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Paul Creston

TheSonata for E♭ Alto Saxophone and Piano,Op. 19, was composed byPaul Creston(pictured) in 1939. Thesonata was commissioned by Creston's frequent collaborator, the American saxophonistCecil Leeson. Creston began composition by June; it was completed by the end of August and slated for publication in 1940, although this was postponed to 1945 due to World War II. The sonata is in threemovements and takes around thirteen minutes to perform. Its form follows a traditional,Classical-era structure. The sonata as a whole is of considerable difficulty for both players. Creston and Leeson premiered the sonata at theCarnegie Chamber Hall on February 15, 1940. No critics were present at the premiere, but the sonata's 1955 debut recording by Vincent Abato and Creston received a mixed response. Most found the sonata enjoyable, but there was criticism of a perceived simplistic andsalon-like styling. (Full article...)

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July 2

A demonstration against the Soviet blockade of Lithuania

1779 –American Revolutionary War: French troops landed nearSt. George's, Grenada, and began theircapture of the island.
1990 –Singing Revolution: TheSoviet economic blockade of Lithuania(pictured) was lifted when the Lithuanian parliament agreed to suspend the effects of theiract to re-establish Lithuania as a state.
1998 –Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets byJ. K. Rowling, the second novel of theHarry Potter series, was published.
2013 – In the Indonesian province ofAceh on the northern end ofSumatra,a M_w 6.1 strike-slip earthquake killed at least 35 people and injured 276 others.
2020 – Alandslide at a jade mine inHpakant killed 175–200 miners, the deadliest mining accident in Burmese history.

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TheBoeing–Saab T-7 Red Hawk is an American–Swedishtransonic advancedjet trainer produced byBoeing withSaab. In September 2018, theUnited States Air Force (USAF) selected it for theT-X program to replace theNorthrop T-38 Talon as the service's advanced jet trainer. It is named the Red Hawk as a tribute to theTuskegee Airmen, who painted their airplane's tails bright red, and to theCurtiss P-40 Warhawk, the first aircraft flown in combat by the99th Fighter Squadron, the U.S. Army Air Force's first black fighter squadron. Its first flight took place in June 2023, and the first aircraft was delivered to the USAF in September 2023. Thisair-to-air photograph shows a T-7 Red Hawk on a test flight overEdwards Air Force Base in November 2023.

Photograph credit: Bryce Bennett

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