September

    PDF | Print | E-mail

    1 September

    1 September 1653 Johann Pachelbel is baptized in Nuremberg.

    1 September 1760 An overture by Johann Christian Bach (24) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Carignano, Turin to open Gli uccellatori, a dramma giocoso mostly by Florian Leopold Gassmann (31) to words of Goldoni.

    1 September 1761 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (5) makes his first public appearance, as a dancer in the play with music Sigismundus Hungariae rex in Salzburg.

    1 September 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) writes the dedication to the publication of his “Haydn” (53) string quartets (K.387, 421, 428, 458, 464, 465):  “A father, having resolved to send his sons into the great world, finds it advisable to entrust them to the protection and guidance of a highly celebrated man, the more so since this man, by a stroke of luck, is his best friend.--Here, then, celebrated man and my dearest friend, are my six sons.”

    1 September 1810 Le crescendo, an opéra bouffon by Luigi Cherubini (49) to words of Sewrin (pseud. of de Bassompierre), is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.  It is not well received due to the libretto.

    1 September 1816 Faust, an opera by Louis Spohr (32) to words of Bernhard, is performed for the first time, in Prague, conducted by Carl Maria von Weber (29).  See 11 December 1814.

    1 September 1847 Fest-Quadrille op.44 by Johann Strauss (21) is performed for the first time, at the Wasserglacis, Vienna.

    1 September 1848 Robert Schumann (38) presents the first seven pieces of the Album für die Jugend op.68 to his daughter Marie on the occasion of her seventh birthday.

    The opera company at Theater an der Wien is dissolved.  Its Kapellmeister, Albert Lortzing (46), is now unemployed.

    1 September 1850 The Schumann family departs Dresden for Robert's (40) new post in Düsseldorf.

    1 September 1852 Heinrich August Marschner’s (57) Natur und Kunst, allegorisches Festspiel zur Einweihung des neuen hannoverschen Hoftheaters 1852 to words of Waterford-Perglass is performed for the first time, in Hannover.  It is staged as an intermezzo with Goethe’s Tasso.

    1 September 1853 Le nabab, an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy (54) to words of Scribe and Saint-Georges, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.  It enjoys a moderate success.  Le nabab marks the last collaboration of Halévy with Eugène Scribe.

    1 September 1854 Engelbert Humperdinck is born in Siegburg.

    1 September 1863 Bedrich Smetana (39) reopens his music institute in Prague.

    1 September 1867 Les noces de Prométhée op.19, a cantata for solo voices and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (31) to words of Cornut, is performed for the first time, at the Cirque de l’Impératrice, Paris.

    1 September 1889 Carl Nielsen (24) is appointed as second violinist in the Royal Chapel, Copenhagen.

    1 September 1891 Felipe Pedrell (50) publishes Por nuestra Música, a manifesto in favor of national Spanish music.

    1 September 1897 Hans Pfitzner (28) takes up duties at the Stern Conservatory, Berlin where he will teach piano, theory, composition, and conducting.

    1 September 1910 Fantasia on English Folk Songs, a work for orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (37), is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    1 September 1921 Alban Berg (36) becomes the editor of the house journal of Universal Edition, Vienna, Die Musikblätter des Anbruch.

    1 September 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.

    1 September 1933 A Bundle of Blues, a film with music by Duke Ellington (34), is released in the United States.

    1 September 1935 The Nazi Party sends out one of several letters listing several 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).

    1 September 1939 Joaquín Rodrigo (37) and his wife return to Madrid from Paris to take up permanent residence.  He has spent the Civil War abroad and now returns to take up a position in the music department of Spanish National Radio.  In his suitcase is the manuscript of Concierto de Aranjuez.

    Concerto for Horns by Carlos Chávez (40) is performed completely for the first time, in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City.

    1 September 1941 Richard Strauss (77) signs an agreement with Baldur von Schirach, Gauleiter of Vienna.  Strauss will help restore Viennese musical life in return for von Schirach’s protection of his daughter-in-law (a Jew) and grandsons.

    1 September 1942 Ernst Krenek (42) arrives in St. Paul, Minnesota to take up duties as Professor of Music, Chairman of the Music Department, and Dean of the School of Fine Arts at Hamline University.

    1 September 1948 In an official effort to end “formalism” in Soviet music, Dmitri Shostakovich (41) is removed from his positions at the Leningrad and Moscow Conservatories effective today.

    1 September 1950 El Puente, a film with music by Alberto Ginastera (34), is released in Argentina.

    1 September 1952 Der Idiot, a ballet-pantomime by Hans Werner Henze (26) to a scenario by Bachmann after Dostoyevsky, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    1 September 1953 Francis Poulenc (54) is promoted from Chevalier to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor.

    A Lincoln Letter for chorus by Ulysses Kay (36) to words attributed to Lincoln, is performed for the first time, in Lincoln, Illinois.

    1 September 1954 Sonata for viola and piano no.2 by Ross Lee Finney (47) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

    1 September 1956 Two choruses for male voices by Leos Janácek (†28) to words of Krásnohorská, are performed for the first time, in Prerov:  The Little Dove and Leave-Taking, 68 years after they were composed.

    1 September 1957 Divertimento for strings by Thea Musgrave (29) is performed for the first time, in the Adam Rooms, Edinburgh.

    1 September 1959 The mortal remains of Bohuslav Martinu are laid to rest in Switzerland.  See 27 August 1979.

    1 September 1963 The first of the Three Postludes for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (50) is performed for the first time, in the Grand Théâtre, Geneva.  See 8 October 1965.

    Cantata misericordium op.69 for solo voices, chorus, string quartet, string orchestra, piano, harp, and timpani by Benjamin Britten (49) to words of Wilkinson is performed for the first time, in the Grand Théâtre, Geneva.

    Hymn and Fuguing Tune no.15-B for violin and cello by Henry Cowell (66) is performed for the first time, in Maverick Concert Hall, Woodstock, New York.

    1 September 1968 Musik für ein Haus for 14 instruments and electronics by Karlheinz Stockhausen (40) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    1 September 1969 Richtige Dauern and Nachtmusik from Aus den sieben Tagen no.26 by Karlheinz Stockhausen (41) are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    1 September 1975 Quatrain for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (44) is performed for the first time, in Kosei Nenkin Hall, Tokyo.

    1 September 1980 Apollo trionfante for winds, keyboards, percussion, and double bass by Hans Werner Henze (54) from his dance-drama Orpheus is performed for the first time, in Gelsenkirchen.

    1 September 1993 The Bacchae for baritone, female chorus, and nine instrumentalists by Iannis Xenakis (71) to words of Euripides, is performed for the first time, in London.

    1 September 2000 St. John Passion for vocal soloists, choruses, and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (68) to words from St. John the Evangelist and the Apocalypse is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.  It is a great success, the audience applauding for 20 minutes.

    1 September 2001 Suite on Finnish Themes for two vocalists and chamber ensemble by Dmitri Shostakovich (†26) is performed, apparently for the first time, in Kaustinen, Finland.

    1 September 2009 Prelude for Peace for brass and percussion by Krzysztof Penderecki (75) is performed for the first time, in the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Krakow.

    2 September

    2 September 1397 Francesco Landini dies in Florence, aged approximately 72 years.

    2 September 1661 Georg Böhm is born in Hohenkirchen near Ohrdruf.

    2 September 1769 L’amant d’éguisé, ou Le jardinier supposé, an opéra comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (42) to words of Favart and de Voisenon, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    2 September 1773 Amidst the visit of Empress Maria Theresia, the new Esterháza marionette theatre opens with the premiere of Joseph Haydn’s (41) new opera, Philemon und Baucis, oder Jupiters Reise auf die Erde, to words of Pfeffel.  The Empress is much pleased and gives Haydn 30 ducats.

    2 September 1780 One of the nights September 2-4 probably sees the premiere of Symphony K.338 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (24) in Salzburg.

    2 September 1794 La rosière républicaine ou La fète de la vertu, an opéra by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (53) to words of Maréchal, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    2 September 1807 This day marks the first mention of Jan Ladislav Dussek (47) in the service of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand.

    2 September 1825 At a dinner party at the residence of Ludwig van Beethoven (54) in Baden, the composer writes a canon for Friedrich Kuhlau on the BACH theme, Kühl, nicht lau WoO191.

    2 September 1828 Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe D.954 for mixed voices by Franz Schubert (31) is performed for the first time, at the dedication of the recast bell at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Alsergrund.

    2 September 1835 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (25) resigns his position of organist at Hereford Cathedral.

    2 September 1839 Fromental Halévy’s (40) opéra comique Le shérif, to words of Scribe after Balzac is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Bourse, Paris.  It is a failure.

    2 September 1844 Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir for double chorus by Felix Mendelssohn (35) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    2 September 1850 The Schumann family reaches Düsseldorf from Dresden.  They are greeted by a welcoming committee headed by Ferdinand Hiller.  Their hotel rooms are decorated with flowers and they are treated to music by the local choral society.

    2 September 1862 Alphons Johannes Maria Diepenbrock is born in Amsterdam.

    2 September 1872 Richard (59) and Cosima Wagner visit Franz Liszt (60) at the Russischer Hof Hotel in Weimar, effecting a reconciliation.  It is the first time the two men have met since 1867.

    2 September 1873 Incidental music to Barrière and Davyl’s drame Le gascon by Jacques Offenbach (54), is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Paris.  This first production under Offenbach’s management of the Gaîté is a flop.

    2 September 1893 Charles Ives (18) attends a recital by the organist Alexandre Guilmant at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Guilmant is the first organist of his level to visit America and will be highly influential to American organists.  Ives’ experience in Chicago inspires him to compose more and to seek publishers for his music.

    2 September 1908 Frank Bridge (29) marries Ethel Sinclair at St. Mary’s Church, Fulham.  She is an Australian who attended the Royal College of Music at the same time as Bridge.

    2 September 1907 The resignation of Frederick S. Converse (36) from Harvard University becomes effective.  See 2 January 1907.

    2 September 1908 Frank Bridge (29) marries Ethel Sinclair at St. Mary’s Church, Fulham.  She is an Australian who attended the Royal College of Music at the same time as Bridge.

    2 September 1909 Richard Strauss (45) returns the score of Arnold Schoenberg’s (34) Five Orchestral Pieces to the composer without hope of performance, saying “...your pieces are such daring experiments in content and sound that...I dare not introduce them to the more than conservative Berlin public.”

    2 September 1916 Prestami tua moglie, an operetta by Ruggero Leoncavallo (59) to words of Corradi, is performed for the first time, at the Montecatini Casino.  It enjoys a good success.

    2 September 1928 Carlos Chávez (29) directs the first performance of the Orquesta Sinfónica Mexicana in the Teatro Iris, Mexico City.

    2 September 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.  The work is a complete fiasco.  After three performances, it is never performed again during the lifetimes of the authors.

    2 September 1932 After driving from New York to San Antonio, and taking a train from San Antonio, Aaron Copland (31) arrives in Mexico City, invited by Carlos Chávez (33) to attend several performances of Copland’s work.  He will stay for four months.

    2 September 1935 Miserae, a symphonic poem by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (30), is performed for the first time, at the ISCM Festival in Prague.

    2 September 1936 Budavari Te Deum for four vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra, and organ by Zoltán Kodály (53), is performed for the first time, in the Coronation Church of Buda Castle, Budapest.  It was composed for the 250th anniversary of the defeat of the Turks at Buda.

    2 September 1945 The All-Poland Composers’ Congress is created at a meeting in Warsaw ending today.  Witold Lutoslawski (32) is elected secretary-treasurer of the board of directors.

    2 September 1949 Mountain Song, A Symphonic Song Ceremony of the High Sierras op.90 for chorus and orchestra by Arthur Farwell (77) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    2 September 1953 John Zorn is born in New York.

    2 September 1959 Concerto for piano and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (39) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.  His first piano concerto, from 1942, has been lost.

    Composition for Orchestra no.2 (Diario polacco ‘58) by Luigi Nono (35) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    2 September 1960 Symphony no.2 by William Walton (58) is performed for the first time, in Usher Hall, Edinburgh.  Critics are disappointed.

    2 September 1963 Addressing 7,000 people in the Kokkinia soccer field in Piraeus, Mikis Theodorakis (38) traces a large letter “Z” in the air.  “Let the slogan Zei (he lives) become a symbol...of the life of our movement.”  It refers to the murdered peace activist Grigoris Lambrakis.  Within hours, the letter Z is painted on walls throughout Athens and Piraeus.

    2 September 1969 Verbindungen and Abwärts from Aus den sieben Tagen by Karlheinz Stockhausen (41) are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    2 September 1972 Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, dass geschah unter der Sonne, an ecclesiastical action for two speakers, bass, and orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (†2) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Kiel.

    Time Spans for orchestra by Earle Brown (45) is performed for the first time, in Munich during the Olympic Games.

    2 September 1973 The “first definitive version” of Anton Bruckner’s (†76) Symphony no.8 is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC, 86 years after it was completed.  See 18 December 1892 and 5 July 1939.

    2 September 1980 The Lighthouse, a chamber opera by Peter Maxwell Davies (45) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Murray House Gymnasium, Edinburgh.

    2 September 1983 Intermezzo for Solo Clarinet by TJ Anderson (55) is performed for the first time, at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.

    2 September 1986 A version of “...explosante-fixe...” for vibraphone and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (61) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    2 September 1996 Otto Clarence Luening dies in New York, aged 96 years, two months, and 18 days.

    2 September 2000 Zwei Beter for women’s chorus by Arvo Pärt (64) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    2 September 2001 Oboe Quartet by Elliott Carter (92) is performed for the first time, in the Mattäuskirche, Lucerne.

    2 September 2002 Naqoyqatsi, a film with music by Philip Glass (65), is shown for the first time, at the Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado.

    2 September 2004 Four Pieces for Orchestra by Hans Abrahamsen (51) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    2 September 2005 Verwandlung 2 for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (53) is performed for the first time, in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

    Serenade in D flat for oboe/english horn, clarinet, viola, and harp by Robin Holloway (61) is performed for the first time, in Ewenny Priory Church.

    2 September 2006 Aria for cello by Krzysztof Penderecki (72) is performed for the first time, in the Musée d'art américain, Giverny.  It is a new movement added to his 1994 Divertimento for cello.

    3 September

    3 September 1568 Adriano Banchieri is born in Bologna.

    3 September 1695 Pietro Antonio Locatelli is born in Bergamo

    3 September 1760 La feste d’Imeneo, a serenata by Tommaso Traetta (33) to words of Frugoni after Roy, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Ducale, Parma.

    3 September 1770 La contessina, a dramma giocoso by Florian Leopold Gassmann (41) to words of Coltellini after Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in Mährisch-Neustadt, on the first day of the meeting between Emperor Joseph II and King Friedrich II.

    3 September 1795 The mortal remains of François-André Danican-Philidor are laid to rest from St. James’ Church, Picadilly in the grounds behind St. James’ Chapel in Hampstead Road.  The grave, unmarked, has never been found.

    3 September 1817 Lowell Mason (25) marries Abigail Gregory, daughter of an innkeeper, in Westborough, Massachusetts.

    3 September 1823 Gaetano Donizetti’s (25) dramma giocoso Il fortunato inganno to words of Tottola is performed for the first time, in Teatro Nuovo, Naples.  It will receive only two more performances.

    3 September 1827 Having moved back to Boston from Savannah last month, Lowell Mason (35) is elected President of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.

    3 September 1850 The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik publishes the first of two installments of Das Judenthum in Musik by Richard Wagner (37).

    In St. Petersburg to be enrolled in the School of Jurisprudence, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (10) is taken by his mother to see a performance of A Life for the Tsar by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (46).  It will have a lasting effect on his life and work.

    3 September 1857 Weimars Volkslied by Franz Liszt (45) to words of Cornelius (32) is performed for the first time, in Weimar for the dedication of the Goethe and Schiller Memorial.

    3 September 1868 Le premier jour de bonheur op.327, a quadrille by Johann Strauss (42), is performed for the first time, in the Gartenbau, Vienna.

    Intermezzo religioso for orchestra by Hubert Parry (20) is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    3 September 1875 Two occasional works by Franz Liszt (63) are performed for the first time, in Weimar:  Der Herr bewahret die Seelen seiner Heiligen, Festgesang zur Enthüllung des Carl-August-Denkmals in Weimar, and Carl August weilt mit uns, Festgesang zur Enthüllung des Carl-August-Denkmals in Weimar, for male chorus, brass, drums, and organ.

    3 September 1885 After six weeks visiting his brother’s children, Arthur Sullivan (43) boards a train in Los Angeles making for New York.

    3 September 1890 An arrangement is reached in the famous Carpet Quarrel, wherein Arthur Sullivan (48) and Richard D’Oyly Carte are co-defendants in William S. Gilbert’s suit.  Carte will send Gilbert £1,000 but Carte is not required to change his business practices.  The four-an-one half months of bickering and personal attacks over carpets worth £140 has destroyed a relationship which, in the last eleven years, has produced £90,000 and several masterpieces of comic opera.

    3 September 1896 At Karlsbad, Johannes Brahms (63) is diagnosed with liver cancer.  The doctor does not tell his patient because Brahms has instructed him not to reveal any bad news to him.

    3 September 1912 The Five Orchestral Pieces op.16 by Arnold Schoenberg (37) are performed for the first time in their orchestral setting, in Queen’s Hall, London.  The press is scathing.

    Incidental music to Parker’s play Drake by Charles Villiers Stanford (59) is performed for the first time, in His Majesty’s Theatre, London.

    3 September 1919 Scherzo for orchestra by Arnold Bax (35) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    3 September 1930 Ross Lee Finney (23) marries Carol Gretchen Ludke, amateur violinist and daughter of a groceries wholesaler, at her home in Alexandria, Minnesota.

    3 September 1931 Washington’s Birthday for orchestra by Charles Ives (56) is performed for the first time, in the Community Playhouse, San Francisco 23 years after it was composed.

    3 September 1934 Bachianas brasileiras no.2 for orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos (47) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    3 September 1936 As You Like It, a film with music by William Walton (34), is shown for the first time, in the Carlton Theatre, London.  The press is mixed.  It is the first Shakespeare film starring Laurence Olivier.

    3 September 1939 On the day Great Britain declares war on Germany, Michael Tippett (34) begins composing A Child of Our Time.

    3 September 1940 The Four Temperaments, a ballet by Paul Hindemith (44) is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Boston.  See 20 November 1946.

    3 September 1944 Theme and Variations:  The Four Temperaments for piano and string orchestra by Paul Hindemith (48) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  The soloist is Lukas Foss (22).

    3 September 1945 Rudolph Dunbar becomes the first black man to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic.  Among other things he directs the first European performance of the Afro-American Symphony of William Grant Still (50).

    3 September 1946 Symphonic Elegy for string orchestra by Ernst Krenek (46) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.  See 24 March 1965.

    3 September 1947 The Third Suite op.109 from Sergey Prokofiev’s (56) ballet Cinderella is performed for the first time, in a broadcast from Moscow.  See 21 November 1945.

    3 September 1949 Concerto symphonique for piano and orchestra by Ernest Bloch (69) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh, the composer conducting.

    3 September 1955 Almost ten years to the day since he mistakenly killed Anton Webern, Raymond Bell dies in North Carolina, a victim of alcoholism brought on by remorse over the accident.  See 15 September 1945.

    3 September 1957 Henry Cowell’s (60) Music for Orchestra is performed for the first time, in the Theatre of Herodes Atticus, Athens.

    3 September 1958 Connected to his lectures at Darmstadt, John Cage (45) and David Tudor perform the European premieres of several works by Cage, Morton Feldman (32), Earle Brown (31), and the world premiere of Duo for Pianists II by Christian Wolff (24).  The audience is in an uproar.

    Sexteto de cuerdas by Mauricio Kagel (26) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    3 September 1960 High Let the Song Ascend for voice, flute, and piano by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Milton, New York.

    3 September 1962 Piano Sonata no.2 by Michael Tippett (57) is performed for the first time, in Freemasons’ Hall, Edinburgh.

    3 September 1969 Intensität and Kommunion from Aus den sieben Tagen by Karlheinz Stockhausen (41) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    3 September 1972 Musique pour San Francisco op.436 for orchestra by Darius Milhaud is performed for the first time, in San Francisco on the eve of the composer’s 80th birthday.

    3 September 1974 Morning.  Harry Partch dies of a heart attack at his home in San Diego, aged 73 years, two months, and ten days.  He is alone at the time.  The body is discovered in the afternoon by Phil Keeney, a young friend of the composer.  His mortal remains will be cremated and spread over the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

    3 September 1987 Morton Feldman dies in Buffalo, of pancreatic cancer, aged 61 years, seven months, and 22 days.

    3 September 1988 La Lontananza Nostalgica-Futura for violin and eight tapes by Luigi Nono (64) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    3 September 1993 Laudatio pacis, an oratorio for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra (without strings) by Sofia Gubaidulina (61), Marek Kopelent, and Paul-Heinz Dittrich to words of Amos Comenius, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    3 September 1994 Incidental music to Wilson’s play Come in Under the Shadow of the Red Rock by Philip Glass (57) is performed for the first time, in Gibellina, Sicily.

    On Stellar Magnitudes for mezzo-soprano, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, violin, and cello by Brian Ferneyhough (51) is performed for the first time, at Royaumont.

    3 September 1995 Overture on a Nursery Rhyme op. 75a by Robin Holloway (51) is performed for the first time, in Arundel Cathedral.

    3 September 2006 Regrets Only for violin, cello, and piano by Michael Daugherty (52) is performed for the first time, in Angel Fire, New Mexico.

    3 September 2010 Wagner de Assis’ film Nosso Lar, with music by Philip Glass (73), is released in Brazil.

    4 September

    4 September 1755 Georg Philipp Telemann’s (74) cantata O Jerusalem! is performed for the first time, for the consecration of Julius Gustav Alberti as deacon of St. Catherine’s, Hamburg.

    4 September 1790 Euphrosine, ou Le tyran corrigé, a comédie mise en musique by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul (27) to words of Hoffman, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    4 September 1798 Ode sur le 18 fructidor by Luigi Cherubini (38) to words of Andrieux is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    4 September 1824 Joseph Anton Bruckner is born in Ansfelden near Linz the eldest of eleven children (only five surviving infancy) born to Anton Bruckner, schoolmaster and organist, and Therese Helm, daughter of a civil servant and innkeeper.

    4 September 1830 Gioachino Rossini (38) leaves Bologna for Paris.  He does not bring his wife as he expects to be away for only one month.  They will not meet again for four years.

    4 September 1833 Publication of the Fantasia op.123 for piano and the Fantasia on Themes from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” op.124 for piano by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (54) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    4 September 1857 The Festvorspiel for orchestra by Franz Liszt (45) is performed for the first time, in Weimar, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Grand Duke Carl August, grandfather of the present Grand Duke Carl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

    4 September 1859 Giuseppe Verdi (45) is elected by the town of Busetto to the Assembly in Parma.

    4 September 1861 A noite do castelo, an opera seria by Carlos Gomes (25) to words of Antônio José Fernandes dos Reis, is performed for the first time, at the Teatro Lírico Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro.

    4 September 1873 Pomme d’api, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (54) to words of Halévy and Busnach, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris.

    4 September 1875 The Florence Rivista Independente publishes the first of five articles detailing intimate details of the professional and private life of the soprano Teresa Stolz, accusing her of immoral relationships with the conductor Angelo Mariani and the composer Giuseppe Verdi (61).

    4 September 1881 The Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville (Messe basse) by Gabriel Fauré (36) is performed for the first time, in the church of Villerville, Calvados, across the mouth of the Seine from Le Havre.  See 10 September 1882.

