Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Söderström, Elisabeth Anna, 1927–2009, Swedish soprano, b. Stockholm, studied Royal Academy of Music and Opera School, Stockholm. Known for her warm and vibrantly beautiful voice, her technical fi...

(Encyclopedia) Battle, Kathleen, 1948–, African-American soprano, b. Portsmouth, Ohio. She studied voice at the Conservatory of Music at the Univ. of Cincinnati and made her debut at the Spoleto Festival in 1972. ...

(Encyclopedia) Stuart or Stewart, Arabella, 1575–1615, cousin of James I of England (James VI of Scotland). She was the daughter of Charles Stuart, earl of Lennox, younger brother of Lord Darnley, and her descent ...

(Encyclopedia) Wasserstein, Wendy, 1950–2006, American playwright, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. Wasserstein, who made a place on the American stage for contemporary women and their concerns, explored such issues as love, ind...

(Encyclopedia) Seymour, Jane, 1509?–1537, third queen consort of Henry VIII of England. She served as a lady in waiting to both of Henry's first two queens, Katharine of Aragón and Anne Boleyn. Henry became inter...

(Encyclopedia) Eleanor of Castile kăstēlˈ [key], d.1290, queen consort of Edward I of England and daughter of Ferdinand III of Castile. At her marriage (1254) she brought to Prince Edward the territories of Ponth...

(Encyclopedia) Enfantin, Barthélemy Prosper bärtālmēˈ prôspĕrˈ äNfäNtăNˈ [key], 1796–1864, French socialist, sometimes called Père Enfantin. He became a leader of the movement started by the comte de ...

(Encyclopedia) Epiphany ĭpĭfˈənē [key] [Gr.,=showing], a prime Christian feast, celebrated Jan. 6, called also Twelfth Day or Little Christmas. Its eve is Twelfth Night. It commemorates three events—the bapti...

(Encyclopedia) Gardner, Isabella Stewart, 1840–1924, American art collector, b. New York City. She lived in Boston following her marriage to the financier Jack Gardner. After the Civil War her home became known fo...

(Encyclopedia) Gratian, fl. 1140, Italian legal scholar, founder of the science of canon law. Almost nothing is known of his life beyond the fact that he was a monk, almost certainly Camaldolite, and that he taught ...