Born Today! 26.08.2023

Matteo Capranica (26 August 1708 – c. 1776) was an Italian composer. Born in Amatrice, Capranica studied at the Conservatorio di Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana in Naples under Nicola Porpora, Ignazio Prota, and Francesco Feo. After completing his studies he worked as maestro di cappella at various churches in Naples and devoted himself to music composition of both sacred and secular works. He was for many years organist at the Naples Cathedral. His first opera, Carlo, premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples in 1736. He went on to compose eight more operas through 1753. His other works include 2 oratorios, 2 masses, 2 sonatas, a cantata, several works for harpsichord, and various arias and duets for singers. He died in Naples.

Karl Ignaz Augustin Kohaut (Carolus Ignatius Augustinus; baptised August 26, 1726 – August 6, 1784) was an Austrian lutenist and composer of Czech descent. He is considered (along with Bernhard Joachim Hagen) to be one of the last important composers of music for Baroque Lute. Born in Vienna, Karl Kohaut pursued a dual career as a diplomat and musician. He entered the Austrian civil service in 1756 or 1757 as a minor official in the state chancellery, but by 1778 he had reached the position of court secretary. He was active as a violinist in performances organized by Gottfried van Swieten (in quartets by Haydn and Mozart), but he was most widely admired as a lutenist. He is recorded to have appeared as the soloist in a performance of one of his own lute concertos at the Tonkünstler-Societät on 17 March 1777, during which one of his symphonies was also performed. Kohaut wrote seven lute concertos, which are fine examples of this rare genre. The concerto in F major is probably most well known, having been recorded at least four times: by Julian Bream, Alirio Díaz, John Schneiderman and Hopkinson Smith. Kohaut's eight masses were frequently performed at the monasteries of Melk and Göttweig, especially the Missa Sancti Willibaldi, which was performed at Göttweig on 24 occasions, the last time as late as 1798. Kohaut's Symphony in F minor was his best known work during the 20th century, recorded on LP on the Supraphon label.

Wilhelm Troszel (26 August 1823 - 2 March 1887) was a Polish composer and operatic bass. Born in Warsaw, he was the son of composer and piano maker Wilhelm Troschel. Toszel studied vocal techniques with August Freyer. He made his stage debut at the Grand Theatre, Warsaw on 17 April 1843. At that theatre he notably created the role of Zbigniew in the world premiere of Stanisław Moniuszko's The Haunted Manor at the Grand Theatre, Warsaw in 1865.

Baron Boris Alexandrovich Fitinhoff-Schell (Russian: Борис Александрович Фитингоф-Шель, tr. Boris Aleksandrovič Fitingof-Šel’) (26 August [O.S. 14 August] 1829 in Morshansk – 26 September [O.S. 13 September] 1901 in St. Petersburg, Russia) was a Russian composer of Baltic German descent.

Franco Ghione (1886–1964) was an Italian conductor and violinist. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and became a violinist for the Parma Theatre and the Augusteo in Rome. He began a conducting career in 1913 and conducted in many opera houses, including La Scala. He conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1936 to 1940, where it was said that, because he could not speak English, he "would explode in frustration" when his instructions were not understood. After graduating in composition and violin at the Parma Conservatory, Ghione began his musical career as a violinist in the orchestras of the Parma Theatre and of the Augusteo in Rome, and then he made his debut as a conductor in 1913. His first appearance at La Scala was in the 1922–23 season with successful performances of Massenet's Manon and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. From then on, he was regularly invited to conduct in major opera houses and worked with the finest voices of the period. He has left us numerous interesting recordings, among which we recall especially Pagliacci (by Leoncavallo) with Beniamino Gigli; Puccini's Turandot with Gina Cigna, Francesco Merli, and Magda Olivero; Massenet's Werther with Tito Schipa; and Verdi's La traviata with Maria Callas.

Sergey Artemyevich Balasanian (Russian: Серге́й Арте́мьевич Баласаня́н; 13 August 1902 in Ashgabat, Russian Empire – 13 June 1982 Moscow, Russian SFSR) was a Soviet Armenian composer. He taught composition in the Moscow Conservatory. Balasanian wrote the first Tajik opera – The Uprising at Vosse (first staged in 1939). It was debuted in Moscow in 1941 as part of a 10-day exhibition of Tajik art.Sergey Balasanian was awarded the Stalin Prize (1949) and five orders. In 1957 he was decorated as People's Artist of the Tajik SSR, and in 1963 as Honored Art Worker of the Russian SFSR.

Jacopo Napoli (August 26, 1911 in Naples – 1994 in Ascea) was an Italian composer of the 20th century. Born in Naples, he studied privately. He taught composition at the Cagliari music conservatory. He was the director of the Naples conservatory. His compositions include chamber music, songs, the operas Miseria e nobiltà, Il malato immaginario and Un curioso accidente, as well as the orchestral works Preludio di caccia and La festa di Anacapri.

Jacopo Napoli (August 26, 1911 in Naples – 1994 in Ascea) was an Italian composer of the 20th century. Born in Naples, he studied privately. He taught composition at the Cagliari music conservatory. He was the director of the Naples conservatory. His compositions include chamber music, songs, the operas Miseria e nobiltà, Il malato immaginario and Un curioso accidente, as well as the orchestral works Preludio di caccia and La festa di Anacapri.

Humphrey Searle (26 August 1915 – 12 May 1982) was an English composer and writer on music. His music combines aspects of late Romanticism and modernist serialism, particularly reminiscent of his primary influences, Franz Liszt, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, who was briefly his teacher. As a writer on music, Searle published texts on numerous topics; he was an authority on the music of Franz Liszt, and created the initial cataloguing system for his works.

Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt (August 26, 1925 – January 3, 2010) was a Chilean composer.

Ida Rose Esther Gotkovsky (born 26 August 1933) is a French composer and pianist. She is currently a professor of music theory at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in France.

Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles and has had two operas commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. Since 2006, he has released nine studio albums, many of which are collaborative, including 2017's Planetarium with Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner & James McAlister. He is a member of the Icelandic music collective and record label Bedroom Community.