    4 September 1883 The Glories of Our Blood and State, an ode for chorus and orchestra by Hubert Parry (35) to words of Shirley, is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.  The composer records, “Public not much taken with it apparently.”

    4 September 1892 Darius Milhaud is born in Marseille, only child of an almond merchant and Sophie Allatani, from a wealthy Modena family.

    4 September 1902 Two pieces for piano or small orchestra entitled Dream Children op.43 by Edward Elgar (45) are performed for the first time, at Queen’s Hall, London.  These are the orchestral versions.

    Two songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams (29) are premiered at Hooten Roberts Musical Union, near Rotherham, England.  These are Linden Lea, to an anonymous author and Blackmore by the Stour, a folksong.

    4 September 1907 03:30  After sinking into a coma, Edvard Hagerup Grieg dies in the hospital at Bergen, Norway, aged 64 years, two months, and 20 days.  The cause of death is listed as heart failure caused by emphysema.  The doctors are amazed he lived as long as he did.

    Incidental music to Binyon’s play Attila the Hun by Charles Villiers Stanford (54) is performed for the first time, in His Majesty’s Theatre, London.

    4 September 1924 Three Preludes for piano by Frederick Delius (62) are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.

    4 September 1927 Civic Fanfare for orchestra by Edward Elgar (70) is performed for the first time, in Hereford conducted by the composer.

    4 September 1930 Ode Anacréontique for voice and orchestra by Ethel Smyth (72) to anonymous words, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    4 September 1935 Kurt Weill (35) and ex-wife Lotte Lenja sail from Cherbourg aboard the SS Majestic, making for New York.

    Concerto op.24 for chamber ensemble by Anton Webern (51) is performed for the first time, in Prague.  Among the listeners is Luigi Dallapiccola (31).

    The Morning Watch for chorus and orchestra by Arnold Bax (51) to words of Vaughan is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral.

    4 September 1936 Tabuh-tabuhan for two pianos and orchestra by Colin McPhee (36) is performed for the first time, in Mexico City conducted by Carlos Chávez (37).  It is very successful.

    4 September 1941 Old California for orchestra by William Grant Still (46) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the Mutual Broadcasting System.  The work was commissioned for the 160th anniversary of the founding of Los Angeles.

    4 September 1943 Interlude for viola and piano by Walter Piston (49) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    4 September 1945 Symphony no.9 by Dmitri Shostakovich (38) is performed for the first time, in a reduction for two pianos, in Moscow Philharmonic Hall, by Svyatoslav Richter and the composer.  See 3 November 1945.

    4 September 1946 Soviet newspapers and magazines publish a Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, On the film “The Great Life.” The greatest directors and films of Soviet cinema are chastised and some are banned.  Singled out is Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible with music by Sergey Prokofiev (55).

    Incidental music to Cocteau’s (tr. Duncan) play The Eagle Has Two Heads by Benjamin Britten (32) is performed for the first time, in the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

    4 September 1955 Cantata for a Summer’s Day for chorus, flute, clarinet, and strings by Thea Musgrave (27) to words of Hume and Lindsay is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.

    4 September 1956 National Song by Zolán Kodály (73) to words of Petöfi is performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    4 September 1959 Musik für sieben Instrumente by Isang Yun (41) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    4 September 1963 De Kooning for horn, percussion, piano, violin, and cello by Morton Feldman (37) is performed for the first time, in Judson Hall, New York.

    4 September 1966 Le metamorfosi di Bonaventura, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (84) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    4 September 1967 After two weeks in an Athens prison, Mikis Theodorakis (42) is allowed to have paper and a pencil.  He writes 32 poems in a row.

    4 September 1969 Aufwärts from Aus den Sieben Tagen by Karlheinz Stockhausen (41) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    4 September 1971 Ausstrahlung for tape, soprano, flute, oboe, and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (51) is performed for the first time, in Persepolis.  As part of the performance, Dialodia for two flutes and two oboes is premiered.

    4 September 1986 Stimmen...Verstummen..., a symphony in 12 movements by Sofia Gubaidulina (54) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin.  Luigi Nono (62) is present and is moved to meet the composer backstage and hold her hands, without comment.

    Illuminations for brass by Leon Kirchner (67) is performed for the first time, at Harvard University.  Also premiered is Ahab, a ballet by Ross Lee Finney (79).

    4 September 1988 Post-Prae-Ludium No.2:  Baab-arr by Luigi Nono (64) arranged for piccolo is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    4 September 1989 Zwei Akte for saxophone and harp by Mauricio Kagel (57) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt.

    The Protecting Veil for cello and strings by John Tavener (45) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    4 September 1999 A new score for string quartet to accompany the original sound film of Dracula by Philip Glass (62) is performed for the first time, in Teeluride, Colorado.

    4 September 2003 Europa nach dem letzten Regen, a cycle for three solo voices and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (51), is performed for the first time, in the Semperoper, Dresden.

    4 September 2005 Adagio, Fuge und Mänadentanz von der Oper “Die Bassariden” for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (79) is performed for the first time, in the Laeiszhalle, Hamburg.

    5 September

    5 September 1735 Johann Christian Bach is born in Leipzig.

    5 September 1782 John Field is baptized in Dublin (he was born sometime in July).

    The arrival of Pasquale Anfossi (55) in London is reported in the press.  He is to take up an engagement as composer at the King’s Theatre.

    5 September 1789 The Wiener Zeitung anounces the publication of three works: Joseph Haydn’s (57) Fantasia in C XVII:  4, Das Veilchen K.476, a song for voice and piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (33), and String Quintet B.285 by Ignaz Pleyel (32).

    5 September 1791 Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer (later Giacomo Meyerbeer) is born in Vogelsdorf just east of Berlin, the son of Jakob Herz Beer, owner of a sugar refinery, and Amalia Malka Liebmann Meyer Wulff, daughter of Liebmann Meyer Wulff who made his fortune delivering supplies to Prussian troops and directing the Prussian lottery.

    5 September 1798 Adrien Boieldieu’s (22) opéra-comique La dot de Suzette, to words of Dejaure after Fiévée, is performed for the first time, in the Salle Favart, Paris.

    5 September 1830 Imelda de’ Lambertazzi, a melodramma tragico by Gaetano Donizetti (32) to words of Tottola, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    5 September 1833 I wish to tune my quiv’ring lyre, a glee by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (23) to words of Anacreon translated by Byron, is performed for the first time, in a contest by the Manchester Gentlemen’s Glee Club.  Wesley will win the contest.

    5 September 1840 Un giorno di regno, a melodramma giocoso by Giuseppe Verdi (26) to words of Romani after Pineu-Duval, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan directed by the composer.  It is not successful and is not repeated.

    5 September 1844 The City Council of Vienna grants Johann Strauss (18) the right to form an orchestra to play in restaurants.

    5 September 1853 While visiting La Spezia, near Genoa, Richard Wagner (40) (so he claims) in half-sleep, half-waking state, dreams that he is sinking into a current of water (in E flat).  On waking he realizes that he has dreamed the prelude to Das Rheingold.

    5 September 1857 Two orchestral works by Franz Liszt (45) are performed for the first time, in Weimar, conducted by the composer:  the symphonic poem Die Ideale and Eine Faust-Symphonie in drei Charakterbildern.  They celebrate the unveiling today of the Goethe-Schiller Monument in Weimar.  One of those in attendance, Hans Christian Andersen, an admirer of Liszt the performer, is less enthusiastic about his music.  “[Liszt’s music] was wild, melodious, and turbid.  At times there was a crash of cymbals.  When I first heard it, I thought a plate had fallen down.  I went home tired.  What a damned sort of music.”

    5 September 1858 Abschied von St. Petersburg op.210, a waltz by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.  Also premiered is Bonbon-Polka op.213.

    5 September 1865 Kreuzfidel op.301, a polka française by Johann Strauss (39), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    5 September 1867 Amy Marcy Cheney is born in Henniker, New Hampshire, the only child of Charles Abbott Cheney, a paper manufacturer and Clara Imogene Marcy, amateur singer and pianist.

    5 September 1901 Lili Boulanger (8) makes her performing debut, as violinist at Notre Dame de Bon Secours in Trouville, on the Normandy coast, just across the mouth of the Seine from Le Havre.

    5 September 1911 After her husband’s death, Amy Cheney Beach sets sail for Europe in an attempt to gain a reputation as performer and composer, on her 44th birthday.

    5 September 1912 05:00  John Milton Cage, Jr. is born in Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, the third and only surviving child of John Milton Cage, an inventor, and Lucretia Harvey, an amateur pianist.

    5 September 1913 The Second Piano Concerto op.16 of Sergey Prokofiev (22) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk, the composer at the piano.  The audience is strongly divided.

    5 September 1918 Sonata for violin and piano op.27 by Hans Pfitzner (49) is performed for the first time, in Munich at the first event of the newly founded Hans-Pfitzner-Vereins für deutsche Tonkunst.

    The Massachusetts Department of Health announces that an influenza epidemic is occurring in the state.

    Two songs by Charles T. Griffes (33) are performed for the first time, in National Thurston Auditorium, Lockport, New York, the composer at the piano:  Come, Love, Across the Sunlit Land op.4/2 and La fuite de la lune op.3/1.

    5 September 1919 Three sections of the Pequena Suite for cello and orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos (32), is performed for the first time, in the Salão Nobre, Rio de Janeiro.  The composer is soloist.

    5 September 1922 Fantasia upon the tune ‘Intercessor’ by CHH Parry op.187 for organ by Charles Villiers Stanford (69) is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    5 September 1923 To the Name Above Every Name for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Arnold Bax (39) to words of Crashaw, is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral.

    5 September 1932 Concerto in d minor for two pianos and orchestra by Francis Poulenc (33) is performed for the first time, in Venice.  The composer performs at one keyboard.

    5 September 1942 String Quartet no.2 by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    5 September 1943 Incidental music to a radio play after Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress by Ralph Vaughan Williams (70) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.

    5 September 1944 Igor Stravinsky’s (62) Scherzo à la Russe for jazz ensemble is performed for the first time, over the NBC Blue Network originating in New York.

    5 September 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.

    String Quartet no.8 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (59) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    5 September 1951 The Medium, a film with music by Gian Carlo Menotti (40) is shown for the first time, in the Sutton Theatre, New York.

    5 September 1956 Piano Concerto no.4 op.53 for piano left hand by Sergey Prokofiev (†3) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin, 25 years after it was composed.  The work was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein but rejected and never performed by him.

    5 September 1957 Le Travail du peintre, a cycle for voice and piano by Francis Poulenc (58) to words of Eluard, is performed officially for the first time, in Edinburgh.  Also premiered is Poulenc’s Deux mélodies 1956 to words of Apollinaire.  The composer is at the keyboard for both.  See 1 April 1957.

    5 September 1959 Otto Luening (59) marries his second wife, Catherine Johnson Brunson at her family home in Elba, Alabama.  She is a pianist and musicologist at Columbia University.

    5 September 1973 Corticalart III for tape by Pierre Henry (45) is performed for the first time, at L’Abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille.

    Tamu-Tamu, a chamber opera by Gian Carlo Menotti (62) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Studebaker Theatre, Chicago.

    5 September 1980 Satyagraha, an opera by Philip Glass (43) to words of De Jong and the composer after the Bhagavad-Gita, is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam.  It was commissioned by the City of Rotterdam for the Netherlands Opera.

    5 September 1982 Fifteen Domestic Minutes by John Cage is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of National Public Radio on the composer’s 70th birthday.  The work calls for two speakers and recordings played simultaneously in different radio stations.  The sound is combined by a link between stations in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington.

    5 September 1986 Incidental music to Olesha’s play The Beggar or Sand’s Death by Alfred Schnittke (51) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    5 September 1991 Das Brandenburger Tor, a singspiel by Giacomo Meyerbeer (†127) to words of Veith, is performed for the first time, in the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Schauspielhaus on the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth and 177 years after it was composed.

    5 September 1992 Ceremonial:  An Autumn Ode for shô and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (61) is performed for the first time, in Matsumotu, Japan.

    Twenty-Six, Twenty-Eight, and Twenty-Nine for orchestra by John Cage (†0) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt-am-Main on the 80th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

    5 September 1997 Spiral by Karlheinz Stockhausen (69) is performed completely for the first time, in Cologne.

    5 September 1999 Upbeat! for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (60) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    5 September 2000 La Pasión según San Marcos for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra by Osvaldo Golijov (39) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovenhalle, Stuttgart.

    5 September 2001 Monk in the Kitchen for piano by Michael Daugherty (47) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Regio, Turin.

    5 September 2003 Gordon Ware Binkerd dies at his home in Urbana, Illinois aged 87 years, three months, and 14 days.

    5 September 2007 Schèmes for violin and orchestra by Jean-Claude Risset (69) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

    Laurie Anderson (60) is named winner of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize of $300,000.

    5 September 2011 In Broken Images for chamber orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (77) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Dal Verme, Milan.

    6 September

    6 September 1644 Juan Bautista José Cabanilles is baptized in Algemesi, near Valencia.

    6 September 1758 Georg Philipp Telemann’s (77) cantata Hilf deinen Volk is performed for the first time, for the installation of Johann Dieterich Winckler as priest in St. Nicolai, Hamburg.

    6 September 1789 Alma grande e nobil core K.578, an aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (33) to words of Polomba, is performed for the first time, in Vienna, as part of a revival of I due baroni di Rocca Azzura by Domenico Cimarosa (39).

    6 September 1791 Emperor Leopold II is crowned King of Bohemia in Prague.  The ordinary of the mass is by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (35), either K.317 or 337, and conducted by Antonio Salieri (41).  Mozart’s opera seria La clemenza di Tito K.621 to words of Mazzolà after Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Prague National Theatre, as part of the celebrations surrounding the coronation.  The Empress comments that the opera is German hogwash, but successive productions grow in popularity.

    6 September 1850 The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik publishes the second of two installments of Das Judenthum in Musik by Richard Wagner (37).

    6 September 1857 The waltz Telegrafische Depeschen op.195 and the quadrille Le beau monde op.199, by Johann Strauss (31), are performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    6 September 1868 In the Quarters, a ballet by Stanislaw Moniuszko (49), is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    6 September 1869 Im Krapfenwald’l op.336, a polka française by Johann Strauss (43), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    6 September 1874 Tik-Tak op.365, a polka schnell by Johann Strauss (48), is performed for the first time, in Schwender’s “Neue Welt”, Vienna.

    6 September 1877 Festival Overture by Charles Villiers Stanford (24) is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    6 September 1910 Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis for string orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (37) is performed for the first time, in Gloucester, conducted by the composer.

    6 September 1918 Sergey Prokofiev (27) arrives in New York by way of Siberia, Japan, Hawaii, California, and South America.

    6 September 1922 On the 40th anniversary of his career as a composer, Alyeksandr Glazunov (57) is named People’s Artist of the Republic.

    6 September 1932 Pantea, a dramma sinfonico by Gian Francesco Malipiero (50) to his own story, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Goldoni, Venice.  Also premiered is La favola d’Orfeo, a chamber opera by Alfredo Casella (49) to words of Pavolini after Poliziano.

    Tierra Mojada, for chorus by Carlos Chávez (33) to words of López Velarde, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Orientación, Mexico City.

    6 September 1937 Incidental music to Euripedes’ play Hecuba by Darius Milhaud (45) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    6 September 1938 Joan Tower is born in New Rochelle, New York, second of three children born to George Warren Tower III, a mining engineer, and Anna Peabody Robinson.

    Tre Ricercari for chamber orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (47) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    6 September 1947 Hymn of Praise op.113/9 for solo voice, male chorus, and harmonium by Jean Sibelius (81) to words of Sario is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    6 September 1950 Fantasia on the Old 104th for piano, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (77) to words from the Bible, is performed publicly for the first time, in Gloucester Cathedral under the baton of the composer.  See 20 November 1949.

    6 September 1953 Sinfonietta a Brasileira for string orchestra by Ernst Krenek (53) is performed for the first time, in Besançon, France.

    6 September 1958 John Cage (46) gives the first of three lectures at Darmstadt.  This one is called “Changes.”

    Incidental music to Giraudoux’s play The Madwoman of Chaillot by Witold Lutoslawski (45) is performed for the first time, in Teatr Polski, Warsaw.

    6 September 1959 Five Pieces for piano by Isang Yun (41) is performed for the first time, in Bilthoven.

    6 September 1961 In the Kongresshalle Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt, David Tudor, Kenji Kobayashi, Christoph Caskel, and Carla Henius perform a program of German premieres:  Wonderful Widow of 18 Springs and 26’55.988” for pianist and string player by John Cage (49), Incidental Music by George Brecht, Canons for piano and percussion by David Behrman, Stanzas for violin and piano by Toshi Ichiyanagi, To Henry Flynt by LaMonte Young (25) and Envelope for violin and piano by Terry Riley (26).  One audience member calls for an ambulance during Young’s piece.  The crew arrives and leaves when they find Tudor on the floor, in the middle of hitting a gong 566 times.  Also present is Alvin Lucier (30) who will remember Pierre Boulez (36) standing on a chair, staring down at Tudor during To Henry Flynt.

    Elliott Carter’s (52) Double Concerto for harpsichord, piano, and two chamber orchestras is performed for the first time, in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York.

    6 September 1964 Hyperion, lirica in forma di spettacolo for flute, chamber ensemble, and tape by Bruno Maderna (44) to words of Puecher and the composer after Hölderlin, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    6 September 1967 Der Zauberspiegel, a television opera by Ernst Krenek (67) to his own words, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Munich Bayerische Fernsehen, under the direction of the composer.

    6 September 1974 Three Orchestral Songs op.9 by Paul Hindemith (†10) to words of Lotz and Lasker-Schüller are performed for the first time, in Frankfurt, 57 years after they were composed.

    6 September 1977 Mary Queen of Scots, an opera by Thea Musgrave (49) to her own words after Elguera, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, the composer conducting.

    6 September 1978 Runes from a Holy Island for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) is performed for the first time, in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, directed by the composer.  See 6 November 1977.

    6 September 1979 Les Yeux clos for piano by Toru Takemitsu (48) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall.

    6 September 1981 Serment-Orkos for chorus by Iannis Xenakis (59) to words of Hippocrates is performed for the first time, in Athens.

    6 September 1982 An extended version of Répons for six percussionists, small orchestra and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (57) is performed for the first time, in London.  See 18 October 1981 and 22 September 1984.

    6 September 1984 Two works by Lejaren Hiller (60) are performed for the first time, in Buffalo:  Tetrahedron for harpsichord and Staircase Tango for piano.

    6 September 1985 Andere Schatten, a musical scene after Jean Paul, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, speaker, chorus, and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (33) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    6 September 1986 "Evas Lied" no.57 3/4 for boy solo or basset horn and orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen (58) from his opera Montag aus Licht is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  See 7 April 1988.

    6 September 1987 Les Hoquets du Gardien de la Lune for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (53) after Machaut (†610) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    6 September 1989 Kammersinfonie II “Den Opfern der Freiheit” by Isang Yun (71) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    6 September 1995 A Parade for MTT for orchestra by Lou Harrison (78) is performed for the first time, in Davies Hall, San Francisco.

    6 September 2004 Looking Glass, a film about Philip Glass (67), is shown for the first time, at La Cinémathèque de Chaillot, Paris.

    6 September 2007 Phaedra, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (81) to words of Lehnert, is performed for the first time, in the Staatsoper, Berlin.

    6 September 2008 Virelai for twelve players by Harrison Birtwistle (74) is performed for the first time, in Turin.

    6 September 2009 Earth Concerto for stone and ceramic percussion with orchestra by Tan Dun (52) is performed for the first time, in Graffenegg, Austria, the composer conducting.

    7 September

    7 September 1726 François-André Danican Philidor is born in Dreux.

    7 September 1769 An Ode upon Dedicating a Building to Shakespeare by Thomas Augustine Arne (59) is performed for the first time, at Stratford-upon-Avon.

    Alle deine Kinder for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (34) is performed for the first time.

    7 September 1770 Ich will singen von der Gnade for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (35) is performed for the first time.

    7 September 1776 Ich bin der Herr for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (41) is performed for the first time.

    7 September 1780 Der Herr segne euch for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (45) is performed for the first time.

    7 September 1781 Funeral Music for F. Doormann by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (67) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied! for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (46) is performed for the first time.

    7 September 1784 Diane et Endymion, an opera seria by Niccolò Piccinni (56) and JF Espic Chevalier de Lirou to words of Espic, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    7 September 1821 Carl Loewe (24) marries Julie von Jacob in Halle.

    7 September 1834 During his first week back in St. Petersburg, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (30) meets Maria Ivanovna Petrovna, his future wife, for the first time.

    7 September 1845 Hearing that his wife is gravely ill, Gioachino Rossini (53) travels with his mistress, Olympe Pélissier, to Castenaso to visit her.  Rossini spends 30 minutes alone with her and leaves in tears.  He will receive daily reports on her condition until she dies on 7 October.

    7 September 1869 John Knowles Paine (30) marries Mary Elizabeth Greeley, daughter of William E. Greeley, a Cambridge merchant, and Myra A. Smith Greeley, in Cambridge.

    7 September 1880 Scenes from Prometheus Unbound, a dramatic cantata for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Hubert Parry (32) to words of Shelley, is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    7 September 1904 Hubert Parry’s (56) sinfonia sacra The Love That Casteth Out Fear for alto, bass, chorus, and orchestra is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    7 September 1923 Vier Lieder nach Gedichten von CF Meyer op.32 for voice and piano by Hans Pfitzner (54) are performed for the first time, in Munich.

    7 September 1928 String Quartet no.2 “Intimate Letters” by Leos Janácek (†0) is performed for critics in Brno.  See 25 May 1928 and 11 September 1928.

    7 September 1930 Karelia’s Fate for male chorus and piano by Jean Sibelius (64) to words of Nurminen is performed for the first time, in Sortavala.

    7 September 1931 Olivier Messiaen (22) is offered the position of organist at L’Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris.  He will accept.

    7 September 1932 Severn Suite by Edward Elgar (75), in the version for orchestra, is performed publicly for the first time, in Worcester.  See 27 September 1930 and 23 June 1932.

    As costureiras, for female chorus by Heitor Villa-Lobos (45) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, the composer conducting.

    7 September 1937 Olly Wilson is born in St. Louis.

    7 September 1940 Concerto for small orchestra by David Diamond (25) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga, New York.

    7 September 1941 Gondoleiro for chorus and band by Heitor Villa-Lobos (54) to words of Alves is performed for the first time, in Vasco da Gama stadium, Rio de Janeiro.  The composer conducts 30,000 singers and 500 instrumentalists.

    7 September 1942 The sixth and last of the radio dramas An American in England, entitled “The Anglo-American Angle”, with music by Benjamin Britten (28), is broadcast for the first time, over the CBS radio network originating in New York.

    7 September 1943 Concert pianist Karlrobert Kreiten is hanged in Plötzensee penitentiary, Berlin.  He was convicted of listening to the BBC and divulging what he heard to his landlady.

    Dança da terra for chorus and percussion by Heitor Villa-Lobos (56) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, conducted by the composer.

    7 September 1952 Duo for oboe and clarinet by Arthur Berger (40) is performed for the first time, on Long Island, New York.

    7 September 1958 Hexahedron for chamber ensemble by Ernst Krenek (58) is performed for the first time, in the Darmstadt Landestheater.  Also premiered is Cori di Didone for chorus and percussion by Luigi Nono (34) to words of Ungaretti, conducted by Bruno Maderna (38).

