-
to travel
After six decades of traveling, only one flight I am unable to recall in any detail. Knowing neither that I was in Manhattan, nor that I was about to fly, nor what leaving, or arriving was, and much less what Cuba was, my aunt carried me on the way to meet my grandmother. That very…
-
Engelbert Humperdinck *IX 1 1854 — The Life You Give
Engelbert Humperdinck, born September 1, 1854, in Siegburg, Prussia [Germany], is the composer known for his opera Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck studied at Cologne and at Munich. In 1879 a Mendelssohn scholarship enabled him to go to Italy, where he met Richard Wagner, who invited him to assist in the production of Parsifal at Bayreuth.…
-
Maria Montessori *VIII 31 1870 — The Life You Give
Maria Montessori, born August 31, 1870, in Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy, is the educator and originator of the educational system that bears her name. The Montessori system is based on belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual. After graduating…
-
Itzhak Perlman *VIII 31 1945 — The Life You Give
Itzhak Perlman, born August 31, 1945, in Tel Aviv, Palestine [now Tel Aviv–Yafo, Israel]) is a violinist known for his brilliant virtuoso technique. His refinement of detail led many to regard him as one of the finest performers of the major violin repertoire of his time. Perlman was drawn to the violin after hearing it…
-
Peter Maffay *VIII 30 1949 — The Life You Give
Peter Maffay was the best-selling German pop star of his generation, wielding his celebrity to become a powerful advocate for antiwar efforts and an outspoken critic of domestic abuse. Born Peter Alexander Makkay on August 30, 1949, in Brasov, Romania, he was 14 when his family relocated to his parents’ native Germany. Soon after, he…
-
Hermann Nitsch *VIII 29 1938 — The Life You Give
Hermann Nitsch is an avant-garde painter, composer, and performance artist who worked in experimental and multimedia modes. He was a co-founder of the notorious art movement known as the Viennese Aktionists. With his project Orgien Mysterien Theater (“the Orgiastic Mystery Theater”), Nitsch immersed his audiences in scenes and symbols heavily charged with meaning: religious imagery,…
-
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe *VIII 28 1749 — The Life You Give
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born August 28, 1749, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is the poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, critic, and amateur artist, considered the greatest German literary figure of the modern era. Goethe is the only German literary figure whose range and international standing equal those of Germany’s supreme philosophers (who…
-
Rebecca Clarke *VIII 27 1886 — The Life You Give
Rebecca Helferich Clarke, born on August 27 1886, is the classical composer and violist, internationally renowned as a viola virtuoso who also became one of the first female professional orchestral players in London. In many respects, Rebecca Clarke had a troubled childhood. Her father maintained a strict sense of Victorian morals and could be quite…
-
Leonard Bernstein *VIII 25 1918 / The Life You Give
Leonard Bernstein, born August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, is the conductor, composer, and pianist noted for his accomplishments in both classical and popular music, for his flamboyant conducting style, and for his pedagogic flair, especially in concerts for young people. Bernstein played piano from age 10. He attended Boston Latin School; Harvard University (A.B.,…
-
Elvis Costello *VIII 25 1954 / The Life You Give
Elvis Costello, born Declan Patrick McManus, on August 25, 1954, in London, England, is the singer-songwriter who extended the musical and lyrical range of the punk and new wave movements. The son of musicians, Costello was exposed to a mix of British and American styles—dance-hall pop to modern jazz to the Beatles—from an early age.…
-
Jorge Luis Borges *VIII 24 1899 — The Life You Give
Jorge Luis Borges, born Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo, August 24, 1899, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the poet, essayist, and short-story writer whose works became classics of 20th-century world literature. Borges was reared in the then-shabby Palermo district of Buenos Aires, the setting of some of his works. His family, which had been…
-
Stephen Fry *VIII 24 1957 — The Life You Give
Stephen Fry (born August 24, 1957, in London, England) is actor, comedian, author, screenwriter, and director, known especially for his virtuosic command and comical manipulation of the English language—in both speech and writing. He is especially admired for his ability to desacralize even the most serious or taboo of topics. Fry spent most of his…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
