June 21, 1893:
Alois Hába is born in Vizovice, Kingdom of Bohemia, first of four children born to Frantisek Hába, a shoemaker and musician, and Terezie Trcková.
August 24, 1912:
Alois Hába (19) enters into duties as an assistant teacher at the elementary school in Bilovice, near Uherské Haradiste, Bohemia.
October 31, 1914:
Alois Hába (21) receives a certificate after taking the state examination in violin.
June 21, 1915:
Alois Hába is drafted into the 25th Artillery regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army at St. Pölten, Austria on his 22nd birthday.
January 1, 1917:
Alois Hába (23) begins three months at the Non-Commissioned Officers’ School in St. Pölten, Austria.
January 21, 1917:
While attending Non-Commissioned Officers’ School in St. Pölten, Austria, Alois Hába (23) witnesses a performance of the quarter-tone opera Die Schneider von Schönau of Jan Brandts-Buys. Hába will write to the composer asking for lessons.
May 16, 1919:
Sonata for piano op.3 by Alois Hába (26) is performed for the first time, in the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna.
July 12, 1919:
Alois Hába (26) graduates from the second year at the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. He was a student of Franz Schreker (41).
June 30, 1920:
Alois Hába (27) completes his third and last year as a student of Franz Schreker (42) at the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. Schreker recommends to Universal Edition that Hába’s String Quartet be published.
December 9, 1920:
Overture op.5 for orchestra by Alois Hába (27) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
July 31, 1921:
The First Festival for the Promotion of Contemporary Music opens in Donaueschingen. String Quartet no.4 by Alois Hába (28) is performed for the first time, at the Festival.
March 18, 1922:
Two Grotesques for piano by Alois Hába (28) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
November 28, 1922:
String Quartet no.2 in the quarter-tone system op.7 by Alois Hába (29) is performed for the first time, at the Hochschule für Musik, Berlin.
July 29, 1923:
String Quartet no.3 in the quarter-tone system op.12 by Alois Hába (30) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
June 3, 1924:
Alois Hába (30) gives a lecture on microtonal music at the ISCM Festival in Prague. He introduces a new quarter-tone piano made by Firma August Förster.
June 10, 1924:
The first movement of the Choral Suite in the Quarter-Tone System op.13 for male chorus by Alois Hába (30) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Kleiner Saal des Saalbaues, Frankfurt-am-Main. Also premiered is Hába’s Fantasy for solo violin in the quarter-tone system op.9a.
April 23, 1925:
The first concert of the Quarter-Tone Music Society takes place in Leningrad and includes music of Alois Hába (31).
May 20, 1925:
Fantasy no.3 for quarter-tone piano op.20 by Alois Hába (31) is performed, possibly for the first time, in Prague.
January 7, 1928:
While on a visit to Prague, Gustav Holst (53) has dinner with Leos Janácek (71) and Alois Hába (34).
February 9, 1928:
Alois Hába (34) marries Emilie Rolencová.
September 12, 1928:
Fantasy no.8 for quarter-tone piano op.29 by Alois Hába (35) is performed for the first time, in Siena.
January 27, 1930:
Fantasy for flute and piano op.34 by Alois Hába (36) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
May 17, 1931:
Die Mutter, the first opera in quarter-tones, by Alois Hába (37) to his own words (tr. Joss), is performed for the first time, in Munich. Specially constructed instruments have been prepared for the opera. See 23 May 1947.
November 5, 1931:
Toccata quasi una fantasia for piano op.38 by Alois Hába (37) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
March 19, 1932:
Fantasy for nonet no.1 op.40 by Alois Hába (38) is performed for the first time, in the Kleiner Saal of the Vienna Musikverein.
October 25, 1932:
Fantasy for nonet no.2 by Alois Hába (39) is performed for the first time, in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
March 15, 1934:
The Path of Life op.46, a symphonic fantasy for orchestra by Alois Hába (40), is performed for the first time, in Winterthur.
May 27, 1935:
Fantasy no.9 op.30, Fantasy no.10 op.31, and the Suite no.2 op.11 for quarter-tone piano by Alois Hába (41) are performed for the first time, in the Large Hall of the Art Society, Prague.
