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Wuorinen, Charles Peter

(Encyclopedia)Wuorinen, Charles Peter wûrˈĭnən [key], 1938–2020, American composer, conductor, and pianist, b. New York City. Wuorinen studied at Columbia (B.A., 1961; M.A., 1963) and taught there, at the Man...

Creston, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Creston, Paul, 1906–85, American composer, b. New York City as Guiseppe Guttoveggio. Creston was largely self-taught in composition. His music is generally tonal and conservative. Among Creston's ma...

Burnet, William, 1730–91, political leader in the American Revolution

(Encyclopedia)Burnet, William, 1730–91, political leader in the American Revolution, b. near the present Elizabeth, N.J.; father of David G. Burnet. A physician practicing in Newark, Burnet was chairman of the Re...

Porter, Cole

(Encyclopedia)Porter, Cole, 1891–1964, American composer and lyricist, b. Peru, Ind., grad. Yale, 1913. Porter's witty, sophisticated lyrics and his affecting melodies place him high in the ranks of American comp...

Previn, Sir André

(Encyclopedia)Previn, Sir André prĕvˈĭn [key], 1929–2019, American conductor, composer, and pianist, b. Germany as Andreas Ludwig Priwin. His family fled Nazi Germany in 1938, and he became an American citize...

Maazel, Lorin Varencove

(Encyclopedia)Maazel, Lorin Varencove, 1930–2014, American conductor, b. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. A musical prodigy, he spent his childhood in Los Angeles, where he made his conducting debut at nine and his vio...

Graham, Susan

(Encyclopedia)Graham, Susan, 1960–, American mezzo-soprano, b. Roswell, N. Mex. Known for her vibrant, expressive voice and her superb acting ability, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in ...

Yokuts

(Encyclopedia)Yokuts yōˈko͝ots [key], Native North Americans of S California. Their culture was essentially that of the California cultural area, and their basketry and pictographs are notable. In the late 18th ...

Stravinsky, Igor Fedorovich

(Encyclopedia)Stravinsky, Igor Fedorovich ēˈgər fyôˈdərôˌvyĭch strəvĭnˈskē [key], 1882–1971, Russian-American composer. Considered by many the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20th cent., ...

Squanto

(Encyclopedia)Squanto or Tisquantum, d. 1622, Native American of the Patuxet (or Pawtuxet) band, part of the Wampanoag confederation. He is sometimes thought to be the Native American taken to England from the Main...