March 2, 1900:
Curt Julian Weill is born at Leipzigerstraße 59 in Dessau, German Empire, the third of four children born to Albert Weill, chief cantor at the Dessau synagogue and composer of sacred music, and Emma Ackerman, daughter of a rabbi.
December 18, 1915:
Kurt Weill (15) plays a Chopin (†66) nocturne and Liebestraum nr.3 by Franz Liszt (†29) at a concert to benefit the Society for Germans Abroad in the palace of Duke Friedrich II of Anhalt in Dessau.
February 6, 1918:
Two Duets on Poems by Otto Julius Bierbaum, Maikaterlied and Abendlied for voice and piano by Kurt Weill (17) are performed for the first time, in the Protestant Community Hall in Dessau, the composer at the piano. They are part of a vocal recital by students of the soprano Emilie Feuge. Weill accompanies all the singers. He receives good notices, both as pianist and composer.
November 9, 1918:
A general strike begins in Berlin and other German cities. Workers march on the Chancellery in the capital. Troops take the strikers’ side in Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, Kassel, and Frankfurt-am-Main. Feeling desperate, the Chancellor announces the abdication of the Kaiser. At German headquarters in Spa, Belgium, Kaiser Wilhelm II is informed that he has abdicated. He leaves for exile in the Netherlands. The German Republic is proclaimed. “People’s Representatives” replace the imperial government of Chancellor Maximilian, Prince of Baden. Friedrich Ebert takes over as provisional Chancellor. Communists and revolutionary mobs begin taking over strategic points in the capital. The high command pledges its support to the new government. An aspiring musician named Kurt Weill (18) spends the entire day at the Reichstag, watching the proceedings.
November 18, 1922:
Zaubernacht, a ballet with song by Kurt Weill (22) to a scenario by Boritsch, is performed for the first time, in the Theater am Kurfürstendam, Berlin. It is successful. During the auditions, an aspiring dancer named Lotte Lenja is introduced to Weill, although she is on stage and he in the pit.
December 7, 1922:
The sixth movement of the Divertimento op.5 for small orchestra and male chorus, entitled Chorale-Fantasy, by Kurt Weill (22) is performed for the first time, at the Singakademie, Berlin. See 10 April 1923.
March 12, 1923:
Sinfonia sacra op.6 for orchestra by Kurt Weill (23) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
April 10, 1923:
Divertimento op.5 for small orchestra and male chorus by Kurt Weill (23) is performed completely for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Berlin. See 7 December 1922.
June 14, 1923:
A suite from the ballet with song Zaubernacht entitled Quodlibet (Eine Unterhaltungsmusik) op.9 by Kurt Weill (23) is performed for the first time, in the Friedrichs-Theater, Dessau.
June 24, 1923:
String Quartet no.1 op.8 by Kurt Weill (23) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.
January 25, 1924:
Frauentanz, sieben Gedichte des Mittelalters op.10 for voice and orchestra by Kurt Weill (23) is performed for the first time, in the Saal der Singakademie, Berlin.
April 22, 1924:
Kurt Weill (24) signs his first contract with a publisher, Universal Edition, Vienna.
November 30, 1924:
The first issue of Der deutsche Rundfunk containing the writing of their new music correspondent, Kurt Weill (24), is published.
January 22, 1925:
Stundenbuch op.13, a song cycle for voice and orchestra by Kurt Weill (24) to words of Rilke, is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Berlin.
June 11, 1925:
Concerto for violin and wind orchestra op.12 by Kurt Weill (25) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de l’Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
December 27, 1925:
Kurt Weill’s (25) ballet with song Zaubernacht is performed in the Garrick Theatre, New York. It is the first performance of his music in North America.
January 28, 1926:
Kurt Weill (25) marries Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer, a dancer and actress from Vienna who goes by the stage name Lotte Lenja, in the registry office in Charlottenburg, Berlin, German Republic. No relatives of either of them are present.
February 28, 1926:
Kurt Weill (25) writes of Arnold Schoenberg (51), “True, spurning all concessions, he proceeds with the straightforwardness of the fanatic who looks upon success in his lifetime almost as evidence of regression in his art. But even his opponents are forced to recognize in him the purest, noblest artistic personality and the most forceful spiritual force in musical life today.”