    7 September 1961 Two works are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt:  Symphonische Szene for orchestra by Isang Yun (43), and Emanations for two string orchestras by Krzysztof Penderecki (27).

    Three songs by Charles Ives (†7) are performed for the first time, in Sprague Memorial Hall of Yale University:  Sunrise to his own words, The Light That Is Felt to words of Whittier, and On Judges’ Walk to words of Symons.

    7 September 1963 Little Music for strings op.16 by Alexander Goehr (31) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.

    7 September 1966 A floresta è jovem e cheja de vida for soprano, three speakers, clarinet, bronze sheets, and tape by Luigi Nono (42) to various authors, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    7 September 1977 Ye Gentle Birds for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and winds by Tod Machover (23) to words of Spenser is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

    7 September 1981 The First Shoot, music for brass arranged from the ballet by William Walton (79), is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.  See 4 February 1936.

    7 September 1985 The Five Senses for flute and guitar by Jonathan Lloyd (36) is performed for the first time, at Brisbane University, Queensland.

    Io and Prometheus, a dance for chamber ensemble by Lou Harrison (68), is performed for the first time, in Athens.  See 9 July 1951.

    Concerto for viola and orchestra op.56 by Robin Holloway (41) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall.

    7 September 1994 Séraphin:  Versuch eines Theaters für Instrumente/Stimmen/... by Wolfgang Rihm (42) after Artaud, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.  See 24 November 1996.

    7 September 1995 Proverb for three sopranos, two tenors, two basses, and four synthesizers by Steve Reich (58) to words of Wittgenstein, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    Variations...beyond Pierrot, a sound-play for soprano, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, hypermedia system, and computer music on tape by Larry Austin (64) is performed for the first time, in Eric Harvie Theatre, Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, Alberta, Canada simultaneously broadcast on CBC Radio.

    7 September 1996 The Secret Agent, a film with music by Philip Glass (59), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    7 September 1997 A new setting of Gebild for trumpet, percussion, and strings by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.  See 15 May 1983.

    7 September 2001 Tenebrae David for brass by Harrison Birtwistle (67) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    7 September 2004 The Kestral Road for chorus and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies to words of George Mackay Brown is performed for the first time, at the City of London School to celebrate the 70th birthday of the composer, which takes place tomorrow.

    7 September 2006 Vigilia for six voices and ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (54) is performed for the first time, in the Philharmonie, Berlin.

    Comme une symphonie, envoi à Jules Verne II for tape by Pierre Henry (78) is performed for the first time, in Stavanger Cathedral.

    A Night at the Chinese Opera for violin and piano by Bright Sheng (50) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    8 September

    8 September 1613 Carlo Gesualdo dies in Gesualdo, Avellina, aged approximately 52 years.

    8 September 1761 George III, King of Great Britain and Hanover, marries Princess Charlotte Sophia, daughter of the late Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in the Chapel Royal, St. James’.  Johann Christian Bach’s (26) cantata Thanks be to God Who Rules the Deep to words of Lockman is performed for the first time along with the premiere of The King Shall Rejoice by William Boyce (49).

    8 September 1766 Before a large audience in Paris, the famous fencer Giuseppe Gianfaldoni defeats Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint Georges (20), although the master is impressed by the way the young man acquits himself.

    8 September 1768 A Concert Spirituel in Paris records one of the first public uses of a piano in France.

    8 September 1782 Luigi Cherubini’s (22) opera Mesenzio, rè d’Eturia, to words of Casorri is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Pergola, Florence.

    8 September 1787 Giovanni Paisiello’s (47) componimento drammatico Giunone Lucina, to words of Sernicola, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    8 September 1799 This is the probable date of the first performance of the Theresienmesse by Joseph Haydn (67) in the Eisenstadt Burgkirche for the name day of Princess Marie Hermenegild Esterházy.

    8 September 1802 Die Harmoniemesse by Franz Joseph Haydn (70) is performed for the first time, at Eisenstadt for the name day of Princess Maria Hermenegild.

    8 September 1823 Ferdinand Hérold’s (32) opéra L’asthénie to words of Chaillou is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.

    8 September 1825 Franz Schubert’s (28) Erstes Offertorium D.136 for vocal soloist, clarinet, orchestra and organ, Zweites Offertorium D.223 for soprano, orchestra and organ, and a setting of Tantum ergo D.739 for chorus, orchestra and organ, are all performed for the first time, in the Maria-Trost-Kirche, Vienna.

    8 September 1828 Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, an overture by Felix Mendelssohn (19), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    8 September 1841 Antonín Leopold Dvorák is born in Nelahozeves, near Kralupy, 20 km north of Prague, first of eight children born to Frantisek Dvorák, an innkeeper, and Anna Zdenková, daughter of a steward.

    8 September 1852 Loreley, an unfinished opera by Felix Mendelssohn (†4) to words of Geibel, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    8 September 1856 The publication of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka’s (52) Solemn Polonaise in versions for orchestra, two-hand piano and four-hand piano is advertised.  The work is performed today at a ball in Moscow celebrating the coronation of Tsar Alyeksandr II.

    Hungaria, a symphonic poem by Franz Liszt (44) is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Pest, directed by the composer.  It is an enormous success.

    8 September 1860 Il quattro giugno, a cantata by Arrigo Boito (18) and Franco Faccio to words of Boito, is performed for the first time, at Milan Conservatory.  It celebrates the Battle of Magenta, at which a friend and classmate of the composer was killed.

    8 September 1862 Johannes Brahms (29) leaves Hamburg for Vienna.  Although unaware of it, he will never live in his native city again.

    8 September 1864 Kenilworth, a masque by Arthur Sullivan (22) to words of Chorley, is performed for the first time, at Birmingham Town Hall.

    8 September 1865 Louis Moreau Gottschalk (36) premieres his polka Ses yeux op.66 in San Francisco.

    8 September 1869 The Prodigal Son, an oratorio by Arthur Sullivan (27) to his own words after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Worcester.

    8 September 1875 In Munich, Clara Schumann (55) witnesses a performance of Wagner’s (62) Tristan und Isolde for the first time.  “It is the most repulsive thing I ever saw or heard in my life.”

    8 September 1879 Dumka for piano by Leos Janácek (25) is performed for the first time, in Roznov by the composer.

    O sanctissima dulcis virgo Maria! for alto, baritone and organ by Antonin Dvorák is performed for the first time, in Sychrov, on the composer’s 38th birthday.

    8 September 1888 Little Suite op.1 for string orchestra by Carl Nielsen (23) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.  The composer is a violinist in the orchestra and the conductor literally drags him out to share the applause.

    8 September 1889 Richard Strauss (25) enters duties as conductor at Weimar.  The position was secured for him by the music director, Edward Lassen, successor to Franz Liszt (†3).

    8 September 1892 Job, an oratorio by Hubert Parry (44), is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    8 September 1894 Willem Frederik Johannes Pijper is born in Zeist, Netherlands, the son of Johannes Willem Pijper, a paper hanger, and Willemina Andrea Frederika Beeftink.

    8 September 1896 The Light of Life, an oratorio by Edward Elgar (39) to words of Capel-Cure after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral, the composer conducting.  The press, for the first time including the London critics, is enthusiastic.

    8 September 1909 Dance Rhapsody no.1 for orchestra by Frederick Delius (47) is performed for the first time, in Shire Hall, Hereford, conducted by the composer.

    8 September 1910 The Violin Concerto of Edward Elgar (53) is performed for the first time, privately, in Gloucester.  See 10 November 1910.

    8 September 1914 Alban Berg (29) sends the first and third of his Three Orchestral Pieces op.6 to Arnold Schoenberg (39) in hopes of dedicating them to him.

    8 September 1920 The New Slovak Songs:  30 songs in two sets for voice and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (29) are performed for the first time, in Policka, the composer at the piano.

    8 September 1921 The Overture in g minor for orchestra by Anton Bruckner (†24) is performed for the first time, in Klosterneuberg 58 years after it was composed.

    8 September 1931 A Choral Fantasia for soprano, chorus, organ, strings, brass, and percussion by Gustav Holst (56) to words of Bridges, is performed for the first time, in Gloucester Cathedral the composer conducting.

    8 September 1932 Magnificat for female chorus, flute and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (59) is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral the composer conducting.

    8 September 1934 Peter Maxwell Davies is born in Salford, Lancashire, the son of Thomas Davies, a foreman at a firm producing optical instruments, and Hilda Howard, an amateur painter.

    Rapsodia for solo voice and chamber orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (30) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    8 September 1936 Two hymn-tune preludes for small orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (63) are performed for the first time, in Hereford Cathedral the composer conducting.

    8 September 1937 Tre Laudi for soprano and 13 instruments by Luigi Dallapiccola (33) to 13th century texts, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Goldoni, Venice.

    8 September 1949 14:12  Richard Georg Strauss dies while sleeping, from poisoning brought on by an inoperable kidney stone, at his home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, aged 85 years, two months, and 28 days.  After a death mask is made, the mortal remains will be cremated according to his wish.

    8 September 1954 Hodie, a cantata for soprano, tenor, baritone, boys’ chorus, chorus, optional organ, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (81) to words from various sources, is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral, directed by the composer.

    8 September 1958 John Cage (46) gives the second of three lectures at Darmstadt.  This one is called “Indeterminacy.”

    8 September 1961 Symphony no.12 “1917” by Dmitri Shostakovich (54) is performed for the first time, in a reduction for two pianos, at the RSFSR Composers’ Union.  See 1 October 1961.

    Présence, a “ballet blanc” in five scenes for violin, cello, and piano by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (43), is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    8 September 1968 A concert of the music of Harry Partch (67) draws standing-room-only crowds at the Whitney Museum in New York.  The lines “twisted outside the museum, down Madison Avenue, and around the block.”

    8 September 1971 Mass, a theatre piece for singers, players, and dancers by Leonard Bernstein (53) to words of Schwarz, the Latin mass, and the composer, is performed for the first time, at the opening of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington.  The applause lasts for one-half hour.  The critics run from laudatory to blistering.

    8 September 1984 The original version of Fate, an opera by Leos Janácek (†56) to words of Bartosová and the composer, is staged for the first time, in London 79 years after it was composed.  See 18 September 1934.

    8 September 1989 Drei Lieder über den Schnee for soprano, baritone, and eight instruments by Hans Werner Henze (63) to words of Treichel is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    8 September 1991 In the private chapel of Archbishop Gregorios, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Britain, in Bayswater, John Tavener (47) marries Maryanna Schaefer, a physicist with the British Nuclear Industry Forum, the daughter of an ecology professor.  She is his second wife.

    8 September 1995 New First Suite for Strings by Lou Harrison (78) is performed for the first time, on Majorca.

    8 September 2000 Water Passion After St. Matthew for soprano, bass-baritone, violin, cello, three percussionists, Yamaha A-3000 sampler, chamber choir, and sound designer by Tan Dun (43) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart, conducted by the composer.

    8 September 2002 The Baroness and the Pig, a film with music by Philip Glass (65), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    9 September

    9 September 1606 Leonhard Lechner dies in Stuttgart, aged approximately 53 years.

    9 September 1618 Joan Cererols is born in Martorell, Catalonia.

    9 September 1754 The cantata Nun ist das Heil TWV 1:  1171 by Georg Philipp Telemann (73) to words of Mayer, is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    9 September 1767 Partenope, a festa teatrale by Johann Adolf Hasse (68) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna, as part of celebrations surrounding the betrothal of Archduchess Maria Josepha to King Ferdinando IV of Naples.

    9 September 1775 La finta scema, a commedia per musica by Antonio Salieri (25) to words of De Gamerra, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.  The composer finds the singing substandard and will write that “this music was esteemed more than it was applauded.”

    9 September 1796  Incidental music to Cowmeadow’s play (after Bicknell) Alfred, König der Angelsachsen, oder Der patriotische König by Joseph Haydn (64) is performed for the first time, in Eisenstadt, under the name Haldane, König der Danen.

    9 September 1800 Sieber announces the publication of Sonate à quatre mains pour le clavecin ou forte-piano, oeuvre VI par Louis Vanbee-Thoven.  It is the first extant mention of Beethoven (29) in the French press.

    9 September 1805 In the final resolution of the Beethoven (34)-Artaria squabble, the lawyers of the two sides sign an agreement that Beethoven will not have to publish a retraction and Artaria will publish a future quintet along with a Paris publisher.  Beethoven will never compose the quintet and Artaria will take no further action against him.

    9 September 1813 Carl Maria von Weber (26) conducts his first performance with the Estates Theatre in Prague with a performance of Spontini’s (38) Fernand Cortez.

    9 September 1814 King Louis XVIII appoints Gaspare Spontini (39) as director of the King’s Private Music and the Théâtre-Italien.

    9 September 1822 Publication of Die Kunst des Fingersatzes...in einer Sammlung classischer Compositionen by Carl Czerny (31) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    9 September 1825 String Quartet op.132 by Ludwig van Beethoven (54) is performed for the first time, privately, in Vienna.  See 6 November 1825.

    9 September 1830 In keeping with the bourgeois quality of the new French monarchy, the post of superintendent of the Royal Chapel is abolished.  Thus, Luigi Cherubini (70) and Jean-François Le Sueur, who hold the post jointly, become the last musicians to hold this position stretching back centuries.

    9 September 1833 Torquato Tasso, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (35) to words of Ferretti, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome to a warm reception.

    9 September 1836 At the Krontal spa north of Frankfurt, Felix Mendelssohn (27) proposes marriage to Cecile Jeanrenaud.  She agrees.

    9 September 1846 Die Sanguiniker Waltz op.27 by Johann Strauss (20) is performed for the first time, at the Wasserglacis, Vienna.

    9 September 1884 Erik Satie (18) dates his first extant composition, an Allegro for piano.  See 12 April 1980.

    9 September 1886 Suite moderne for orchestra by Hubert Parry (38) is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.  It is very well received.

    9 September 1889 Fest-und Gedenksprüche op.109 for unaccompanied choir by Johannes Brahms (56) to words of the Bible, are performed for the first time, as part of celebrations of the Hamburg Exhibition of Trade and Industry.

    9 September 1896 Deutschmeister-Jubiläums-Marsch op.470 by Johann Strauss (70) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    9 September 1904 The Harper and His Son op.38/4, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (38) to words of Rydberg, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    9 September 1907 Forty to fifty thousand people view the funeral cortege carrying the body of Edvard Grieg on its was through Bergen.  The urn containing his ashes is placed in a cliff face at Troldhaugen, overlooking the lake.

    9 September 1908 The Wand of Youth Orchestral Suite no.2 by Edward Elgar (51) is performed for the first time, in the Public Hall, Worcester, under the baton of the composer.  Also premiered is Hubert Parry’s (60) Beyond these voices there is peace for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra to words of the Bible and the composer.

    9 September 1909 Edward Elgar’s (52) partsong Go, Song of Mine op.57 to words of Cavalcanti (tr. Rossetti), is performed for the first time, in Hereford.

    9 September 1919 Sonata no.1 for violin and piano by Willem Pijper  (25) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    9 September 1948 Marsia, a ballet by Luigi Dallapiccola (44) to a scenario by Milloss, is performed for the first time, at Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    Missa brevis for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Zoltán Kodály (65) is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral conducted by the composer.  See 11 February 1945.

    9 September 1951 Leonard Bernstein (33) marries Felicia Montealegre, an actress and daughter of businessman Roy Cohn, at Temple Mishkan Tefilah, Newton, Massachusetts.

    9 September 1954 Su seguro servidor, a film with music by Alberto Ginastera (38), is released in Argentina.

    9 September 1958 John Cage (46) gives the third of three lectures at Darmstadt.  This one is called “Communication.”  Unlike his first two lectures, Communication appears to attack the Darmstadt school, Pierre Boulez (33), and serial composition in general, especially since the German translation of his remarks make it seem much more direct and personal.

    A revised version of Le soleil des eaux for soprano, tenor, bass chorus, and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (33) to words of Char, is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    9 September 1958 A revised version of Le soleil des eaux for soprano, tenor, bass chorus, and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (33) to words of Char, is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    9 September 1961 Livre pour quatour V, VI for string quartet by Pierre Boulez (36) are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt. Also premiered is Available Forms for chamber ensemble by Earle Brown (34).

    9 September 1963 Vexations for piano solo by Erik Satie (†38) is performed, possibly for the first time, in New York.  The performance begins at 18:00 with a relay of ten pianists including John Cage (51), David Tudor, Christian Wolff (29), James Tenney (29), John Cale, David Del Tredici (26), and Joshua Rifkin.

    9 September 1965 Wechselrahmen, six songs for voice and piano by Ernst Krenek (65) to words of Barth, is performed for the first time, in Düsseldorf, the composer at the keyboard.

    Aulodia per Lothar for oboe d’amore and guitar by Bruno Maderna (45) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Julián Antonio Carrillo Trujillo dies in San Angél, aged 90 years, seven months, and twelve days.

    9 September 1968 Heralds I for brass octet by Ulysses Kay (51) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    9 September 1969 Persephassa for six percussionists by Iannis Xenakis (47) is performed for the first time, in Persepolis, Iran.

    9 September 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).

    9 September 1981 A scherzo, the only extant movement of a piano sonata composed in 1913 by Arnold Bax (†27), is heard for the first time, in a recording session in the EMI studios on Abbey Road, London.

    9 September 1985 Dream/Window for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (54) is performed for the first time, in Kyoto.

    Sankt-Bach-Passion, an oratorio for speaker, solo voices, boys choir, two choruses, and orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (53), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    9 September 1986 Fanfare for Louisville for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (73) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    9 September 1990 Mindwalk, a film with music by Philip Glass (53), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto Film Festival.

    9 September 1994 Sanctus from the Polish Requiem for alto, tenor, chorus, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (60) is performed for the first time, Przemysl.

    9 September 2000 The Doctrine of Similarity for chorus and six players by Brian Ferneyhough (57), to words of C. Bernstein, is performed for the first time, at Royaumont.

    9 September 2005 Neverwas, a film with music by Philip Glass (68), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    9 September 2007 Adagietto aus “Paradise Lost” for orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (73) is performed for the first time, at the Alte Reitschule, Grafenegg, Austria conducted by the composer.

    9 September 2008 Flute Concerto by Elliott Carter (99) is performed for the first time, at the YMCA in Jerusalem.

    Battements for tape by Pierre Henry (80) is performed for the first time.

    9 September 2009 Ciaconna in memoria Giovanni Paolo II for violin and viola by Krzysztof Penderecki (75) is performed for the first time, in the Rector’s Palace, Dubrovnik.

    9 September 2010 In spe for four woodwinds, horn and orchestra by Arvo Pärt (74) is performed for the first time, in the Vale of Glamorgan, Great Britain.

    Reliquary for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Robin Holloway (66) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    Duet 3 for english horn and bassoon by Harrison Birtwistle (76) is performed publicly for the first time, in Kings Place, London.

    9 September 2011 Three works by Arvo Pärt (75) recast from earlier incarnations are performed for the first time in the Auditorium of RAI, Turin:  Beatus Petronius for two choruses, eight winds, percussion and strings, Salve Regina for chorus, percussion and strings, and Statuit ei Dominus for two choruses, eight winds, and strings.

    10 September

    10 September 1588 Nicholas Lanier is baptized in London.

    10 September 1607 Luzzasco Luzzaschi dies in Ferrara, aged approximately 62 years.

    10 September 1714 Niccolò Jommelli is born in Aversa.

    10 September 1781 La serva padrona, an intermezzo by Giovanni Paisiello (41) to words of Federico, is performed for the first time, at Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg.

    10 September 1788 Il talismano, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Salieri (38) (Act I) and Giacomo Rust (Acts II&III)  to words of Goldoni and da Ponte, is performed completely for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.  It is a great success.  See 21 August 1779.

    10 September 1807 Andrew Law (58) receives a US copyright for his Harmonic Companion.

    10 September 1831 Around this date, Frédéric Chopin arrives in Paris after a two-week trip from Stuttgart.

    10 September 1837 Felix Mendelssohn (28) performs during a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.  After the service, he continues to play and most of the congregation stay on to listen.  The sexton, desirous to clear the Cathedral, orders those pumping the bellows to stop.  Thus, the concert is concluded.  Three or four clergymen publicly berate the sexton and call for his dismissal.  The crowd makes a fuss, crying shame at the sexton.

    10 September 1838 Benvenuto Cellini, an opéra semi-seria by Hector Berlioz (34) to words of de Wailly, de Barbier and de Vigny, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  Giacomo Meyerbeer (47) has come to Paris to see it.  It is not a success, with many whistles heard.

    10 September 1839 Gianni di Parigi, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (41) to words of Romani after Saint-Just, is performed for the first time, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan.  The critics are not impressed.

    10 September 1855 Doctors attending Robert Schumann (45) in an insane asylum near Bonn declare that he will never recover completely.  He is becoming incoherent and delusional.

    10 September 1861 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (51) opens the new organ at Holy Trinity Parish Church, Winchester.  It was originally built in 1850 on the Isle of Wight.  The cathedral choir sings two of Wesley’s anthems, including Praise the Lord, my soul composed specifically for this occasion.

    While vacationing as a guest of Prince Constantin von Hohenzollern-Hechingen at Löwenberg, Franz Liszt (49) receives a visit from Adolf von Henselt (47).  Henselt is recuperating from malaria at his estate in Gersdorff nearby.

    10 September 1875 Gustav Mahler (15) begins his first term at the Conservatorium der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.

    10 September 1882 The second version of Messe basse for female chorus, solo voices, and orchestra by Gabriel Fauré (37) is performed for the first time, at the village church of Villerville, Calvados.  See 4 September 1881.

    10 September 1890 The Froissart Overture by Edward Elgar (33) is performed for the first time, in Worcester conducted by the composer.

    10 September 1891 De profundis for soprano, chorus and orchestra by Hubert Parry (43) is performed for the first time, in Hereford.

    10 September 1894 Richard Strauss (30) marries Pauline de Ahna, an opera singer and his voice student, the daughter of a general, in Marquartstein in Bavaria near Salzburg, where her family has a summer home.  As a wedding present, he dedicates his songs op.27 to her.

    10 September 1899 Mireya for violin, viola, cello, flute, and piano by Manuel de Falla (22) is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Comico, Cádiz, the composer at the keyboard.

    10 September 1903 Voces clamantium for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (55) to words of the Bible and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Hereford.

    10 September 1913 The Spirit of Nature op.70 for soprano and orchestra by Jean Sibelius (47), to words from the Kalevala, is performed for the first time, in Shire Hall, Gloucester.

    10 September 1919 Karl Amadeus Hartmann (14) is admitted as a student at the Lehrerbildungsanstalt in Pasing, near Munich.

    10 September 1925 Authorization to break the seals on the apartment of Erik Satie (†0) is granted and the room is entered by a clerk of the court and a brother of the composer.  They find living quarters with no gas or electric light, no running water, one window, a folding cot with no sheets, two pianos, one full of unopened mail and thousands of sheets of paper written with exquisite calligraphy.

    Gustav Holst’s (50) choral work The Evening-watch op.43/1 to words of Vaughan is performed for the first time, in Gloucester, the composer conducting.

    10 September 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.

    10 September 1950 Symphony no.2 (Adagio for large orchestra) by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (45) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    10 September 1955 Hymn and Fuguing Tune no.10 for oboe and strings by Henry Cowell (58) is performed for the first time, in Santa Barbara, California.

    10 September 1962 Sound Patterns by Pauline Oliveros (30) is performed for the first time.

    10 September 1963 12:40  Vexations concludes in New York after 840 repetitions of the piece in a non-stop relay.  There are six people left in the audience.  One yells “encore.”

