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Gatti-Casazza, Giulio

(Encyclopedia)Gatti-Casazza, Giulio jo͞oˈlyō gätˈtē-käzätˈsä [key], 1869–1940, Italian operatic manager. In 1893 he succeeded his father as director of the municipal theater at Ferrara. After directing ...

Gay, John

(Encyclopedia)Gay, John, 1685–1732, English playwright and poet, b. Barnstaple, Devon. Educated at the local grammar school, he was apprenticed to a silk mercer for a brief time before commencing his literary car...

Schipa, Tito

(Encyclopedia)Schipa, Tito tēˈtō skēˈpä [key], 1888–1965, Italian operatic tenor. He made his debut in 1910 in Vercelli. After many appearances in Europe, he came to the United States in 1919, joining the C...

Favart, Charles Simon

(Encyclopedia)Favart, Charles Simon shärl sēmôNˈ fävärˈ [key], 1710–92, French dramatist and theatrical manager, for a time director of the Opéra-Comique. He was the originator of the modern light opera a...

Hammerstein, Oscar

(Encyclopedia)Hammerstein, Oscar hămˈərstīn [key], 1846–1919, German-American operatic impresario. In 1888 he built the Harlem Opera House, and in 1906 the Manhattan Opera House, where he gave noteworthy prod...

Křenek, Ernst

(Encyclopedia)Křenek, Ernst krĕˈnĕk, Czech kerzhĕˈnĕk [key], 1900–1991, Austrian-American composer, b. Vienna. to Czech parents. He studied in Vienna and Berlin, and in the early 1920s he composed chamber ...

Bellini, Vincenzo

(Encyclopedia)Bellini, Vincenzo vēnchānˈtsō bĕl-lēˈnē [key], 1801–35, Italian opera composer. He acquired his musical training from his grandfather and father, and began composing religious and secular mu...

Battle, Kathleen

(Encyclopedia)Battle, Kathleen, 1948–, African-American soprano, b. Portsmouth, Ohio. She studied voice at the Conservatory of Music at the Univ. of Cincinnati and made her debut at the Spoleto Festival in 1972. ...

Lortzing, Gustav Albert

(Encyclopedia)Lortzing, Gustav Albert go͝osˈtäf älˈbĕrt lôrˈtsĭng [key], 1801–51, German opera composer. Lortzing's first opera was written in 1824. Among his best-known works are the comic operas Zar un...

Graham, Susan

(Encyclopedia)Graham, Susan, 1960–, American mezzo-soprano, b. Roswell, N. Mex. Known for her vibrant, expressive voice and her superb acting ability, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in ...