March 27, 1926:
Der Protagonist, an opera by Kurt Weill (26) to words of Kaiser, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Staatsoper. It is a tremendous success. The dedicatee, Lotte Lenja (Frau Weill) will remember forty curtain calls.
September 1, 1926:
Incidental music to Klabund’s and Brown’s (after Grabbe) Hörspiel Herzog Theodor von Gothland by Kurt Weill (26) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Berlin Radio.
March 2, 1927:
Royal Palace, a ballet-opera by Kurt Weill to words of Goll, is performed for the first time, at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, on the composer’s 27th birthday. As a prelude to Royal Palace, the cantata Der neue Orpheus for soprano, violin, and orchestra by Kurt Weill to words of Goll is performed for the first time.
March 24, 1927:
Kurt Weill (27) meets Bertold Brecht for the first time, at Brecht's Berlin apartment.
July 17, 1927:
Paul Hindemith's (31) dramatic sketch Hin und zurück, to words of Schiffer, is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden. It is received well by press and public. Also on the program is the premiere of Mahagonny, a “songspiel” by Kurt Weill (27) to words of Bertolt Brecht, accompanied by loud insults and flying missiles, mostly rotten produce. This marks the first appearance of Lotte Lenja (Frau Weill) in a work of Weill. Among the audience is Aaron Copland (26).
October 29, 1927:
Incidental music to Strindberg’s play Gustav III by Kurt Weill (27) is performed for the first time, in the Theater in der Königgrätzerstrasse, Berlin.
November 23, 1927:
Vom Tod im Wald, a ballad for bass and ten winds by Kurt Weill (27) to words of Brecht, is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Berlin.
December 14, 1927:
Ich sitze da un’ esse klops, a song for tenor, two piccolos, and bassoon by Kurt Weill (27) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
January 11, 1928:
A recording is made of Kurt Weill’s (27) Tango Angèle to be used in his opera Der Zar lässt sich photographieren. It is the first recording of any music by Kurt Weill and will be released to the public next month.
February 18, 1928:
Der Zar lässt sich photographieren, an opera by Kurt Weill (27) to words of Kaiser, is performed for the first time, at the Neues Theater, Leipzig. It is well received and will be widely successful.
April 8, 1928:
Incidental music to Lania’s play Konjunktur by Kurt Weill (28) to words of Gasbarra, is performed for the first time, in the Lessing Theater, Berlin.
April 24, 1928:
George (29) and Ira Gershwin meet Kurt Weill (28) for the first time, in Berlin, at an informal meeting to acquaint European composers with American music publishing. It is possible that Arnold Schoenberg (53) is also in attendance.
April 25, 1928:
Incidental music to Bronnen’s play Katalaunische Schlacht by Kurt Weill (28) is performed for the first time, at the Staatliches Schauspielhaus, Berlin.
August 31, 1928:
The play with music Die Dreigroschenoper by Kurt Weill (28) to words of Brecht (after Gay), is performed for the first time, in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin. To the astonishment of everyone involved with the production, it is a smash.
October 15, 1928:
Berlin im Licht by Kurt Weill (28) is performed for the first time, as a march for military band, in the Wittenberg Platz, Berlin. See 16 October 1928.
October 16, 1928:
Berlin im Licht, a song for voice and piano by Kurt Weill (28) to his own words, is performed for the first time in its original form, at the Kroll Opera House, Berlin. See 15 October 1928.
November 28, 1928:
Incidental music to Feuchtwanger’s play Petroleuminseln by Kurt Weill (28) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Staatstheater.
February 7, 1929:
Kleine Dreigroschenmusik für Blasorchester by Kurt Weill (28) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Staatsoper am Platz der Republik.
May 7, 1929:
Members of the National Socialist Party throw stink bombs during a performance of Kurt Weill’s (29) Die Dreigroschenoper at the Berlin State Opera.
May 22, 1929:
Kurt Weill’s (29) cantata Das Berliner Requiem, to words of Brecht, for tenor, baritone, male chorus, and winds, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Frankfurt Radio.
July 27, 1929:
Der Lindberghflug, a radio play by Bertolt Brecht with music by Paul Hindemith (33) and Kurt Weill (29), is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden. See 5 December 1929.
