Birthdays
1813 - David Livingstone, Scottish missionary/explorer, physician, and congregationalist. He was a pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century Victorian era. (Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. David Livingstone. Uploaded by the University of Glasgow. Accessed March 19, 2014.)
1873 - Max Reger, German composer, conductor, organist, teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Leipzig University Church, as a professor at the Royal Conservatory in Leipzig, and as a music director. Reger first composed mainly Lieder, chamber music, choral music and works for piano and organ. He later turned to orchestral compositions, such as the popular Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, and to works for choir and orchestra. (Max Reger's Variations and Fugue in A Major on a theme by Mozart Op. 132. Performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karl Böhm. Uploaded by Sebastian Ponce. Accessed March 19, 2014.)
1907 - Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy LeFanu DBE, Irish-English composer. She was one of Britain’s foremost composers of the 20th century. Her orchestral piece “The Land” was premiered by Henry Wood in 1930. She is most famous for her cycle of fourteen string quartets, the earliest of which show the influence of Bartók, in contrast to the “pastoral” style of other British composers such as Elgar and Parry. (Maconchy: String Quartet No. 3 (Signum Quartet). YouTube, accessed March 19, 2020.)
1917 - Dinu Constantin Lipatti, Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from causes related to Hodgkin's disease, aged 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy. (Dinu Lipatti beautifully plays Schubert's well-loved Impromptu in G-Flat Major (with preluding). The Piano Files. In memoriam: Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950). Uploaded by AlinLucian. Accessed March 19, 2020.)
1933 - Philip Roth, American Novelist and Short-Story Writer. His fiction is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. Roth first gained attention with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus; received the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. His books twice received the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle award, and three times the PEN/Faulkner Award. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 novel American Pastoral, which featured one of his best-known characters, Nathan Zuckerman, a character in many of Roth's novels. The Human Stain, another Zuckerman novel, was awarded the United Kingdom's WH Smith Literary Award for the best book of the year. In 2001, in Prague, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize.
1947 - Glenn Close, American actress, singer and producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. She has also been nominated eight times for an Academy Award, holding the record for the most acting nominations without a win (tied with Peter O'Toole). With her eighth nomination in 2021, she became one of the five most nominated actresses in academy history. In 2016, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Glenn Close singing S. Sondheim's famous "Send in the Clowns", from his 1973 musical 'A Little Night Music'. Uploaded by BestArtsSondheim. Accessed March 19, 2011.)
1955 - Walter Bruce Willis, American Actor and film producer. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting, and has gained widespread recognition as an action hero after his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, and subsequent roles. His credits include Hudson Hawk, Last Man Standing, The Fifth Element, Moonrise Kingdom, among others. As a singer, Willis released his debut album The Return of Bruno in 1987, followed by two more albums. He made his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Misery in 2015. Willis has received numerous accolades during his career, including a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
Leftie:
Actor Bruce Willis
1933 - Philip Roth, American Novelist and Short-Story Writer. His fiction is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. Roth first gained attention with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus; received the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. His books twice received the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle award, and three times the PEN/Faulkner Award. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his 1997 novel American Pastoral, which featured one of his best-known characters, Nathan Zuckerman, a character in many of Roth's novels. The Human Stain, another Zuckerman novel, was awarded the United Kingdom's WH Smith Literary Award for the best book of the year. In 2001, in Prague, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize.
1947 - Glenn Close, American actress, singer and producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. She has also been nominated eight times for an Academy Award, holding the record for the most acting nominations without a win (tied with Peter O'Toole). With her eighth nomination in 2021, she became one of the five most nominated actresses in academy history. In 2016, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Glenn Close singing S. Sondheim's famous "Send in the Clowns", from his 1973 musical 'A Little Night Music'. Uploaded by BestArtsSondheim. Accessed March 19, 2011.)
1955 - Walter Bruce Willis, American Actor and film producer. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting, and has gained widespread recognition as an action hero after his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, and subsequent roles. His credits include Hudson Hawk, Last Man Standing, The Fifth Element, Moonrise Kingdom, among others. As a singer, Willis released his debut album The Return of Bruno in 1987, followed by two more albums. He made his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of Misery in 2015. Willis has received numerous accolades during his career, including a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
Leftie:
Actor Bruce Willis
More birthdays and historical events, March 19 - On This Day
Historical Events
1859 - Charles Gounod's opera Faust (after Goethe's) is first staged at the Thatre-Lyrique, in Paris.
Here's a great performance from Gounod's Faust: Soldier's Chorus performed by Kremlin Guard.
1892 - Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" from the ballet is first performed, in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker, Ballet in two acts | Mariinsky Theatre (HD 1080p). Uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed March 19, 2018.
