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(b Aberdeenshire, 1653; d ?Cambridge, after 1716). Scottish countertenor, composer and lutenist. The first occurrence of his name in official records is on 1 May 1679, when he was admitted ‘extraordinary’ then ‘in ordinary’ to the Chapel Royal. From the same time he is listed among the musicians of the King’s Private Musick as one of the lutes and voices and also as a violinist, though the latter post was probably a sinecure. Between 1679 and 1688 he received considerable sums of ‘bounty money’ for undisclosed services to the king while travelling abroad. Evelyn recorded (27 January 1682):

After supper came in the famous Trebble, Mr Abel, newly returnd from Italy, & indeed I never heard a more excellent voice, one would have sworne it had been a Womans it was so high, & so well & skillfully manag’d.

He graduated MusB at Cambridge in 1684...

(Guy)

(b Kingston, ON, Nov 5, 1959). Canadian rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and photographer. The son of a diplomat, he spent his youth in England, Israel, Portugal, and Austria. After returning with his family to North America, he began performing and recording at the age of 15 with rock bands in British Columbia and Ontario. In 1978 he began what became a long and successful songwriting partnership with Jim Vallance, with whom he created most songs recorded under his name up to 1987, as well as songs recorded by Rod Stewart, Kiss, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, and the Canadian groups Prism, BTO, and Loverboy.

Adams’ albums characteristically alternate between down-tempo piano ballads and straight-ahead rock numbers. His third solo album, Cuts like a Knife (1983) launched him to the status of an international celebrity; its singles included the ballad “Straight from the Heart” and the anthem “Cuts like a Knife,” which both featured for weeks on magazine charts and music television. The next album, ...

(b Zurich, July 27, 1939). Swiss cellist, violinist, and singer. She studied piano and violin from a very young age and played in the orchestra at the conservatory in Geneva. An encounter with Steve Lacy in Italy in the late 1960s led her to abandon classical music; the couple were married, and in 1970 they settled in Paris. Under Lacy’s counsel, as well as that of Dave Holland and Jean-François Jenny-Clark, Aebi taught herself to play cello, which became her preferred instrument in the group constituted by Lacy. She often makes use of her deep voice in the group, reciting as well as singing literary and political texts (from such authors as Lao Tzu, Guillaume Apollinaire, Herman Melville, and Brion Gysin) set to music by the saxophonist. Aebi has also performed with Kent Carter, notably in the string group Pinch with Jean-Jacques Avenel, with Takashi Kako, and with Oliver Johnson. She may be seen in the video ...

(b Pisky, near Khar′kiv, 8/Sept 20, 1876; d Paris, Jan 8, 1945). Ukrainian composer and pianist. Aged ten he was sent, along with his brother Yakiv (later known as the composer Stepovy), to sing in the choir of the Imperial Chapel in St Petersburg. It was during his time there (1886–95) that he began to compose under the influence of his teachers Balakirev and Lyapunov. He finished studies with Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyadov at the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1901, the year in which the latter conducted the first performance of the Lyric Poem, op.20. Akimenko then became the director of a music school in Tbilisi (1901–03). He performed widely as a pianist, particularly in France and Switzerland, and lived for a while in Paris (1903–06) before returning to Khar′kiv. In 1914 he was invited to teach composition and theory at the St Petersburg Conservatory, a post he held until ...

(fl Naples, 1601–16). Italian composer and musician. He was mentioned by Cerreto (Della prattica musica vocale et strumentale, Naples, 1601/R) as one of a number of singers and instrumentalists in Naples. He published two volumes of music at Naples in 1616. The first, Il primo libro di canzoni, e madrigaletti, for three and four voices (RISM 1616¹¹), includes settings of texts by Tasso, Marino and Francesco degl’Atti. The canzoni – in fact canzonettas – usually have four-line stanzas and use triple metre occasionally. The tenor parts can be omitted. The five madrigalettos (one of which is by Scipione Dentice) are longer and avoid triple metre but are similar in style to the canzonettas. Albano recommended that lute, harp or harpsichord accompaniment be used, that the tempo be a little rushed and that, whereas intermediate cadences must be sung in strict time, final cadences could be drawn out a little. His second published volume, ...

(b Venice, c1710; d Rome, Oct 14, 1746). Italian composer, harpsichordist and singer. Alberti's claim to historical recognition rests traditionally on his harpsichord sonatas, in which the arpeggiated bass that lent his name a posthumous notoriety is a prominent feature (see Alberti bass). In his lifetime, however, Alberti was equally famous as a singer and as a performer (sometimes as self-accompanist) on the harpsichord. His amateur status was perhaps unfairly seized upon by his detractors, for his reported early training in singing and counterpoint under A. Biffi and A. Lotti does not suggest an inadequate grounding; it may, however, account for the restricted quantity and scope of his output. Of his non-musical career little is recorded except that he served the Venetian ambassador, Pietro Andrea Cappello, as a page on a visit to Spain about 1736, provoking Farinelli's admiration of his singing, and subsequently joined the household of Marquis Giovanni Carlo Molinari in Rome. His harpsichord sonatas are generally believed to date from these last years. He is buried in S Marco, Rome....