September 2, 1929:
Happy End, a comedy by Kurt Weill (29) to words of Hauptmann and Brecht, is performed for the first time, in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin. Things are going well until strongly anti-capitalist lines appear in Act III. The audience reacts badly and the performance is a complete fiasco. After three performances, it is never performed again during the lifetimes of the authors.
December 5, 1929:
The second version of Der Lindberghflug, a cantata by Kurt Weill (29) to words of Brecht, is performed for the first time, in Berlin. See 28 July 1929.
March 9, 1930:
Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, an opera by Kurt Weill (30) to words of Brecht, is performed for the first time, in the Neues Theater, Leipzig. Brownshirts carrying signs greet the audience as they arrive. During the performance shouts and insults are thrown at the stage while fistfights break out in the hall. Some cast members walk to the edge of the stage and hurl insults back to the audience. Loud applause and expressions of approval are also heard.
March 12, 1930:
Three days after its Leipzig premiere, Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by Kurt Weill (30) and Bertolt Brecht is performed in Kassel and Braunschweig. The performance in Kassel goes on without incident but in Braunschweig, some Nazi students begin demonstrating during the second act and it turns into a riot. After one more performance, the opera is withdrawn.
June 23, 1930:
Kurt Weill’s (30) school opera Der Jasager, to words of Brecht, after a Noh drama (translated into English by Waley and into German by Hauptmann), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Berlin Radio.
June 24, 1930:
Kurt Weill’s (30) school opera Der Jasager, to words of Brecht, after a Noh drama (translated into English by Waley and into German by Hauptmann), is staged for the first time, in Berlin.
October 17, 1930:
The case of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill (30) against the producers of the Die Dreigroschenoper film, for artistic control, begins.
November 4, 1930:
Verdicts are returned in the suits by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill (30) against the producers of the Die Dreigroschenoper film (see 17 October 1930). The judge has split the case in two, handling the two artists’ suits separately. Brecht’s claims are not accepted but Weill’s are. In order to avoid appeal, Nero Films pays Brecht RM25,000 and agrees to revert the film rights to him in two years. Weill receives RM50,000 and the court requires that all the music in the film must be by Weill, however the resulting soundtrack is simply a pastiche of his most popular songs.
February 6, 1931:
Incidental music to Bertolt Brecht’s play Mann ist Mann by Kurt Weill (30) is performed for the first time, at the Staatliches Schauspielhaus, Berlin.
February 19, 1931:
The film of the Die Dreigroschenoper, with music a pastiche of popular songs by Kurt Weill (30), is shown for the first time, at the Atrium, Berlin.
December 21, 1931:
Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by Kurt Weill (31) and Bertolt Brecht opens in Berlin for the first time, in the Kurfürstendammtheater. It turns out to be a great success in the capital.
March 10, 1932:
Die Bürgschaft, an opera by Kurt Weill (32) to words of Neher and the composer after Herder, is performed for the first time, at the Städtische Oper, Berlin. The Städtische Oper has been strongly attacked in the right-wing press. But the opera is relatively successful.
December 11, 1932:
Kurt Weill’s (32) Mahagonny Songspiel and Der Jasager are performed in the Salle Gaveau, Paris. They are very successful and open Weill to possibilities outside Germany.
February 8, 1933:
Hans Heinsheimer of Universal Edition writes to Kurt Weill (32) expressing his view that the Nazis will not go away in a few months. He is very pessimistic. “I believe that we should be prepared for anything...”
February 18, 1933:
Kurt Weill’s (32) play with music Der Silbersee: ein Wintermärchen, to words of Kaiser, is performed for the first time, simultaneously in Leipzig, Erfurt, and Magdeburg. Even though the Nazis try to intimidate the management and the performance, the work is a hit with the audience and the press, except for Nazi newspapers.
March 4, 1933:
Today’s production of Der Silbersee marks the last performance in Germany of any work by Kurt Weill (33) until the end of World War II. The Nazis close all productions of the play.
March 21, 1933:
Kurt Weill (33) is driven from Berlin to the French border by Caspar and Erika Neher.
March 22, 1933:
Kurt Weill (33) is driven across the border from Germany into France by Caspar and Erika Neher. They go to Paris.
March 23, 1933:
Kurt Weill (33) arrives in Paris after crossing the frontier from Germany.
April 3, 1933:
Kurt Weill’s (33) monthly stipend from Universal Edition is cut in half.