    10 September 1964 Electronic Music for piano by John Cage (51) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.

    10 September 1971 Beatrix Cenci, an opera by Alberto Ginastera (55) to words of Shand and Girri, is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    10 September 1972 E vò for soprano and chamber orchestra by Luciano Berio (46) is performed for the first time, in Arco, directed by the composer.

    10 September 1977 Inlets (Improvisation II) for conch shells by John Cage (65) is performed for the first time, in Seattle to a dance by Merce Cunningham.

    10 September 1984 Cadenza for viola by Krzysztof Penderecki (50) is performed for the first time, in Luslawice.

    Hexachord for harpsichord by Ross Lee Finney (77) is performed for the first time, at the Hartt School of Music, Hartford, Connecticut.

    10 September 1985 Orpheus Behind the Wire for chorus by Hans Werner Henze (59) to words of Bond is performed for the first time, in Southampton.

    10 September 1986 The Golden Dance for orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (48) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    10 September 1987 Miserere op.44 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Stanislaus Church, Wloclawek.  The work was composed in remembrance of the Bydgoszcz incident.  See 19 March 1981.

    10 September 1989 Symphony no.4 for chamber orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London, the composer conducting.

    10 September 1995 The Interview (Jenipapo), a film with music by Philip Glass (58) is shown for the first time, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    10 September 1996 Midhouse Air for violin and viola by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) is performed for the first time, in Hoy Kirk, Orkney.  Also premiered is Davies’ Joey’s Tune for clarinet, bassoon, horn, and violin.

    10 September 1998 De profundis for string orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (64) is performed for the first time, in Salerno, conducted by the composer.

    Wild Purple for solo viola by Joan Tower (60) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    10 September 2001 ...second musical offering for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (69) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    10 September 2005 Waiting for the Barbarians, an opera by Philip Glass (68) to words of Hampton after Coetzee, is performed for the first time, in Erfurt.

    10 September 2010 Hot Pepper for violin and marimba by Bright Sheng (54) is performed for the first time, in Santa Barbara, California.

    10 September 2011 Musica Benevolens for orchestra, chorus, military trumpets and audience participation by Peter Maxwell Davies (77) to anonymous medieval words is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London on the last night of the Proms.

    11 September

    11 September 1711 William Boyce is baptized in London.

    11 September 1733 François Couperin dies in Paris, aged 64 years, ten months, and one day.

    11 September 1758 The publication of six “overtures” by Giovanni Battista Sammartini (57) is advertised in Annonces, Paris.  Among them is the Symphony no.58, version A.

    11 September 1790 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (34) duet for soprano and bass, Nun liebes Weibchen, ziehst mit mir K.625 to words of Schikaneder is performed for the first time, in Theater-auf-der-Wieden, Vienna.

    11 September 1794 Incidental music to Chénier’s play Timoléon by Etienne-Nicolas Méhul (31) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre de la République, Paris.

    11 September 1796 Missa Sancti Bernardi d’Offida by Franz Joseph Haydn (64) is performed for the first time, in the Bergkirche, Eisenstadt, to celebrate the name day of Princess Marie Hermenegild Esterházy.

    11 September 1812 Sappho von Mitilene, a ballet by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (33) to a scenario by Viganò, is performed for the first time, at Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    11 September 1819 A Genoa court orders seizure of the settlement against Nicolò Paganini (36), which he has yet to pay, plus interest, to be handed over to the widow of Ferdinando Cavanna.  See 14 November 1816.

    11 September 1824 Due to Carl Maria von Weber’s (37) increasing debilitation from tuberculosis, Heinrich August Marschner (29) is appointed director of the German and Italian opera companies in Dresden.

    11 September 1827 On his first trip to see a production of Shakespeare, Hector Berlioz (23) first lays eyes on Harriet Smithson, playing Ophelia in Hamlet at the Théâtre de l’Odéon.  The composer later remembers that this is the beginning of “the supreme drama of my life...The impression made on my heart and mind by her extraordinary talent, nay her dramatic genius, was equaled only by the havoc wrought in me by the poet she so nobly interpreted.”  As for Ms. Smithson, it is her first performance in France.  She is an overnight sensation.

    Clara Wieck (7) plays a concerto for the first time in public, at an orchestral rehearsal before a small invited audience in Leipzig.  She plays a concerto by Mozart (†35) in E flat.

    11 September 1847 Susanna, a song by Stephen Foster (21), is performed for the first time, at Eagle Saloon, Pittsburgh.  It is his first big success and is often cited as the beginning of popular music in the United States.

    11 September 1850 Jenny Lind gives her first concert in the United States, at Castle Garden, New York City managed by Phineas T. Barnum.

    11 September 1865 Characteristic Dances for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk, conducted by Johann Strauss, Jr. (39).  It is the first work of Tchaikovsky to be performed in public.

    11 September 1884 A setting of Christus factus est (III) for chorus by Anton Bruckner (60) is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Hofkapelle.

    Antonín Dvorák (43) conducts his Symphony no.6 at the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, England.  Among the violinists is Edward Elgar (27) who is quite smitten with the music.

    11 September 1887 Mass in D for soloists, chorus, and organ by Antonín Dvorák (46) is performed for the first time, in Luzany.  See 11 March 1893.

    11 September 1900 Thanksgiving Te Deum for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (52) is performed for the first time, in Hereford, “to commemorate the noble achievements of the British forces in South Africa.” Also premiered is The Last Post op.75 for chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (47) to words of Henley.  See 25 June 1900.

    11 September 1907 The second book of the suite for piano Iberia by Isaac Albéniz (47) is performed for the first time, at St. Jean de Luz.

    11 September 1912 Two songs op.60, The Torch and The River by Edward Elgar (55), are performed for the first time in their orchestral setting, along with the premiere of Elgar’s suite from his The Crown of India, in the Shire Hall, Hereford.

    11 September 1913 The Promised Land, an oratorio by Camille Saint-Saëns (77) to words of Klein, is performed for the first time, in Gloucester Cathedral.  While in Gloucester, Saint-Saëns meets Edward Elgar (56) for the first time.

    Sanctuary, A Bird Masque by Frederick S. Converse (42) and Arthur Farwell (41) to words of Mackaye, is performed for the first time, in Meriden, New Hampshire.

    11 September 1920 Sinfonía sevillana op.23 for orchestra by Joaquín Turina (37) is performed for the first time, in the Gran Casino de San Sebastián under the title Sevilla.

    11 September 1922 Sanlucar de Barrameda op.24 for piano by Joquín Turina (39) is performed for the first time, in the town for which it is named.

    11 September 1924 Istar, a ballet by Bohuslav Martinu (33) to a story by Zeyer after Babylonian texts, is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Primrose, a musical comedy with book by Bolton and Grossmith, lyrics by Carter and Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (25), is performed for the first time, at the Winter Garden Theatre, London.  It will go for 255 performances.

    11 September 1928 String Quartet no.2 “Intimate Letters” by Leos Janácek (†0) is performed publicly for the first time, in Brno.  See 25 May 1928 and 7 September 1928.

    11 September 1934 Igor Stravinsky (52) and Alban Berg (49) meet for the first time, at a concert in Venice.

    11 September 1935 Arvo Pärt is born in Paide, Estonia.

    11 September 1940 Malambo op.7 for piano by Alberto Ginastera (24) is performed for the first time, in Montevideo.

    11 September 1944 Yvonne Loriod plays Olivier Messiaen’s (35) Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus for piano at the home of Guy Bernard-Delapierre in Paris.  Messiaen completed the work two days ago.  See 26 March 1945.

    11 September 1945 Works for piano by Peter Sculthorpe (16) are performed for the first time, over the local Tasmanian airwaves of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, by the composer:  Falling Leaves and Winter Woodland.

    11 September 1946 The Satyricon overture by John Ireland (67) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    11 September 1947 Daybreak for voice and piano by Henry Cowell (50) to words of Blake is performed for the first time, at the San Francisco Museum of Art.

    11 September 1949 In Virgil Thomson’s (52) column in the New York Herald-Tribune, Arnold Schoenberg (74) states that Aaron Copland (48) has made “malicious statements” about him, comparing Copland with Stalin.  Ironically, Copland is simultaneously composing his Piano Quartet, his first to employ serial techniques.

    11 September 1951 The Rake’s Progress, an opera by Igor Stravinsky (69) to words of Auden and Kallman, is performed for the first time, at Teatro La Fenice, Venice conducted by the composer.

    11 September 1957 Two works for chamber ensemble by Darius Milhaud (65) are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Lausanne the composer  conducting:  Le globe trotter op.358 and Les charmes de la vie.

    11 September 1964 Garak for flute and piano by Isang Yun (46) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 September 1969 The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is inaugurated in the new Alice Tully Hall.

    11 September 1970 Tria Carmina Paschalia for female chorus, harp, and guitar by Dominick Argento (42) to medieval lyrics is performed for the first time, at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota.

    11 September 1971 Musiques pour une fête for tape by Pierre Henry (43) is performed for the first time.

    Fadograph of a Yestern Scene for two solo voices and orchestra by Samuel Barber (61) after Joyce is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.  It was commissioned for the opening of the new Heinz Hall.

    11 September 1982 Concerto grosso no.2 for violin, cello and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (47) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 September 1983 A Whitman Cantata for male chorus, brass, and timpani by Ned Rorem (59) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.

    Harpsichord Sonata no.6 op.154 by Vincent Persichetti (68) is performed for the first time, in Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans.

    11 September 1984 Concerto for violin and orchestra no.4 by Alfred Schnittke (49) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin.

    11 September 1986 Remembering Gatsby, a foxtrot for orchestra by John Harbison (47), is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.

    11 September 1990 Alleluia for chorus, boy soprano, organ, and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (58) to words from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 September 1992 Candyman, a film with music by Philip Glass (55), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto Film Festival.

    11 September 1994 Fanfanfaren for four trumpets by Mauricio Kagel (62) is performed for the first time, in Neuf-Brisach, France.

    11 September 1997 Symphony no.9 for chorus and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (71) to words of Treichel is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 September 1998 Boogie Woogie Fantasy for piano by TJ Anderson (70) is performed for the first time, at Duke University.

    11 September 2004 Hour of the Soul for voice and wind orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (72) to words of Tsvetayeva is performed for the first time, in Bolzano, Italy, 30 years after it was composed.

    11 September 2008 COLL’ARCO for violin and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (56) is performed for the first time, in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

    11 September 2011 Radio City, a musical fantasy on Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, for orchestra by Michael Daugherty (57) is performed for the first time, in Turin.

    String Quartet no.2 by David Del Tredici (74) is performed for the first time, in South Mountain Concert Hall, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    12 September

    12 September 1739 Reinhard Keiser dies in Hamburg, aged 65 years, eight months, and one or two days.

    12 September 1764 Jean-Philippe Rameau dies in Paris, at his home in the Rue des Bons-Enfants, 13 days before the 81st anniversary of his baptism.

    12 September 1765 The Mozart family gives a concert before members of the Dutch ruling family in The Hague.  Nannerl is too ill to perform.

    12 September 1775 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (19) dates his Violin Concerto K.216 in Salzburg.

    12 September 1789 Franz Xaver Richter dies in Strasbourg, aged 79 years, nine months and eleven days.

    12 September 1791 The Huldigungskantata by Leopold Kozeluch (44) is performed for the first time, in Prague as part of the festivities surrounding the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia.

    12 September 1799 Emma, ou La prisonnière, an opéra-comique by Luigi Cherubini (39) and Adrien Boieldieu (23) to words of de Jouy, Saint-Just and Longchamps, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Montansier, Paris.  It achieves some success.

    12 September 1827 Three Italian Songs for bass voice by Franz Schubert (30) to words of Metastasio are published by Haslinger as his op.83.

    12 September 1829 Gott segne den König, a cantata by Gaspare Spontini (54) to words of Herklotz, is performed for the first time, in Halle.

    12 September 1835 Wilhelm Wieprecht, director of the Berlin Gardes du Corps-Musik, receives a patent for a bass tuba.

    12 September 1836 A visit by Frédéric Chopin (26) to Robert Schumann (26) today in Leipzig inspires Schumann to complete his Études symphoniques.  Chopin, Schumann and Clara Wieck (15) spend most of the day at the piano.

    12 September 1837 Samuel Wesley (71) attends a recital by Felix Mendelssohn (28) at All Saints, Newgate Street, London.  After the concert, Wesley is asked to play.  He does so and receives praise from Mendelssohn.  “The frail old man improvised with great artistry and splendid facility, so that I could not but admire.  His daughter was so moved by the sight of it all that she fainted and could not stop crying and sobbing.”  (Eatcock, 63)  Wesley replies to Mendelssohn’s praise, “You should have heard me forty years ago.”

    12 September 1840 10:00  After more than a year of legal wrangling with Friedrich Wieck, Robert Schumann (30) and Clara Wieck are married at the village church of Schönefeld, near Leipzig, before a small group of family and friends.  Today is the eve of Clara’s 21st birthday, at which time she will not require her father’s consent to marry.

    12 September 1846 Loteria, an operetta by Stanislaw Moniuszko (27) to words of Milewski, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Hopser-Polka op.28 by Johann Strauss (20) is performed for the first time, in Dommayer’s Casino, Heitzing.

    12 September 1866 A theatrical monstrosity named The Black Crook opens at Niblo’s Garden, New York City.  It is seen as the grandparent of the twentieth century Broadway musical.

    12 September 1872 Russische Marsch-Fantasie op.353 by Johann Strauss (46) is performed for the first time, in Schwender’s “Neue Welt”, Vienna.

    Over 2,000 people gather outside Anton Rubinstein’s (42) hotel in New York where the Philharmonic Society serenades him.  In between numbers, the pianist says a few words of thanks to the cheering crowd.

    12 September 1875 A private concert in honor of Franz Liszt (63) is given in Leipzig.  Among those in attendance is Charles Villiers Stanford (22).  “The moment his fingers touched the keys, I realized the immense gap between him and all other pianists.”  (Williams, 521)

    12 September 1876 A Quintet for piano and strings by Gustav Mahler (16) is performed for the first time, in Iglau (Jihlava), the composer at the keyboard.

    12 September 1888 Ferruccio Busoni (22) arrives in Helsinki to take up a position as piano teacher at the conservatory.

    12 September 1897 Te Deum and Benedictus op.34 for chorus, orchestra, and organ by Edward Elgar (40) is performed for the first time, in Hereford.

    12 September 1903 Autumn Night op.38/1, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (37) to words of Rydberg, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    12 September 1906 The Soul’s Ransom, a sinfonia sacra for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (58) to words of the Bible and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Hereford, conducted by the composer.

    12 September 1910 Symphony no.8 “of a thousand” for three sopranos, two altos, tenor, baritone, bass, boys chorus, mixed chorus, and orchestra by Gustav Mahler (50) to the medieval hymn Veni Creator Spiritus and words of Goethe, is performed for the first time, at the Neue Musik Festhalle, Munich, conducted by the composer.  The performers include eight soloists, 170 in the orchestra (plus organ) and 850 singers (both children and adult).  It is the greatest success of Mahler’s life.  Among the glittering audience are Richard Strauss (46), Alfredo Casella (27), Anton Webern (26), and Thomas Mann.  Mann will send Mahler a copy of his new book Königliche Hoheit.  “It is certainly a very poor return for what I received—a mere feather’s weight in the hand of the man who, as I believe, expresses the art of our time in its profoundest and most sacred form.”  It is the last time Mahler and Strauss meet.

    12 September 1912 Fantasia on Christmas Carols for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (39)  is performed for the first time, in Hereford Cathedral, the composer conducting.  Also premiered is Ode on the Nativity by Hubert Parry (64) for soprano, chorus, and orchestra to words of Dunbar.

    12 September 1930 Prelude and Fugue in c minor for orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (57), arranged from his organ work, is performed for the first time, in Hereford Cathedral the composer conducting.

    Larry Don Austin is born in Duncan, Oklahoma.

    12 September 1932 Tre Studi for soprano and chamber orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (28) to words from the Kalevala is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Bachiana Brasileira no.1 for at least eight cellos by Heitor Villa-Lobos (45) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    12 September 1936 Fantasia Brevis for clarinet and piano by Otto Luening (36) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    12 September 1937 Suite provençal for orchestra by Darius Milhaud (45) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Suite for string orchestra by Otto Luening (37) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    12 September 1938 The Sonata a tre for piano trio by Alfredo Casella (55) is performed for the first time, in the Giustiniani Palace, Venice.

    12 September 1949 A memorial service for Richard Strauss is held in the Ostfriedhof in Munich.  Many dignitaries are present.  According to Strauss’ wish, the final trio from Der Rosenkavalier is performed, but the three sopranos are so overcome with grief that one by one they drop out.  The orchestra plays on and they all manage to reenter before the end.

    12 September 1954 Serenade (after Plato) for violin, strings, harp, and percussion by Leonard Bernstein (36) is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice, under the baton of the composer.

    12 September 1957 Cross Section, a revue with six songs by Peter Sculthorpe (28) to words of McKellar, is performed for the first time, in the Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney.

    12 September 1958 Fünf Sätze for orchestra by Peter Westergaard (27) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    Canto di speranza, a cantata for cello and chamber orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (40) is performed before a live audience for the first time, in Darmstadt.  See 28 July 1958.

    12 September 1961 Canticle of the Sun for soprano and chamber ensemble by Roy Harris (63) to words of Francis of Assisi, is performed for the first time, in Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, Washington the composer conducting.

    12 September 1969 Concerto for violin and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (49) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    12 September 1972 John Tilbury gives a performance of Cornelius Cardew’s (36) piano music in the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  At a discussion afterwards, statements by Tilbury and Cardew about the lack of class-consciousness of the avant-garde and the parasitic nature of avant-garde composers causes a near riot among the 400 listeners.  Among the audience is John Cage (60).  Cardew and Tilbury survive unhurt.

    12 September 1975 Feiertags-Kantate for speaker, mezzo-soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ernst Krenek (75) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 September 1976 String Quartet no.3 by Hans Werner Henze (50) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 September 1982 Dramatische Szenen aus Orpheus I for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (56) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    Three choral works by John Tavener (38) are performed for the first time, at Wigmore Hall, London:   Doxa, Funeral Ikos, and The Lord’s Prayer.

    12 September 1984 Umsungen for baritone and eight players by Wolfgang Rihm (32) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 September 1986 Album de Lilian (second volume) op.149 for flute, ondes martenot, harpsichord, and piano by Charles Koechlin (†35) is performed completely for the first time, in Jordan Hall of the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, 51 years after it was composed.

    12 September 1989 Für Manfred for violin by Hans Werner Henze (63) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    12 September 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.

    12 September 1993 Lieder und Tänze aus der Operette La Cubana for mezzo soprano and chamber orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (67) are performed for the first time, in the Kleiner Tonhallesaal, Zürich.

    12 September 1996 Slonimsky’s Earbox for orchestra by John Adams (49) is performed for the first time, in Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, England.  The work was commissioned by the Halle Orchestra and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra.

    Freitag aus Licht, an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen (68) to his own words, is performed completely for the first time, in the Leipzig Opernhaus.

    Two works by Larry Austin are performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York in a performance celebrating his 66th birthday:  BluesAx for saxophonist and computer music on tape, and Life Pulse Prelude for live and recorded percussionists.  Preceding the concert, Shin-Edo: CityscapeSet, a new tape work, was heard continuously in a gallery exhibition.

    12 September 1998 In a version for voice and symphony orchestra, Canto General by Mikis Theodorakis (73) is performed for the first time, in the Flämmereihalle in Linz, conducted by the composer.

    Miss Manners on Music, a cycle for voice and piano by Dominick Argento (70) to words of Judith Martin (Miss Manners), is performed for the first time, in the Cosmos Club, Washington.  It is a commission from Ms. Martin’s husband to celebrate her 60th birthday.

    12 September 2001 L’heure bleu, a serenade for 16 players by Hans Werner Henze (75), is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    Mystagogia for orchestra by John Tavener (57) is performed for the first time, in Guildhall, London.

    12 September 2004 Consider... for baritone and french horn by Roger Reynolds (70) is performed for the first time, in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

    12 September 2009 A Little Song of Love for clarinet and string quartet by Peter Sculthorpe (80) is performed for the first time, at the University of New South Wales, Kensington.

    13 September

    13 September 1764 The mortal remains of Jean-Philippe Rameau are laid to rest in the parish of St. Eustache, Paris.

    13 September 1789 With the death of Franz Xaver Richter, Ignaz Pleyel (32) is elevated to the position of cathedral organist in Strasbourg.

    13 September 1801 Die Schöpfungsmesse by Franz Joseph Haydn (69) is performed for the first time, at Eisenstadt for the name day of Princess Maria Hermenegild.

    13 September 1807 On the Sunday after the name day of Princess Esterházy, Ludwig van Beethoven (36) directs the first performance of his Mass in C at Eisenstadt.  The music is not a success.

    13 September 1819 Clara Josephine Wieck (Schumann) is born in the Neumarkt, Leipzig, second of five (and eldest surviving) children born to Friedrich Wieck, pianist and teacher and owner of a piano shop, and Marianne Tromlitz, singer and pianist, daughter and granddaughter of musicians.

    13 September 1835 Felix Mendelssohn (26) is introduced to the members of the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, and conducts his first rehearsal.  Later, he is guest of honor at the 16th birthday party for Clara Wieck.  He entertains the assembled by doing imitations of Chopin (25) and Liszt (23) at the piano, then plays his own music alone and with Clara.  At Clara’s request Mendelssohn plays the scherzo from Schumann’s (25) new Piano Sonata.  Clara receives her presents, a new Capriccio, a birthday ode and a gold watch from the Davidsbund.

    13 September 1847 At a birthday party for Clara Schumann (28), Piano Trio no.1 op.63 by Robert Schumann (37) is performed for the first time.

    13 September 1863 Sangeskönig Hiarne, oder Das Tyringsschwert, a romantic opera by Heinrich August Marschner (†1) to words of Grothe after Tegnér, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    13 September 1866 The Moscow Conservatory officially opens with celebrations.  At the end of the dinner, faculty member Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) plays a piano reduction of the overture to Ruslan and Lyudmilla of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (†9).

    13 September 1874 Arnold Franz Walter Schönberg is born in Vienna, eldest of three children born to Samuel Schönberg, shoestore owner and amateur musician, and Pauline Nachod, daughter of a family of cantors.  Schönberg’s parents moved to Vienna from Pressburg (Bratislava), giving him Hungarian nationality and in 1918, Czechoslovakian nationality, when that country is created. 

    13 September 1893 Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy by Hubert Parry (45) is performed for the first time, in Worcester, conducted by the composer.  The critics are mixed.

    13 September 1894 Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier dies in Paris, probably of the effects of syphilis, aged 53 years, seven months and 26 days.  He was in failing health for years, the last in general paralysis.

    13 September 1898 Two works for organ by Max Reger (25) are performed for the first time, in Wesel:  Fantasy on Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott op.27 and Fantasy on Freu’ dich sehr, O meine Seele! op.30.

    13 September 1900 The cantata A Wanderer’s Psalm op.50, with words after the Bible and music by Horatio Parker (36), is performed for the first time, in Hereford.

    13 September 1916 March! March! for chorus and orchestra by Arthur Farwell (44) is performed for the first time, in Central Park, New York.

    13 September 1917 Robert Eugene Ward is born in Cleveland, last of five children born to Albert E. Ward, owner of a moving and storage company, and Carrie Mollenkopf.

    The Forgotten Rite for orchestra by John Ireland (38) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    13 September 1922 The Wind Quintet op.26 by Arnold Schoenberg is performed for the first time, in Vienna, on the composer’s 48th birthday.

