January 17, 1956 - Pop musician Paul Young was born in Bedfordshire, England.
January 18, 1835 - César Cui was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Russian Empire. He was a composer, music critic and one of the members of "The Mighty Five." He wrote chamber and choral works, operas, piano pieces and songs. Cui didn't come from a Russian ancestry; his father, Antoine, was French and his mother, Julia, was Lithuanian. Nevertheless, Cui became a strong supporter of Russian nationalist music.
January 18, 1930 - Dmitri Shostakovich's opera, The Nose, premiered at the Maliy Opera Theatre in Leningrad. Shostakovich was a Russian composer especially noted for his symphonies. He was one of the great composers from Russia who, many believe, was artistically stifled during the reign of Stalin.
January 19, 1853 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Il trovatore (The Troubadour), premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome. Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was an influential composer of the 19th century. He is most known for his operas that revolve around themes of love, heroism and revenge. Among his other famous works are "Rigoletto," "La traviata," "Otello" and "Falstaff;" the last two operas were written when he was already in his 70s.
January 19, 1943 - Singer-songwriter and lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis Joplin, was born in Port Arthur, Texas.
January 20, 2009 - The United States Marine Band, The San Francisco Boys Chorus, The San Francisco Girls Chorus, The United States Navy Band - Sea Chambers, Aretha Franklin, John Williams together with Yo-Yo Ma on cello, Anthony McGill on clarinet, Gabriela Montero on piano and Itzhak Perlman on violin, were among the performers during the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden.
January 21, 1575 - Queen Elizabeth 1 granted Thomas Tallis and William Byrd the right to print music and music paper. Cantiones sacrae, a collection of 34 motets, became their first publication which came out that same year.
January 22, 1974 - Singer-songwriter Carly Simon's album, Hotcakes, was certified gold. Her songs can be described as reflective, evidently inspired by her experiences and the people in her life. Her passion for music can be seen in her body of work and her many achievements.
January 23, 1908 - Edward MacDowell died in New York City. He was an American composer, pianist and teacher. He is primarily known for his piano works, particularly in small pieces. His "Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 15" was praised by Liszt and his "Second Piano Concerto in D Minor" is considered his most notable larger work.
January 23, 1981 - Samuel Barber died in New York City. He was an American composer, teacher and songwriter of the 20th century. He wrote chamber, choral and orchestral music, vocal works, compositions for piano and stage. Among his known works are "Dover Beach," "Adagio for Strings" and "Piano Concerto, Opus 38."
January 24, 1941 - Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York. His career spans more than 40 years, with hits like "Sweet Caroline," "Song Sung Blue," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" and "September Morn" in his catalogue of songs. He has penned many songs that were covered by several different artists in varying genres - from pop to country to easy listening.
January 24, 1829 - William Mason was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a teacher, composer, piano pedagogue and piano virtuoso. He was the third son of music educator Lowell Mason. His brother, Henry, was one of the founders of Mason & Hamlin Company. William Mason mainly wrote piano music; among his compositions are "Deux Romances sans paroles, Opus 1," "Silver Spring, Op. 6" and "Lullaby, Op. 10."
January 25, 1913 - Composer Witold Lutoslawski was born in Warsaw, Poland. He was a major Polish composer of the 20th century particularly notable for his orchestral works. He attended the Warsaw Conservatory where he studied composition and music theory. Among his famous works are "The Symphonic Variations," "Variations on a Theme of Paganini" and "Funeral Music" which he dedicated to the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.
January 26, 1998 - Dr. Shinichi Suzuki died in Matsumoto, Japan. He was an accomplished Japanese violinist and educator who developed the Suzuki method. He played for the Imperial Court of Japan and formed the Suzuki Quartet with his siblings. He also became president of the Teikoku Music School and founded the Tokyo String Orchestra. For his many contributions, the Emperor of Japan appointed Suzuki as Order of the National Treasure.
January 27, 1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. He was the seventh child of Leopold (a violinist/composer) and Anna Maria. Mozart's father was a huge influence on him; at age 3 Wolfgang was already playing the piano and had perfect-pitch. By the age of 5, he already wrote a miniature allegro and andante.
January 27, 1901 - Giuseppe Verdi passed away in Milan due to heart attack. Verdi is most known for his operas that revolve around themes of love, heroism and revenge. Among his famous works are "Rigoletto," "Il trovatore," "La traviata," "Otello" and "Falstaff;" the last two operas were written when he was already in his 70s.
January 28, 1968 - Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her hits include "Angel" and "I Will Remember You."
January 29, 1728 - The Beggar's Opera by dramatist John Gay was produced by theater manager John Rich at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre.
January 29, 1862 - Frederick Delius was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. He was a prolific English composer who helped revive English music. He mainly wrote choral and orchestral music. His compositions include "Florida," "Irmelin" and "Koanga." In 1929, Delius was inducted to the Order of Companions of Honour, a recognition given to those who greatly contributed to the advancement of culture.
January 29, 2011 - Milton Byron Babbitt died in Princeton, New Jersey. He was a mathematician, music theorist, educator and composer who was a prominent supporter of serialism. He was a faculty member at Princeton as well as Julliard. Other educational institutions he taught at include Berkshire Music Center, now known as Tanglewood Music Center. His works include electronic music, chamber music, orchestral works and solo pieces.
January 30, 1963 - Francis Poulenc died in Paris. He was one of the important French composers after World War 1 and member of "Les Six." He wrote concertos, sacred music, piano music and other stage works. His notable compositions include "Mass in G Major" and "Les biches," which was commissioned by Diaghilev.
January 31, 1797 - Composer Franz Schubert was born in Vienna. He is referred to as the "master of song" of which he wrote more than 200. He studied counterpoint, keyboard playing and singing under Michael Holzen. Schubert wrote hundreds of musical pieces, some of his well known works are: "Serenade," "Ave Maria," "Who is Sylvia?" and "C Major Symphony."
Special Celebrations in January
Pop Music Chart Day - Jan. 4
Elvis' Birthday Celebration Day - Jan. 5
Public Radio Broadcasting Day - Jan. 13
National Kazoo Day - Jan. 28
National Polka Music Month - whole month of January
