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Peters, Roberta

(Encyclopedia)Peters, Roberta, 1930–2017, American coloratura soprano, b. New York City as Roberta Peterman. Discovered by Jan Peerce, she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in 1950. Scheduled to debut as the ...

de Larrocha, Alicia

(Encyclopedia)de Larrocha, Alicia (Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle), 1923–2009, Spanish pianist, b. Barcelona. One of the outstanding pianists of the 20th cent., she gave her first recital when she was five and ...

Söderström, Elisabeth Anna

(Encyclopedia)Söderström, Elisabeth Anna, 1927–2009, Swedish soprano, b. Stockholm, studied Royal Academy of Music and Opera School, Stockholm. Known for her warm and vibrantly beautiful voice, her technical fi...

Bartoli, Cecilia

(Encyclopedia)Bartoli, Cecilia chāchēlˈyä bärtōˈlē [key], 1966–, Italian mezzo-soprano, b. Rome. Bartoli debuted at Verona (1987), first performed in the United States at Lincoln Center (1990), and in 199...

Catinat, Nicolas

(Encyclopedia)Catinat, Nicolas nēkōläˈ kätēnäˈ [key], 1637–1712, marshal of France. The son of a magistrate, he won promotion by merit rather than by wealth or descent. In the War of the Grand Alliance he...

Hahn, Reynaldo

(Encyclopedia)Hahn, Reynaldo, 1875–1947, French musician. Hahn was born in Venezuela and was taken to Paris at three. Among his teachers was Massenet. He wrote much incidental music, songs, operettas, and other w...

clarinet

(Encyclopedia)clarinet, musical wind instrument of cylindrical bore employing a single reed. The clarinet family comprises all single-reed instruments, including the saxophone. The predecessor of the modern clarine...

Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de

(Encyclopedia)Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de pyĕr ōgüstăNˈ karôNˈ də bōmärshāˈ [key], 1732–99, French dramatist. Originally a watchmaker, he rose to wealth and position among the nobility. His...

Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth

(Encyclopedia)Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth shwärtsˈkôpf [key], 1915–2006, German lyric soprano. After studying music in Berlin she was trained by Maria Ivogün. She sang with the Berlin State Opera (1938–42) and b...

Galuppi, Baldassare

(Encyclopedia)Galuppi, Baldassare bäldäs-säˈrā gälo͞opˈpē [key], 1706–85, Italian composer. A pupil of Lotti, he developed the opera buffa style in the period between Scarlatti and Mozart, and he also wr...