March 11 Dateline

Birthdays 

 

1755 - Caterina Cavalieri (born Katharina Magdalena Giuseppa Cavalieri),  Austrian soprano. She studied voice with composer Antonio Salieri. Her stage debut was in 1775 in Pasquale Anfossi's opera La finta giardiniera, followed by Ignaz Umlauf's Singspiel Die Bergknappen in 1778 and the role of Fräule Nannette in Salieri's Der Rauchfangkehrer on 30 April 1781, a role specifically written for her. Similarly, Mozart wrote the role of Konstanze in his Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail for her, which she premiered on 16 July 1782. On 1 June 1785 she sang the role of Enrichetta in the première of Stephen Storace's Gli sposi malcontenti. On 7 May 1788, Cavalieri sang the role of Donna Elvira in the Vienna première of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Other works by Mozart written for her are Davide penitente and the role of Mademoiselle Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor. After 1790, Cavalieri gradually withdrew from the stage and retired on 1 March 1793. She died unmarried in Vienna in 1801, aged 46. Trivia: Cavalieri is a nonspeaking role in Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus. However, in the film, it is suggested that Cavalieri and Mozart had an affair during the rehearsals of Die Entführung aus dem Serail. (Wikipedia)

1897 - Henry Cowell, American composer, music theorist, pianist, publisher, and impresario. (H. Cowell: Quartet for flute, oboe cello and harp (1962). Uploaded by TheWelleszCompany. Accessed March 11, 2019.)

1911 - Howard Mitchell, American cellist and conductor. He was principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1949 to 1969. On the Westminster label Mitchell made recordings with his orchestra of music by Brahms (Violin Concerto with violinist Julian Olefsky), Copland (Appalachian Spring; Billy the Kid; Fanfare for the Common Man; El Salón México), Creston (Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3) and Shostakovich (Symphony No. 1; The Golden Age ballet suite).

1916 - Sir Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, PC, FRS, FSS, British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Ormskirk from 1945 to 1950 and for Huyton from 1950 to 1983. British Labour Prime Minister (1969-70 then 1974-76)

1952 - Douglas Adams, English author, scriptwriter, humourist. He's author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy which he developed into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime and generated a television series, stage plays, comics, a computer game, and a feature film in 2005.

Leftie:
Writer Douglas Adams

More birthdays and historical events, March 11 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1791 - Joseph Haydn conducts from the piano the first of the London symphonies in the Hanover Square Rooms in London. It is successful that the adagio is encored.  (Listening pleasure: J. Haydn - Hob I:93 - Symphony No. 93 in D major (Brüggen), performed by The Orchestra of the 18th Century, conducted by Frans Brüggen. Uploaded by Composersbynumbers. Accessed March 11, 2018.

1811 - The Luddite riots begin in Nottingham, England. Workers destroy stocking and lace-making machines fearing that the machines will replace them in factories.

1829 - Felix Mendelssohn initiates the revival of  Johann Sebastian Bach's music when he presents Bach St. Matthew Passion in Berlin.

1867 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos is first performed, in Paris.

1879 - Alexander Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances" (performed as an orchestral entity), from Prince Igor, is first performed, in St. Petersburg.

1911 - Physicist Ernest Rutherford describes the structure of the atom for the first time at the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.

1940 - John Steinbeck and his friend Ed Ricketts sail from California on an expedition to explore the marine life in the Sea of Cortez, off the coast of Mexico. Several books and films result.  

1942 - American General Douglas MacArthur states the now famous phrase, "I shall return," as he pulls American forces out of the Philippines, knowing that defense against the Japanese Army is futile. He leaves for Australia and takes command of the Allied forces in the Pacific and was victorious.

1966 - General Suharto comes to power in Indonesia.

1985 - Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Konstantin Chernenko.

2004 - Ten bombs explode on a commuters train during the morning rush in Madrid in a devastating terrorist attack.

1988 - The pound note ceases to be legal tender.



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



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