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Klemperer, Otto

(Encyclopedia)Klemperer, Otto ôˈtō klĕmˈpərər [key], 1885–1973, German conductor, b. Breslau. Klemperer studied in Frankfurt and Berlin. Working first in Prague, he later conducted the Berlin State Opera (...

Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista

(Encyclopedia)Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä pārgōlāˈzē [key], 1710–36, Italian composer of the Neapolitan school. Although he died at the age of 26, he is credited with masterpiece...

Taglioni, Maria

(Encyclopedia)Taglioni, Maria, 1804–84, Italian ballerina, b. Stockholm. Taglioni is considered the first and foremost ballerina of the romantic period. She made her debut in Vienna in 1822 in a ballet created fo...

Stradella, Alessandro

(Encyclopedia)Stradella, Alessandro älĕs-sänˈdrō strädĕlˈlä [key], 1642?–1682, Italian composer of operas, cantatas, oratorios, and instrumental music. Few facts but many legends exist concerning his lif...

Tauber, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Tauber, Richard touˈbər [key], 1891–1948, Austrian tenor. He made his debut (1913) in Chemnitz, Germany, as Tamino in Mozart's Magic Flute. Later he sang in opera and concert all over Europe and m...

Sembrich, Marcella

(Encyclopedia)Sembrich, Marcella sĕmˈbrĭk [key], 1858–1935, stage name of Praxede Marcelline Kochanska, Polish coloratura soprano. She studied piano and violin at the Lemberg Conservatory. Urged by Liszt to tr...

Piccinni, Niccolò

(Encyclopedia)Piccinni or Piccini, Niccolò both: nēk–kōlôˈ pēchēnˈnē, pēchēˈnē [key], 1728–1800, Italian composer of more than 100 operas. His early works were very successful in Italy, and La buon...

Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste

(Encyclopedia)Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste zhäN-bätēstˈ kärpōˈ [key], 1827–75, French sculptor and painter. He studied with François Rude and won the Prix de Rome. Carpeaux rose to fame with his Ugolino (1860�...

Hindemith, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Hindemith, Paul hĭnˈdəmĭth [key], 1895–1963, German-American composer and violist, b. Hanau, Germany. Hindemith combined experimental and traditional techniques into a distinctively modern style...

McNally, Terrence

(Encyclopedia)McNally, Terrence, 1939–2020, American playwright, b. St. Petersburg, Fla., grad. Columbia, 1960. Known for his dark humor, social satire, and focus on human isolation and the need to connect, he of...