Washington Irving was an American writer. He was born in New York City on April 3, 1783. He began his literary career writing humorous newspaper sketches. He edited magazines. He went to Europe on family matters as a young man. He remained there for 17 years. He served as the United States ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. He wrote biographies. He regarded his 5-volume life of George Washington as his masterpiece. He died in his home, Sunnyside, at Tarrytown, New York on November 28, 1859.
Irving and his contemporary James Fenimore Cooper were America's first internationally acclaimed authors. Irving encouraged American authors and supported stronger copyright laws. He is best known today for two short stories: "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". They have been adapted to the stage, to television, and to animated and live-action movies.
The Chicago community area Irving Park is named after him.
Sunnyside (Tarrytown, New York)
Sunnyside is a house in Tarrytown, New York. It was once the home of American writer Washington Irving. He wrote many books, but he is best known for the short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle". Irving bought the property on June 7, 1835 for $1,800. He described it to his brother as "a beautiful spot, capable of being made a little paradise ... I have had an architect up there, and shall build upon the old mansion this summer. My idea is to make a little nookery somewhat in the Dutch style, quaint, but unpretending. It will be of stone." In its day, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. said that Sunnyside stood "next to Mount Vernon, the best known and most cherished of all the dwellings in our land." The public interest in the home drew several gawkers hoping to catch a glimpse of Irving working. Irving died of a heart attack in his bedroom at Sunnyside on November 28, 1859. Irving's descendants lived in the house until 1945. In that year, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought it. He opened the house to tourists in 1947. Sunnyside is now a museum. An admission fee is charged. The house contains furniture that once belonged to Irving. Sunnyside became a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving. The story was published in 1820 in a collection of Irving's literary pieces called "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." The story was one of the first fictional works by an American author to become popular outside the United States. Adaptations include Walt Disney's animated movie "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" of 1949 and, more recently, Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" of 1999 starring Johnny Depp.
A lanky school teacher named Ichabod Crane arrives in the village of Tarry Town. He is very superstitious. He falls in love with pretty Katrina Van Tassel (and her father's large farm).
Katrina has a suitor though. His name is Brom Bones. Brom is a rowdy and boisterous young man. He does not like Ichabod. He does not like Ichabod hovering about Katrina.
One autumn night after a party at the Van Tassel's, Ichabod sets off for home alone. He thinks he sees the Headless Horseman, a dead soldier of the Revolution whose head was blown off by a cannon ball. His ghost haunts the countryside in search of his head.
He chases Ichabod. Ichabod is terrified and runs away. He is never seen again. Villagers find only a smashed Jack-o'-lantern. Whenever the story is told, Brom gives a knowing wink. It is implied that he frightened away his rival by posing as the Headless Horseman.
George Li
George Li (Chinese: 黎卓宇, Pinyin: Lí zhuōyǔ), born August 24, 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, is a Chinese-American pianist.
Li has been performing since he was nine years old, and is known as a recitalist, a chamber musician, and a soloist with orchestra. At the age of eleven, he played at New York's Carnegie Hall. The performance was featured in the new TV series by NPR, "From the Top".
Li won first prizes in the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association state competitions at the age of 6 and 7. In 2005, Li won second prizes in both the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition and the Cincinnati World Piano Competition at the age of nine.
In 2008, Li won the second prize in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Junior Artist Competition. In 2010, Li won the first prize in the Cooper International Piano Competition Li has also won the first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
On June 7, 2011, Li played for Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama, and German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and her husband Dr. Joachim Sauer at a state dinner in the White House Rose Garden. On June 23, 2011, Li was one of the two recipients of the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award. He is currently the youngest person who got the award.
Li lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. He is a student of Walnut Hill School and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, where he learns with Wha Kyung Byun. Li's previous piano teachers include Dorothy Shi (杨镜钏) and Yin Chengzong (殷承宗).
Yin Chengzong
Yin Chengzong (Chinese: 殷承宗, Pinyin: Yīn Chéngzōng) (born 1941 in Gulangyu Island, Xiamen, Fujian, China) is a Chinese pianist and composer. He is famous for composing the Yellow River Piano Concerto he arranged based on the Yellow River Cantata.
Fou Ts'ong
Fou Ts'ong (; 10 March 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Chinese-born British pianist. He was perhaps best known for winning third prize and the Special Mazurka prize at the International Chopin Competition at Warsaw. He was born in Shanghai.
Fou died of COVID-19 on 28 December 2020 in London, aged 86.
Kipper (disambiguation)
Kipper may refer to:
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Eberhard Hermann Kohlschreiber (born 16 October 1983 in Augsburg) is a German tennis player. He turned professional in 2001. , his highest ranking has been number 16 in the world.
Murray Perahia
Murray Perahia KBE (born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor.
Murray Perahia was born in New York City to a family of Sephardi Jewish origin. According to the biography on his Mozart piano sonatas CD, his first language was Judaeo-Spanish. The family was from Thessaloniki, Greece. His father moved to the United States in 1935.
In 1965, Perahia won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 1972, he was the first North American to win first prize at the Leeds Piano Competition.
Seventh International Schumann Festival
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
The General Strike
The General Strike is a 2012 album by American punk rock band Anti-Flag. It is their 9th album.
Études (Chopin)
The Études by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin are three sets of études for piano.
Chopin's "Études" are some of the hardest pieces of all the works in concert piano repertoire. Because of this, the music remain famous and are often played at concerts. Some of them have been given nicknames (but not by Chopin himself) - for example, the last "Étude" from Op. 10 has been called the "Revolutionary" because it was inspired by the November 1830 Uprising, when the Poles were defeated by the Russian Empire.
All twenty-seven "Études" were published during Chopin's lifetime; Opus 10, the first group of twelve were written between 1829 and 1832, and were published in 1833, in France, Germany, and England. The twelve "Études" of Opus 25 were composed at various times between 1832 and 1836, and were published in the same countries in 1837. The final three, part of a series called "Méthode des méthodes de piano" compiled by Moscheles and Fétis, were composed in 1839 but with no opus number.