April 13, 1933:
An English translation by Cochran and Krimsky of Die Dreigroschenoper by Kurt Weill (33) and Bertolt Brecht opens in the Empire Theatre, New York. It is a complete flop and will last only twelve performances.
June 7, 1933:
Die sieben Todsünden, a ballet chanté by Kurt Weill (33) to words of Brecht, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris. Both Weill and Brecht are present, but the reaction is disappointment.
September 18, 1933:
A divorce between Kurt Weill (33) and Lotte Lenja is finalized in Potsdam.
October 3, 1933:
Universal Edition suspends its publishing contract with Kurt Weill (33).
October 31, 1933:
Having been suspended from his publishing contract with the German company Universal Edition, Kurt Weill (33) signs a new contract with Heugel in Paris.
November 3, 1933:
La grande complainte de Fantômas by Kurt Weill (33) to words of Desnos is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Paris.
November 19, 1933:
Kurt Weill (33) and Universal Edition reach agreement over the termination of his publishing contract. They will retain the rights to works they have already published.
November 26, 1933:
An anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi demonstration takes place in Paris at a performance which includes three songs from Der Silbersee by Kurt Weill (33). The demonstrations are led by Florent Schmitt (63) who cries out “Vive Hitler!”
October 11, 1934:
Symphony no.2 by Kurt Weill (34) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam. Critics are not impressed. It is presented as his First Symphony since he withdrew the symphony of 1919.
December 22, 1934:
Incidental music to Déval’s play Marie Galante by Kurt Weill (34) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre de Paris. It is a failure.
June 28, 1935:
A Kingdom for a Cow, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (35) to words of Arkell and Carter, after Vambery, is performed for the first time, at the Savoy Theatre, London. Weill’s ex-wife Lotte Lenja has come to join him for the premiere, her affair having ended. But the reaction by press and public is not good. See 23 March 1990.
September 1, 1935:
The Nazi Party sends out one of several letters listing composers whose music is considered degenerate and may not be played. Among those honored are Erik Satie (†10), Ernst Bloch (55), Joseph Matthias Hauer (52), Alfredo Casella (52), Alban Berg (50), Kurt Weill (35), Ernst Krenek (35), and Aaron Copland (34).
September 4, 1935:
Kurt Weill (35) and ex-wife Lotte Lenja sail from Cherbourg aboard the SS Majestic, making for New York.
September 10, 1935:
Kurt Weill (35) and his ex-wife Lotte Lenja arrive in New York from Europe aboard the SS Majestic. It is their first time in America. He has come to work on The Eternal Road with Franz Werfel. They expect to be in the United States for no more than three months.
October 10, 1935:
The official premiere of Porgy and Bess, an opera by George Gershwin (37) to words of DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, takes place in the Alvin Theatre, New York. Critics are mixed. After the performance, the Gershwins meet Kurt Weill (35) recently arrived from Europe. See 30 September 1935.
December 17, 1935:
Three months after his arrival in New York, an all-Kurt Weill (35) evening is presented by the League of American Composers. It is a failure and will convince Weill that he needs to write a different kind of music if he is to be successful in the United States.
February 25, 1936:
Kurt Weill (35) goes to the German consulate in New York to replace his expired passport. In spite of the recently enacted Nuremberg Laws depriving Jews of their citizenship, he is issued a new passport without comment.
March 26, 1936:
The publishers Heugel in Paris notify Kurt Weill (36) that they will end their contract with him effective 31 December. They can’t make enough money off of him.
November 19, 1936:
Johnny Johnson, a musical play by Kurt Weill (36) to words of Green, is performed for the first time, in the 44th Street Theatre, New York. It is a moderate success. Weill is particularly praised in the press.
January 7, 1937:
The Eternal Road, a dramatic oratorio by Kurt Weill (36) to words of Werfel (tr. Lewisohn), is performed for the first time, in the Manhattan Opera House, New York. This afternoon, the fire inspector closes the show owing to the many fire law violations in the set. Mayor LaGuardia is reached by the producer desperately trying to save his show (and his investment). Upon arriving at the theatre, His Honor finds the city fire inspector completely justified in his action, but in order that the show go on in the evening, LaGuardia stations firemen, with extinguishers at the ready, throughout the hall during the performance. It is a success, but will eventually lose money. See 13 June 1999.
