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Weber, Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von

(Encyclopedia)Weber, Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von frēˈdrĭkh ĕrnst fən vāˈbər [key], 1786–1826, German composer and pianist; pupil of Michael Haydn and Abbé Vogler. He made his debut as a pianist at 13 ...

de los Angeles, Victoria

(Encyclopedia)de los Angeles, Victoria dā lōs änˈhālās [key], 1923–2005, Spanish soprano, b. Barcelona. After a concert debut in Madrid in 1944, de los Angeles toured Scandinavia, France, England, and South...

motive

(Encyclopedia)motive or motif mōtēfˈ [key], in music, a short phrase or passage of two or more notes and repeated or elaborated throughout the composition. The term is usually used synonymously with figure. A sp...

Nilsson, Birgit

(Encyclopedia)Nilsson, Birgit bĭrˈgĭt nĭlˈsôn [key], 1918–2005, Swedish soprano. Her powerful voice first came to international attention at the Munich Opera, where she was heard (1954–55) as Brünnhilde ...

Kubelík, Jan

(Encyclopedia)Kubelík, Jan yän ko͞oˈbəlĭk [key], 1880–1940, Czech violinist. Kubelík studied with Otakar Ševčik at the Prague Conservatory. He made his debut in Vienna in 1898 and was thereafter internat...

Davis, Sir Colin Rex

(Encyclopedia)Davis, Sir Colin Rex, 1927–2013, English conductor. Davis began his musical career as a clarinetist, and was a self-taught conductor. After serving with the Sadler's Wells Opera, he was the conducto...

Gruenberg, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Gruenberg, Louis gro͞oˈənbûrg [key], 1884–1964, American composer, b. Russia; pupil of Busoni. After concert tours as a pianist in Europe and America, he settled in the United States as a compos...

Barenboim, Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Barenboim, Daniel bârˈənboimˌ [key], 1942–, Israeli pianist and conductor, b. Buenos Aires, Argentina. He made his debut in Buenos Aires at seven. His family settled in Israel in 1952, and he st...

Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo

(Encyclopedia)Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo, 1927–99, Spanish lyric tenor, b. Canary Islands. Widely considered the finest light tenor of his time, he was admired for his bright timbre, fine phrasing, and acting skill....

Bergonzi, Carlo

(Encyclopedia)Bergonzi, Carlo, 1924–2014, Italian opera singer. He began his career as a baritone, debuting in 1948, but he made a second debut as a tenor in 1951 after realizing his voice was better suited to th...