Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for March 31: In 1732, composer Franz Joseph Haydn, known as the ``Father of the Symphony,'' was born in Austria. One of his greatest contributions to church music was his 1798 oratorio ``The Creation.'' He died in 1809.

Today in Music History for April 5: In 1922, Canadian composer Harry Freedman was born in Lodz, Poland. In 1970, he became the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's first composer-in-residence.

Today in History for April 3: In 1327, Marsilius of Padua and his copyist, John of Jandun, were forced to flee Paris for asylum in Bavaria after the pope issued a bull denouncing them as ``sons of perdition and fruits of malediction.

Today in Music History for April 3: In 1897, German pianist and composer Johannes Brahms died of liver cancer at age 63.

Today in Music History for April 4: In 397, St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, died. Known as the ``Father of Hymnody,'' he encouraged the singing of hymns, wrote several and codified the Ambrosian chant for the early church.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 22: Actor William Shatner is 93. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 89. Hockey Hall of Fame centre Dave Keon is 84. Singer Jeremy Clyde of Chad and Jeremy is 83. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 81.

Today in Music History for March 22: In 1943, singer-guitarist George Benson was born in Pittsburgh. After years as a jazz guitarist, Benson signed in 1975 with Warner Brothers, who encouraged him to sing.

Today in History for March 22: In 1638, religious dissident Anne Hutchinson was expelled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for defying Puritan orthodoxy. In 1765, Britain enacted the Stamp Act of 1765 to raise money from the American colonies.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 21: Actress Kathleen Widdoes (``As the World Turns'') is 85. Songwriter Chip Taylor (``Wild Thing'') is 84. Singer-guitarist Keith Potger of The Seekers is 83. Actress Marie-Christine Barrault is 80.

Today in History for March 21: In 547, Italian monk Benedict, author of the Benedictine rule which established the pattern for European monastic life through the Middle Ages, died at Monte Cassino.