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Rostand, Edmond

(Encyclopedia)Rostand, Edmond ĕdmôNˈ rôstäNˈ [key], 1868–1918, French poet and dramatist. In 1890 appeared his first volume of verse, Les Musardises. His first plays were light, fanciful, and charmingly poe...

Serah

(Encyclopedia)Serah sēˈrə [key], in the Bible, daughter of Asher. Her name is also spelled Sarah. ...

Shirley-Quirk, John Stanton

(Encyclopedia)Shirley-Quirk, John Stanton, 1931–2014, British bass-baritone. He began his career as a chemistry teacher, turning permanently to music in 1961. Acclaimed for his fine tone, diction, and phrasing, h...

fantasia

(Encyclopedia)fantasia făntāˈzhə [key] [Ital.,=fancy], musical composition not restricted to a formal design, but constructed freely in the manner of an improvisation. In the 16th and 17th cent., however, the t...

Morton, Sarah Wentworth

(Encyclopedia)Morton, Sarah Wentworth, 1759–1846, American author, b. Boston. Under her pseudonym, Philenia, she wrote such works as Ouâbi: Or the Virtues of Nature (1790), a sentimental Native American romance....

Terfel, Bryn

(Encyclopedia)Terfel, Bryn, 1965–, Welsh bass-baritone, b. Pant Glas as Bryn Terfel Jones. One of the most acclaimed singers of his era, he has a voice of rare warmth, richness, and power. His rise to public prom...

Marble, Alice

(Encyclopedia)Marble, Alice, 1913–90, American tennis player, b. Plumas co., Calif. She began playing tennis at the age of 15, and after 1931 she rose rapidly in national tennis rankings. She four times took the ...

Knight, Sarah Kemble

(Encyclopedia)Knight, Sarah Kemble, 1666–1727, American teacher, b. Boston. She was known as Madam Knight in connection with her writing school and her work as a recorder of public documents. Her famous Private J...

metaphysical poets

(Encyclopedia)metaphysical poets, name given to a group of English lyric poets of the 17th cent. The term was first used by Samuel Johnson (1744). The hallmark of their poetry is the metaphysical conceit (a figure ...

Kemble, Roger

(Encyclopedia)Kemble, Roger, 1721–1802, English actor and manager. During his years as the leader of a traveling company, he married (1753) Sarah Wood, 1735–1806, an actress. They had 12 children, thus founding...
 

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