(bIsmâ’ ilîya, Egypt, June 8, 1931). Frenchsinger and pianist. He studied music in Paris and played piano with Don Byas (1955) and Stephane Grappelli (1957). He was a singer with the Blue Stars (1955–6), toured and recorded with the Double Six (1959–65), and took part in a session with Jon Hendricks and others (1965). Aldebert was married to the singer Monique Dozo (b Monaco, 5 May 1931; later known as Monique Aldebert-Guérin), who had sung with Bernard Peiffer (1947) and performed in Paris clubs with Byas, Django Reinhardt, Bobby Jasper, the Double Six (with which she recorded in 1959 and 1964), and Bill Coleman (1966). After moving to the USA (1967) the couple settled first in Las Vegas, where they appeared in revues, and then in Los Angeles (...

(b Genoa, Italy, 1908). Italian pianist, singer, and violinist. He first worked in Genoa with Tullio Mobiglia and others (1927–33). From 1934 he played piano and violin in a small band led by Kramer Gorni in Milan, which made several recordings, including Anime gemelle (1935...

(b Pforzheim, Germany, Oct 6, 1929). German soprano, tenor, and bass saxophonist. After receiving three lessons on guitar from a member of the Reinhardt clan he played in dance bands until 1950. He then contacted Sidney Bechet in Paris and learned to play soprano saxophone. He played in Germany with the arranger and bandleader Ernst Simon and also with American soldiers. In ...

[‘Antonio di S Fiore’]

(b Albano, late 1541 or 1542; d Florence, bur. Nov 14, 1612). Italian singer, lutenist and ?composer, husband of Vittoria Archilei . He was in the service in Rome of Cardinal Alessandro Sforza dei Conti di S Fiora, who died on 16 May 1581, after which he entered the service of Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici. The latter became Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1587, and Archilei, with his wife, followed him to Florence, where he became a musician at court, with a salary of 18 scudi a month from 1 September 1588; his salary was reduced to 11 scudi on 30 November 1589 (though he continued to receive a monthly pension of 12 scudi granted for life by Cardinal Ferdinando in 1582). He participated in the spectacular intermedi marking Ferdinando’s wedding in 1589: he is known to have played one of two chitarroni accompanying his wife’s singing of the florid solo song ‘Dalle più alte sfere’ (ed. D.P. Walker, ...

[‘La Romanina’]

(fl 1582–1620). Italian soprano, lutenist and dancer, wife of Antonio Archilei . Probably a pupil of her husband, whom she married most likely in 1582, she was a protégée of Emilio de' Cavalieri in Rome and was with him in the service of Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici before he became Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1587. She participated in the festivities for the wedding of Eleonora de' Medici and Vincenzo Gonzaga in 1584. When Cavalieri was made artistic superintendent at the Medici court in 1588, she went with her husband to Florence, where she became one of the most famous singers of her time. She apparently remained in the service of the Medici until her death.

She had a major part, as soprano soloist and lutenist, in the spectacular ‘intermedii et concerti’ for the comedy La pellegrina during the festivities for the marriage of Ferdinando de' Medici and Christine of Lorraine in ...

[Asaky, Héléne; Tayber; Teyber, Eleonora]

( b Vienna, Oct 30, 1789; d Iaşi, May 9, 1877). Romanian composer, pianist and singer , daughter of (3) Anton Teyber. She began musical studies in Dresden with her father, and continued in Vienna (1822–4) under the guidance of the opera singer Domenico Donzelli. She was subsequently appointed professor of music at Iaşi Conservatory, where she was also prominent as a pianist and composer (1827–63); she gave recitals and accompanied Romanian and foreign musicians on tours throughout Moldavia. She adapted the music of Bellini, Auber, Mercadante, Spontini, Verdi and others for a series of Romanian plays. She was married to the writer Gheorghe Asachi, with whom she collaborated on various didactic publications.

(selective list)

(b Bath; d Bath, after 1834). English singer, composer and bassoonist. He was called John Ashley of Bath to distinguish him from his London namesake. He received his musical training from his elder brother Josiah, who was a well-known flautist and oboist. From about 1780 to 1830 he was active in Bath both as a bassoonist and singer. He wrote words and music to a number of songs and ballads, many of which acquired considerable popularity. He also published two pamphlets on ...

[Triantafyllou (Triandafyllou), Cleon (Kleon)]

(b Athens, 1885; d Athens 1944). Greek singer, pianist, and composer. He attended Émile Pessard’s classes at the Paris Conservatoire. Under the alias Cleon Triandaphyl, he wrote songs for Montmartre’s music halls (1907–13), some of them in the atmosphere of the Chanson réaliste, performed by significant singers like Polaire (Émille Marie Bouchaud) and Damia (Louise-Marie Damien). In addition, some short operettas of his were presented. After touring Europe for a decade he settled in Athens and later founded (13 Aug 1930) a peculiar musical literary cabaret named Mandra (Pen). Combining satire, poetry, theatre, improvisation, and anything that could provoke the audience’s vivid reaction, he created a special show where the borderline between stage and stalls did not exist, as was the case in the light musical theatre of his time. Furthermore, he was maximizing the participation of the audience in the co-creation of the show which was the most significant achievement of the Interwar period’s theatre. Thus, a large series of artists took their first step on the stage of Mandra and soon became significant professional entertainers. His tenuous financial circumstances forced him to endlessly continue this search because the new talents he was discovering soon departed for more prosperous troupes. He even succumbed to tempting proposals by the most important theater manager of the time (A. Makedos) and appeared in the latter’s theatre, closing Mandra for a while. The film ...