January 19, 1937:
Kurt Weill (36) and Lotte Lenya remarry in a civil ceremony in North Castle, New York.
February 18, 1937:
Kurt Weill (36) takes up residence in Hollywood.
August 27, 1937:
In order to establish an immigrant status (so they can apply for United States citizenship), Kurt Weill (37) and Lotte Lenya go to Canada and re-enter the country on an immigration visa.
September 29, 1937:
Deux chansons d’Yvette Guilbert by Kurt Weill (37) are performed for the first time, during the Paris production of Die Dreigroschenoper (L’opéra de quat’ sous).
December 13, 1937:
Kurt Weill (37) returns to California from New York, this time with Lotte Lenya. He rents a cottage in Santa Monica.
May 24, 1938:
As part of the Reichsmusiktage which began two days ago, an exhibition of degenerate music opens in Düsseldorf. Among the composers enshrined as “cultural bolsheviks” are Arnold Schoenberg (63), Igor Stravinsky (55), Alban Berg (†2), Paul Hindemith (42), Kurt Weill (38), and Ernst Krenek (37).
June 8, 1938:
You and Me, a film by Friz Lang and some music by Kurt Weill (38) (considerably rearranged by the studio) is released in the United States.
September 28, 1938:
Knickerbocker Holiday, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (38) to words of Anderson, is performed for the first time, in Bushnell Memorial Theatre, Hartford. See 19 October 1938.
October 19, 1938:
Knickerbocker Holiday, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (38) to words of Anderson, opens in New York, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It is a success, with 168 performances. See 26 September 1938.
April 30, 1939:
Kurt Weill’s (39) historical pageant Railroads on Parade to words of Hungerford is performed for the first time, at the New York World’s Fair. Also premiered at the fair is William Grant Still’s (43) Song of a City for chorus and orchestra to words of Stillman.
November 13, 1939:
Incidental music to Howard’s play Madam, Will You Walk? by Kurt Weill (39) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore. The music is prerecorded.
January 20, 1940:
Incidental music to Rice’s play Two on an Island by Kurt Weill (39) is performed for the first time, in the Broadhurst Theatre, New York.
February 4, 1940:
Kurt Weill’s (39) scenic cantata The Ballad of Magna Carta to words of Anderson, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the CBS radio network.
April 9, 1940:
Gestapo agents visit the offices of Universal Edition in Vienna. They carry off 33,000 copies of 45 separate publications, all music of Kurt Weill (40), Hanns Eisler (41), and Anatol Rathaus.
July 15, 1940:
Darius Milhaud (47) and his wife arrive in New York aboard the Excambion from Lisbon. Milhaud has fled the Germans who undoubtedly would not approve of his ancestry. They are met at the dock by Kurt Weill (40) and Lotte Lenya.
December 30, 1940:
Lady in the Dark, a musical play with book by Hart, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by Kurt Weill (40), is performed for the first time, in the Colonial Theatre, Boston. Despite the extreme anxiety of the creative team, it is a hit. See 23 January 1941.
January 23, 1941:
Lady in the Dark, a musical play with a book by Hart, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by Kurt Weill (40), opens in New York, at the Alvin Theatre. It is a smash and will see 467 performances. See 30 December 1940.
February 23, 1941:
Virgil Thomson (44) writing in the New York Herald Tribune, attacks Kurt Weill (40) and Lady in the Dark saying, “It smells of Hollywood. It is hokum, like Louise, sincere hokum. If it really touches you, you go all to pieces inside. If not, it is still something anyway, though not so much...Mr. Weill seems to have a great facility for writing banal music and the shamelessness to emphasize its banality with the most emphatically banal instrumentation.”
May 28, 1941:
Kurt Weill (41) and Lotte Lenya buy a house in New City, New York.
October 5, 1941:
Music for Hecht and MacArthur’s pageant Fun to be Free by Kurt Weill (41) is performed for the first time, in Madison Square Garden, New York. It is an attempt to rally the country to enter the war against Germany.
February 28, 1942:
Incidental music to Anderson’s radio play Your Navy by Kurt Weill (41) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of all four American radio networks, originating in New York.
June 4, 1942:
Song of the Free by Kurt Weill (42) to words of MacLeish is performed for the first time, as part of a revue in the Roxy Theatre, New York.
