On This Day

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On This Day
7 February: Germaine Mounier was Born
The exceptional pianist and pedagogue Germaine Mounier, born on 7 February 1920 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, had a reputation as one of the most successful piano teachers in Paris. She taught a very large class at the École Normale over many years
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On This Day
6 February: Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 Was Premiered
Throughout the 19th century, the Rhine was an important symbol in German nationalism. It played a major role in the formation of the German state and spawned wide-ranging cultural symbolisms, including legends, poetry, and musical metaphors. Robert Schumann discovered the
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On This Day
2 February: Fritz Kreisler Was Born
Almost every biography of Fritz Kreisler quotes his famous saying, “I knew musical scores instinctively before I knew my A B C. It was a gift of Providence. I did not acquire it.” I have always wondered how this statement
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On This Day
1 February: Puccini’s La Bohème Was Premiered
Giacomo Puccini’s (1858-1924) La Bohème is one of his best-loved and most frequently performed operas. After its premiere on 1 February 1896 it was quickly adopted into the repertory of all the major theatres across Italy. However, the response of
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On This Day
30 January: Francis Poulenc Died
Some say that Francis Poulenc was granted an ideal death. He died of a heart attack in his Paris apartment on the rue des Medicis, on 30 January 1963. On that day he was planning to have lunch with Denise
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On This Day
29 January: Frederick Delius Was Born
Fritz Albert Theodor Delius, better known to the world in later years as Frederick Delius, was born on 29 January 1862 in Bradford, a city in West Yorkshire, England. His parents came from Bielefeld in Germany, and his father Julius
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On This Day
28 January: Arthur Rubinstein Was Born
Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982) combined a prodigious technique with musicianship, scholarship, and a richly poetic temperament. One of the greatest Chopin interpreters of his time, his warmly outgoing and the
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On This Day
27 January: Giuseppe Verdi Died
During the final years of his life, Giuseppe Verdi devoted himself to a number of philanthropic ventures. Chiefly among them was the establishment of a hospital at Villanova sull’Arda, close to Busseto. Yet, overseeing such a noble cause was not
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