Births on May 17

Dennis Brain

Born on May 17, 1921

Dennis Brain, English composer (d. 1957)

Dennis Brain (17 May 1921 – 1 September 1957) was a British horn player. From a musical family – his father and grandfather were horn players – he attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force, playing in its band and orchestra. After the war he was principal horn of the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, and played in chamber ensembles.

Among the works written for Brain is Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1944). Other composers who wrote for him include Malcolm Arnold, Lennox Berkeley, Alan Bush, Gordon Jacob, Humphrey Searle and Mátyás Seiber.

Brain was killed in a car crash at the age of 36.

References

Dennis Brain

Choose Another Date

Events on 1921

15 Feb

Helsinki
Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
20 Mar

Versailles Treaty
The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland.
11 Jul

William Howard Taft
Former President of the United States William Howard Taft is sworn in as 10th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the only person ever to hold both offices.
29 Oct

Sacco and Vanzetti
United States: Second trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in Boston, Massachusetts.
11 Nov

Arlington National Cemetery
The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery.

Births on May 17

Dennis Brain

Born on May 17, 1921

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1921

Helsinki

Versailles Treaty

William Howard Taft

Sacco and Vanzetti

Arlington National Cemetery