October 1, 1942:
Kurt Weill (42) meets Bertolt Brecht in California, for the first time since 1935.
March 9, 1943:
We Will Never Die, a pageant by Hecht with music by Kurt Weill (43), is performed for the first time, in Madison Square Garden, New York. The work is a collaboration by several prominent Jewish members of the entertainment industry designed to highlight the accomplishments of Jews through history and express solidarity with the Jews of occupied Europe.
April 3, 1943:
Und was bekam des Soldaten Weib? for voice and piano by Kurt Weill (43) to words of Brecht is performed for the first time, at Hunter College, New York sung by Lotte Lenya.
August 27, 1943:
Kurt Weill (43) takes the oath to become a citizen of the United States, in New York.
September 17, 1943:
One Touch of Venus, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (43) to words of Perelman and Nash, is performed for the first time, at the Shubert Theatre, Boston. See 7 October 1943.
October 7, 1943:
One Touch of Venus, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (43) to words of Perelman and Nash, opens in New York, at the Imperial Theatre. It is a smash and will see 567 performances. See 17 September 1943.
November 1, 1943:
Kurt Weill (43) moves to Hollywood from New York to live while he works on a film with Ira Gershwin.
February 10, 1944:
Lady in the Dark, a film with music by Kurt Weill (43), is released in the United States.
March 17, 1944:
Knickerbocker Holiday, a film with music by Kurt Weill (44), is released in the United States.
February 23, 1945:
Kurt Weill’s (44) operetta The Firebrand of Florence to words of Mayer and Ira Gershwin is performed for the first time, in the Colonial Theatre, Boston, under the title Much Ado About Love. The lead role is played by Lotte Lenya. See 22 March 1945.
March 7, 1945:
World War II: Chinese forces capture Lashio, Burma.
As American forces capture Cologne, 45 km to the southeast, the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen is found intact by American troops. They immediately put four divisions across to the eastern bank of the Rhine. These are the first foreign troops to successfully go east across the Rhine in anger since Napoleon in 1805.
Allied planes bomb Dessau, destroying what is left of the synagogue where Albert Weill (father of Kurt Weill (45)) was a cantor earlier in the century. The synagogue was gutted during Kristallnacht.
March 22, 1945:
Kurt Weill’s (45) operetta The Firebrand of Florence, to words of Mayer and Ira Gershwin, opens in New York, in the Alvin Theatre. The lead role is played by Lotte Lenya. Critics are unimpressed and the run will close after 43 performances. See 23 February 1945.
August 15, 1945:
The music of Kurt Weill (45) is heard in Germany for the first time in twelve years when Die Dreigroschenoper is performed in the Hebbel-Theater, Berlin.
May 10, 1946:
New works on Jewish themes are performed for the first time, in the Park Avenue Synagogue, New York: Kiddush for cantor, chorus, and organ by Kurt Weill (46), The Voice of the Lord (Psalm 29) for solo voice, chorus, and piano by William Grant Still on the eve of the composer’s 51st birthday, and Mi Chomocho for tenor or baritone, chorus, and organ by Roy Harris (48) to words from Exodus.
August 1, 1946:
Kurt Weill (46) is elected to the Playwrights’ Company.
September 5, 1946:
Incidental music to Hecht’s Zionist play A Flag is Born by Kurt Weill (46) is performed for the first time, in the Alvin Theatre, New York. Reviews are mixed.
December 16, 1946:
Street Scene, a broadway opera by Kurt Weill (46) to words of Rice and Hughes, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia. It will run for three disastrous weeks to nearly empty houses. See 9 January 1947.
January 9, 1947:
Street Scene, a broadway opera by Kurt Weill (46) to words of Rice and Hughes, opens in New York. To the astonishment of the producers, the work is a popular and critical success. See 16 December 1946.
March 1, 1947:
Kurt Weill’s (46) most beloved relative, his brother Hans, dies of a blood clot at the age of 48. The loss precipitates a nervous breakdown by the composer.
April 6, 1947:
The first Antoinette Perry awards are given in New York. Kurt Weill (47) receives a special award for his contributions to theatre.
May 6, 1947:
Kurt Weill (47) sails aboard the SS Mauretania from New York for a trip to Europe and Palestine.
May 20, 1947:
For the first time since he left Germany in 1933, Kurt Weill (47) reunites with his parents, now living in Nahariya, Palestine.
