January 17, 1734:
François-Joseph Gossec is born in Vergnies, Hainaut, Kingdom of France (now in Belgium).
October 11, 1759:
François-Joseph Gossec (25) marries Marie-Elizabeth Georges in Paris.
June 7, 1761:
Le périgourdin, an intermezzo by François-Joseph Gossec (27) to words of Piédefer and the Marquis de La Salle d’Offémont, is performed for the first time, in a private theater of the Prince of Conti in Chantilly.
July 1, 1762:
Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville (50) ends his seven-year tenure as director and conductor of the Concerts spirituels in Paris. During this time he programmed the music of Gossec (28), foreigners like Holzbauer (50) and Wagenseil (47), as well as his own music.
May 26, 1763:
François-Joseph Gossec (29) appears before a Parisian magistrate to recover scores by himself and others from the estate of the recently deceased La Pouplinière.
March 16, 1765:
Le tonnelier, an opéra comique by seven composers including François-André Danican Philidor (38) and François-Joseph Gossec (31), to words of Quétant and Audinot, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.
June 27, 1765:
François-Joseph Gossec’s (31) opéra comique Le faux lord, to words of Parmentier, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.
April 23, 1766:
Les pêcheurs, an opéra comique by François-Joseph Gossec (32) to words of La Salle d’Offémont, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.
June 20, 1767:
Toinon et Toinette, an opéra comique by François-Joseph Gossec (33) to words of Desboulmiers, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.
September 28, 1767:
François-Joseph Gossec’s (33) opéra comique Le double déguisement to words of Houbron is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.
December 10, 1768:
Les agréments d’Hylas et Silvie, a pastorale by François-André Gossec (34) to words of Rochon de Chabannes, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Française, Paris.
December 4, 1773:
Sabinus, a tragédie lyrique by François-Joseph Gossec (39) to words of de Chabanon, is performed for the first time, in Versailles. Some see this as the beginning of opera reform with its historical subject and pagan elements.
January 18, 1775:
Berthe, an opéra by François-André Danican Philidor (48), François-Joseph Gossec (41) and others to words of de Pleinchesne, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels. Danican Philidor sends the overture from Paris today and it will not arrive until January 24, but the opera will probably not be repeated.
September 26, 1775:
Two pastorales by François-Joseph Gossec (41) to words of Chabanon de Maugris are performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra: Alexis et Daphné and Philémon et Baucis .
April 5, 1778:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) reports to his father from Paris that François Joseph Gossec (44) has been saying nice things about his music.
May 26, 1778:
La fête de village, an intermezzo by François-Joseph Gossec (44) to words of Desfontaines, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
November 18, 1779:
Mirza, a ballet by François-Joseph Gossec (45) to a story by Gardel, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
May 22, 1780:
François-Joseph Gossec (46) is appointed sous-directeur of the Paris Opéra under Dauvergne.
February 17, 1781:
La fète de mirza, a ballet-pantomime by François-Joseph Gossec (47) to a scenario by Gardel, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
March 1, 1782:
Thésée, a tragédie lyrique by François-Joseph Gossec (48) to words of Morel de Chéfdeville after Quinault, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
July 14, 1786:
Rosine, ou L’épouse abandonnée, an opéra by François-Joseph Gossec (52) to words of Gersin, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
June 17, 1787:
Le pied de boeuf, a divertissement by François-Joseph Gossec (53) to words of Gardel, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
July 14, 1790:
In the Fête de la Fédération, the first anniversary of the fall of the Bastille is celebrated by a march of 50,000 National Guardsmen (through a driving rain) from the Boulevard du Temple to the Champ de Mars where a great ceremonial mass takes place conducted by Talleyrand. Lafayette, for all guardsmen, swears allegiance to France, and the King swears to “employ all the powers delegated to me by the Constitution to uphold the decrees of the National Assembly.” A Te Deum for male chorus and band by François-Joseph Gossec (56) is performed for the first time.
April 4, 1791:
About 300,000 Parisians turn out for the funeral of Mirabeau. A six-hour procession winds from his house to Ste.-Geneviève (Panthéon), stopping for a eulogy at the Church of Saint-Eustache. The music is written for the occasion by François-Joseph Gossec (57).
July 11, 1791:
To honor the man who, it was said, provided the spirit for the revolution, the body of Voltaire is transported from Romilly-sur-Seine and, with appropriate pomp and bombast, is placed in the Panthéon (Sainte-Geneviève). The music is written by François-Joseph Gossec (57) specifically for this occasion. It includes the Choeur patriotique exécuté á la translation de Voltaire: “Peuple éveille-toi”, to words of Voltaire and Hymne sur la translation du corps de Voltaire to words of Chénier.
September 30, 1792:
L’offrande à la liberté, a scène religieuse by François-Joseph Gossec (58), is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
January 27, 1793:
Le triomphe de la République, ou le camp de Grandpré, a divertissement-lyrique by François-Joseph Gossec (59) to words of Chénier, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. It glorifies the French victory at the Battle of Valmy, 20 September.
August 10, 1793:
An ostentatious Festival of Unity and Indivisibility takes place in Paris to celebrate the first anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchy. François-Joseph Gossec (59) has composed five cantatas for the event. The Louvre Palace is opened to the public as a museum of art. Artists are allowed in anytime, but admittance to the general public is confined to weekends.
November 8, 1793:
The French National Convention decrees the formation of an Institut National de Musique, directed by François-Joseph Gossec (59).
June 8, 1794:
The Festival of the Supreme Being takes place amid much celebration in Paris. Hymne à l’Etre suprème by François-Joseph Gossec (60) to words of Désorgues is performed for the first time, by vast choral groups followed by a procession to the Champ de Mars.
August 3, 1795:
The Paris Conservatoire is founded by the National Convention through the joining of the Institut national de musique and the École nationale de chant et de déclamation. Five inspectors of instruction are appointed: François-Joseph Gossec (61), André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (54), Luigi Cherubini (34), Étienne-Nicolas Méhul (32), and Jean-François Le Sueur.
December 13, 1803:
Les sabots et le cerisier, an opéra by François-Joseph Gossec (69) to words of Sedaine and Cazotte, is performed for the first time, in Paris.
July 12, 1826:
The music section of the Institute, which includes François-Joseph Gossec (92), Luigi Cherubini (65), and Adrien Boieldieu (50), decide that two of the six Prix de Rome candidates should not continue past the preliminary stage. One of them is Hector Berlioz (22). Based on this result, he and his teacher, Jean-François Le Sueur, decide that he must enroll in the Paris Conservatoire.
February 16, 1829:
François-Joseph Gossec dies at Passy, Paris, Kingdom of France, aged 95 years and 30 days. His earthly remains will be interred in Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
April 12, 1829:
Daniel Auber (47) is elected a member of the Institut, replacing François Joseph Gossec (†0).