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Cole, Nat “King”

(Encyclopedia)Cole, Nat “King,” 1919–65, American musician and composer, b. Montgomery, Ala., as Nathaniel Adams Coles. A jazz pianist, he played Los Angeles nightclubs and in 1938 formed the King Cole Trio. ...

Taverner, John

(Encyclopedia)Taverner, John, c.1495–1545, English organist and composer. He was choirmaster at Oxford from 1526 to 1530. His small body of work—eight masses, 28 motets, and three secular songs—may be conside...

Wilbye, John

(Encyclopedia)Wilbye, John wĭlˈbē [key], 1574–1638, English madrigal composer. Although only two sets of his madrigals (1598, 1609) are extant, their excellence distinguishes him as perhaps the greatest Englis...

Field, John

(Encyclopedia)Field, John, 1782–1837, Irish composer and pianist. In London he studied with Clementi, with whom he later toured Europe. In 1804 he settled in Russia. Field was a successful pianist and his style o...

Sousa, John Philip

(Encyclopedia)Sousa, John Philip so͞oˈzə, –sə [key], 1854–1932, American bandmaster and composer, b. Washington, D.C. He studied violin and harmony in his native city and learned band instruments as an appr...

XYZ Affair

(Encyclopedia)XYZ Affair, name usually given to an incident (1797–98) in Franco-American diplomatic relations. The United States had in 1778 entered into an alliance with France, but after the outbreak of the Fre...

Declaration of Independence

(Encyclopedia)Declaration of Independence, full and formal declaration adopted July 4, 1776, by representatives of the Thirteen Colonies in North America announcing the separation of those colonies from Great Brita...

Leppard, Raymond John

(Encyclopedia)Leppard, Raymond John, 1927–2019, English-American conductor, composer, musicologist, and harpsicordist, b. London. A prominent scholar as well as a conductor, he was especially known for “realizi...

McHenry, James

(Encyclopedia)McHenry, James, 1753–1816, American political leader, b. Ireland. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1771 and, after studying medicine under Benjamin Rush, served as a surgeon in the Continental Army i...

Dix, Morgan

(Encyclopedia)Dix, Morgan, 1827–1908, American Episcopal clergyman, b. New York City; son of John A. Dix. He was rector of Trinity Church in New York City from 1862 to 1908. Among his writings are Memoirs of John...