"You're in the Army now, Mr. Barber . . . "

Synopsis

Music Played in Today's Program

Samuel Barber (1910 – 1981) Commando March Cleveland Symphonic Winds; Frederick Fennell, cond.

On This Day

Births

• 1794 - Bohemian composer and pianist Ignaz Moscheles, in Prague;

• 1864 - Danish composer Louis Glass, in Frederiksberg;

• 1901 - English composer Edmund Rubbra, in Northhampton;

• 1912 - French composer and pianist Jean Françaix, in Le Mans; The composer himself has written that his family name is pronounced with the final "x" sounded (as in "Aix"-en-Provence), although is commonly pronounced "Français" in both Europe and America;

• 1934 - American electronic engineer and inventor, Robert Moog (pronounced: "Mohg"), inventor of the synthesizer bearing his name which was made famous by performers such as Wendy Carlos (of "Switched-On Bach" fame);

Premieres

• 1736 - Handel: opera "Atalanta" (Julian date: May 12);

• 1814 - Beethoven: "Fidelio" Overture, in Vienna, as part of a third and final revision of the opera "Fidelio," at the Kärntnertor Theater;

• 1876 - Brahms: String Quartet No. 3, in Berlin at the home of Clara Schumann by the Joachim Quartet; The work was subsequently performed for a small circle of friends at the Joachim home on June 4 that year, and given its first public performance in Berlin on October 30, 1876, again by the Joachim Quartet;

• 1883 - Tchaikovsky: "Festival Coronation March," in Moscow (Gregorian date June 4);

• 1926 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 8, in Moscow;

• 1937 - William Grant Still: "Lenox Avenue" for narrator and orchestra, broadcast over the CBS radio network, with Howard Barlow conducting;

• 1943 - Barber: "Commando March," in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Army Air Force Technical Training Command Band, composer conducting;

• 1971 - Einem: "Der Besuch der alten Damen" (The Visit of the Old Lady), at the Vienna State Opera;

• 1971 - Sessions: cantata "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" (after Walt Whitman), in Berkley, Calif.;

• 1993 - Daniel Pinkham: "Nocturnes" for flute and guitar, at the First and Second Church in Boston, by flutist Fenwick Smith and guitarist John Curtis;

Others

• 1826 - American premiere of Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" at New York City's Park Theater, presented by members of the Garcia family with Lorenzo da Ponte (Mozart's librettist) in the audience.