Joseph Szigeti (1892–1973) was a Hungarian virtuoso violinist. Born
into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in
Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the
violin, and moved to Budapest with his father to study with the
renowned pedagogue Jenő Hubay. After completing his studies with Hubay
in his early teens, Szigeti began his international concert career. His
performances at that time were primarily limited to salon-style
recitals and the more overtly virtuosic repertoire; however, after
making the acquaintance of pianist Ferruccio Busoni, he began to
develop a much more thoughtful and intellectual approach to music that
eventually earned him the nickname "The Scholarly Virtuoso". From the
1920s until 1960, Szigeti performed regularly around the world and
recorded extensively. He also distinguished himself as a strong
advocate of new music, and was the dedicatee of many new works by
contemporary composers. Among the more notable pieces written for him
are Ernest Bloch's Violin Concerto, Bartók's Rhapsody No. 1, and Eugène
Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata No. 1. After retiring from the concert stage in
1960, he worked at teaching and writing until his death in 1973, at the
age of 80.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Szigeti>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
222:
Disgusted with Roman emperor Elagabalus's disregard for Roman religious
traditions and sexual taboos, the Praetorian Guard assassinated him and
his mother Julia Soaemias, mutilated their bodies, and threw them in
the Tiber River.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus>
1879:
Shō Tai , the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, abdicated when the
kingdom was annexed by Japan and converted to Okinawa Prefecture.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8D_Tai>
1978:
After hijacking a bus north of Tel Aviv, members of Palestine
Liberation Organization faction Fatah engaged in a shootout with the
Israel Police, resulting in the deaths of 38 civilians and most of the
perpetrators.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_Road_massacre>
1983:
Pakistan successfully conducted a cold test of a nuclear weapon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-706>
2006:
Michelle Bachelet was inaugurated as the first female President of
Chile.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Bachelet>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
hypernatremic (adj):
(medicine) Having an abnormally high concentration of sodium (or salt)
in blood plasma
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hypernatremic>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Perhaps if only once you did enjoy
The thousandth part of all the happiness
A heart beloved enjoys,
returning love,
Repentant, you would surely sighing say,
"All time is truly lost
and gone
Which is not spent in serving love."
--Torquato Tasso
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Torquato_Tasso>
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