Born Today! 26.12.2023

Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède or La Cépède (French: [bɛʁnaʁ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ etjɛn də la vil syʁ‿ijɔ̃ də lasepɛd]; 26 December 1756 – 6 October 1825) was a French naturalist and an active freemason. He is known for his contribution to the Comte de Buffon's great work, the Histoire Naturelle.

Franz Hünten, also known as François Hünten (26 December 1792 – 22 February 1878), was a German pianist and composer of salon music. He was born in Koblenz, the son of the organist Daniel Hünten, who taught Henri Herz. Like Herz, he moved to Paris and entered its Conservatorium in 1819. He wrote pleasant and technically undemanding piano music: rondos, fantasies, variations, dances, etc. Of Hünten’s 267 published works, the vast majority were written for piano solo or duet. His first success was Variations militaires à 4 mains, op. 12, a simple imitation of Ignaz Moscheles's variations on the Alexandermarsch, and soon his popularity was such that for one work of ten pages he was paid 2000 francs. Two years after publishing the instruction book Nouvelle méthode pour le piano-forte, op. 60 (1833), he moved back to Koblenz, where he continued to compose; he moved back to Paris after a few years but retired for good in 1848. Hünten's music was wildly popular throughout France, Germany, and England, but critical notices inevitably described it as trifling and later assessments have been much the same. His brothers, Wilhelm, a piano teacher in Koblenz, and Peter Ernst, a piano teacher in Duisburg, also composed piano music of a similar character. His son, Emil Hünten, was a painter.

Arnold Ludwig Mendelssohn (26 December 1855 – 18 February 1933), was a German composer and music teacher. He was born in Ratibor, Province of Silesia; the son of Felix Mendelssohn's cousin Wilhelm Mendelssohn (1821–1866) who, in 1854, had married Louise Aimee Cauer (sister to Bertha Cauer). In 1885, Arnold Ludwig himself married his second cousin, Maria Cauer, daughter of Karl Cauer (sister of Ludwig Cauer).Mendelssohn was originally a lawyer before studying music, then was director of church music and a professor in Darmstadt. Paul Hindemith was one of his students. After his death his works were banned in Nazi Germany because of his Jewish heritage. He died in Darmstadt.

Alexander von Fielitz (December 28, 1860 – July 29, 1930) was a German composer.

Armen Tigranian or Tigranyan or Dikranian (Armenian: Արմեն Տիգրանի Տիգրանյան; 26 December 1879, Alexandropol – 10 February 1950, Tbilisi) was an Armenian composer, conductor and sociocultural activist. His best-known work is Anoush, premiered in Alexandropol in 1912. It is the first opera ever performed in Armenia.

Julius Weismann (26 December 1879 – 22 December 1950) was a German pianist, conductor, and composer.

Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He was known for his performances in the films Rhapsody in Blue (1945), The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), An American in Paris (1951), and The Band Wagon (1953). He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 for recordings featuring his piano performances. He was as equally famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on radio and later in movies and television, as for his music. He was portrayed by Sean Hayes in the Broadway play Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright. Levant appeared as himself in the Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945).

Sérgio Assad (born 26 December 1952) is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother, Odair in the guitar duo Sérgio and Odair Assad, commonly referred to as the Assad Brothers or Duo Assad. Their younger sister Badi is also a guitarist. Assad is the father of composer/singer/pianist Clarice Assad. He is married to Angela Olinto.

Olivier Derivière (born 26 December 1978) is a French video game composer, best known for his work on the Alone in the Dark, Obscure, Remember Me and Streets of Rage 4 soundtracks. His work on Remember Me won the 2013 IFMCA award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media.

Carolina Eyck (born 26 December 1987) is a German-Sorb musician specialising in playing the Theremin, an electronic instrument. Her performances around the world have helped to promote the unusual musical instrument.