Birthdays
1859 - George-Pierre Seurat, French post-Impressionist artist. He is best known for devising the painting techniques known as chromoluminarism as well as pointillism. While less famous than his paintings, his conté crayon drawings have also garnered a great deal of critical appreciation.
1879 - Charles Rudolf Friml, Czech-born composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer. His best-known works are Rose-Marie (with the famous song "Indian Love Call" popularised by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy), and The Vagabond King, each of which enjoyed success on Broadway and in London and were adapted for film. (Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy: Indian Love Call. YouTube, uploaded by MrKingsRow. Accessed December 2, 2011.)
1923 - Maria Callas, Commendatore OMRI (born Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos), American-born Greek opera soprano. She was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her powerful soprano voice, capable of sustaining both lyric and coloratura roles, was intensely dramatic; combined with her strong sense of theatre and her scrupulously high artistic standards, it took her quickly to the forefront of contemporary opera talent. Her abilities made possible the revival of 19th-century bel canto works, notably those of Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti, that had long been dropped from standard repertoires. Listen to her interpret Lucia di Lammermoor,"Regnava nel silenzio," passionately brooding and dark voice that can only be Callas. Magnificent!). Also, Bellini - Norma, Casta Diva / Presentat° + New Mastering (Maria Callas, Ct. record.: T.Serafin 1954). YouTube, uploaded by Classical Music/ /Reference Recording. Accessed December 2, 2023.
1946 - Gianni Versace (Giovanni Maria Versace), Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace, an international fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings, and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films.
1973 - Monica Seles, Retired tennis player, nationality is American, Hungarian, Serbo-Montenegrin, Yugoslavian. She is a former world no. 1, winning nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight of them as a teenager while representing Yugoslavia, and the final one while representing the United States. In 1990, Seles became the youngest ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She was the year-end world no. 1 in 1991 and 1992. Sadly, on April 30, 1993, she was the victim of an on-court attack, when a man stabbed her in the back with a 9-inch (23cm) long knife. Seles did not return to tennis for over two years. Though she enjoyed some success after rejoining the tour in 1995, she was unable to reproduce her best form. She played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open, but did not officially retire until February 2008. Regarded by many in the sport as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Seles was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time. Several players and historians have stated that Seles had the potential to become the most accomplished female player of all time had she not been stabbed. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.
Leftie:
Tennis player Monica Seles
More birthdays and historical events, December 2 - On This Day
Below, Leonard Bernstein with Wiener Philharmoniker, performing Brahms' Symphony No.3. The Third movement (Poco allegretto) is used as soundtrack in the film Goodbye Again starring Ingrid Berman, Anthony Perkins and Yves Montand.
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor Napoleon I of France by himself, as he places the crown on his head.
1887 - Camille Saint-Saens's opera Samson et Dalila is first performed in Weimar in a German version, with Franz Liszt having assisted in bringing it to Weimar, since no French theatre would stage it that time.
1883 - Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 is first performed, in Vienna.
Historical Events
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor Napoleon I of France by himself, as he places the crown on his head.
1887 - Camille Saint-Saens's opera Samson et Dalila is first performed in Weimar in a German version, with Franz Liszt having assisted in bringing it to Weimar, since no French theatre would stage it that time.
1883 - Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 is first performed, in Vienna.
1924 - Sigmund Romberg's operetta The Student Prince is first performed, in New York City. (Serenade from The Student Prince. Fom the movie of The Student Prince starring Edmund Purdom & Anne Blyth with the voice of Mario Lanza. Uploaded essgee007. Accessed December 2, 2016.
1942 - Italian scientist Enrico Fermi achieves the first controlled nuclear chain reaction in a squash court at the University of Chicago.
1988 - Benazir Bhutto becomes Prime Minister of Pakistan, making her the first female to head a modern day Muslim country.
1990 - Helmut Kohl's coalition wins the first federal election since German unification.
Video Credit:
Brahms, Symphony No. 3 F major, Opus 90, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, with Wiener Philharmoniker. YouTube, uploaded by some oane. Accessed December 2, 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 December 2, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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