    13 September 1926 After being transported from the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Amy Beach (59) enters Fenway Hospital in Boston and undergoes a hemorrhoidectomy.  She will later remark that it was “the worst day of my life, too horrid to remember.”

    13 September 1934 Stefan Wolpe (32) marries his second wife, pianist Irma Schoenberg, in Jerusalem.

    13 September 1935 Symphony in Black:  A Rhapsody of Negro Life, a film with music by Duke Ellington (36), is released in the United States.  The singer is Billie Holiday.

    13 September 1938 An orchestral suite from Nobilissima visione by Paul Hindemith (42) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    13 September 1940 The Silly Little Mouse, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (33), is shown for the first time.

    13 September 1946 Symphony no.1 by Charles Koechlin (78) is performed for the first time, in Brussels 31 years after it was composed.

    13 September 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.

    13 September 1949 Phantasy for violin and piano by Arnold Schoenberg is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles on the composer’s 75th birthday.

    13 September 1950 Studi per “Il Processo” di Kafka for speaker, soprano, and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (30) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    13 September 1955 Symphony no.7 by Darius Milhaud (63) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    13 September 1956 Canticum sacrum for tenor, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (74), to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in the Cathedral San Marco, Venice the composer conducting.

    13 September 1958 String Quartet no.16 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (71) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    13 September 1961 The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces that William Schuman (51) has been elected president of the center effective 1 January.

    13 September 1962 First Fantasia on an In Nomine of John Taverner for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (28) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London the composer conducting.

    13 September 1963 Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes by György Ligeti (40) is performed for the first time, in Hilversum, the composer directing.  The end of the performance brings silence followed by loud protestations.  Dutch television records the event for broadcast in two days but the Hilversum Senate forbids its broadcast.

    13 September 1967 Violin Concerto no.2 op.129 by Dmitri Shostakovich (60) is performed for the first time, in the Palace of Culture, Bolshevo, near Moscow, by its dedicatee, David Oistrakh.  This is a run-through in preparation for the “official” premiere on 26 September.

    Inscape for orchestra by Aaron Copland (66) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor under the direction of Leonard Bernstein (49).

    13 September 1973 Autumn for biwa, shakuhachi, and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (42) is performed for the first time, in Metropolitan Festival Hall, Tokyo.  Also premiered is Takemitsu’s Voyage for three biwas.

    13 September 1975 Ragtimes and Habaneras for brass by Hans Werner Henze (49) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    13 September 1979 Incidental music to Hauptmann’s play Schluck und Jau by Leos Janácek (†51) is performed for the first time, in Prague, 51 years after it was composed.

    13 September 1981 Umhergetrieben, aufgewirbelt for mezzo-soprano, baritone, chorus, and flutes by Wolfgang Rihm (29) to words of Nietzsche is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    13 September 1985 Dane Rudhyar (Daniel Chennevière) dies in San Francisco, aged 90 years, five months, and 21 days.

    13 September 1986 Jubilee Games, a concerto for orchestra and electronic playback by Leonard Bernstein (68) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.  It is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

    13 September 1992 Quintet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and piano by Elliott Carter (83) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    13 September 1993 A version of “...explosante-fixe...” for MIDI flute, orchestra, and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (68) is performed for the first time, in Turin.

    13 September 1995 Adagio Tenebroso for orchestra by Elliott Carter (86) is performed for the first time, at a BBC Proms concert in Royal Albert Hall, London.  See 25 April 1998.

    13 September 1997 A string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 29 years after it was composed.

    Songs of Milarepa for baritone and chamber orchestra by Philip Glass (60) is performed for the first time, commissioned by Sagra musicale umbra.

    13 September 2003 Wind Quintet by Wolfgang Rihm (51) is performed for the first time, in the Schweizerhof, Lucerne.

    13 September 2004 The End of the Moon by Laurie Anderson (57) is performed for the first time, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams.

    13 September 2006 For Marian for tuba and piano by Ned Rorem (82) is performed for the first time, in Martin Theatre, Highland Park, Illinois.

    13 September 2010 Snapshots for solo piano by Thea Musgrave (82) is performed for the first time, as a test piece for the Scottish International Piano Competition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow.

    14 September

    14 September 1737 Michael Haydn is baptized in Rohrau, Lower Austria.

    14 September 1755 Baldassare Galuppi’s (48) dramma giocoso Le nozze to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Formagliari, Bologna.

    14 September 1760 Luigi Carlo Zanobi Salvadore Maria Cherubini is born in Florence, tenth of twelve children born to Bartolomeo Cherubini, maestro al cembalo at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence.  (The date of Cherubini’s birth may be 8 September)

    14 September 1761 On ne s’avise jamais de tout, an opéra comique mêlé de morceaux de musique by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (31) to words of Sedaine after La Fontaine, is performed for the first time, in Foire St. Laurent, Paris.  It is a great success.

    14 September 1772 Cerere placata, a serenata by Niccolò Jommelli (58) to words of Sarcone, is performed for the first time, in the Perrelli Palace, Naples.

    14 September 1847 Franz Liszt (35) essentially ends his virtuoso career with a performance in Yelisavetgrad (Kirovohrad, Ukraine), 250 km southeast of Kiev.

    14 September 1850 In a letter to E.B. Kietz, Richard Wagner (37) first mentions the idea of a festival theatre built to his specifications.

    14 September 1854 Missa solemnis in b flat minor for soloists, chorus, orchestra and organ by Anton Bruckner (30) is performed for the first time, for the installation of a new prior at St. Florian.

    14 September 1860 Separated from his mistress, Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, distressed by the death of his son, troubled by the letter from Brahms (27), Joachim, Grimm, and Scholz printed in the Berlin Echo protesting the new German School, Franz Liszt (48) pens his first will.

    14 September 1861 Furioso-Polka op.260 by Johann Strauss (35) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    14 September 1865 Bal champêtre op.303, a quadrille by Johann Strauss (39), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    14 September 1901 Two works for small orchestra, Chanson de matin, op.15a and Chanson de nuit, op.15b, by Edward Elgar (44), are performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    14 September 1909 Sergey Prokofiev (18) graduates from St. Petersburg Conservatory with a diploma declaring him a “free artist.”

    14 September 1911 Five Mystical Songs for baritone, chorus and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (38), to words of Herbert, is performed for the first time, in Worcester Cathedral, the composer conducting.  A back desk violinist has fallen ill and during the performance his place is quietly taken by Fritz Kreisler.  The master is to play the Elgar (54) concerto later in the program and wants to play in a new string.  He asks his astonished deskmate to “nudge me if there’s anything difficult and I’ll leave it out.”  The composer, glancing to the last row while conducting, thinks he is hallucinating.

    14 September 1917 Incidental music to Móricz’s play Lark Song by Zoltán Kodály (34) is performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    14 September 1928 Carl Nielsen’s (63) Clarinet Concerto is performed for the first time, privately at the summer home of Carl Johan Michaelsen in Humlebaek.  See 11 October 1928.

    14 September 1931 A string quartet by Aram Khachaturian (28) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    14 September 1932 Two works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (45) are performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro directed by the composer:  Elégie for soprano, tenor, and chorus, and Moteto for chorus.

    14 September 1945 A suite from the score to the film Henry V by William Walton (43), arranged by Sargent, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    14 September 1946 Warble for Lilac-Time for high voice and piano or small orchestra by Elliott Carter (37) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.  Also premiered are two works for chamber orchestra by Otto Luening (46):  Pilgrim’s Hymn and Prelude.

    14 September 1950 Suite opus300 for two pianos and orchestra by Darius Milhaud (58) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    14 September 1952 Piano Concerto no.1 by Hans Werner Henze (26) is performed for the first time, in Düsseldorf.

    14 September 1954 The Turn of the Screw op.54, a chamber opera by Benjamin Britten (40) to words of Piper after James, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice conducted by the composer.

    Concerto for flute, strings, harp, and percussion by Virgil Thomson (57) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    14 September 1959 The first, third, and fourth movements of Symphony no.1 by Henryk Górecki (25) are performed for the first time, in Warsaw.  See 15 July 1963.

    14 September 1960 Triptych for tenor and orchestra by Thea Musgrave (32) to words of Chaucer, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    14 September 1964 In a White House ceremony, President Johnson confers the Medal of Freedom on 30 Americans, including Aaron Copland (63), TS Eliot, Helen Keller, Willem de Kooning, Leontyne Price, Carl Sandburg and John Steinbeck.

    14 September 1965 Czech Madrigals for chorus by Bohuslav Martinu (†6) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    14 September 1968 String Quartet no.12 op.133 by Dmitri Shostakovich (61) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow.  See 14 June 1968.

    14 September 1969 Igor Stravinsky (87) leaves Los Angeles and moves permanently to the Essex House, New York.

    Orchestersonate no.2 by Werner Egk (68) is performed for the first time, in Ludwigshafen.

    Die Himmelsmechanik, a Komposition mit Bühnenbildern by Mauricio Kagel (37), is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Symphony no.2 by Lejaren Hiller (45) is performed for the first time, in Brockport, New York.

    14 September 1975 Sacred and Profane op.91 for chorus by Benjamin Britten (61) to medieval words, is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings.

    14 September 1978 Ex-Positionen by Mauricio Kagel (46) is performed for the first time, in Høvikodden, near Oslo.

    Third Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber (68) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    14 September 1979 Spiegelzeit for orchestra by Werner Egk (78) is performed for the first time, in Landau.

    14 September 1980 Ouvertüre “Musik über eine verschollene Romanze” for orchestra by Werner Egk (79) is performed for the first time, in Recklinghausen.

    Lustige Sinfonietta op.4 for orchestra by Paul Hindemith (†16) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 64 years after it was composed.

    14 September 1981 Ross Lee Finney’s (74) dance score Heyoka is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    14 September 1982 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, a radio opera by Thea Musgrave (54) to her own words after Bierce, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London the composer conducting.  See 23 June 1988.

    14 September 1985 Songs to Words by J. Slowacki for voice and piano op.48 by Henryk Górecki (51) is performed for the first time, in Zakopane.

    14 September 1987 Signals from Heaven II:  Night Signal for brass by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    14 September 1988 Birthday Flourish for five trumpets or brass quintet by Elliott Carter (79) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    14 September 1989 Festum for orchestra by Luciano Berio (63) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.  Also premiered is Allegro brillante for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (63).

    14 September 1991 Irkanda IV for string quartet by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in Perth, Western Australia.

    Fantasma/Cantos for clarinet and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (60) is performed for the first time, in Cardiff.

    14 September 1992 La lugubre gondola/Das Eismeer for two orchestras and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (40), composed in memory of Luigi Nono (†2), is performed for the first time, in Duisburg.  See 8 October 1994.

    14 September 1994 There Is No Tune for chorus by Luciano Berio (68) to words of Talia Pecker Berio, is performed for the first time, in St. Johns, Smith Square, London.

    14 September 1997 A string quartet in g minor by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, 31 years after it was composed.

    Echoes of America for clarinet, cello, and piano by Robert Ward (80), is performed for the first time, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    14 September 2002 Verwandlung for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt.

    A completed version of Dérive 2 for chamber ensemble by Pierre Boulez (77) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.

    Openings for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (63) is performed for the first time.

    Game Play for flute, viola, cello, and harp by TJ Anderson (74) is performed for the first time, in St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

    14 September 2004 Going Upriver:  the Long War of John Kerry, a film with music by Philip Glass (67), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto Film Festival.

    14 September 2008 Los Paisajes del Rio by Philip Glass (71) is performed for the first time, in Zaragoza.

    Lady Macbeth, a monodrama after Shakespeare for soprano and piano by Thomas Pasatieri (62) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.  Also premiered is Pasatieri’s Rhapsody for double bass and piano.

    15 September

    15 September 1762 Franz Joseph (30) and Johann Michael Haydn (25) travel together from Vienna to visit their family in Rohrau and settle the estate of their late mother.

    Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (48) pantomime La Citera assediata to words of Angiolini, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    15 September 1768 Giovanni Paisiello (28) marries Donna Cecilia Pallini in Naples.  She is pregnant, or is feigning pregnancy, and the Queen of Naples imprisoned the composer until he fulfilled his contract to marry her.

    15 September 1784 Italian Vincenzo Lunardi makes the first balloon ascent in England.  Before thousands of spectators, he ascends from London with a dog and cat, setting down about 50 km to the north in Hertfordshire.  In honor of the event, Samuel Wesley (18) composes the piano piece Lunardi’s March.

    15 September 1795 Der Schach von Schiras, a singspiel by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (55) to his own words after Kotzebue, is performed for the first time, in the Herzogliches Hoftheater, Oels.

    15 September 1835 Messa di Gloria for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi (21) is performed for the first time, in Busseto.

    15 September 1849 A setting of the Requiem in d minor for soloists, chorus, three trombones, strings and organ by Anton Bruckner (25) is performed for the first time, at St. Florian.

    15 September 1859 A Te Deum for chorus, organ, brass and percussion ad. lib. by Franz Liszt (47) is performed for the first time, for the wedding of Marie Sayn-Wittgenstein to Prince Constantine von Hohenlohe in Weimar.

    15 September 1863 Horatio William Parker is born in Auburndale (now part of Newton), Massachusetts, eldest of four children born to Charles Edward Parker, a successful architect, and Isabella Graham Jennings, daughter of a minister.  Charles Parker also has four children from a previous marriage.

    Joana de Flandres, an opera seria by Carlos Gomes (27) to words of de Mendonça, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Lírico Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro.

    15 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) is elected conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague.

    15 September 1871 Fest-Polonaise op.352 by Johann Strauss (45) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    15 September 1876 The casket containing the earthly remains of Vincenzo Bellini (†40) is removed from its tomb in Paris for transport to the composer’s birthplace.

    15 September 1878 Festive Chorus for the consecration of the new building of the Imperial and Royal Slavonic Teachers’ Institute by Leos Janácek (24) to words possibly by Kucera is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).

    15 September 1885 Johan Sibelius (19) enters the Music Institute in Helsinki, studying principally the violin.

    15 September 1897 Magnificat for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (49) is performed for the first time, in Hereford.  The critics are ecstatic.

    15 September 1898 A Song of Darkness and Light for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (50) to words of Bridges is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.

    15 September 1906 At Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg (63) completes three of the Four Psalms op.74.  It is his last composition.

    Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play (tr. Tieck) Das Wintermärchen, by Engelbert Humperdinck (52) is performed for the first time, at the Deutsches Theater, Berlin.

    15 September 1909 Willow-wood, a cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams (36) to words of Rossetti, is performed for the first time, in a setting for baritone or mezzo-soprano, female chorus, and orchestra, at Liverpool.  See 12 March 1903.

    15 September 1913 Henry Dreyfuss Brant is born in Montreal, the son of a violinist.

    15 September 1915 Lament for orchestra by Frank Bridge (36) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London the composer conducting.

    15 September 1916 Humoresque Scherzo for bassoon quartet by Sergey Prokofiev (25) is performed for the first time, in Petrograd.

    15 September 1922 Gustav Holst (47) conducts for recording for the first time.  He records Jupiter from The Planets with the London Symphony Orchestra for the Columbia Graphophone Company.

    15 September 1924 Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (28) receives a Soviet patent for his new electronic instrument.

    15 September 1929 Olivier Messiaen (20) gives his first public recital on organ, in Tencin near Grenoble.

    15 September 1934 Cefalo e Procri, an opera by Ernst Krenek (34) to words of Küfferle (tr. Krenek), is performed for the first time, in the Goldoni-Theatre, Venice.

    La chute des étoiles op.40 for female chorus and piano by Charles Koechlin (66) to words of Leconte de Lisle is performed for the first time, privately at the home of Mme J. Baignères in Paris.  See 17 May 1955.

    15 September 1938 In virtual financial ruin, and with identification forged by the Soviet government, Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (42) boards the freighter Stary Bolshevik in New York to return to the USSR.  He is told that his wife will join him soon.  She has the feeling he is being taken against his will.  Termen travels clandestinely to avoid the US Internal Revenue Service, to whom he owes money.

    15 September 1945 21:45  Anton Friedrich Wilhelm Webern is mistakenly shot three times and killed at the home of his son-in-law in Mittersill, near Salzburg, by Raymond Bell, an American soldier.  The composer was aged 61 years, nine months, and twelve days.  See 3 September 1955.

    15 September 1946 Second String Quartet by Charles Ives (71) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York 33 years after it was written.  In the same concert, Hymn and Fuguing Tune no.5 arranged for string orchestra by Henry Cowell (49) is performed for the first time.  See 14 April 1946.

    15 September 1948 L’apothéose de Molière for chamber orchestra by Darius Milhaud (56) is performed for the first time, on Capri.

    15 September 1954 A Tale of Thieves, a ballet by Thea Musgrave (26) after Chaucer, is performed for the first time, in Moreton Hall, Oswestry, Shropshire.  See 16 May 1957.

    15 September 1960 Cartridge Music for amplified sounds by John Cage (48) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Bremen.  See 6 October 1960.

    15 September 1964 La fabbrica illuminata for solo voice and tape by Luigi Nono (40) to words of Scabia and Pavese is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    15 September 1969 The Battle of Britain, a film including some music by William Walton (67), is shown for the first time, in the Dominion Cinema, London.

    15 September 1975 Mare nostrum, Entdeckung, Befriedung und Conversion des Mittelmeerraumes durch einen Stamm aus Amazonien by Mauricio Kagel (43) is performed for the first time, in the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin.

    Five Chorale Preludes for soprano, clarinet, basset horn, and bass clarinet by Harrison Birtwistle (41) after JS Bach (†225) is performed for the first time, in London.

    15 September 1979 Polyphonic Tango for instrumental ensemble by Alfred Schnittke (44) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    Symphony no.3 by William Bolcom (41) is performed for the first time.

    15 September 1982 A Wind Quintet op.14 by Gustav Holst (†48) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London 79 years after it was composed.

    15 September 1985 Alax for three instrumental groups by Iannis Xenakis (63) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR in Cologne.

    Chiffre VII for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (33) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main as part of the first performance of Chiffre-Zyklus.

    15 September 1990 George Rochberg’s (72) Rhapsody and Prayer for violin and piano is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    15 September 1995 Arianna, an opera by Alexander Goehr (63) to words of Rinucinni, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London.

    Shofar for chorus and instrumental ensemble by Luciano Berio (69) to words of Celan is performed for the first time, in London.

    China Dreams for orchestra by Bright Sheng (39) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.

    15 September 1996 Spring Trio:  A Bouquet of Traditional Flower Rags for violin, cello, and piano by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time, at the University of Virginia.

    15 September 1999 Sonata for solo trumpet op.94a by Robin Holloway (55) is performed for the first time, in Dukes Hall of the Royal Academy of Music, London.

    15 September 2000 Anastenaria, Procession aux Eaux claires for chorus and chamber ensemble by Iannis Xenakis (78) is performed for the first time, in Herkulessall der Residenz, Munich, 47 years after it was composed.

    15 September 2002 The Rider on the White Horse for orchestra and organ by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam.

    15 September 2005 Laila (Amu) for soprano, tenor, and orchestra by John Tavener (61) is performed for the first time, in Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London.

    15 September 2006 Canciones de Lorca for tenor and orchestra by William Bolcom (68) is performed for the first time, in the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, California.

    15 September 2007 Über die Linie VII for violin by Wolfgang Rihm (55) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    15 September 2009 Of Sweet Disorder and the Carefully Careless for oboe quartet by Harrison Birtwistle (75) is performed for the first time, in the Franziskanerkirche, Lucerne.

    15 September 2010 Pendulum for violin and piano by Philip Glass (73) is performed for the first time, privately, on Ellis Island, New York, the composer at the piano.  See 11 June 2011.

    15 September 2011 A Reel of Spindrift, Sky for youth orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (77) is performed for the first time, in Saad Palace, Erbil, Iraq.  The dedication reads, "For Paul MacAlindin and the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq and dedicated to HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton on the occasion of their marriage"

    16 September

    16 September 1557 Jacques Mauduit is born in Paris.

    16 September 1770 Le pescatrici, a dramma giocoso by Joseph Haydn (38) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, at Esterháza, to celebrate the wedding of Countess Lemberg, the niece of Prince Esterházy.

    16 September 1790 Høstgildet, a singspiel by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (43) to words of Thaarup, is performed for the first time, at the Copenhagen Royal Theatre.

    16 September 1799 Cher aux amours, a funeral hymn in memory of General Barthélemy Catherine Joubert by Luigi Cherubini (39) to words of Chaussard, is performed for the first time, in Paris.  The music is a reworking of his music in honor of General Hoche of two years ago.  General Joubert died a last month at the Battle of Novi.  See 1 October 1797.

    16 September 1800 Le calife de Bagdad, an opéra-comique by Adrien Boieldieu (24) to words of Saint-Just, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    16 September 1801 The Théâtre Feydeau, originally the Théâtre de Monsieur, merges with the Opéra Comique National, originally the Comédie Italienne, to form the new Opéra-Comique.

    16 September 1810 Silvana, a romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber (23) to words of Heimer after Steinsberg, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main, conducted by the composer.  The work is a moderate success but is overshadowed by a balloon ascent made today by Mme Madeleine-Sophie Blanchard, first female professional balloonist and widow of balloon pioneer Jean-Pierre Blanchard.  Everyone at the theatre, including the singers, can talk of nothing else.

    16 September 1812 Lowell Mason’s (20) first musical composition, the anthem Ordination, is performed for the first time, at the ordination of Dr. Ralph Sanger as pastor of the Unitarian Church in Dover, Massachusetts.

    16 September 1828 Im Frühling D.882, a song by Franz Schubert (31) to words of Schulze, is published in the Zeitschrift für Kunst, Vienna.

    16 September 1830 Aloys Fuchs, a collector of musical manuscripts, presents his new friend Felix Mendelssohn (21) with the “Wittgenstein” sketchbook of Beethoven (†3), in Vienna.  It contains drafts of the Piano Sonata op.109, the Diabelli Variations and the Missa Solemnis.

    16 September 1846 As a great fire breaks out in Milan, Giuseppe Verdi (32) and his student Emanuele Muzio go to watch just as police are beginning to impress onlookers to work the pump.  They run.  Muzio is caught and forced to work until 06:00.  Verdi escapes by jumping over a wall into the public gardens.  He hides for one-and-a-half hours.  When he summons enough courage to leave, he finds the gates locked and the walls too high.  It takes him an hour to gather enough rocks to climb up and over the wall.  When the two meet in the morning they are so disheveled that they laugh at each other for some time.

    16 September 1850 Heimaths-Kinder op.85, a waltz by Johann Strauss (24), is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    16 September 1858 Jules Massenet (16) gives his first public piano recital, in Tournai, Belgium.

    16 September 1865 14:00  A telegram arrives at the Sacramento Daily Bee informing the paper of “a bit of scandalous conduct on the part of Gottschalk (36) and his business agent.”  The events of the night of 14-15 September are reported, seriously embellished.  It will go on to be reported in the San Francisco Examiner and the Morning Call.

    16 September 1887 00:15  Juliette Nadia Boulanger is born in Paris (9th arondissement, near Montmartre), second and eldest surviving child of Ernest-Henri-Alexandre Boulanger, composer and professor of violin at the Paris Conservatoire, and Princess Raisa Ivanovna Myschetsky Shuvalov, daughter of Russian nobility.

    16 September 1891 Lohengrin by Richard Wagner (†8) is successfully staged at the Paris Opéra.  Unlike the production of 1887, the nationalistic demonstrations outside are crushed by the police, even though the crowds are much larger.  After this, Wagner becomes the most performed composer at the capital of French musical culture.  See 3 May 1887.