April 5, 1936:
Nursery Rhymes op.48, a cycle for voice and piano by Alois Hába (42) to words of Foltyn (pseud. of Stivín), is performed for the first time, in Prague.
April 8, 1936:
The overture to Alois Hába’s (42) unperformed opera The New Country is performed for the first time, in Prague. See 9 March 1937.
March 9, 1937:
Act III, scene 1 of Alois Hába’s (43) opera The New Country, to words of Pujman after Gladkov, is performed for the first time, in Cowdray Hall, London.
April 13, 1937:
A concert of microtonal music by Alois Hába (43) and his students is presented in Prague by Pritomnost (the Present), a contemporary music society.
March 15, 1939:
A concert scheduled for today, which was to include the premiere of the Fantasy no.4 for quarter-tone piano op.25 by Alois Hába (45), is cancelled due to the takeover of Czechoslovakia.
October 16, 1939:
Alois Hába (46) and his wife Emilie divorce after eleven years.
March 31, 1944:
Several chamber works by Alois Hába (50) are performed for the first time, in Prague: the first, fourth, and fifth movements of the Sonata for guitar op.52, the fourth movement of the Suite no.1 for quarter-tone guitar op.54, the third movement of the Suite no.2 for quarter-tone clarinet op.55, and the Suite for quarter-tone trumpet and trombone op.56.
March 16, 1946:
Fantasy no.4 op.25 and Fantasy no.5 op.26 for quarter-tone piano by Alois Hába (52) are performed for the first time, in Prague, 21 years after they were composed. Also premiered is Hába’s Fantasy no.7 op.28 for quarter-tone piano, 20 years after it was composed, and the Suite no.1 for quarter-tone piano op.10.
May 14, 1946:
Five Folksongs of Love from Moravia op.58, a cycle for voice and piano by Alois Hába (52), is performed for the first time, in Prague.
May 23, 1947:
The Mother, a quarter-tone opera by Alois Hába (53) to his own words, is performed for the first time in the original Czech, at the Grand Opera of the 5th of May, Prague. See 17 May 1931.
May 21, 1948:
Sonata for quarter-tone piano op.62 by Alois Hába (54) is performed for the first time, in the Rudolfinum, Prague.
January 14, 1949:
Lovers op.57, a cycle for voice and piano by Alois Hába (55) to words of Benesová, is performed for the first time, in Prague.
October 16, 1950:
String Quartet no.6 in the quarter-tone system op.70 by Alois Hába (57) is performed for the first time, in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia.
November 1, 1950:
For Peace op.68, a cantata by Alois Hába (57) to words of Faltis (pseud. of Vackár) and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Prague.
January 25, 1951:
Suite for solo bassoon op.69 by Alois Hába (57) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
February 5, 1951:
What is Evil and What is Good for children’s chorus, piano, and clarinet by Alois Hába (57) to words of Mayakovsky, is performed for the first time, in Prague.
February 16, 1951:
String Quartet no.7 “Christmas Quartet” op.73 by Alois Hába (57) is performed for the first time, in Hradec, Králové, Czechoslovakia.
September 1, 1951:
Te Deum laudamus for organ op.75a by Alois Hába (58) is performed for the first time, in Regensburg, West Germany.
October 17, 1951:
Six Polish Folksongs for harp op.75c by Alois Hába (58) is performed for the first time, at the State Conservatory in Prague.
June 10, 1953:
String Quartet no.9 op.79 and Sonata for violin and piano op.1a by Alois Hába (59) are performed for the first time, in the Marble Hall of Lucerna Palace, Prague. The sonata is first heard 38 years after it was composed.
October 29, 1953:
Wallachian Suite op.77 for orchestra by Alois Hába (60) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
December 14, 1953:
Intermezzo and Prelude for diatonic harp op.61 and the Sonata for solo clarinet op.78 by Alois Hába (60) are performed for the first time, in the Small Hall of the Rudolfinum, Prague, to celebrate the 60th birthday of the composer.
February 19, 1954:
Nonet no.3 op.82 by Alois Hába (60) is performed for the first time, in the Rudolfinum, Prague.
