Musical Diary

ANNIVERSARIES DECEMBER 22

- in 1858, the composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca

- in 1883, the composer Edgard Varèse was born in Paris

- in 1991, the composer and conductor Ernst Křenek died in Palm Springs

- in 2010, the soprano Gianna Galli died in Monte Carlo

ANNIVERSARIES DECEMBER 23

- in 2016, cellist and conductor Heinrich Schiff dies in Vienna

- in 1783, composer Johann Adolf Hasse dies in Venice

- in 1745, composer Jan Dismas Zelenka dies in Dresden

- in 1950, clavichordist, organist and musicologist Davitt Moroney is born

- in 1982, cellist and conductor Han-Na Chang is born in Suwon

ANNIVERSARIES DECEMBER 24

- in 1935 the composer Alban Berg dies in Vienna

- in 1931 the composer Mauricio Kagel is born in Buenos Aires

- in 1679 the composer Domenico Sarro is born in Trani

- in 1863 the violinist, composer and conductor Enrique Fernández Arbós is born in Madrid

- in 1906 the composer Franz Waxman is born in Königshütte

- in 2012 the composer Richard Rodney Bennett dies in New York

- in 1887 the soprano Lucrezia Bori is born in Valencia

ANNIVERSARIES DECEMBER 25

- in 1728, the composer Johann Adam Hiller was born in Görlitz

- in 1924, the pianist and composer Noël Lee was born in Nanjing

- in 1929, the conductor Per Dreier was born

- in 1964, the tenor and writer Ian Bostridge was born in Wandsworth

- in 1815, the librettist, composer, poet, writer, theatrical impresario, conductor, diplomat and official Temistocle Solera was born in Ferrara

- in 2005, the soprano Birgit Nilsson died in Kristianstad

ANNIVERSARIES DECEMBER 26

- in 1953, conductor Harry Christophers was born in Goudhurst

- in 1687, violinist and composer Johann Georg Pisendel was born in Cadolzburg

- in 1988, musicologist, music critic, anti-fascist, and intellectual Massimo Mila died in Turin

- in 1976, conductor Kirilo Ìvanovič Karabicʹ was born in Kyiv

Classical music of the '80s mixed traditional forms with new sounds and technologies. Minimalism, electronics, and experimentation were key characteristics. Composers like Reich and Glass continued to develop minimalism, adding electronic elements. Furthermore, there was an evident influence from popular music. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians

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