1983 Death Claus Adam, composer, cellist, teacher, performed with Julliard String Quartet 1955 - 1974, composed music for a string trio and cello concerto, dies at 65 1980 Death Bert Kaempfert, orchestra leader, songwriter, composed jazz-oriented, easy-listening records including Strangers in the Night and hit Wonderland by Night, Danke Schoen for Wayne Newton and L-O-V-E for Nat King Cole 1976 Death Jan Kunc, composer, writer, pedagogue, composed chamber music, piano, solo vocal, dies at 93 in Brno, Czech Republic 1972 Birthday Elizabeth Wolfgramm, born in Salt Lake City, Utah, singer, member of The Jets family group, composed of siblings 1963 Death Mart Saar, composer, organist, combined folk music with contemporary sounds, composed choir, solo, piano music, dies at 81 1961 Birthday Michael Torke, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, composer, style includes jazz, minimalism, most popular work, 'Javelin', composed for 1996 Summer Olympics 1959 Death Billy Mayerl, composer, pianist, master of light music, composed works for piano and orchestra, developed syncopated novelty piano solos, 300 piano pieces, most named after flowers and trees, dies at 56 1952 Birthday Andy Fraser, born in Paddington, West London, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, played bass for Free, composed "All Right Now", wrote hits for Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker 1951 Birthday Peter Gordon, born in New York City, New York, Peter Laurence Gordon, experimental composer, musician, opera, world music, jazz, rock influences, founder, Love of Life Orchestra, composed for Suzanne Vega, Laurie Anderson, worked on Desperate Housewives soundtrack 1950 Birthday Beth Anderson, born in Lexington, Kentucky, composer, singer, neo-romantic genre, invented swales, a musical form based on collages, samples of newly composed music vs. existing music, famous for singing with Limahl on 'The Never Ending Story' film title song 1944 Birthday Bruce Johnston, born in Peoria, Illinois, born Benjamin Baldwin, rocker, musician, singer, record producer, Grammy-Award winning songwriter, member of The Beach Boys, composed I Write The Songs 1943 Birthday Garrett List, born in Phoenix, Arizona, composer, vocalist, trombonist, formed Julliard Ensemble, composed classical, jazz, pop, free jazz music 1939 Birthday John McCabe, born in Huyton, England, composer, pianist, wrote thirteen symphonies by age 11, composed Notturni ed Alba in 1970, ballets, string quartets, piano music, known for his concerti 1939 Birthday Leo Brouwer, born in Havana, Cuba, Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida, composer, conductor, guitarist, studied under Vincent Persichetti, Stefan Wolpe, composed solo guitar pieces, over 40 film scores, and several guitar concertos 1932 Birthday Jaan Raats, born in Tartu, Estonia, composer, composed Estonian language films, wrote 'Aeg elada aeg armastada' 1930 Birthday Velio Tormis, born in Estonia, composed music based on traditional ancient Estonian folksongs, most important composer in 20th century Estonia 1928 Birthday Mitch Leigh, born in Brooklyn, New York, Irwin Michnick, graduated from Yale, composer, musical theater composer, theatrical producer, known for show Man Of La Mancha, composed jingle 'Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee' 1928 Birthday Ezra Sims, born in Birmingham, Alabama, composer of microtonal music, Joseph Maneri adopted his system of notation, composed in quarter tones, received Guggenheim Fellowship 1926 Birthday Arthur Wills, born in England, composer, professor at Royal Academy of Music in London, Director of Music at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England, composed music for the organ and secular music based on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four 1925 Birthday Robert Linn, born in America, composer, educator, University of Southern California, composed music for chorus and chamber ensembles, symphony orchestra and wind orchestra 1923 Birthday Bert Kaempfert, born in Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany, orchestra leader, songwriter, composed jazz-oriented, easy-listening records including Strangers in the Night and hit Wonderland by Night, Danke Schoen for Wayne Newton and L-O-V-E for Nat King Cole 1921 Birthday Roger Nixon, born in California, musician, composer, professor of music, composed for orchestra, band, choir, opera, Professor Emeritus of Music, San Francisco State University 1921 Birthday Adrian Cruft, born Adrian Francis Cruft, son of Eugene Cruft, born in Britain, composer, dubbed a performer's composer, composed church, chamber and orchestral works 1917 Birthday Claus Adam, born in America, composer, cellist, teacher, performed with Julliard String Quartet 1955 - 1974, composed music for a string trio and cello concerto 1917 Birthday Els Aarne, born in Ukraine, Estonian composer, pianist, composed chamber music for violoncello and double bass, wrote two symphonies, studied with composer Heino Eller 1915 Birthday Pedro Saenz, born in Spain, composer, composed music for classical guitar 1909 Birthday Robin Orr, born in Brechin, Scotland, musician, composer, professor of music, composed three operas, Full Circle, Hermiston, On the Razzle, among other symphonies, church music, chamber works 1902 Birthday Billy Mayerl, born in London, England, composer, pianist, master of light music, composed works for piano and orchestra, developed syncopated novelty piano solos, 300 piano pieces, most named after flowers and trees 1901 Birthday Conrad Beck, born in Lohn, Switzerland, composer, studied with Jacques Ibert, head of Radio Basel music department for 30 years, composed concertos, symphonies, oratorio, elegy, instrumental, vocal music, and one ballet 1900 Birthday Evald Aav, born in Talinn, Estonia, composer, studied music with Artur Kapp, composed Estonian opera Vikerlased (The Vikings), modeled after Tchaikovsky's composition style 1883 Birthday Jan Kunc, born in Doubravice na Svitavou, Czech Republic, composer, writer, pedagogue, composed chamber music, piano, solo vocal 1882 Birthday Mart Saar, born in Hupassaare, Estonia, composer, organist, combined folk music with contemporary sounds, composed choir, solo, piano music 1818 Event "Silent Night" composed by Franz Joseph Gruber; 1st sung next day 1792 Event "La Marseillaise" composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle 1773 Death Jan Zach, composer, organist, violinist, composed Baroque and classical music, dies at 73 in Ellwangen, Germany 1699 Birthday Jan Zach, born in Celakovice, Czech Republic, composer, organist, violinist, composed Baroque and classical music 1638 Death John Ward, composer, chorister, Canterbury Cathedral, composed madrigals, anthems, works for viola da gamba, dies at 67 in Essex, England 1571 Birthday John Ward, born in Canterbury, England, composer, chorister, Canterbury Cathedral, composed madrigals, anthems, works for viola da gamba
