Frans Brüggen, Pioneer in Early Music, Dies at 79

Franciscus ("Frans") Jozef Brüggen (30 October 1934 – 13 August 2014) was a notable Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist. WIKIPEDIA Brüggen began his career as a recorder soloist, was a founder of the Orchestra of the 18th Century. NYTimes Obit Mr. Brüggen, who had appeared frail for many years and sat on a stool to conduct, last led an orchestra in May, 2014. But despite failing health he had no plans to abandon his career. In 2008 he told The Times that he planned to conduct “until I fall dead, like all conductors.” He died on 13 AUG 2014 in Amsterdam.

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Jean Redpath, Folk Singer, Dies at 77

Ms. Redpath’s repertoire of contemporary tunes, ancient ballads and Robert Burns poems filled some 40 albums. NYTimes Obit Jean Redpath MBE (28 April 1937 – 21 August 2014) was a Scottish folk singer, educator and musician. Redpath was born in Edinburgh, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to Jean and her brother; her father played the hammer dulcimer. She was raised in Leven, Fife, Scotland, and later returned to Edinburgh, taking medieval studies at the university. WIKIPEDIA

Licia Albanese, diva Soprano, Is Dead at 105

Licia Albanese (July 22, 1909 – August 15, 2014) was an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera of New York from 1940 to 1966. She also made many recordings and was chairman of The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation which is dedicated to assisting young artists and singers.

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Peter Sculthorpe, composer

Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West. He was known primarily for his orchestral and chamber music, such as Kakadu (1988) and Earth Cry (1986), which evoke the sounds and feeling of the Australian bushland and outback. He also wrote 17 string quartets, using unusual timbral effects, works for piano, and two operas. He stated that he wanted his music to make people feel better and happier for having listened to it. He typically avoided the dense, atonal techniques of many of his contemporary composers. His work was often distinguished by its distinctive use of percussion.

NORMAN LEYDEN conductor

Born: October 17, 1917, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States Died: July 23, 2014, Portland, Oregon, United States Education: Yale University Norman Fowler Leyden was an American conductor, composer, arranger, and clarinetist. He worked in film and television and is perhaps best known as the conductor of the Oregon Symphony Pops orchestra. Norman Leyden was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to James A. and Constance Leyden. He graduated from Yale University in 1938, attended Pierre Monteux's Domaine Musicale in Hancock, Maine, in 1961, and earned a master's (1965) and doctoral degree (1968) from Columbia University (where he also taught for several years). He married in 1942 in Duval County, Florida, to Alice Curry Wells.

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