January 25, 1956:
Suite for solo cello op.81a and Suite for solo violin op.81b by Alois Hába (62) are performed for the first time, in Prague.
January 26, 1957:
String Quartet no.10 in the sixth-tone system op.80 by Alois Hába (63) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.
January 15, 1958:
Concerto for viola and orchestra op.86 by Alois Hába (64) is performed for the first time, in the Rudolfinum, Prague.
January 23, 1959:
String Quartet no.11 in the sixth-tone system op.87 by Alois Hába (65) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Hamburg Radio.
March 11, 1959:
Slavonic Popular Proverbs op.84, a cycle for children’s or women’s chorus by Alois Hába (65) to words of Celkovsky, is performed for the first time, in Prague.
October 15, 1960:
String Quartet no.12 op.90 by Alois Hába (67) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
April 4, 1961:
Two cycles for voice and piano by Alois Hába (67), to words of various authors, are performed for the first time, in Prague: We Sing Through the Two-Year Plan and From February 1948 to the Five-Year Plan. Also premiered is Hába’s O, Lovely Homeland for children’s voices and piano to words of Alda (pseud. of Horejsí).
April 13, 1962:
String Quartet no.13 “Cosmonautical” op.92 by Alois Hába (68) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
February 17, 1963:
Concerto for violin and orchestra op.83 by Alois Hába (69) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
October 27, 1964:
String Quartet no.15 op.95 by Alois Hába (71) is performed for the first time, in Detmold, West Germany.
January 26, 1965:
Suite for solo bass clarinet op.96 by Alois Hába (71) is performed for the first time, in Hitzacker, West Germany.
March 4, 1965:
Suite for dulcimer op.91 by Alois Hába (71) is performed for the first time, in the Rudolfinum, Prague.
October 7, 1967:
String Quartet no.16 in the fifth-tone system op.98 by Alois Hába (74) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
January 12, 1968:
Fantasy for bass clarinet and piano op.34a by Alois Hába (74) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.
May 6, 1968:
Suite for solo bass clarinet op.69a by Alois Hába (74) is performed for the first time.
November 19, 1969:
Suite for bass clarinet and piano op.100 by Alois Hába (76) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
March 18, 1970:
Suite for solo violin in the quarter-tone system op.93 by Alois Hába (76) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
December 16, 1971:
Six Moods for piano op.102 by Alois Hába (78) is performed for the first time, in Biberach an der Riß, West Germany.
July 21, 1972:
Alois Hába (79) marries Emilie Brozková Stursová.
September 25, 1972:
Diary Entries for Sprechstimme and string quartet op.101 by Alois Hába (79) is performed for the first time, in the Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland.
November 18, 1973:
Alois Hába dies in Prague, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, aged 80 years, four months, and 28 days. His mortal remains will be laid to rest in Olsany Cemetery in Prague.
January 15, 1974:
Nonet no.4 by Alois Hába (†0) is performed for the first time, in Prague.
January 30, 1974:
Three Fugues for piano by Alois Hába (†0) are performed for the first time, in Brno, 56 years after they were composed.
September 25, 1975:
Suite for violin and piano in the quarter-tone system op.103 by Alois Hába (†1) is performed for the first time, in the Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland.
May 12, 1985:
Suite no.2 for quarter-tone guitar op.63 by Alois Hába (†11) is performed for perhaps the first time, over the airwaves of ORF, Salzburg, 38 years after it was composed.
October 6, 1993:
Suite for Sixth-tone harmonium or string quartet op.37 by Alois Hába (†19) is performed for the first time in the version for quartet, in Brno, 65 years after it was composed, during the centennial of the composer’s birth.
May 16, 1997:
String Quartet no.5 in the sixth-tone system op.15 by Alois Hába (†23) is performed for the first time, in the Church of St. Lawrence, Prague, 74 years after it was composed.
January 12, 1999:
Suite for solo violin in the sixth-tone system op.85b by Alois Hába (†25) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Czech Radio originating in Prague, 44 years after it was composed.
May 25, 1999:
Music for solo violin op.9b by Alois Hába (†25) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Prague Radio, 77 years after it was composed.