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Bishop, Sir Henry Rowley

(Encyclopedia)Bishop, Sir Henry Rowley, 1786–1855, English operatic conductor, composer or arranger of 120 dramatic works. He is known today for a setting of Shakespeare's “Lo, here the gentle lark” and the m...

Handel, George Frideric

(Encyclopedia)Handel, George Frideric hănˈdəl [key], 1685–1759, English composer, b. Halle, Germany. Handel was one of the greatest masters of baroque music, most widely celebrated for his majestic oratorio Me...

Charpentier, Gustave

(Encyclopedia)Charpentier, Gustave güstävˈ shärpäNtyāˈ [key], 1860–1956, French composer; pupil of Massenet. His best-known works are the opera Louise (1900), portraying bohemian Parisian life, and his orc...

Fisk, James

(Encyclopedia)Fisk, James, 1834–72, American financial speculator, b. Pownal, Vt. In his youth he worked for a circus and as a wagon peddler of merchandise. During the Civil War he became wealthy purchasing cotto...

Scribe, Augustin Eugène

(Encyclopedia)Scribe, Augustin Eugène ōgüstăNˈ özhĕnˈ skrēb [key], 1791–1861, French dramatist and librettist. He began his prolific and highly successful writing career with vaudeville sketches. One of ...

Voigt, Deborah Joy

(Encyclopedia)Voigt, Deborah Joy voit [key], 1960–, American dramatic soprano, b. Des Plaines, Ill., grad. California Staate Univ., Fullerton (1978). She is particularly known for her performances in the operas o...

Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de

(Encyclopedia)Beaumarchais, Pierre Augustin Caron de pyĕr ōgüstăNˈ karôNˈ də bōmärshāˈ [key], 1732–99, French dramatist. Originally a watchmaker, he rose to wealth and position among the nobility. His...

Caballé, Montserrat

(Encyclopedia)Caballé, Montserrat mōnsĕrätˈ käbälyāˈ [key], 1933–2018, Spanish soprano. After voice study with Eugenia Kemeny and Conchita Badia in Barcelona, she made her operatic debut in Basel, Switze...

Berlioz, Louis-Hector

(Encyclopedia)Berlioz, Louis-Hector lwē ĕktôrˈ bĕrlyôzˈ [key], 1803–69, French romantic composer. He abandoned medical study to enter the Paris Conservatory as a composition student. In 1830 his Symphonie ...

Hopper, DeWolf

(Encyclopedia)Hopper, DeWolf, 1858–1935, American singer and comedian, b. New York City. He made his debut in 1879 and thereafter became popular in musical comedy and light opera. He is best remembered for his re...