Category Archives: Other Notable Birthdays

Enrico Caruso: Born February 25, 1873

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‘The Great Caruso’ or ‘King of Tenors’ was born in Naples in 1873. He was his parents’ 18th child and the first to survive infancy. Music was his escape from the wretched reality that surrounded him. He sang in Neapolitan cafes and restaurants. By 1895 he was singing leading roles at the Opera House in Naples. From there he went to the major Italian opera houses and then became an international star. ‘Who has sent you to me? God?’ exclaimed Puccini on first hearing him sing.
FROM http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/e/enrico-caruso/caruso

Below: Enrico Caruso drawing caricature sketches in booth at charity fair in Southampton, L.I.~
https://www.loc.gov/item/2005680287/

sketching.jpg

Caruso was a compulsive caricaturist who made spontaneous and witty sketches of colleagues and strangers wherever he went. His doodles often captured a candid likeness of the person, but they were never cruel.

Although he was proud of his sketches, he turned down offers to draw professionally. However, he did regularly contribute to an Italian-American newspaper called La Follia di New York, from which a book of drawings was eventually produced. Nowadays his cartoons are extremely collectable. One firm even reproduced one of his self caricatures as a powder compact.
FROM http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/e/enrico-caruso/

Drawings by Enrico Caruso~
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Drawings_by_Enrico_Caruso

Steve Jobs: Born February 24, 1955

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Apple computer Chrmn. Steve Jobs w. new LISA computer during press preview.

Jobs’s friend Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, had a private jet, and he designed its interior with a great deal of care. One day, Jobs decided that he wanted a private jet, too. He studied what Ellison had done. Then he set about to reproduce his friend’s design in its entirety—the same jet, the same reconfiguration, the same doors between the cabins. Actually, not in its entirety. Ellison’s jet “had a door between cabins with an open button and a close button,” Isaacson writes. “Jobs insisted that his have a single button that toggled. He didn’t like the polished stainless steel of the buttons, so he had them replaced with brushed metal ones.” Having hired Ellison’s designer, “pretty soon he was driving her crazy.” Of course he was. The great accomplishment of Jobs’s life is how effectively he put his idiosyncrasies—his petulance, his narcissism, and his rudeness—in the service of perfection. “I look at his airplane and mine,” Ellison says, “and everything he changed was better.”
FROM http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/11/14/the-tweaker

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” he said. “Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Renata Scotto: Born February 24, 1934

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[Renata Scotto] began vocal studies when she was 14, and moved to Milan when she was 16. In 1952, when she was just 19, she made her debut as Violetta (La traviata) at the Teatro Nuovo, followed by her La Scala debut as Walter in La Wally. However, only a few years later she had a vocal crisis, losing most of her upper range; she now credits her recovery to Alfredo Kraus (himself renowned for a solid technique and vocal longevity), who introducing her to his teacher, Mercedes Llopart. After completely restudying her technique, she re-began her career as a coloratura, making her London debut at the Stoll Theater as Adina in L’elisir d’amore. She returned to La Scala, and in 1957, replaced Maria Callas (whom she had greatly admired) as Amina in La Sonnambula.
– See more at:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/renata-scotto-mn0000681028/biography
http://musicalworld.com/artists/renata-scotto/biography.html

Men in Wigs

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pepys

This morning come two of Captain Cooke’s boys, whose voices are broke, and are gone from the Chapel, but have extraordinary skill; and they and my boy, with his broken voice, did sing three parts; their names were Blaewl and Loggings; but, notwithstanding their skill, yet to hear them sing with their broken voices, which they could not command to keep in tune, would make a man mad–so bad it was.

The quote above is Samuel Pepys (born February 23, 1633) referring to John Blow (born February 23, 1649). Samuel Pepys was a member of Parliament who is now most famous for his private diary, kept from 1660 until 1669.

Samuel Pepys (1633 – 1703)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/pepys_samuel.shtml
The Diary of Samuel Pepys: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4200/4200-h/4200-h.htm

BlowJohn Blow was an English Baroque composer and organist whose opera Venus & Adonis is considered the earliest surviving British opera and which is believed to have influenced Henry Purcell’s later opera Dido and Aeneas.

John Blow (1649 – 1708)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blow

HandelAfter Purcell, opera in England languished until the arrival of George Frideric Handel (born February 23, 1685) who, however, wrote most of his operas in Italian. Acis and Galatea is Handel’s only work for the theatre that is set to an English libretto.

George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel

Of course, most of us know Handel for his English-language oratorio Messiah and for his collection of short pieces for small orchestra known as the Water Music.

Adelina Patti: Born February 19, 1843

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Adelina Patti, original name Adela Juana Maria Patti (born Feb. 19, 1843, Madrid, Spain—died Sept. 27, 1919, Craig-y-Nos Castle, Brecknockshire, Wales), Italian soprano who was one of the great coloratura singers of the 19th century.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446851/Adelina-Patti

Biographical sketch of Madame Adelina Patti
https://archive.org/details/biographicalsket00mortiala

‪Renée Fleming‬: Born February 14, 1959

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As a musical statesman, Renée Fleming has been sought after on numerous distinguished occasions, from the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to performances in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. On January 18, 2009, was featured on the televised We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial concert for President Obama. She has performed for the United States Supreme Court, HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, and, in November 2009, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s “Velvet Revolution” at the invitation of Václav Havel. An additional distinction was bestowed in 2008, when breaking a precedent, Ms. Fleming became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala.
FROM https://reneefleming.com/artistry/

Renée Fleming photographed by Annie Leibovitz, 2008

Thomas Edison: Born February 11, 1847

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Transcript~ https://archive.org/details/edba-3756
Let us not forget—a message to the American people~ https://www.loc.gov/item/00694069/

Thomas Alva Edison Biography~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

Thomas Alva Edison by Abraham Archibald Anderson
1890 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.65.23

Babe Ruth, February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948

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babeTop 10 Babe Ruth Cards of All-Time

Many of the baseball cards from Babe Ruth’s playing days are obscure offerings with a limited release. However, the ones that surface in good condition generally sell for huge amounts. The following list aims to identify the ten most valuable Babe Ruth cards in existence. Because rarity and condition greatly affect value, historical significance was also factored into this list. Due to the incredible values seen by Babe Ruth cards, narrowing down the list meant that a few popular cards did not make the cut. While time may reveal other hidden gems, the following list represents the dream checklist for many Babe Ruth card collectors. All the cards are worth a small (or large) fortune, and prices generally start around $5,000, and can escalate very quickly.

Ruth

FROM http://www.cardboardconnection.com/top-10-babe-ruth-cards