A CHRONOLOGICAL VIEW OF WESTERN MUSIC HISTORY IN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD EVENTS

Hugo Weisgall

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October 13, 1912: Hugo David Weisgall is born in Ivancice, near Brünn (Brno), Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Adolph Joseph Weisgal, cantor and composer of Jewish religious music, and Aranka Stricker.
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March 25, 1938: Who is Like Unto Thee for solo voice, chorus, and organ by Hugo Weisgall (25) to Hebrew liturgical words, is performed for the first time, in Temple Emanu-El, New York.
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May 17, 1938: Quest, a ballet by Hugo Weisgall (25) to a scenario by Resnick, Rosenberg, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore. See 21 March 1942.
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February 25, 1939: One Thing is Certain, a ballet by Hugo Weisgall (26) to a scenario by Hart, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
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March 21, 1942: A suite for orchestra from Hugo Weisgall’s (29) ballet Quest is performed for the first time, in New York. See 17 May 1938.
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March 28, 1942: Hymn for chorus and orchestra by Hugo Weisgall (29) to words of the Yom Kippur liturgy, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
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May 16, 1942: Hugo Weisgall (29) is enlisted into the United States Army in Baltimore.
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December 28, 1942: Hugo Weisgall (30) marries Nathalie Shulman.
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July 29, 1943: American Comedy 1943 (Overture in F) for orchestra by Hugo Weisgall (30) is performed for the first time, in Albert Hall, London directed by the composer.
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September 28, 1943: Freedom Morning for chorus and orchestra by Marc Blitzstein (38) to African-American spirituals is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London conducted by Sergeant Hugo Weisgall (30). This marks the first time that an all-black chorus performs in the hall.
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March 29, 1947: An arrangement for string orchestra of the Fugue and Romance from Hugo Weisgall’s ballet One Thing is Certain is performed for the first time, in Prague. See 25 February 1939.
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April 17, 1948: I Looked Back Suddenly, a song for voice and piano by Hugo Weisgall (35) to words of Wolfe, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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January 11, 1950: Orchestral excerpts from Hugo Weisgall’s (37) ballet Outpost are performed for the first time, in Baltimore conducted by the composer.
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February 11, 1952: The Tenor, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (39) to words of Shapiro and Lert after Wedekind, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
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August 9, 1952: The Stronger, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (39) to words of Hart after Strindberg, is performed for the first time, with piano accompaniment, in Westport, Connecticut.
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January 31, 1953: A Garden Eastward, a cantata for solo voice and orchestra by Hugo Weisgall (40) to words of Moses ibn Ezra (tr. Feist), is performed for the first time, in Baltimore under the baton of the composer.
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April 14, 1954: Sicilian Limes, an opera by Dominick Argento (26) to words of Olon-Scrymgeour after Pirandello, is performed for the first time, at Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, conducted by Hugo Weisgall (41). The accompaniment is two pianos, one of which is played by the composer.
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April 26, 1954: Soldier Songs, a cycle for voice and piano by Hugo Weisgall (41) to eight different authors, is performed for the first time, in New York. See 30 March 1966.
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February 17, 1956: Two Madrigals for voice and piano by Hugo Weisgall (43) to 17th century English texts are performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York.
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April 26, 1959: Six Characters in Search of an Author, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (46) to words of Johnston after Pirandello, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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February 17, 1961: Purgatory, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (48) to words of Yeats, is performed for the first time, in Washington.
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April 14, 1961: Performance, a ballet created by José Limón, is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York. It is a theme and variations composed by members of the school’s faculty. President William Schuman (60) composed the theme, with variations written by Hugh Aitken, William Bergsma (40), Jacob Druckman (32), Vittorio Giannini, Norman Lloyd, Vincent Persichetti (45), Robert Starer, and Hugo Weisgall (48).
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February 17, 1964: Athaliah, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (51) to words of Goldman after Racine, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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March 6, 1966: Music for the television documentary Of Heaven and Earth by Hugo Weisgall (53) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the CBS television network. The composer will organize the music into a collection of eight numbers for various ensembles called Graven Images.
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March 30, 1966: Soldier Songs, a cycle for voice and orchestra by Hugo Weisgall (41) to eight different authors, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore. See 26 April 1954.
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October 9, 1968: Nine Rivers from Jordan, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (55) to words of Johnston, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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November 1, 1971: Fancies and Inventions for solo voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Hugo Weisgall (59) to words of Herrick is performed for the first time, at the Baltimore Museum of Art, directed by the composer.
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April 22, 1976: Jenny, or The Hundred Nights, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (63) to words of Hollander after Mishima, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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June 27, 1979: Liebeslieder: Four songs with interludes for voice and piano by Hugo Weisgall (66) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WFMT Chicago.
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March 8, 1989: Will You Marry Me?, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (76) to words of Kondek after Sutro, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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October 20, 1990: The Stream Flows for violin by Bright Sheng (34) is performed for the first time, at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. The work is dedicated to Hugo Weisgall (78).
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September 12, 1992: The Gardens of Adonis, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (79) to words of Scrymgeour after Shakespeare and Obey, is performed for the first time, in Omaha, Nebraska.
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October 8, 1993: Esther, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (80) to words of Kondek after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in New York.
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March 11, 1997: Hugo David Weisgall dies from injuries suffered in a fall, in North Shore Hospital, Manhasset, New York, USA, aged 84 years, four months, and 26 days.