July 17 - On this day in 1959, Billie Holiday died in New York, USA. She was one of the greatest blues singers of her time known for her emotional songs and soulful voice. Also on this day in 1967, John Coltrane died after suffering from severe abdominal pain. He was one of the musicians who revolutionized jazz music.
July 18, 1821 - Pauline Viardot was born in Paris, France. She started out as one of the most celebrated operatic singers in the late 1800s. Later on she focused her talents on composing and teaching.
July 19, 1965 - Evelyn Glennie was born in Aberdeenshire. She is a virtuoso percussionist from Scotland who is hearing impaired since she was 12. She received a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance in 1989.
July 20, 1964 - Composer Dmitry Shostakovich completed his 10th String quartet. He was a Russian composer especially noted for his symphonies and string quartets.
July 21, 1971 - Carole King's Tapestry was certified gold. She is the artist behind hits like "So Far Away" and "It's Too Late" and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.
July 22, 1994 - Elton John and Billy Joel performed in a duet concert at the Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
July 23, 1767 - Domenico Scarlatti was born in Madrid, Spain. He influenced other composers such as Carlos de Seixas, a Portuguese composer of keyboard music.
July 24, 1880 - Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He was a composer, professor and music director of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory.
July 25 1828 - Ignaz Bösendorfer was granted a trade license number which enabled him to start a piano manufacturing company in Vienna. The Bosendorfer brand of pianos is considered one of the best Viennese-made pianos in the market.
July 26, 1882 - The opera Parsifal by Richard Wagner premiered in Beirut. He was a German composer and librettist famous for his operas.
July 27 - On this day in 1867, Enrique Granados was born in Lérida, Spain. He was one of the composers who helped promote nationalism in Spanish music during the 19th century. Also on this day in 1924, Ferruccio Busoni died in Berlin, Germany. He was a composer and concert pianist of the 20th century who mainly wrote music for the piano and opera.
July 28 - On this day in 1741, the virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi died in Vienna, Austria. Before he became a well-renowned musician, he was first a priest. He withdrew from the priesthood in 1706 and made his debut as a composer in 1713. Also on this day in 1750, keyboard virtuoso and composer Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig due to stroke. He is perhaps the most prominent composer of cantatas. Bach wrote both secular and sacred cantatas and developed what is known as "chorale cantata."
July 29 - On this day in 1856, composer Robert Schumann died. One of the factors believed to have caused his death was the mercury treatments he underwent while he was in an asylum. Also on this day in 1966, Bob Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident. He disappeared from limelight after the accident but continued to record demoes with his band.
July 30, 1941 - Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). A teen sensation during the late 1950s, singer-songwriter Paul Anka has penned many of our favorite oldies music including "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," "Times of Your Life" and "My Way."
July 31, 1886 - Franz Liszt died in Bayreuth due to pneumonia. He was a composer and piano virtuoso of the Romantic period.
Special Celebrations in July
National Dance Day - July 28