April 4 is the birthday of Spanish guitarist, composer and priest GASPAR SANZ (1640-1710).

Sanz "strongly influenced some twentieth-century composers.

• The composer Manuel de Falla utilised some of his themes in his work El retablo de maese Pedro composed in 1923.

• In 1954, at the request of guitarist Andrés Segovia, Joaquín Rodrigo composed his Fantasía para un gentilhombre on themes from Instrucción de música sobre la Guitarra Española.

• Passages of Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite for String Orchestra composed in 1926 appear to be inspired by Sanz's composition Dance De Las Hachas.

•Paco Peña and John Williams have performed works of Sanz together, and performed Sanz's Canarios (1674) in 1975." (Wikipedia)

April 4 is the birthday of French orientalist and archaeologist ANTOINE GALLAND (1646-1715).

Galland is "most famous as the first European translator of One Thousand and One Nights, which he called Les mille et une nuits. His version of the tales appeared in twelve volumes between 1704 and 1717 and exerted a significant influence on subsequent European literature and attitudes to the Islamic world. Jorge Luis Borges has suggested that Romanticism began when his translation was first read." (Wikipedia)

April 4 is the birthday of American folk painter EDWARD HICKS (1780-1849).

"Hicks' work was influenced by a specific Quaker belief referred to as the 'Inner Light'. George Fox and other founding Quakers had established and preached the Inner Light doctrine. Fox explained that along with scriptural knowledge, many individuals achieve salvation by yielding one's self-will to the divine power of Christ and the 'Christ within.' This 'Christ in You' concept was derived from the Bible's Colossians 1:27. Hicks depicted humans and animals to represent the Inner Light's idea of breaking physical barriers (of difference between two individuals) to working and living together in peace." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of Hicks’ art, CLICK HERE.

April 4 is the birthday of American photographer WILLIAM HENRY JACKSON (1843-1942).

Jackson "was an American photographer, Civil War veteran, painter, and an explorer famous for his images of the American West. He was a great-great nephew of Samuel Wilson, the progenitor of America's national symbol Uncle Sam. He was the great-grandfather of cartoonist Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead comics." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of Jackson’s photography, CLICK HERE.

April 4 is the birthday of Sephardic Jewish-French-Anerican conductor PIERRE MONTEUX (1875-1964).

"Debussy was behind me when we played L'après-midi d'un faune because he did not want anything in his score to be changed on account of the dancing. And when we came to a forte, he said 'Monteux, that is a forte, play forte'. He did not want anything shimmering. And he wanted everything exactly in time."

"Young conductors talk too much."

April 4 is the birthday of American film composer ELMER BERNSTEIN (1922-2004).

"I'm generally pessimistic about the dumbing down of America - especially with summer movies."

Bernstein "composed and arranged scores for over 100 film scores, including Sudden Fear (1952), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The Ten Commandments (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The World of Henry Orient (1964), The Great Escape (1963), Hud (1963), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), True Grit (1969), My Left Foot (1989), The Grifters (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Twilight (1998), and Far from Heaven (2002). He is known for his work on the comedic films, Animal House (1978), Meatballs (1979), Airplane! (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Stripes (1981), Trading Places (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), and Three Amigos (1986)." (Wikipedia)

April 4 is the birthday of memoirist, poet and St. Louis native MAYA ANGELOU (1928-2014).

“Love life. Engage in it. Give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.”

Angelou "published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim." (Wikipedia)

April 4 is the birthday of Russian filmmaker ANDREI TARKOVSKY (1932-1986). One of his greatest films is ANDREI RUBLEV about the Russian medieval icon painter.

"Art is born and takes hold wherever there is a timeless and insatiable longing for the spiritual."

"Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinema history, his films explore spiritual and metaphysical themes, and are noted for their slow pacing and long takes, dreamlike visual imagery, and preoccupation with nature and memory." (Wikipedia)