October 27, 1947:
A protest against the activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee is signed by 66 prominent citizens, including Kurt Weill (47). At the hearings, screenwriter John Howard Lawson is cited for contempt for refusing to answer questions. Eric Johnston, President of the Motion Picture Association, condemns the committee for “unsupported generalizations” which “we are denied the opportunity to refute.”
July 15, 1948:
Kurt Weill’s (48) college opera Down in the Valley to words of Sundgaard is performed for the first time, at Indiana University in Bloomington. See 4 January 1950.
September 13, 1948:
Kurt Weill’s (48) vaudeville Love Life, to words of Lerner, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, Boston. It is generally successful. See 7 October 1948.
October 7, 1948:
Kurt Weill’s (48) vaudeville Love Life, to words of Lerner, opens in New York at the 46th Street Theatre. It is generally successful. See 13 September 1948.
October 28, 1948:
A filmed version of One Touch of Venus with music by Kurt Weill (48) is shown for the first time, in New York.
October 30, 1949:
Kurt Weill’s (49) musical tragedy Lost in the Stars, to words of Anderson after Paton, is performed for the first time, in the Music Box Theatre, New York. The work, on the tragedy of apartheid, is received enthusiastically by both audience and critics and will receive 273 performances.
January 14, 1950:
Down in the Valley, an opera by Kurt Weill (49) to words of Sundgaard, is broadcast over the airwaves of NBC television. Although only 40 minutes long, it is still the first opera to be televised. See 15 July 1948.
March 15, 1950:
Kurt Weill (50) suffers a recurrence of his constant ailment, psoriasis, this time covering his back, at Brook House, his home in New City, New York.
March 16, 1950:
During the night, Kurt Weill (50) is kept awake by severe chest pain.
March 19, 1950:
After Kurt Weill’s (50) condition, diagnosed as coronary thrombosis, worsens, he is transported by ambulance to Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospital, New York, and put in an oxygen tent.
April 3, 1950:
19:00 After a period of recovery, Kurt Weill (50) suffers a relapse of his heart ailment and dies of a cerebral embolism at Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospital, New York, USA aged 50 years, one month, and one day.
April 5, 1950:
The earthly remains of Kurt Weill are laid to rest at Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, New York attended by a small group of family and friends.
March 22, 1952:
Three songs from Kurt Weill’s (†1) unfinished musical Huckleberry Finn, to words of Anderson, orchestrated by Bennett, are performed for the first time, in New York.
June 14, 1952:
An English version of Kurt Weill’s (†2) Die Dreigroschenoper by Marc Blitzstein (47) is performed at the new Adolph Ullman Amphitheatre at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Also on the program is Symphonie pour un homme seul by Pierre Schaeffer (41) and Pierre Henry (24), and Les Noces by Igor Stravinsky (69). See 10 March 1954.
March 10, 1954:
Amidst fears of blacklisting and right-wing pickets, Marc Blitzstein’s (49) English translation of Die Dreigroschenoper, starring Lotte Lenya, opens off-Broadway at the Theatre de Lys, New York. The audience loves it. The critics are generally positive. Intended to run three months, it will not close for seven years. This, more than anything else, secures the fame of Kurt Weill (†3) and Bertolt Brecht in the United States.
July 2, 1971:
Recordare op.11 for chorus by Kurt Weill (†21) to the Latin words of Lamentations, is performed for the first time, in the Pieterskerk, Utrecht 48 years after it was composed.
September 9, 1975:
Two chamber works by Kurt Weill (†25) are performed for the first time in the Akademie der Künste, Berlin: String Quartet in b minor (1919) and Sonata for cello and piano (1920).
March 23, 1990:
Der Kuhhandel, an operetta by Kurt Weill (†39) to words of Vambery, is performed for the first time, in a concert performance in the Tonahalle, Dusseldorf 56 years after it was composed. A revised version of it called A Kingdom for a Cow was performed in London on 28 June 1935.
June 14, 1990:
Marie Galante “Suite Panamienne” by Kurt Weill (†40) is performed for the first time.
June 13, 1999:
The original version of Kurt Weill’s (†49) biblical drama Der Weg der Verheissung to words of Werfel is performed for the first time, in Chemnitz, 64 years after it was composed. See 4 January 1937.