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May 2 Dateline

Birthdays


1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera, and one of the most important opera composers of the Baroque era. Alessandro was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti. His notable work includes: Griselda, Il trionfo dell'onore and Sento nel core. He has composed his own Magnificat. Here's one we love: A. Scarlatti's "Messa di Santa Cecilia" conducted by Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchesta and University of Utah Chorus. Soloists: Blanche Christensen, soprano; Jean Preston, soprano; Beryl Jensen Smiley, alto; Ronald Christensen, tenor; Warren Wood, bass. Uploaded by addiobelpassato. Accessed May 2, 2019.

1729 - Catherine the Great of Russia, Catherine II, (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, Empress regnant of All Russia from 1762 until 1796 – the country's longest-ruling female leader. She came to power following a coup d'état that overthrew her husband and second cousin, Peter III. Under her reign, Russia grew larger, its culture was revitalised, and it was recognised as one of the great powers of Europe.

1794 - Novalis (pseudonym of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg), German poet, author, mystic, and philosopher of Early German Romanticism. His best known for his literary production—including the prose poem Hymns to the Night (1800) and the unfinished novels The Apprentice from Said and Heinrich von Ofterdingen. He has professional work and university background of mineralogy and management of salt mines in Saxony. In spite of his death at 28, von Hardenberg left behind a complex philosophical legacy that encompasses discussions of subjectivity and self-consciousness, issues in epistemology, moral theory, political philosophy, problems of interpretation, philosophy of history, philosophy of religion, the proto-existentialist experience of the finality of human life, as well as a significant contribution to aesthetics and philosophy of art.  (Hardenberg Biography. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed May 2, 2015.)  
 
1905 - Alan Rawsthorne, English composer and teacher. His first public success was his Theme and Variations for Two Violins at the 1938 International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) Festival in London. The next year, his large-scale Symphonic Studies for orchestral was performed in Warsaw, again at the ISCM Festival. His other acclaimed works among others, include a viola sonata, an oboe concerto, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a concerto for string orchestra, three symphonies, and the Elegy for guitar, a piece written for and completed by Julian Bream after the composer's death. Rawsthorne also wrote a number of film scores. His best–known work in this field was the music for the 1953 British war film The Cruel Sea (Swynnoe 2002), and his other scores included many popular British films, such as The Captive Heart, School for Secrets, Uncle Silas, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, West of Zanzibar, The Man Who Never Was and Floods of Fear.

1936 - Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey), English pop singer. Humperdinck has been described as "one of the finest middle-of-the-road balladeers around." His singles "Release Me" and "The Last Waltz" both topped the UK music charts in 1967, and sold more than a million copies each. In North America, he also had chart successes with "After the Lovin'" and "This Moment in Time". He has sold more than 140 million records worldwide.

1946 - David Courtney Suchet, CBE, English stage and television actor. He played Edward Teller in the TV serial Oppenheimer (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his performance as Augustus Melmotte in the British serial The Way We Live Now (2001). International acclaim and recognition followed his performance as Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–2013), for which he received a 1991 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nomination. (Being Poirot. Youtube, uploaded by kokopiko. Accessed May 2, 2019.)

1985 - Sarah Elizabeth Hughes, former American competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles. Her skating technique: Hughes had a variety of triple-triple jump combinations, including a triple loop-triple loop, triple salchow-triple loop, and a triple toe-triple loop. Her best jump was perhaps the triple loop which she often completed out of a back spiral. She was also known for her camel spin with change of edge, and her spiral position.

Leftie:
Olympic figure skater Sarah Hughes
 
More birthdays and historical events today, May 2 - On This Day.


Historical Events


1887 - Rev. Hannibal W. Goodwin applies for the patent on his invention of celluloid photographic film.

1936 - Sergei Prokofiev's symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf, is first performed at a children's concert, in Moscow.

1945 - End of the Battle of Berlin, when German forces in the capital surrender to the Soviet Army as World War II draws to a close.

1949 - Arthur Miller wins the Pulitzer for Death of a Salesman.  (Death of a Salesman (1985). Upoaded by Michael Blachut. Accessed May 2, 2019.)

1969 - The Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner takes its maiden voyage. The QE2 remained the Cunard Lines' flagship vessel until 2004.

1994 - Nelson Mandela claims victory over President F.W. de Klerk at the conclusion of the first democratic election in South Africa.

2011 - American forces storm the Al Qaeda compound and kill Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorists attack, most famous is New York's Twin Towers.   




Resources:

1. Alessandro Scarlatti. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed 2 May, 2018.
2. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
3. Britannica. www.britannica.com
4. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
5. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
6. Grun, Bernard. The Timestables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon and Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
7. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org


 (c) June 2007. Updated May 2, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All Rights Reserved.

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