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Peerce, Jan

(Encyclopedia)Peerce, Jan, 1904–85, American tenor, b. New York City as Jacob Pincus Perelmuth. Discovered by Arturo Toscanini, who chose him to be a soloist in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Peerce...

Nézet-Séguin, Yannick

(Encyclopedia)Nézet-Séguin, Yannick, 1975–, Canadian conductor and pianist. After studying piano at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec, Montreal, and choral conducting at the Westminster Choir College, Pri...

Mascagni, Pietro

(Encyclopedia)Mascagni, Pietro pyāˈtrō mäskäˈnyē [key], 1863–1945, Italian operatic composer. He is known for his opera Cavalleria rusticana (1890), based on the tale by Giovanni Verga; it is a classic exa...

Thomas, Ambroise

(Encyclopedia)Thomas, Ambroise äNbrwäzˈ tōmäˈ [key], 1811–96, French operatic composer, studied at the Paris Conservatory, receiving the Prix de Rome in 1832. He later taught composition there and became it...

Reyer, Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Reyer, Ernest ĕrnĕstˈ rāyĕrˈ [key], 1823–1909, French composer and critic, whose name originally was Louis Étienne Ernest Rey. Largely self-taught, he was strongly influenced by Berlioz, whom...

Scotti, Antonio

(Encyclopedia)Scotti, Antonio äntôˈnyō skôtˈtē [key], 1866–1936, Italian operatic baritone. He made his American debut in Chicago in 1899. From 1899 to 1933 he was immensely popular at the Metropolitan Ope...

Cimarosa, Domenico

(Encyclopedia)Cimarosa, Domenico dōmĕˈnēkō chēmärôˈzä [key], 1749–1801, Italian operatic composer. He wrote almost 80 operas, which were successfully produced in Rome, Naples, Vienna, and St. Petersburg...

Damrosch, Leopold

(Encyclopedia)Damrosch, Leopold, 1832–85, German conductor. After taking a degree in medicine, he became (1857) first violinist in the ducal orchestra at Weimar, where he was a friend of Liszt and Wagner. In 1871...

Destinn, Emmy

(Encyclopedia)Destinn, Emmy (Ema Kittl) dĕsˈtĭn [key], 1878–1930, Czechoslovakian soprano. She debuted in Berlin in 1898 before singing the title role in the London production of Madame Butterfly in 1905. She ...

Farrar, Geraldine

(Encyclopedia)Farrar, Geraldine fərärˈ [key], 1882–1967, American operatic soprano, b. Melrose, Mass.; pupil of Lilli Lehmann. She made her debut in Europe (1901) and sang at the Metropolitan Opera, New York C...