    16 September 1896 Antônio Carlos Gomes dies in Belém, Brazil, aged 60 years, two months and five days.

    16 September 1899 The Vienna Philharmonic takes a second vote on a conductor.  Of the 96 musicians present, 90 vote for Gustav Mahler (39).  Later, the orchestra announces that Mahler has accepted the position.

    16 September 1904 Sergey Rakhmaninov (31) conducts at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow for the first time, in a performance of Rusalka by Dargomizhsky (†45).

    16 September 1905 Maurice Ravel (30) authorizes the publication of his Sonatine for piano by Durand.  This begins a lifelong relationship between composer and publisher.

    16 September 1912 Zingari, a dramma lirico by Ruggero Leoncavallo (55) to words of Cavacchioli and Emanuel after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, at the London Hippodrome, conducted by the composer.

    16 September 1919 Ethel Smyth (61) meets Edith Somerville, an author, artist, and farmer, for the first time, at a railroad station in Ireland.  They will become lovers.

    16 September 1935 Music for two films by Benjamin Britten (21) is recorded:  Dinner Hour and Men Behind the Meters.

    16 September 1938 Variationen über ein altes Wiener Strophenlied for soprano and orchestra by Werner Egk (37) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Staatsoper.

    16 September 1944 Michael Tippett’s (39) motet for chorus Plebs angelica is performed for the first time, in Canterbury Cathedral.

    16 September 1957 Vive Nadia for voice and piano by Francis Poulenc (58) is performed for the first time, in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland to celebrate the 70th birthday of Nadia Boulanger.

    16 September 1959 L’usignolo dell’imperatore, a pantomime by Hans Werner Henze (33) to a scenario by di Majo, after Andersen, is performed for the first time, at Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    16 September 1961 Jeux Vénitiens for chamber orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (48) is performed completely for the first time, in Warsaw.  See 24 April 1961.

    16 September 1962 Genesis 2:  Canti Strumentali op.19/2 for fifteen players by Henryk Górecki (28) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    16 September 1965 Ode to the Wonder of Nature for brass and percussion by Virgil Thomson (68) is performed for the first time, in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.

    First Sacred Concert for singers and players by Duke Ellington (66) is performed for the first time, in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.

    16 September 1966 Antony and Cleopatra, an opera by Samuel Barber (56) to words of Zeferelli after Shakespeare, commissioned to open the new Metropolitan Opera House, is performed for the first time, in New York before a glittering audience including the first lady and various heads of state, diplomats, and other government leaders.  It is a complete flop.  See 6 February 1975.

    16 September 1967 October op.131, a symphonic poem by Dmitri Shostakovich (60), is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.

    16 September 1971 The Viola in My Life IV for viola and orchestra by Morton Feldman (45) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    16 September 1972 Double Concerto for flute, oboe, and orchestra by György Ligeti (49) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    16 September 1978 Te salutant for large pops orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    16 September 1980 Happy Voices from Child Alice part 2 by David Del Tredici (43) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.  See 23 February 1980, 19 November 1981 and 27 April 1986.

    16 September 1982 Tehillim for three sopranos and chamber orchestra by Steve Reich (45) to words of the Psalms, is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.  See 20 September 1981.

    16 September 1987 Matinée en Provence for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Maurice Ravel (†49) is performed for the first time, in Turin.  It was a required preliminary choral work for Ravel’s Prix de Rome attempt of 1903.

    16 September 1988 The Wedding, an opera by Gian-Carlo Menotti (77) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Municipal Opera of Seoul as part of the festivities surrounding the Games of the 24th Olympiad of the Modern Era.

    Echo d’Orphée for tape by Pierre Henry (59) is performed for the first time, in the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris.

    16 September 1992 Quartet for horn, trumpet, trombone, and piano by Isang Yun is performed for the first time, in Berlin on the eve of the composer’s 75th birthday.

    16 September 1994 Sea-Nymphs for chorus by Iannis Xenakis (72) is performed for the first time, in London.

    Subito for violin and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (†0) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.  It was composed as a test piece for the Indianapolis Violin Competition.

    16 September 1995 Panic for alto saxophone, drummer, and band by Harrison Birtwistle (61) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    Seven Cabaret Songs for jazz singer, flute, viola, cello, and piano by TJ Anderson (67) to words of Mullen is performed for the first time, at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.  The work is dedicated to William Grant Still (†16) in the centennial year of his birth.

    16 September 1999 What Next?, an opera by Eliott Carter (90) to words of Griffiths, is performed for the first time, in the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin.

    16 September 2000 Vast Antique Cubes for piano by Joan Tower (62) is performed for the first time, at Franklin and Marshall University, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Also premiered are “Vast Antique Cubes” and “Throbbing Still” from Tower’s No Longer Very Clear:  a Suite for Piano.

    16 September 2004 Quartettstudie for string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (52) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    Colors of Crimson, a fantasy for marimba and orchestra by Bright Sheng (48), is performed for the first time, in Luxembourg.

    For Strings (With Winds and Brass) by Steve Reich (67) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    16 September 2006 Passion of Ramakrishna for orchestra by Philip Glass (69) is performed for the first time, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa California.

    17 September

    17 September 1179 Hildegard von Bingen dies in Rupertsburg near Bingen at the age of 81.

    17 September 1604 Lucas Osiander dies in Stuttgart, aged 69 years, nine months and one or two days.

    17 September 1711 Ignaz Holzbauer is born in Vienna.

    17 September 1759 L’huître et les plaideurs, ou Le tribunal de la chicane, an opéra comique by François André Danican-Philidor (33) to words of Sedaine, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Foire St. Laurent, Paris.  The work is quickly withdrawn and rewritten.

    17 September 1762 Francesco Xaverio Geminiani dies in Dublin “at his lodgings on College-Green”, 74 years, nine months and twelve days after his baptism.

    17 September 1782 Le feste della Tessaglia, an allegorische Oper by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (22) and three other composers, to words of Verazi, is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    17 September 1785 Publication of the six “Haydn” (53) quartets of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    17 September 1805 Muzio Clementi’s (53) 20-year-old wife Caroline dies in Berlin, nine days after giving birth to their son.

    17 September 1810 Samuel Wesley’s (44) edition of the first twelve preludes and fugues from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach (†60) is published.  The entire collection eventually will be published over the next three years.

    17 September 1819 A Vienna court accepts the resignation as guardian over Karl van Beethoven of Councillor Mathias von Tuscher and rules that Ludwig van Beethoven’s (48) nephew be placed with his mother and a court-appointed guardian, Leopold Nussböck, a city official.

    17 September 1829 While riding in a cabriolet in London, Felix Mendelssohn (20) injures his knee when the carriage overturns and throws him to the sidewalk.  He will be confined to bed for two months, causing him to miss the wedding of his sister Fanny (23) on 3 October.

    17 September 1839 Richard Wagner (26) and his wife, armed with introductions from Meyerbeer (48), reach Paris for the first time.  Wagner expresses disappointment with the city.

    17 September 1849 Aeols-Töne op.68, a waltz by Johann Strauss (23), is performed for the first time, at the Wasserglacis, Vienna.

    17 September 1859 Giuseppe Verdi (45) is voted an honorary citizen by the city of Turin.  Later in the day, the composer meets Count Camillo Benso di Cavour whom Verdi will later call “the supreme citizen, he whom every Italian will have to call father of our country.”  Verdi finds that the admiration is mutual.

    17 September 1872 Im russischen Dorfe op.355, a fantasie by Johann Strauss (46), is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden.

    17 September 1884 Charles Tomlinson Griffes is born in the house on the corner of Main and Gray Streets, Elmira, New York, the third of five children born to Wilber Gideon Griffes, a shirt-cutter and retail clerk, and Clara Louise Tomlinson, daughter of a lawyer.

    17 September 1887 Andante tranquillo and Scherzo for strings by Carl Nielsen (22) is performed for the first time, in Tivoli Hall, Copenhagen.  It is Nielsen’s official debut as a composer and he performs in the violin section.

    17 September 1893 After a stay of three months, Antonín Dvorák (52) and his family depart Spillville, Iowa for New York.  While in the Czech community there, he composed his “American” Quartet and his “American” Quintet”.

    17 September 1898 Rêverie op.24 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54).

    17 September 1912 Franz Schreker (34) is named teacher of music theory and composition at the Vienna Academy of Music.

    17 September 1916 Choral Fantasia for organ by William Walton (14) is performed for the first time, in the Cathedral Church of Christ the King, Oxford.

    17 September 1917 Isang Yun is born in Duk San, San Chun Gun, Tongyong (Chung Mu), Korea, son of Yun Ki Hyon, a poet.

    Arnold Schoenberg (43) is inducted into the Austro-Hungarian army for a second time, forcing him to suspend work on Der Jakobsleiter.

    17 September 1924 Julián Carrillo (49) publishes in El Universal his “Teoría del sonido 13” (Theory of the 13th sound).  He proposes the division of the half step.  It has already been published within the last two years.

    17 September 1925 Four works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (38) are performed for the first time, in the Instituto Nacional de Música, Rio de Janeiro:  the Double String Quartet, Carnaval das crianças for piano, Suíte para canto e violino to words of de Andrade, and Choros no.7 for instrumental ensemble.

    17 September 1927 String Quartet no.3 by Frank Bridge (48) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    17 September 1931 RCA demonstrates a 33 1/3 rpm long playing record at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York.  However, the playback devices are too expensive to be commercially successful.

    A Song of Summer for orchestra by Frederick Delius (69) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  The work was dictated by the blind and ailing composer.  The concert is broadcast, allowing Delius to hear it at his home in France.

    17 September 1940 A filmed version of the musical Strike Up the Band with music by George Gershwin (†3) is released.

    17 September 1941 Dmitri Shostakovich (34) speaks on Leningrad radio to bolster the morale of the city.  He arrives at the studio only at the last minute, having to take refuge along the way from German artillery.  “All of us are now standing militant watch.  As a native of Leningrad who has never abandoned the city of my birth, I feel all the tension of this situation most keenly.  My life and work are completely bound up with Leningrad.”  This evening, several musicians gather at the Shostakovich apartment to hear him play through two completed movements of his Seventh Symphony.  In the middle, as air raid sirens begin, Shostakovich brings his wife and children to an air raid shelter, then returns to complete his performance.

    In San Francisco, Harry Partch (40) pays 21 cents for the ferry to Berkeley, leaving $3.29 in his pocket, and boards a freight train to Chicago where a friend of a friend has offered him a place to stay.  He will keep sketchy records of this trip, conversations, graffiti, place names.  These will form the basis of US Highball.

    17 September 1942 Henri Hinirichsen, for decades the owner of the Leipzig music publishers CF Peters, is gassed to death at Birkenau, for the crime of being Jewish.

    A suite from music for the film Coastal Command by Ralph Vaughan Williams (69) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in Manchester.  See 16 October 1942.

    17 September 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.

    17 September 1945 The heart of Frederic Chopin (†95) is returned to its place of honor in the wall of the Holy Cross Cathedral, Warsaw from its wartime hiding place.

    17 September 1948 Concerto for two pianos, with two harps and percussion by Bruno Maderna (28) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    17 September 1949 Words for Music, Perhaps, a cycle for voice, flute, clarinet, and cello by Arthur Berger (37) to words of Yeats, is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    17 September 1954 The Song of the Rivers, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (47), is shown for the first time, in Berlin.

    17 September 1955 Four of the 15 pièces pour cor et piano op.180/3, 11, 14, 15 by Charles Koechlin (†4) are performed for the first time, in Brussels.

    17 September 1957 Persian Set for chamber orchestra by Henry Cowell (60) is performed for the first time, in Gulestan Palace, Teheran.

    Symphony no.11 “1905” by Dmitri Shostakovich (50) is performed for the first time, in a two-piano reduction in the House of Composers, Leningrad the composer at one keyboard.  See 30 October 1957.

    17 September 1958 Orphée, a ballet version of Orphée53 by Pierre Henry (30) to a choreography by Béjart, is performed for the first time, at the Opéra de Liège.

    17 September 1959 Strophes for soprano, speaker, and ten instruments by Krzysztof Penderecki (25) to words of Menander, Sophocles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Omar Khayyam, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    17 September 1960 Dialoghi for cello and orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (56) is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    17 September 1964 Resonancias for orchestra by Carlos Chávez (65), commissioned for the opening of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology, is performed for the first time, in Mexico City, under the baton of the composer.

    17 September 1965 Unmarked Interchange, an electronic music theatre by Robert Ashley (35) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    17 September 1971 Dmitri Shostakovich (64) suffers a second heart attack, shortly after completing his Symphony no.15.

    17 September 1976 Anakreontika for mezzo-soprano, alto flute, harpsichord, cello, and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (42) to ancient Greek texts is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the composer directing.

    17 September 1977 Aria de la folia española for chamber orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (51) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    17 September 1981 Deux études op.43 for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (49) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    17 September 1983 Sonata per otto ottoni for brass by Hans Werner Henze (57) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    17 September 1986 String Quartet no.4 by Elliott Carter (77) is performed for the first time, in Gusman Concert Hall at the University of Miami, Florida.

    17 September 1987 Symphony no.5 for baritone and orchestra by Isang Yun to words of Sachs is performed for the first time, in Berlin on the composer’s 70th birthday.

    Tracées for large orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (65) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    American Love Songs for chorus by Ned Rorem (63) to words of Kuchak is performed for the first time, in Scottish Rite Auditorium, Los Angeles.

    17 September 1988 Voyage for flute and string quintet by John Corigliano (50) is performed for the first time, in Grand Canyon, Arizona.

    17 September 1989 Oophaa for amplified harpsichord and percussion by Iannis Xenakis (67) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Threeplay for flute, clarinet, double bass and computer by John Melby (47) is performed for the first time, at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.

    17 September 1990 Cantus firmus for 14 players, composed in memory of Luigi Nono (†0) by Wolfgang Rihm (38), is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    17 September 1993 Espace II for cello harp and oboe ad lib by Isang Yun is performed for the first time, in St. Blasien in the Black Forest, on the composer’s 76th birthday.

    17 September 1995 Seven Etudes for cello by Isang Yun is performed for the first time, on the composer’s 78th birthday.

    17 September 1998 William Hugh Albright dies of liver failure at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, aged 53 years, ten months, and 28 days.

    Autumn Music by Ned Rorem (74) is performed for the first time, at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.

    17 September 2005 A new version of the Polish Requiem in honor of Pope John Paul II by Krzysztof Penderecki (71) is performed for the first time, in Wroclaw.

    17 September 2008 Concerto “Séraphin” for 16 players by Wolfgang Rihm (56) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    17 September 2009 Leon Kirchner dies of congestive heart failure at his home in New York City, aged 90 years, seven months, and 24 days.

    18 September

    18 September 1587 Francesca Caccini is born in Florence.

    18 September 1757 Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (21) enters upon duties as organist in the pilgrimage church of Maria Taferl near Melk, 80 km west of Vienna.

    18 September 1760 Two works by Georg Philipp Telemann (79) to words of Paulli are performed for the first time, in Hamburg:  the oratorio Herr, du bist gerecht and the serenata Wir nähren, wir zieren.

    18 September 1763 In Koblenz, Wolfgang Amadeus (7) and Nannerl Mozart play before Johann Philipp, Baron von Walderdorff, Prince Elector and Archbishop of Trier.

    18 September 1784 Dardanus, a tragédie by Antonio Sacchini (54) to words of Guillard after Le Clerc de La Bruère, is performed for the first time, at Versailles.  It is not successful.

    18 September 1787 La belle esclave, ou Valcour et Zéïla, an opéra-comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (61) to words of Dumaniant, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre du Comte de Beaujolais, Paris.  It is very successful.

    18 September 1804 Muzio Clementi (52) marries Caroline Lehmann, the 19-year-old daughter of the director of the Royal Opera, Berlin, in that city’s Nicolaikirche.  The couple leave Berlin for Italy shortly after the ceremony.

    18 September 1817 Incidental music for Die Ahnfrau, a play by Grillparzer, by Carl Maria von Weber (30), is performed for the first time, in the Dresden Hoftheater.

    18 September 1818 The Austrian Landrechte rules that Johanna van Beethoven’s petition to remove her son from the guardianship of her brother-in-law Ludwig (47) is denied.

    18 September 1819 Le testament et les billets-doux, a comédie mêlée de chant by Daniel François Esprit Auber (37) to words of Planard, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    18 September 1821 A setting of Psalm 19 for two solo voices, chorus and piano by Felix Mendelssohn (12) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    18 September 1828 Felix Mendelssohn’s (19) cantata Begrüssung for solo voices, male chorus, winds, timpani, cellos, and basses to words of Rellstab is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  It was commissioned by Alexander von Humboldt for a meeting of natural scientists.

    18 September 1840 Felix Mendelssohn (31) arrives in London on his sixth trip to Britain.  His shortest visit there, he will spend a week in Birmingham and a week in London conducting and performing on the piano and organ.

    18 September 1847 Dorfgeschichten op.47, a waltz by Johann Strauss (21), is performed for the first time, at the Wasserglacis, Vienna.

    18 September 1853 Wiedersehens-Polka op.142 by Johann Strauss (27) is performed for the first time, in Ungers Casino, Vienna.

    18 September 1857 Richard Wagner (44) finishes the poem of Tristan und Isolde at Asyl and presents it to Mathilde Wesendonck.  He will shortly read it to a private audience which includes his wife Minna, Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck, and the newly married Hans and Cosima von Bülow, all of whom are unaware of how their lives will intersect over the next ten years.

    18 September 1858 Gioachino Rossini (66) buys land from the city of Paris near the Bois de Boulogne on which he will build his villa.  The city approves the sale on condition that they are able to buy it back upon his death.

    18 September 1865 Between 01:00-03:00  Louis Moreau Gottschalk (36) and his servant, Fermin Meras, arrive at the San Francisco wharf in a closed carriage and board the steamship Colorado.  Gottschalk has been named as one of two men responsible for abducting two young San Francisco women and the newspaper rumor mill has been working overtime.  The rumors will soon circulate throughout the western United States.

    18 September 1878 The Secret, a comic opera by Bedrich Smetana (54) to words of Krásnohorská, is performed for the first time, in the New Czech Theatre, Prague.

    18 September 1897 The new opera director, Gustav Mahler (37), and Hugo Wolf (37) dispute Wolf’s desire to have Der Corregidor produced in Vienna.  This appears to be the event triggering Wolf’s madness.  Later in the day he proclaims himself to be the director of the Opera.  Because of this and other bizarre, uncontrolled behavior, his friends make arrangements for his committal.  (approximate date)

    18 September 1913 Arioso for soprano and piano by Jean Sibelius (47) to words of Runeberg is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.  See 30 March 1914.

    18 September 1917 In Yalta, Sergey Rakhmaninov (44) makes his last appearance in Russia, performing Liszt’s (†31) E flat Piano Concerto.

    18 September 1918 Gustavus Theodorus von Holst (43) legally changes his name to Gustav Theodore Holst after his application to become a YMCA music organizer was rejected because his name is too “Germanic.”

    18 September 1930 Pomp and Circumstance March no.5 by Edward Elgar (73) is performed for the first time, at a HMV recording session in Kingsway Hall, London.  See 20 September 1930.

    18 September 1933 The German Ministry of Culture informs Arnold Schoenberg (59) that he has been dismissed from the Prussian Academy of the Arts effective 1 October.

    A divorce between Kurt Weill (33) and Lotte Lenja is finalized in Potsdam.

    18 September 1934 Fate, an opera by Leos Janácek (†6) to words of Bartosová and the composer, is performed completely for the first time, over the airwaves of Brno Radio.  See 13 March 1934, 25 October 1958 and 8 September 1984.

    18 September 1937 An article entitled “The Deviations of a Genius” appears in Pravda.  It denounces Alyeksandr Mosolov (37) and his music.  See 4 November 1937.

    The first three movements of Howard Hanson’s (40) Symphony no.3 are performed for the first time, in New York.  The work was composed to celebrate 300 years of Swedish presence in North America.  See 15 March 1938.

    18 September 1941 Incidental music to Machiavelli’s play La Mandragore by Arthur Honegger (49) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Fontaine, Paris.

    18 September 1954 Serenade for Orchestra by Ulysses Kay (37) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    18 September 1960 Dimensions of Time and Silence for chorus and instruments by Krzysztof Penderecki (26) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    18 September 1961 Blood Moon, an opera by Norman Dello Joio (48) to words of Hoffman after AI Mencken, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    18 September 1965 Festival Overture for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (37) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    18 September 1969 Once There Was a Man for narrator, chorus, and orchestra by Ulysses Kay (52) to words of Caudill is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    18 September 1970 Dmitri Shostakovich (63) suffers a second heart attack in Moscow.

    18 September 1972 Ara coeli:  Lullaby for Ilian Rainbow for guitar by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    18 September 1973 1898 for children’s voices and instruments by Mauricio Kagel (41) is performed for the first time, in Congress Centrum, Hamburg to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft.

    18 September 1974 Nach Bergamo--Zur Heimat for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, viola, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (40) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    18 September 1976 Melancolia I for clarinet, harp, and two string orchestras by Harrison Birtwistle (42) is performed for the first time, in Bute Hall at Glasgow University.  Also premiered is Orchestra for orchestra by Morton Feldman (50).

    18 September 1978 The Gamblers, an unfinished opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (†3) after Gogol, is performed for the first time, in Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall, 36 years after it was composed.

    18 September 1979 Fanfare and Memorial for orchestra by Isang Yun (62) is performed for the first time, in Münster.

    18 September 1982 Fratres for four, eight, or twelve cellos by Arvo Pärt (47) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    18 September 1983 Vierte Abgesangsszene for voice and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (31) to words of Nietzsche is performed for the first time, in Berlin as part of the first complete performance of the Fünf Abgesangsszenen.

    18 September 1986 Fantasia on an Ostinato for orchestra by John Corigliano (48) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.

    18 September 1988 Tanz-Schul, a ballet d’action by Mauricio Kagel (56), is performed for the first time, in the Staatsoper, Vienna.

    Four Aphorisms for chamber orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (53) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    Resurrection, an opera by Peter Maxwell Davies (54) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Staatstheater, Darmstadt.

    Music for Joan for vibraphone and piano by Betsy Jolas (62) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.

    18 September 1991 Straight and Crooked for seven percussionists by Sofia Gubaidulina (59) is performed for the first time, in Turin the composer playing harpsichord and celesta.

    18 September 1992 Cantares de Nochebuena, a cycle for voice, guitar, zambomba, and rebec by Manuel de Falla (†45), is performed for the first time, in Trinity College Chapel, Melbourne about 88 years after it was composed.

    Two works by Harrison Birtwistle (58) are performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London:  Night for soprano, two clarinets, viola, cello, and double bass to words of Celan (tr. Hamburger), and Tenebrae for soprano, clarinet, clarinet in A, viola, cello, and double bass to words of Celan.  See 28 April 1996.

    18 September 1997 Verborgene Formen for chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    18 September 1999 From Spring to Spring for marimba by Thea Musgrave (71) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    Carceri d’Invenzione IId for recorder by Brian Ferneyhough (56) is performed for the first time, at Royaumont.

    18 September 2004 Lewis and Clark Piano Concerto by Philip Glass (67) is performed for the first time, in Lied Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln, Nebraska.

    18 September 2008 Glorious Percussion, a concerto for percussion ensemble and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (76), is performed for the first time, in Gothenburg.

    Mauricio Kagel dies in Cologne, aged 77 years, eight months, and 25 days.

    Parades and Changes by Morton Subotnick (75) is performed for the first time, in the Pompidou Center, Paris.

