The Autographs and Collectible Memorabilia Blog

Cecile Chaminade - French Composer and Pianist

Cécile Chaminade, in full Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (1857 – 1944), is a French Composer and a popular concert pianist. Though a very gifted and versatile composer, she was chiefly known for her graceful and romantic piano music and songs, which were very appropriate for the Parisian salon music events...

Hermann Levi: A Champion of Progress and Tradition

Hermann Levi, the German conductor, Known as the conductor of Jewish origin who against all odds was the conductor at Richard Wagner’s Parsifal premiere.

Michael Rabin – America’s First Teen Violin Sensation

Michael Rabin was known as one of the preeminent violin virtuosos of the 20th century. After a debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 13, Michael went on to travel over 700,000 miles during his career. Sadly, the career of Michael Rabin was cut extremely short. He died at...

Hugo Wolf – The Great Austrian Composer of Songs

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) was born in Slovenjgrade, Slovenia. His family was of predominantly German origin. Philipp Wolf, Hugo’s father, forcibly succeeded his father, Franz Wolf in the leather trade. Star conductor Herbert von Karajan was related to him via Hugo's mother. However, he found consolation in music and taught himself...

Grace Moore: The Tennessee Nightingale

It is wonderful to live and sing. It is a great thing to feel that one is able to help other people with one's voice. I want to play in a new opera where the heroine does not die in the last scene or go mad. That is why I...

Alberto Ginastera: A Life In Music

EARLY LIFE Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1916. Ginastera is called the greatest Argentinian composer of classical music. He is universally hailed as one of the leading figures of Argentinian twentieth century art-music. Furthermore, alongside his Brazilian colleague, Heitor Villa-Lobos, he achieved a level of...

William Kapell: Honest American Pianist of All Time

There are hundreds of great pianists from all parts of the world. But depending on their performance and composition, some are at the top of the game. Among the renowned American pianists, William Kapell tops the list. In his professional career, Kapell seemed to have the combined qualities of greatest...

Henryk Wieniawski: Violin Prodigy and Gifted Composer

The name of Henryk Wieniawski has been synonymous with perfection in violin performance, along with the virtuosic fireworks and sublime melodies his music offers. Wieniawski deservedly occupies a unique position in the history of violin playing. He was a brilliant virtuoso whom contemporary critics and music lovers regarded as the re-incarnation of...

Alessandro Moreschi: The Last Castrato

On the 21st April 1922, the very last singer of a Western musical tradition going back at least 500 years died. Young Alessandro Moreschi (shown here singing at a young age) was a castrato, and from him we have the only recordings of a voice type obtained through castration before...

Maria Malibran - Fame and Tragedy

Daughter of the celebrated singer and voice teacher Manuel García, Maria Malibran was to become one of the most revered and influential singers of the first half of the 19th century. Born in Paris in 1808, Maria Malibran started her journey from Paris. She was taken to Italy at the...

Anton Rubinstein – Talented Pianist and Educator

Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a widely respected Russian pianist, composer, and conductor during the second half of the 19th century. He is most famous for founding the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and a series of concerts that covered the history of the piano music. However, there is much more to the...

Manuel Garcia Senior (1775-1832), Patriarch of a Singing Dynasty

Although 18th century Spain produced many distinguished artists, only a handful of them reached long-standing stardom and exerted significant influence over bel canto. In the 17th century - and contrarily to Italy, France, or Germany - Spain was primarily the cradle of zarzuelas. These include the baroque zarzuelas, which arguably...

Paul Dukas – The Great French Composer and a Critic

A French composer, scholar, critic, and teacher of composition, Paul Abraham Dukas was born in Paris on October 1, 1865. A diligent man with a modest personality, Paul Dukas was an intense self-critic. For these self-critical characteristics, he destroyed many of his compositions. While he wrote lots of music in...

Opera Singers Who Died in the Holocaust

On 30 January 1933, life changed for every German citizen and for some, very dangerously indeed. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party was declared the only legal political entity in Germany, and they began to put their plans in place for segregating everyone who did not fit their "Aryan" ideal. These people...

