November 23 Dateline

Birthdays

1719 -  Johann Gottlob Breitkopf, German publisher/printer and founder of the famous Breitkopf & Härtel. Son of Bernhard Cristoph Breitkopf. Johann Breitkopf devised a font with a smaller division of the musical elements, enabling piano reductions of scores.

1876 - Manuel de Falla, Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century. His image appeared on Spain's 1970 100-pesetas banknote. His first important work was the one-act opera La vida breve (Life is Short, or The Brief Life, written in 1905, revised before its premiere in 1913.) With a libretto by Carlos Fernández Shaw, La vida breve won Falla first prize in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando musical competition, with a prize of 2500 pesetas and a promise of a production at the Teatro Royal in Madrid—a pledge which unfortunately was not fulfilled (Harper 1998, 17). In April 1905 he won the first prize in a piano competition sponsored by the firm of Ortiz and Cussó. On 15 May his work Allegro de concierto premiered in the Ateneo de Madrid and on 13 November the Real Academia presented him with his prize for La vida breve. (Manuel de Falla's "El Paño Moruno" from "Siete canciones populares españolas", sung by Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza, with Gabriel Estarellas, guitar accompanist. Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain.)

Also listen to de Falla's famous "Noches en los Jardines de España" (Nights in the Gardens of Spain),  interpreted by Martha Argerich, and another link played by Daniel Barenboim.



1888 - Harpo Marx (born Adolph Marx), American comedian, actor, mime artist, musician, the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. He was one of the most noted comedians of the 20th century as part of the famous Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Zeppo and Gummo). In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers, Harpo's comic style was visual, an example of both clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish blond wig, and never spoke during performances (he blew a horn or whistled to communicate). He frequently used props such as a horn cane, made up of a pipe, tape, and a bulbhorn, and he played the harp in most of his films.

1933 -  Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki, Polish composer and conductor. Among his best known works are Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, Symphony No. 3, his St. Luke Passion, Polish Requiem, Anaklasis and Utrenja. He won many prestigious awards, including the Prix Italia in 1967 and 1968; the Wihuri Sibelius Prize of 1983; four Grammy Awards in 1987, 1998 (twice), and 2017; the Wolf Prize in Arts in 1987; and the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition in 1992.  In 2012, Sean Michaels of The Guardian called him 'arguably Poland's greatest living composer'. (Penderecki Violin Concerto No.2. 'Metamorphosen'. YouTube, uploaded by OPUS... Accessed Nov. 23, 2020.)

1955 - Ludovico (Maria Enrico) Einaudi, OMRI, Italian pianist and composer. He began his career as a classical composer, later incorporating other styles and genres such as pop, rock, folk, and world music. Einaudi has composed the scores for a number of films and television productions, including This Is England, The Intouchables (Untouchable), I'm Still Here, the TV miniseries Doctor Zhivago, and Acquario (1996), for which he won the Grolla d'oro award. He has also released a number of solo albums for piano and other instruments, notably I Giorni in 2001, Nightbook in 2009, and In a Time Lapse in 2013. On 1 March 2019, Einaudi announced a seven-part project named Seven Days Walking, which was released over the course of seven months in 2019. (Ludovico Einaudi's "I Giorni",  performed by Sally Maer (cello) and Sally Whitwell (piano). Arranged by Sally Whitwell for cello & piano. Uploaded by ABC Classic. Accessed November 23, 2018.)

1956 - Shane Elizabeth Gould, Australian former competition swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 2018, she won Australian Survivor: Champions vs. contenders. She was initially on the Champions tribe.

Lefties:
None known

More birthdays and historical events, November 23 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1815 - Canada's first street lights are lit in Montreal. They are fueled by whale oil.

1852 - About this date, the first red post boxes, commonly known as pillar boxes, are introduced in the Channel Islands. The idea for them came from novelist Anthony Trollope. At that time, he worked for the Post Office. It is a year later, in 1853, when the pillar boxes are installed in the mainland.

1899 - Antonin Dvorak's opera The Devil and Kate opens in Prague.

1903 - Enrico Caruso sings for the first time with the Metropolitan Opera, performing in Rigoletto.  It was so successful that he remained with the company for the rest of his life.

1937 - Of Mice and Men, adapted for the stage by John Steinbeck, the novel's author, under the tutelage of George S. Kaufman, opens to acclaim at the Music Box Theater in New York, New York.
(For those interested, here is a link to the 1939 film adaptation of the novella by John Steinbeck. Migrant farmhands George Milton (Burgess Meredith) and Lennie Small (Lon Chaney Jr.) begin working at a ranch near Soledad, California, after the mentally handicapped Lennie got the pair in trouble at their last job. George dreams of settling down on their own farm where Lennie can tend his beloved rabbits, but despite George's best efforts to protect his friend, events accidentally take a tragic turn.)

1963 - BBC airs the famous Dr. Who for the first time.

1971 - The UN recognizes The People's Republic of China as the sole representative of China, and ousting the Republic of China (Taiwan) from the UN Security Council.

1979 - Thomas McMahon, IRA member, is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Lord Mountbatten, who was killed by a bomb on August 27, 1979, while holidaying in the Republic of Ireland. McMahon was later released in 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement. 

Video Credit:

 
Falla. Nights in the Gardens of Spain.  YouTube,  uploaded by Facconti.  Accessed November 23, 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 23, 2022. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.