Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

34 results found

Cleveland, James

(Encyclopedia)Cleveland, James, 1931–91, African-American gospel singer, composer, and arranger, b. Chicago. Known as the King of Gospel, he was renowned for his rough baritone voice. He revolutionized gospel mus...

Henschel, Sir George

(Encyclopedia)Henschel, Sir George hĕnˈshəl [key], 1850–1934, German-English conductor, composer, and baritone. His first appearance (1877) in England was as a singer, and there he and his wife inaugurated (c....

Reszke, Jean de

(Encyclopedia)Reszke, Jean de zhäN də rĕshˈkē [key], 1850–1935, Polish singer. His voice, at first a baritone, developed into one of the finest tenors of the 19th cent. He first appeared as a tenor in Madrid...

Domingo, Plácido

(Encyclopedia)Domingo, Plácido plăˈcēdō dōmēˈgō [key], 1941–, Spanish operatic tenor, b. Madrid, Spain. He made his operatic debut in Mexico City in 1961 and his New York debut at the Metropolitan Opera ...

Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich

(Encyclopedia)Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich dēˈtrĭkh fĭshˈər-dēsˈkou [key], 1925–2012, German baritone. Possessed of a sensitive voice capable of a wide variety of range and expression, Fischer-Dieskau was th...

tuba

(Encyclopedia)tuba to͞oˈbə [key] [Lat.,=trumpet], valved brass wind musical instrument of wide conical bore. The term tuba is applied rather loosely to any low-pitched brass instrument other than the trombone; s...

Beeson, Jack

(Encyclopedia)Beeson, Jack, 1921–2010, American composer, b. Muncie, Ind. Beeson studied at the Eastman School of Music and privately in New York with Béla Bartók. Teaching at Columbia from 1945, he was named M...

Pride, Charley

(Encyclopedia)Pride, Charley (Charley Frank Pride), 1934–2020, American country singer, the first African-American country-music superstar, b. Sledge, Miss. He init...

Adès, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Adès, Thomas ădˈĭs [key], 1971–, British composer, conductor, and pianist, b. London, studied Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, and King's College, Cambridge. An accomplished composer...

Cash, Johnny

(Encyclopedia)Cash, Johnny, 1932–2003, American singer and songwriter, b. Kingsland, Ark. Born to a farm family, he went to Memphis in 1955 and recorded such hits as “I Walk the Line” (1956) and “Ring of Fi...

Browse by Subject