic monster film is the story of a giant beast awoken from a million-year slumber by the nuclear weapons being tested in the South Pacific.
1957 - The U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik II carrying Laika, the first living animal to be sent into space. The dog is provided the basic food, water and air. Laika does not return to planet Earth and dies when her oxygen runs out.
1958 - Per Norgaard's Constellations, a concerto for 12 solo strings or twelve string groups, is first performed, in Copenhagen.
1966 - The Arno River breaks its banks that causes flooding in Florence, Italy for three days. It destroys and damages art treasures, and drown an estimated 150 people.
Video Credit:
Montserrat Caballe "Casta diva" from Bellini's opera Norma. Youtube, uploaded by Onegin65. Accessed November 3, 2016.
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 Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
(c) June 2007. Updated November 3, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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