    19 September

    19 September 1762 The mortal remains of Francesco Xaverio Geminiani are laid to rest in Dublin, “in the Churchyard of St. Andrew, near College-Green, the Church of the Irish Parliament.”

    19 September 1790 Three royal weddings take place in Vienna:  Archduchess Marie Clementine marries Prince Francesco of Naples (by proxy), Princess Maria Teresa of Naples marries Archduke Franz of Austria and Princess Lodovica Louisa marries Grand Duke Ferdinando of Tuscany.  In the evening, Antonio Salieri (40) conducts a concert in the Redoutensaal during the public banquet, including a symphony by Joseph Haydn (58).

    19 September 1794 André-Ernest-Modest Grétry’s (53) opéra Callias, ou Nature et patrie to words of Hoffman is performed for the first time, at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

    19 September 1827 Ferdinand Hérold’s (36) ballet La somnambule to a scenario by Scribe and Aumer is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    19 September 1833 Publication of 24 Etudes op.125 for piano by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (54) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    19 September 1837 Acting on the Kemper Committee report of 24 August, the Boston School Committee authorizes a trial of music classes in four schools during the 1837-38 academic year.  They will be run by the Boston Academy of Music.

    19 September 1843 An dem Feste for male chorus by Anton Bruckner (19) to words of Knauer, is performed for the first time, in Enns.

    19 September 1846 Incidental music to Michael Beer’s play Struensee by Giacomo Meyerbeer (55) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Schauspielhaus.  Meyerbeer reports that the response to the play and the music is “polite.”  The playwright is the composer’s brother.

    19 September 1847 After a year and a half of official refusals, social intrigue and a disapproving public, Andrea Donizetti finally succeeds in beginning the trip which will transport his uncle Gaetano (49) from Paris to Bergamo.

    19 September 1855 Jacques Offenbach’s (36) ballet Polichenelle dans le monde to a scenario by Busnach is performed for the first time, by the Bouffes-Parisiens at Salle Marigny, Paris.

    19 September 1859 Four choral works by Johannes Brahms (26) are performed for the first time, in St. Peter’s Church, Hamburg, directed by the composer:  Psalm 13 op.27 for female chorus, organ, and strings ad. lib., O bone Jesu op.37/1 and Adoramus te, Christe op.37/2, both for chorus, and the Ave Maria for female chorus and organ.  See 2 December 1859.

    19 September 1864 Quadrille sur des airs française op.290 by Johann Strauss (38) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    19 September 1871 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice by Arthur Sullivan (29) is performed for the first time, in Prince’s Theatre, Manchester.

    19 September 1894 The two Sonatas for clarinet and piano op.120 by Johannes Brahms (61) are performed for the first time, privately in Berchtesgaden.  See 8 January 1895 and 11 January 1895.

    19 September 1895 The Bard op.50, an ode for bass, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (42) to words of Gray, is performed for the first time, in Cardiff, conducted by the composer.

    19 September 1908 The Symphony no.7 of Gustav Mahler (48) is performed for the first time, in the Jubilee Exhibition Hall, Prague, under the baton of the composer.

    19 September 1923 A Song Before Sunrise for small orchestra by Frederick Delius (61) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    19 September 1924 A Piano Quartet by William Walton (22) is performed for the first time, in Liverpool.

    19 September 1927 String Quartet no.3 by Arnold Schoenberg (53) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    19 September 1928 The marriage of John Ireland (49) to Dorothy Phillips, 30 years his junior, is officially dissolved after less than two years.

    The first “all-talking, all-singing” movie, The Singing Fool, along with Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie, introducing Mickey Mouse, both with the new synchronized soundtrack, are shown for the first time, in New York.

    19 September 1933 Spalicek, a cycle of folksongs, miming, and dancing for women’s chorus and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (42) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    19 September 1934 Quintet for piano and strings by John Alden Carpenter (58) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    19 September 1937 String Quartet no.3 by Otto Luening (37) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    19 September 1938 Ernst Krenek (38) begins duties as an instructor at the Malkin Conservatory, Boston.

    19 September 1944 Piano Concerto no.1 by Roy Harris (46) is performed for the first time in its orchestral setting, over the airwaves of the Blue Network, conducted by the composer.  See 18 August 1944.  Also on the program, Harris conducts the premiere of his Rock of Ages for chorus and orchestra.

    19 September 1946 The Overlanders, a film with music by John Ireland (67), is shown for the first time, in the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London.

    19 September 1958 Today marks the first meeting in a cultural exchange between composers in the United States and the USSR.  The meeting takes place in the Hall of Composers at the Moscow Composers’ Union.  American visitors include Roger Sessions (61), Roy Harris (60), Ulysses Kay (41), and Peter Mennin (35).

    The ashes of the earthly remains of Ralph Vaughan Williams are interred in the north choir aisle of Westminster Abbey near the remains of Henry Purcell (†262) and Charles Villiers Stanford (†32), before a large assembly.

    Concert for Piano and Orchestra by John Cage (46) is performed twice in Cologne, once in a closed hall for recording and once before a live audience.  Both readings are disrupted by the unprofessional behavior of the orchestral musicians, in the second instance urged on by the audience.  Afterwards, the composer responds to these events by getting drunk.

    19 September 1963 Night Piece for piano by Benjamin Britten (49) is performed for the first time, in Great Hall of Leeds University.

    19 September 1964 Fanfare for band by Ross Lee Finney (57) is performed for the first time, at the dedication of the new School of Music at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

    19 September 1970 A concert version of Peter Maxwell Davies’ (36) ballet Nocturnal Dances, is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    The Viola in My Life I for viola and orchestra by Morton Feldman (44) is performed for the first time, in London, conducted by Peter Maxwell Davies (36).

    19 September 1971 Gesänge, a cycle for voice and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (19) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.

    19 September 1977 Nachtordnung for fifteen strings by Wolfgang Rihm (25) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    Ballade op.46 for piano by Samuel Barber (67) is performed for the first time, as part of the Fifth Van Cliburn competition in Fort Worth, Texas.

    19 September 1980 Cornelius Cardew (44) is released from Pentonville Prison after serving one month of a six weeks term.

    19 September 1985 Serenade and Dialogue for flute and piano by Otto Luening (85) is performed for the first time, at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.

    19 September 1986 Keren for trombone by Iannis Xenakis (64) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    19 September 1991 Concerto for oboe and orchestra by Isang Yun (74) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    The Repentant Thief for clarinet, percussion, and strings by John Tavener (47) is performed for the first time, in the Barbican Hall, London.

    Summer Music:  Concertino no.5 op.74 for oboe, clarinet, and string quartet by Robin Holloway (47) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.

    19 September 1992 Two works by John Cage (†0) are performed for the first time, in Cologne:  103 for orchestra and One11 for solo cameraman.  The two works are performed simultaneously.

    19 September 1995 String Quartet no.5 by Elliott Carter (86) is performed for the first time, in Antwerp.

    19 September 1997 Fanfare for a new President for band by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    19 September 1999 Kantan and Damask Drum, an opera by Alexander Goehr (67) to his own words after Zeami and Koto, is performed for the first time, in Dortmund.

    19 September 2002 On the Transmigration of Souls for chorus, orchestra, and electronics by John Adams (55) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.  The texts are from missing persons posters found in New York after the destruction of the World Trade Center.  Recorded voices and ambient sounds of the city are employed.  It will win the Pulitzer Prize.  See 7 April 2003.

    19 September 2003 Theseus Game for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (69) is performed for the first time, in Duisburg-Nord.

    Concerto for violin and orchestra (The Red Violin) by John Corigliano (65) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    19 September 2004 Eine Stimme for mezzo-soprano and twelve players by Wolfgang Rihm (54) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    19 September 2006 John Zorn (53) is named one of the 25 MacArthur Foundation Fellows for 2006.  The honor brings $500,000 over the next five years.

    19 September 2009 Little Reliquary for GFH for cello, double bass, oboe, viola, and two violins by John Tavener (65) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    20 September

    20 September 1460 Gilles de Bins dit Binchois            dies in Soignies, aged approximately 60 years.

    20 September 1769 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (28) comédie-parade Le tableau parlant to words of Anseaume is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    20 September 1779 Pygmalion, a monodrama by Georg Benda (57) to words of Rousseau, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.

    20 September 1809 An overture and marches for Turandot, Prinzessin von China, a play by Schiller after Gozzi, by Carl Maria von Weber (22) are performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    20 September 1818 Two works by Carl Maria von Weber (31) are performed for the first time, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the accession of King Friedrich August of Saxony, in Dresden:  Jubel-Cantate J.244 to words of Kind, and Jubel-Ouvertüre J.245.

    20 September 1839 Caramo, oder Das Fischerstechen, a grosse komische Oper by Albert Lortzing (37) to his own words after Vilain de Saint Hillaire and Duport, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig Stadttheater.

    20 September 1842 After leaving a note for his wife, Harriet Smithson, Hector Berlioz (38) leaves Paris with his lover, the singer Marie Recio, to go to Brussels to concertize.

    20 September 1862 The doors of St. Petersburg Conservatory open for business.  The director is Anton Rubinstein (32).  One of the new part-time students is a civil servant named Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (22).

    20 September 1878 Valse-scherzo op.34 for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    20 September 1890 Max Reger (17) enters Wiesbaden Conservatory studying piano and theory.  He is made teacher for piano and organ in order to pay for his education.

    20 September 1897 Yefim Golishev is born in Kherson, Russia (Ukraine).

    20 September 1914 Four of the songs for voice and piano op.137 by Max Reger (41) are performed for the first time, in Hildburghausen:  Bitte um einem seligen Tod, Uns ist geboren ein Kindelein, Grablied and Lass dich nur nichts nicht daurn.  The composer performs at the piano.

    20 September 1930 Pomp and Circumstance March no.5 by Edward Elgar (73) is performed publicly for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    20 September 1932 Harry Partch (31) is arrested, probably for vagrancy, in San Luis Obispo, California.  He will spend the night in jail, thus ending about six months of wandering.

    20 September 1934 Trio for piano, violin, and cello by Roy Harris (36) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the composer at the keyboard.

    20 September 1936 The Suburban Theatre, an opera by Bohuslav Martinu (45) to his own words after folk poetry, Molière, and Debureau, is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    20 September 1937 Duke Ellington (38) and his Famous Orchestra record his suite Diminuendo in Blue/Crescendo in Blue in New York.

    20 September 1938 Suite for Jazz Orchestra no.2 by Dmitri Shostakovich (31) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Moscow Radio.

    20 September 1942 Music for Sayers’ play King of Sorrows by Benjamin Britten (28) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.

    20 September 1946 Incidental music to Webster’s (adapted by Auden) play The Duchess of Malfi by Benjamin Britten (32) is performed for the first time, in Providence, Rhode Island.

    20 September 1954 Il mantell rosso (Der rote Mantel), a ballet by Luigi Nono (30) to a scenario by Gsovsky, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    In memoriam Dylan Thomas for tenor, string quartet, and four trombones by Igor Stravinsky (72) to words of the poet, is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    20 September 1957 Around 21:00  Jean Christian Julius Sibelius dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in Järvenpää, Finland, aged 91 years, nine months, and twelve days.

    20 September 1958 04:00  Harry Partch (57) arrives by bus in New York, without any prospects or shelter.  After walking the streets looking for a cheap room, he phones acquaintances who agree to put him up.

    20 September 1964 Incidental music to Aristophanes’ (tr. Hacks) play Der Frieden by Hans Werner Henze (38), is performed for the first time, in the Munich Kammerspiele.

    20 September 1966 Musen Siziliens for chorus and 19 players by Hans Werner Henze (40) to words of Vergil, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    20 September 1968 The solo part of Domaines for clarinet and 21 instruments by Pierre Boulez (43) is performed for the first time, in Ulm.  See 20 December 1968.

    20 September 1971 Responsorium in memoriam Annon Lee Silver for two mezzo-sopranos, chorus, and two flutes by John Tavener (27) is performed for the first time, in St. Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham.

    20 September 1972 Half a Minute It’s All I’ve Time For for clarinet, trombone, piano, and cello by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    20 September 1975 The original version of Anton Bruckner’s (†78) Symphony no.4 “Romantic” is performed completely for the first time, in Linz 101 years after it was composed.  See 12 December 1909.

    A Portfolio for diverse performers and tapes by Lejaren Hiller (51) is performed for the first time, in Reykjavik.

    20 September 1976 Royal Winter Music:  “first sonata on Shakespeare characters” for guitar by Hans Werner Henze (50) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    20 September 1981 Tehillim for three sopranos, alto, flute, piccolo, oboe, english horn, two clarinets, bassoon, percussion, and string quintet (all amplified) by Steve Reich (44) to words of the Psalms, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR, originating in Cologne.  See 16 September 1982.

    Tutuguri VI (Kreuze) for six percussionists by Wolfgang Rihm (29) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    20 September 1982 Incidental music for Smalley’s play Chang Fu, The Witch of Moon Mountain by Lejaren Hiller (58) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.  Also premiered are Hiller’s Children’s Suite for piano, 33 years after it was composed, Versions 1 and 2 of Hiller’s Algorithms II for nine instruments and tape, and the first two of the Three Compositions for tape.

    20 September 1984 A Song of the Night op.19/1 for violin and orchestra by Gustav Holst (†50) is performed for the first time, in London 79 years after it was composed.

    20 September 1986 Filtres IV for piano by Jean-Claude Risset (48) is performed for the first time, in Auditorium des Halles, Paris.

    20 September 1989 Invitation to Bitterness for ATB chorus by Marc Blitzstein (†25) to his own words is performed for the first time, in New York 51 years after it was composed.

    20 September 1990 Scottish Circus, a musicircus based on traditional Scottish music by John Cage (78), is performed for the first time, in University Concert Hall, Glasgow.

    20 September 1992 Bounce for hyperkeyboards, Yamaha Disklavier Grand piano, and interactive computer electronics by Tod Machover (38) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    Dedicace:  A Small Measure of Affection for piano four-hands by William Bolcom (54) is performed for the first time.

    20 September 1993 Between Tides for violin, cello, and piano by Toru Takemitsu (62) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    20 September 1997 Apokryph for baritone and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (45) after Büchner is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  Also premiered is Rihm’s String Quartet no.10.

    20 September 2007 Piano Trio no.3 by Mauricio Kagel (75) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovenhaus, Bonn.

    Iridule for oboe and six players by Charles Wuorinen (69) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.

    20 September 2008 Chasing Light… for chamber orchestra by Joseph Schwantner (65) is performed for the first time, in Nightingale Concert Hall, Reno, Nevada.

    20 September 2009 Kepler, an opera by Philip Glass (72), is performed for the first time, in the Landestheater, Linz.

    21 September

    21 September 1756 Georg Philipp Telemann’s (75) cantata Opfere Gott dank is performed for the first time, for the consecration of Johann Gerhard Sucksdorf as preacher in St. Maria Magdalena, Hamburg.

    21 September 1794 For the ceremony at the interment of the earthly remains of Jean Paul Marat in the Panthéon (replacing those of Mirabeau), two works by Luigi Cherubini (34) are given their first performance:  Hymne au Panthéon for chorus and orchestra to words of Chénier, and Hymne à la fraternité for solo voice, chorus and orchestra to words of Desorgues.

    21 September 1819 Prince Nicholas Esterházy hears Franz Liszt (7) play for the first time, at Raiding.  Franz’ father, Adam, has been petitioning his employer, Prince Nicholas, to transfer him to Vienna so he can further his son’s musical training.  The prince has always refused but, after hearing young Franz play, he promises financial backing for the boy’s education and grants Adam a one year leave of absence.

    21 September 1826 Four songs by Franz Schubert (29) are published by Sauer and Leidesdorf, Vienna as his op.59:  Dass sie hier gewesen, Du bist die Ruh and Lachen und Weinen, all to words of Rückert, and Du liebst mich nicht, to words of Platen.

    21 September 1837 Piano Concerto no.2 op.40 by Felix Mendelssohn (28) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, the composer at the keyboard.

    21 September 1848 Johannes Brahms (15) gives his first solo piano performance, in Hamburg.  He plays music of JS Bach (†98), Rossini (56), Henri Herz (45) and Jacob Rosenhain.  Owing to so much news of revolution, and a cholera epidemic, no review of the concert is printed.

    21 September 1850 Incidental music to Guillard’s comédie Un mariage sous la Régence by Jacques Offenbach (31) is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Française, Paris.

    21 September 1856 Arthur Sullivan (14) begins his studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

    21 September 1857 Le cheval de bronze, by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (75) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  This is a revival of Auber’s 1835 opéra as an opéra-ballet.

    21 September 1865 Les refrains des bouffes, a fantaisie musicale by Jacques Offenbach (46), is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    21 September 1872 Der schwarzer Korsar, a komische Operette by Jacques Offenbach (53) to words of Genée, Nuitter, Tréfeu, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    21 September 1874 Gustavus Theodore von Holst is born in Cheltenham, the first of two children born to Adolphus von Holst, a pianist and organist, and Clara Cox Lediard, daughter of a solicitor.  She is a singer and pianist and one of her husband’s pupils.

    21 September 1878 Regnum mundi for chorus and organ by Leos Janácek (24) is performed for the first time.

    Today and tomorrow see the first performances of Richard Wagner’s (65) Siegried and Götterdammerung outside Bayreuth.  They are produced with the composer’s blessings, in Leipzig.

    21 September 1887 Joseph Joachim and Robert Hausmann meet with Johannes Brahms (54) in Baden-Baden, together with Clara Schumann (68), to run through the new Double Concerto.  Clara sees it as a reconciliation.  It is the first time Brahms and Joachim have seen each other in years.  The concerto is deemed a success.

    21 September 1897 Believing himself to be going to see Court Opera Obersthofmeister Prince Liechtenstein to be presented as the new opera director, Hugo Wolf (37) is transported to the “mental home” of Dr. Wilhelm Svetlin.

    21 September 1899 Two works for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (33) are performed for the first time:  Black Roses op.36/1 to words of Josephson, and But My Bird is Long in Homing op.36/2 to words of Runeberg.

    21 September 1921 The Cat and Mouse, a piano work by Aaron Copland (20), is performed for the first time, by the composer in a student recital at the Salle Gaveau, Paris.  Upon hearing it, the publisher Jacques Durand buys it for 500 francs.  It is Copland’s first work in print, titled Scherzo humoristique.

    21 September 1924 The Wandering Madman for soprano and male chorus by Leos Janácek (70) to words of Tagore is performed for the first time, in Rosice v Brna, near Brno.

    21 September 1926 Gustav Holst’s choral ballet The Golden Goose op.45/1 to words of Joseph, is performed completely for the first time, in a BBC broadcast concert conducted by the composer on his 52nd birthday.

    21 September 1933 Eight Canons for chorus by Gustav Holst to medieval words (tr. Waddell) is performed in an informal setting at St. Paul’s School, London on the occasion of the composer’s 59th birthday.  It is probably the first complete performance of the entire set.

    The German Ministry of Culture informs Franz Schreker (55) that he has been dismissed from the Prussian Academy of the Arts effective 31 December.

    21 September 1934 Belle of the Nineties, a film with music by Duke Ellington (35), is released in the United States.  The film stars Mae West.

    21 September 1941 String Quartet no.1 op.25 by Benjamin Britten (27) is performed for the first time, in Belle Wilber Thorne Hall, Occidental College, Los Angeles.

    21 September 1943 Rejoice in the Lamb op.30 for solo voices, chorus, and organ by Benjamin Britten (29) to words of Smart, is performed for the first time, in St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton conducted by the composer.  The work was composed for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church.  Also premiered is Fanfare no.1 for brass by Michael Tippett (38).

    21 September 1946 Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria for organ by Benjamin Britten (32) is performed for the first time, in St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton.

    21 September 1954 Twenty Miniatures for piano by Ernst Krenek (54) is performed for the first time, in St. Gallen, the composer conducting.

    21 September 1957 Serenade no.10 op.79 for flute and harp by Vincent Persichetti (42) is performed for the first time, in Istanbul.

    21 September 1959 A reduction for cello and piano of the Cello Concerto no.1 by Dmitri Shostakovich (52) is performed for the first time, at the USSR Composers’ Club, Moscow by Mstislav Rostropovich and the composer.  See 4 October 1959.

    The fifth and sixth of the Six Orchestral Songs from Das Marienleben by Paul Hindemith (63) are performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.  See 13 August 1939.

    21 September 1960 Scontri (Collisions) for orchestra by Henryk Górecki (26) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.  Audience members shower the composer with cheers and protests.

    21 September 1961 Three Diagrams op.15 for flute by Henryk Górecki (27) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    21 September 1962 Igor Stravinsky (80), his wife and Robert Craft land at Sheremetievo Airport, Moscow.  It is the composer’s first visit to his homeland in 48 years.

    Kanon for strings and two tape players by Krzysztof Penderecki (28) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Songs for Ariel, excerpts for voice and piano of the incidental music to The Tempest by Michael Tippett (57), is performed for the first time, at Fenton House, London.

    21 September 1963 Don Giovanni, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (81) to his own words after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in the Auditorium della RAI, Naples.

    21 September 1965 Dream Music no.1 for piano by William Bolcom (27) is performed for the first time, in Berlin by the composer.

    21 September 1970 Dream for any instruments and performers by Peter Sculthorpe (41) is performed for the first time, in the Cell Block Theatre, Sydney.

    21 September 1971 Pierre Boulez (46) conducts his first concert with the New York Philharmonic.  Reviews are generally favorable.

    Sixty-two Mesostics re:  Merce Cunningham by John Cage (59) is performed for the first time, in Athens.

    21 September 1972 Symphony no.3 by Arvo Pärt (37) is performed for the first time, in Tallinn.

    Enchantress for soprano, flute, and eight cellos by R. Murray Schafer (39) is performed for the first time, in Vancouver.

    21 September 1974 Antikhthon, a ballet by Iannis Xenakis (52), is performed for the first time, in Bonn.

    21 September 1978 Chorals for violin by John Cage (66) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    21 September 1982 Fusione Fugace for electronics by Tod Machover (28) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    21 September 1983 A “Wedding March” composed by Jean Sibelius (†26) for Adolf Paul’s play Die Sprache der Vögel is performed for probably the first time, in Helsinki.

    Two works for piano by Betsy Jolas (57) are performed for the first time, in Le Havre:  Calling EC (hommage à Elliott Carter (74)) and Une Journée de Gadad, suite pour enfants.

    David Mamet’s play Glengarry Glen Ross is first performed, at the Royal National Theatre, London.

    21 September 1986 Ein Brief, a concert scene for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (54), is performed for the first time, in the Musikhalle, Hamburg.

    21 September 1988 Incidental music to Erdman’s play The Mandate by Alfred Schnittke (53) is performed for the first time, in the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army, Moscow.

    A Trumpet Concerto by Peter Maxwell Davies (54) is performed for the first time, in Yubin-Chokin Kaikan Hall, Hiroshima.

    21 September 1990 Ancestral Voices for bass and piano by TJ Anderson (62) to words of Forrest is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    21 September 1994 In the “Hommage à Witold Lutoslawski (†0)” concert in Warsaw, new works are performed for the first time:  In Memory of Witold Lutoslawski for two horns and two trumpets by Iannis Xenakis (72) and Paths--In memoriam Witold Lutoslawski for trumpet by Toru Takemitsu (63).

    21 September 2002 String Quartet no.4 by Gunther Schuller (76) is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra by Philip Glass (65) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.

    21 September 2011 Monk for piano by David Del Tredici (74) is performed for the first time, by the composer.

    22 September

    22 September 1733 Anton Fils is baptized in Eichstatt.

    22 September 1761 George III is crowned King of Great Britain in Westminster Abbey.  For the occasion, William Boyce (50) writes eight new anthems, including I was glad and My heart is inditing.