Anna Pavlova: Her Life and Career...in Color!

Anna Pavlova is one of the most famous ballerinas in the history of the artform. Born in Russia, she dazzled audiences around the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with her artistry, grace, and athleticism. She was also a woman ahead of her time in other ways....

Percy Grainger – The Greatest Pianist and Champion of Folk Music

Australian-born pianist and composer-arranger Percy Grainger is often credited with helping to revive interest in British folk music in the early 20th century. His work and his personal life were colourful, leaving behind a legacy that people continue to discuss. Explore the life of Percy Grainger to gain more insight...

Dennis Brain: British Horn Player

The middle decades of the twentieth century saw some tragic premature losses to British music-making: contralto Kathleen Ferrier at only 41, flautist Laurie Kennedy at just 24, and perhaps the most famous of French horn soloists, Dennis Brain. The Family Dennis Brain was born into a dynasty of French horn...

Yousuf Karsh – Photographer

Canadian-Armenian photographer Yousuf Karsh is widely regarded as one of the top portrait photographers of the past century. During a career that spanned more than six decades, over 20 of his photos graced the cover of LIFE magazine. However, his most recognizable photograph is a portrait of Winston Churchill from...

Farinelli in Madrid...and an Autograph Document

The Bourbon King, Philip V, wasn't born a Spanish royal at all. He was the younger son of Louis, The Grand Dauphin, who was heir apparent to the French throne, and as he had older brothers who were directly in line, there was little expectation that he would ever rule...

Ray Kroc: His Life and “Grinding it Out”

Even if you do not recognize the name “Ray Kroc,” you will recognize the franchise that he expanded to every corner of the globe -- McDonald’s. Ray Kroc is widely considered one of the greatest American businessmen in modern times. He practically launched the fast-food industry and changed the food-service...

Louis Moreau Gottschalk - The First Great American Composer

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, american pianist and composer. His life, timeline, and career - and his autograph memorabilia

Judy Garland - A Long Career in a Short Life

Most remembered for The Wizard of Oz and Meet Me in St. Louis, the raw star quality that Judy Garland had made her one of the most iconic and loved singing actresses in movie history. The market in memorabilia is still so popular that a Judy Garland autograph or signed...

Enrico Caruso: The New York Years

From the golden age of opera in the early years of the twentieth century, few voices define their era better than that of Enrico Caruso. One of the first great star tenors in a time that otherwise worshiped coloratura sopranos and their music, Caruso's life - a breath-taking rise from...

Pianist Leon Fleisher Just Passed Away

The celebrated American musician Leon Fleisher (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Leon Fleischer) has died in a hospice in Baltimore at the age of 92. Born in 1928 in San Francisco to Isidore and Bertha Fleisher, both Jewish immigrants, his parents managed the family’s two hat shops. Drawn to the piano from...

THE AUTOGRAPH BLOG

Cecile Chaminade - French Composer and Pianist

Hermann Levi: A Champion of Progress and Tradition

Michael Rabin – America’s First Teen Violin Sensation

Hugo Wolf – The Great Austrian Composer of Songs

Grace Moore: The Tennessee Nightingale

Alberto Ginastera: A Life In Music

William Kapell: Honest American Pianist of All Time

Henryk Wieniawski: Violin Prodigy and Gifted Composer

Alessandro Moreschi: The Last Castrato

Maria Malibran - Fame and Tragedy

Anton Rubinstein – Talented Pianist and Educator

Manuel Garcia Senior (1775-1832), Patriarch of a Singing Dynasty

Paul Dukas – The Great French Composer and a Critic

Opera Singers Who Died in the Holocaust

Anna Pavlova: Her Life and Career...in Color!

Percy Grainger – The Greatest Pianist and Champion of Folk Music

Dennis Brain: British Horn Player

Yousuf Karsh – Photographer

Farinelli in Madrid...and an Autograph Document

Ray Kroc: His Life and “Grinding it Out”

Louis Moreau Gottschalk - The First Great American Composer

Judy Garland - A Long Career in a Short Life

Enrico Caruso: The New York Years

Pianist Leon Fleisher Just Passed Away

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