Topic: NEW BOOKS
Irving Fine (1916-1962) was a gifted composer, an excellent pianist and a notable educator. His death at the age of 46 deprived us of an important creative talent; the fact that no serious book about him has appeared until recently is rather surprising. Philip Ramey’s book fills this gap admirably.


MUSIClassical ALLEGRO
1882 Birth of Canadian-African-American composer R. Nathaniel DETT in Drummondvill, Quebec, Canada. d-Battle Creek, MI 2 OCT 1943.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of classical composer Jean Sibelius. Musician David Was says the composer's work was in danger of falling out of fashion, but is recently enjoying a burst of new interest.
Even when it isn't sung, the Italian language sounds like music, which is part of why Italian words are used to tell musicians how to play—presto, lento, adagio, forte. Miles Hoffman, author of The NPR Classical Music Companion, recently joined Renee Montagne to discuss the Italian jargon of classical music.
1971 Birth of virtuoso classical pianist Evgeny Igorevich Kissin (Russian Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син, Evge'nij I'gorevič Ki'sin) in Moscow.
1835 Birth in Paris of French composer, conductor and pianist Camille (kah ME') SAINT-SAENS (Sah Sahnz) .
They got their maestro. He got his orchestra. And Detroit has a new musical leader, whose reputation stretches from the American heartland to the music capitals of Europe and the Far East. Leonard Slatkin, 63, one of the most gifted American conductors of his generation, has been named the 12th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra after a five-year search. Slatkin, the first American-born conductor to lead the orchestra in 60 years, succeeds Neeme Järvi, who stepped down in 2005. 