(b Kiel, Germany, Aug 13, 1950). French trombonist and singer. He played banjo with the soprano saxophonist Jacques Doudelle (1975), then changed to trombone and worked with the soprano saxophonist Olivier Franc and, from 1979, with Maxim Saury. In 1981 he co-founded the quartet Slapscat with the bass player Gilles Chevaucherie, and from 1981 to 1984 he was in residence at the Meridian hotel in Paris, where he played with Joe Newman, Clark Terry, Doc Cheatham, and Slim Gaillard. In 1983 he joined François Biensan’s Ellingtomania, with which he recorded Almost Cried (1994, Jazz aux Remparts 64006). He also played with the Parad Brass Band (1992) and the François Laudet Big Band (from 1993). A capable scat singer, Bacqueville is an accomplished trombonist who was influenced mainly by Vic Dickenson.

(b Loda, nr Lantosque, France, March 1, 1917; d Monaco, July 13, 1995). French trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He was largely self-taught as a musician. He went to Paris in January 1940 and played with the bandleader and saxophonist Raymond Legrand (1940), Fred Adison’s band, the pianist Raymond Wraskoff (1940–41), Hubert Rostaing (1940–41), Alix Combelle’s group the Jazz de Paris (1940–41), Maceo Jefferson, and André Ekyan (1941). In 1943–5 he performed and recorded as the leader of a successful group consisting of a trumpet, five saxophones, and a rhythm section; Dizzy Gillespie was a guest soloist with the band in 1948. Barelli recorded in jam sessions with Charlie Parker and Sidney Bechet (1949), and Django Reinhardt (1952), and from 1966 worked as a bandleader in Monte Carlo. Influenced by Louis Armstrong, Harry James, and Gillespie, Barelli was the most technically proficient French trumpeter; his performance on ...

(b Përmet, Albania, May 2, 1929; d Përmet, Jan 26, 2014). Albanian folk music performer. A clarinettist and vocalist, nicknamed ‘Përmeti’s nightingale’, founder of the instrumental iso-polyphonic group (saze ensemble) in the Southern town of Përmet (1944–2004). At a young age, he showed a special ability to design and make instruments. He was taught to play the lute and the clarinet by the saze masters in the city of Korçë. Then his family returned to Përmet, where he joined the saze of Vangjel Leskoviku (1944). At Përmet, he organized his own saze and participated in the Folk Music Festival in Tirane (1952), where he was awarded the First Prize for the best folk clarinettist. His saze was composed of a clarinet, two lutes, two accordions, a frame drum, and a violin. The saze played instruments and sang at the same time. He is a composer of songs, clarinet ...

[Maggie ]

(b Cork City, Ireland, June 1, 1917; d County Down, N. Ireland, 1989). Irish singer and banjo player. Born into a family of musical semi-settled travellers, Barry left home to become a street singer when she was 15 years old. She began by busking the queues outside Cork’s Coliseum cinema, then travelled throughout Ireland by bicycle and horse-drawn bow-top wagon, performing at markets, country fairs, football matches and house ceilidhs. After recording her at Dundalk Fair, Co. Louth, in 1951, the American folk music collector Alan Lomax (see Lomax family §(2)) introduced Barry to London where she performed on the BBC television programme Song Hunter and in Irish public houses. She formed a duo with Sligo fiddler Michael Gorman and played in small dance halls in Ireland and America with him, before returning to London during the 1960s in reduced circumstances. Following Gorman’s death, she went home to Ireland and continued as a solo performer. Barry’s powerful street-singing vocal style together with her sparse yet appropriate five-string banjo accompaniments captured the imaginations of folk revivalists and guaranteed her a place in the history of traditional Irish music....

(b Leipzig, Germany, June 25, 1897; d Jacksonville, FL, Dec 8, 1956).

American composer and pianist of German birth; naturalized American. As a child he attended the Leipzig Conservatory, studying under Carl Reinecke. He moved to the United States with his family in 1907 and made his New York recital debut the next year. He became a US citizen in 1912. Busoni inspired him to experiment with new scales, and Barth helped to invent a portable quarter-tone piano in 1928, for which he composed numerous works; he was acquainted with Ives and may have rekindled that composer’s interest in quarter-tone music. Barth performed in the United States and Europe on the harpsichord, piano, and quarter-tone piano, and was a soloist with orchestras in Cincinnati, Havana, and Philadelphia; with the Philadelphia Orchestra he served for five years under Stokowski, and performed his Concerto for quarter-tone piano on 28 March 1930...