    22 September 1768 Florian Leopold Gassmann (39) marries Barbara Damm, daughter of the Imperial hosiery knitter, in Vienna.

    Niccolò Jommelli’s (54) serenata L’unione coronata to words of Martinelli is performed for the first time, in Solitude, in an improvised theater.

    22 September 1782 Le delizie campestri o Ippolito e Aricia, an opera by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (22), to words of Verazi, is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    22 September 1798 Publication of the Variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen for cello and piano op.66 by Ludwig van Beethoven (27) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    22 September 1812 A Kyrie in C by Antonio Salieri (62) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    22 September 1823 Incidental music to Hell’s play Ali Baba oder Die 40 Räuber by Heinrich August Marschner (28), is performed for the first time, in Dresden.

    22 September 1837 César Franck (14) receives word that King Louis-Philippe has made him a citizen of France.  He may now enroll in the Paris Conservatoire.

    22 September 1848 Richard Wagner (35) conducts the finale to Act I of his unperformed opera Lohengrin at a concert celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Saxon Royal Court Orchestra, Dresden.

    22 September 1867 Mily Balakirev (30) agrees to conduct concerts for the Russian Musical Society in St. Petersburg provided that he is allowed to program them.  At the insistence of Balakirev, the Board of Directors agrees to ask Hector Berlioz (63) to co-direct.

    22 September 1869 The Vorabend to Der Ring des Nibelungen, Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner (56) to his own words is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Hof-und Nationaltheater, Munich.  The production is forced by King Ludwig against the wishes of the composer.  Among those in attendance is Franz Liszt (57).  See 13 August 1876.

    Louischen-Polka française op.339 by Johann Strauss (43) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    22 September 1888 Edward Elgar (31) and Alice Roberts announce their engagement to the horror of her family.

    22 September 1901 Segunda serenata andaluza and Suite Fantástica for piano by Manuel de Falla (24) are performed for the first time, in Teatro del Parque Genovés, Cádiz by the composer.

    22 September 1904 Sergey Prokofiev (13) undergoes the entrance examination to the St. Petersburg Conservatory.  His examiners include Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (39).  He is accepted.

    22 September 1905 Gustav Mahler (45) writes to Richard Strauss (41) informing him that the Austrian censor has refused to allow the performance of Salome on “religious and moral grounds.”  Mahler intended to stage the premiere at the Hofoper.

    22 September 1924 Tanzstücke op.19 for piano by Paul Hindemith (28) are performed for the first time, in Dresden.

    22 September 1925 Folia du um bloco infantil for piano and orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos (38) is performed for the first time, in São Paulo, conducted by the composer.

    22 September 1930 Benjamin Britten (15) enters the Royal College of Music, London.

    22 September 1933 German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels creates the Reichskulturkammer to oversee all areas of culture in the Third Reich.  Inner chambers will be for fine art, theatre, literature, press, radio, film, and music.

    22 September 1934 While on a driving tour of Spain northeast of Madrid, with his wife and Roland-Manuel, Arthur Honegger (42) blows a tire on his Bugatti and drives into a tree.  The two men are thrown into a nearby field and suffer minor injuries.  Vaura Honegger, a professional pianist, breaks both knees and suffers many other fractures.  She will not walk for eleven months.

    22 September 1936 The epilogue from Leos Janácek’s (†8) opera The Excursion of Mr. Broucek to the Moon is performed for the first time, over Prague Radio.

    22 September 1937 While Madrid lays under siege by fascist rebels, Homenaje a Federico García Lorca for chamber orchestra by Silvestre Revueltas (37) is performed in the city under the baton of the composer.  See 20 July 1937.

    22 September 1938 String Quartet op.28 by Anton Webern (54) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    22 September 1947 Concerto for Orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (29) is performed for the first time, at Cologne University.

    22 September 1949 San Francesco d’Assisi, a mistero by Gian Francesco Malipiero (67) to words of St. Francis and Jacopo da Todi, is staged for the first time, in a concert setting in Perugia.  See 29 March 1922.

    22 September 1959 Josef Matthias Hauer dies in Vienna, aged 76 years, six months, and three days.

    22 September 1960 Flötenstück neunphasig for flute and piano by Ernst Krenek (60) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    22 September 1961 Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for 52 strings by Krzysztof Penderecki (27) is performed live for the first time, in Warsaw.  See 31 May 1961.

    22 September 1962 Forever Free for band by Ulysses Kay (45) is performed for the first time, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

    22 September 1964 Choros I op.20 for strings by Henryk Górecki (30) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Fiddler on the Roof, a musical with music by Bock to words of Harnick and Stein after Sholom Aleichem, opens in New York.

    22 September 1965 Ultima actio for chorus by Henry Cowell (68) to words of de Diego (tr. Machlis) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    22 September 1969 In the village of Zatouna, where Mikis Theodorakis (44) and his family are held under house arrest, the local police commander, Kostas Stergiou, bursts into the house, locks the composer in the kitchen, and proceeds to search his wife and children.  While locked in, Theodorakis composes the song My Name is K.S. His wife and children are taken to Athens.

    22 September 1971 The Lovers op.43 for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Samuel Barber (61) to words of Neruda is performed for the first time, in the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

    Concerto for flute and orchestra by Walter Piston (77) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    22 September 1973 Stone Litany, Runes from a House for the Dead for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (39) to words of a Viking stone inscription on Orkney, is performed for the first time, in City Hall, Glasgow.

    22 September 1975 Drei Lieder op.216 for solo voice and piano by Ernst Krenek (75) to words of von Sauter are performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    22 September 1979 Second Concerto for Orchestra by Robin Holloway (35) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    22 September 1983 Little Suite for Strings by Peter Sculthorpe (54) is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House.

    22 September 1984 A further extended version of Répons for six percussionists, small orchestra, and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (59) is performed for the first time, in Turin.  See 18 October 1981 and 6 September 1982.

    22 September 1985 Saxophone Quartet by Lukas Foss (63) is performed for the first time, in Christ the King Chapel, Canisius College, Buffalo.

    22 September 1989 Arias and Barcarolles for soprano, baritone, and piano four-hands by Leonard Bernstein (71), to words of Jennie Bernstein, Segal, and the composer, orchestrated by Bright Sheng (33), is performed for the first time, at Tilles Center, Long Island University.

    22 September 1990 Eight Songs from the Incidental Music to Friedrich Schiller’s “Don Carlos” for voice and piano (or guitar) by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in Bad Urach.

    Ins Offene... for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (38) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.  See 18 January 1995.

    22 September 1991 Lament for cello and strings by Peter Sculthorpe (62) is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House.

    22 September 1992 Sir Charles his Pavan for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (58) is performed for the first time, at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester the composer conducting.

    22 September 1998 Vers une Symphonie fleuve IV for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (46) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.  See 5 May 2001.

    22 September 2000 Tirol Concerto for piano and orchestra by Philip Glass (63) is performed for the first time, in the Tyrol, Austria.

    Millennium Fantasy for piano and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (61) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    22 September 2001 Notturno for winds, double bass, and piano by Hans Werner Henze (75) is performed for the first time, in Koblenz.

    23 September

    23 September 1756 Advertisements appear in the Whitehall Evening-Post and the London Evening-Post for Proposals for Printing a Correct and Complete Body of Church Music by William Boyce (45).

    23 September 1777 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21), accompanied by his mother, departs Salzburg for Munich on their way to Paris.  Both Leopold (57) and Nannerl are distraught at the parting, Nannerl to the point of vomiting.

    Armide, a drame héroique by Christoph Willibald Gluck (63) to words of Quinault after Tasso, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It is received blandly by the audience.

    23 September 1780 Adelheit von Veltheim, a Schauspiel mit Gesang by Christian Gottlob Neefe (32) to words of Grossmann, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    23 September 1781 Johann Simon Mayr (18) registers at the University of Ingolstadt to study theology and Canon Law.

    23 September 1798 Missa in angustiis (Nelsonmesse) by Joseph Haydn (66) is performed for the first time, in the Church of St. Martin, Eisenstadt.

    23 September 1799 Domenico Cimarosa’s (49) cantata beginning No che più lieto giorno to words of Barbarotta for three solo voices and chorus, is performed for the first time, in Naples for the return of King Ferdinando IV.  The composer, a member of the republican government, is attempting to ingratiate himself with the royal family.

    23 September 1835 17:00  Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini dies alone at a country house in the Paris suburb of Puteaux, aged 33 years, ten months and 20 days.

    23 September 1856 Le financier et le savetier, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (37) to words of Crémieux and About, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    23 September 1858 Gedankenflug op.215, a waltz by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    23 September 1871 Teresa Stolz pays her first visit to Sant’Agata to study her part for Aida with Giuseppe Verdi (57).

    23 September 1872 Anton Rubinstein (42) makes his American debut in Steinway Hall, New York.  It is a triumph before a standing room only crowd.  He will perform 15 times in greater New York between now and 12 October.

    23 September 1873 Wartburg Lieder for tenor, two baritones, chorus and orchestra by Franz Liszt (61) is performed for the first time, in Wartburg.

    23 September 1874 At the Halfdan Kjerulf Statue, a cantata for tenor and male chorus by Edvard Grieg (31) to words of Munch, is performed for the first time, in Christiania.

    23 September 1878 Richard D’Oyly Carte takes WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan (36) to the spot on the Strand in London where he proposes to build his theatre to produce their operettas.

    23 September 1880 Sonata for violin and piano op.57 by Antonin Dvorák (39) is performed for the first time, in Chrudim.

    23 September 1888 The remains of Franz Schubert (†59) are exhumed from the Währinger Cemetery and reinterred in the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna.  Among those witnessing the event is Anton Bruckner (63).

    23 September 1896 Der vierjährige Posten D.190, a singspiel by Franz Schubert (†67) to words of Körner, is performed for the first time, in Dresden 81 years after it was composed.

    23 September 1898 Hans Richter submits his resignation as director of the Vienna Philharmonic, officially because of medical reasons.  The same day, the orchestra board asks Gustav Mahler (38) to take over.  In fact, it has all been arranged in advance.

    23 September 1912 The Spell of Springtide op.61/8, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (46) to words of Gripenberg, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    23 September 1913 The first and fourth of the Four Orchestral Sketches by Arnold Bax (29) are performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  See 20 March 1914.

    23 September 1921 Two works for piano by Aaron Copland (20) are performed for the first time, in the Salle Gaveau, Paris:  Sonnet III and Three Moods.

    23 September 1928 The Suite for Orchestra op.3 by Leos Janácek (†0) is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    23 September 1929 The New York Times announces that the RCA Theremin is about to go on sale to the public for $175 per unit.  On the same day, the instrument is exhibited at the opening of the Radio World’s Fair in Madison Square Garden, New York.

    23 September 1935 Irmelin Prelude for orchestra by Frederick Delius (†1) is performed for the first time, as an interlude in Act III of the composer’s lyric drama Koanga, at Covent Garden, London.

    23 September 1936 A London Overture for orchestra by John Ireland (57) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  This is a reworking of his Comedy Overture for brass.  See 29 September 1934.

    23 September 1938 String Quartet no.4 by Frank Bridge (59) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    23 September 1941 La Coronela, a ballet by Silvestre Revueltas (†0) completed and orchestrated by Huizar and Galindo, is performed for the first time.

    23 September 1942 Pvt. Samuel Barber (32) is assigned to the Second Service Command of Special Services.  He will spend part of each day in basic training in Battery Park and the rest of the day doing work in an office on Broadway.

    Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo op.22, a cycle for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (28), is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London by Peter Pears and the composer.

    23 September 1944 George Rochberg (26), serving with American military forces, is wounded in Mons, Belgium.

    23 September 1954 Through the intercession of Olivier Messiaen (45), Iannis Xenakis (32) meets Pierre Schaeffer (44) in Paris.

    Benjamin Britten’s (40) symphonic suite Gloriana for tenor or oboe and orchestra to words of Devereux, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    23 September 1956 Parts of König Hirsch, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (30) to words of von Cramer after Gozzi, are performed for the first time, in the Berlin Städtische Oper.  Demonstrations break out, for and against, in the audience.  See 4 October 1957, 10 March 1963 and 5 May 1985.

    23 September 1958 Threni for soprano, alto, two tenors, two basses, chorus, and orchestra, a cantata by Igor Stravinsky (76) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, at the Sala dell’Albergo of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice, conducted by the composer.  It is the first music of Stravinsky based entirely on a twelve-tone row.  The audience is polite.

    Octet for winds and strings by Paul Hindemith (62) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer performing one of the viola parts.  Also premiered is Hindemith’s Suite französischer Tänze for orchestra.

    23 September 1959 Herbert von Karajan conducts a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s (50) Réveil des oiseaux in Berlin, in the presence of the composer.  Karajan admits he does not understand the music and conducts without a score.  It is not well received by the audience.  Mustering the courage to go backstage, the composer finds the conductor elated.  He hugs Messiaen and says “Thank you--at last, thanks to you, my first scandal!”

    Allez-Hop for mezzo-soprano, eight mimes, dancers, and orchestra by Luciano Berio (33) to words of Calvino, is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    23 September 1962 Connotations for orchestra by Aaron Copland (61) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of Lincoln Center, directed by Leonard Bernstein (44).  The concert is televised by the CBS television network.  Among the attenders are composers Walter Piston (68), Roger Sessions (65), Henry Cowell (65), Roy Harris (64), Samuel Barber (52) and the Center’s director, William Schuman (52), along with Rudolf Bing, Isaac Stern, Secretary-General of the United Nations U Thant, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Governor Nelson Rockefeller and New York Mayor Robert Wagner.

    23 September 1963 Elegies for Faulkner and cummings for flute, english horn, and strings by David Diamond (48) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    23 September 1967 Musiquette 2 op.23 for four trumpets, four trombones, piano, and percussion by Henryk Górecki (33) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    23 September 1969 Funktion Blau for tape by Gottfried Michael Koenig (42) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    23 September 1972 Alphabet für Liège no.36, 13 musical scenes for soloists and duos by Karlheinz Stockhausen (44) is performed for the first time, in Liège.  It lasts four hours.

    Sonic Images for narrator and audience by Pauline Oliveros (40) is performed for the first time, at California State University, Los Angeles.

    23 September 1977 In Praise of Music, seven instrumental songs for orchestra by Dominick Argento (49) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.

    23 September 1981 Olympic Hymn for chorus and orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (63) to words of Kunert is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden for the International Olympic Congress.

    23 September 1982 Prelude for a Solemn Occasion by Arnold Bax (†28) is performed for the first time, in New Broadcasting House, Manchester, 49 years after it was composed.

    In the Théâtre du Rond-Point Renaud-Barrault, Paris, John Cage (70) receives a certificate of his appointment as Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.

    23 September 1985 Serenade no.15 op.159 for harpsichord by Vincent Persichetti (70) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.

    23 September 1986 A revised version of cummings ist der Dichter for 16 solo voices, chorus, and chamber orchestra by Pierre Boulez (61) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg, conducted by the composer.  See 19 September 1970.

    23 September 1988 Masks, three pieces for piano by Karol Szymanowski (†51) orchestrated by Krenz, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw 72 years after it was composed.

    The Call for chorus by John Tavener (44) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton.

    23 September 1989 Etudes 7 and 8 from György Ligeti’s (66) Etudes for piano Book II are performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    23 September 1992 Chemins V for guitar and chamber orchestra by Luciano Berio (66) is performed for the first time, in Bonn conducted by the composer.

    23 September 1995 For Liverpool for orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (60) is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

    23 September 1997 A Gentle Little Fanfare for orchestra by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time.

    23 September 1999 My Country Childhood for string orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (70) is performed for the first time, in Adelaide, South Australia.

    The British periodical Nature reports the discovery of the oldest still-playable musical instrument.  Discovered in Henan Province, China, the flute, made from the wing bone of a crane, is about 9,000 years old.

    23 September 2000 Today is proclaimed Ellen Taafe Zwilich (61) Day in Cincinnati.  The mayor presents Ms. Zwilich with the keys to the city.

    Six Chansons for piano by Iannis Xenakis (78) are performed for the first time, in Triskell, 50 years after they were composed.

    23 September 2010 The Poet’s Hour for violins and strings by Joseph Schwantner (67) is performed for the first time, in Benaroya Hall, Seattle.

    Phoenix by Osvaldo Golijov (49) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Phoenix, Arizona.

    23 September 2011 Symphony by Thomas Pasatieri (65) is performed for the first time, in Lexington, Kentucky.

    24 September

    24 September 1754 Le cinesi, a componimento drammatico by Christoph Willibald Gluck (40) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Schlosshof, near Vienna for a visit by Empress Maria Theresia to the summer home of Prince Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

    24 September 1779 Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (65) drame lyrique Echo et Narcisse to words of Tschudi after Ovid, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It will fail after only nine performances.

    24 September 1797 Johann Simon Mayr’s (34) farsa giocosa Il segreto to words of Foppa is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Moisè, Venice.  On the same program is the premiere of his farsa giocosa L’intrigo della lettera, also to words of Foppa.

    24 September 1813 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry dies in Montmorency, Seine-et-Oise, aged 72 years, seven months and 16 days.

    24 September 1830 Robert Schumann (20) leaves Heidelberg and the study of law for Leipzig and the study of music.

    24 September 1848 Psalm 84 for chorus and Psalm 100 for four solo voices and chorus by Otto Nicolai (38) are performed for the first time, for the consecration of the Friedenskirche, Sanssouci.

    24 September 1852 Nocturne-Quadrille op.120 by Johann Strauss (26) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    24 September 1858 Flis, an opera by Stanislaw Moniuszko (39) to words of Boguslawski, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    24 September 1867 The Süddeutsche Presse is established in Munich with government funds by friends of Richard Wagner (54).  Wagner begins a weekly series entitled “German Art and German Politics.”

    24 September 1879 Slavonic Rhapsody no.3 by Antonin Dvorák (38) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    24 September 1881 Gustav Mahler (21) conducts professionally for the first time, as the principal conductor of the Landschafliches Theater in Laibach (Ljubljana).

    24 September 1891 The First Orchestral Suite of Edward MacDowell (30) is performed for the first time, in Worcester.

    24 September 1892 Haddon Hall, an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (50) to words of Grundy, is performed for the first time, at the Savoy Theatre, London.  It is a success with critics and public.

    24 September 1897 Arthur Farwell (25) arrives at his lodgings in Boppard am Rhein.  In the evening, he dines at the estate of Engelbert Humperdinck (43) with whom he will presently study.

    24 September 1898 The board of the Vienna Philharmonic formally names Gustav Mahler Conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts by acclamation.

    24 September 1904 Jean Sibelius (38) and his family move into a new villa, Ainola, near Tuomala.

    24 September 1906 Incidental music to Clarke’s (after Wallace) play The Prince of India by Horatio Parker (43) is performed for the first time, at the Broadway Theatre, New York.

    24 September 1908 Camille Saint-Saëns (72) replies to a letter from Alfredo Casella (25) asking him to look at one of his works.  The elder master tells the younger, “Do you want some good advice?  Do as I have done; since I was seventeen years old, I have never shown my work to anyone.”

    Jubal op.35/1, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (42) to words of Josephson, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    24 September 1912 The Sea for orchestra by Frank Bridge (33) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    24 September 1913 Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue op.127 for organ by Max Reger (40) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw).

    24 September 1924 From the Vienna Rathaus Tower is heard for the first time Fanfare zur Eröffnung der Musikwoche der Stadt Wien im September 1924, for brass and timpani, by Richard Strauss (60).

    During the centennial year of his birth, Apollo-Marsch for woodwinds, brass, and percussion by Anton Bruckner (†27) is performed for the first time, in the Stadtkapelle, Vöcklabruck, 62 years after it was composed.

    24 September 1938 Petit Ramusianum harmonique for solo voice or unison chorus by Igor Stravinsky (56) to words of Cingria is performed for the first time, privately in Paris.

    24 September 1944 Toccata for organ and brass by Roy Harris (46) is performed for the first time, in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts the composer conducting.

    24 September 1945 Karl Amadeus Hartmann (40) signs a contract with the Bavarian State Theatre in Munich naming him Dramaturge until 31 August 1946.  It will be approved by the American military government on 26 September.  The position requires him to report to the theatre management on developments in opera and music theatre, and oversee musical productions of recent works.  He will hold this position until his death.

    Bachianas Brasileiras no.6 for flute and bassoon by Heitor Villa-Lobos (58) is performed for the first time, at the Escola Nacional de Música, Rio de Janeiro.

    24 September 1950 George Washington Variations for piano by Ernst Krenek (50) is performed for the first time, in Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles.

    24 September 1956 It is announced that Dmitri Shostakovich has been awarded the Lenin Prize, on the eve of his fiftieth birthday.

    24 September 1957 Maratona, a ballet by Hans Werner Henze (31) to a story by Visconti, is performed for the first time, in the Städtische Oper Berlin.  See 8 February 1957.

    24 September 1960 A performance by John Cage (48), Merce Cunningham, Earle Brown (33), and others at the Teatro La Fenice during the Venice Biennale causes a near riot.

    24 September 1961 Sound Blocks:  An Heroic Vision by Morton Subotnick (28) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    24 September 1962 Piano Concerto op.38 by Samuel Barber (52) is performed for the first time, at Lincoln Center, New York.  It will win for Barber his second Pulitzer Prize.

    24 September 1965 Black Sounds (Apocalyptica II) for 17 winds by George Rochberg (47) is performed for the first time, in a broadcast originating in New York.  The work is performed to a dance called The Act.

    24 September 1969 Old Polish Music op.24 for brass and strings by Henryk Górecki (35) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    24 September 1972 Ad matrem op.29 for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Henryk Górecki (38) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    24 September 1977 Serious Music-Making in San Diego and Other Happy Memories:  Vol.2:  Handle With Care:  Perishable Live Plants for live performers, tape, text, and slides by Kenneth Gaburo (51) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of radio station KUNM-FM in New Mexico.

    24 September 1981 Io, frammento dal Prometeo for three sopranos, chorus, bass flute, contrabass clarinet, and electronics by Luigi Nono (57) to words of Cacciari, is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    24 September 1982 A revision of Offertorium for violin and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (50) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin.  See 30 May 1981 and 2 November 1986.

    The Boy Who Grew Too Fast, an opera for children by Gian-Carlo Menotti (71) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Grand Opera House, Wilmington, Delaware.

    American Hymn:  Orchestral Variations on an Original Melody by William Schuman (72) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    24 September 1983 Capriccio for cello by Hans Werner Henze (57) is performed for the first time, in Linz.

    24 September 1985 Etudes 2, 3, and 6 from György Ligeti’s (62) Etudes pour piano Book I are performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    24 September 1989 Un “petit rien” for orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (†19) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    24 September 1993 Two Dances from Caroline Mathilde for flute and harp by Peter Maxwell Davies (59), is performed for the first time, in City Hall, Thurso.

    24 September 1994 Portions of A Song of War and Victory for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†40) are performed for the first time, at Eton College.  See 9 October 1997.

    American Concerto for trumpet and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (55) is performed for the first time, in Escondido, California.

    24 September 2003 Supernatural Songs for solo voice, percussion, and strings by John Tavener (59) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, in Canterbury Cathedral.

    24 September 2008 Investigations 2 for tape by Pierre Henry (80) is  performed for the first time.

    24 September 2010 Death and the Powers, an opera by Tod Machover (56) to words of Pinsky, is performed for the first time, in Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo.

    25 September

    25 September 1683 Jean-Philippe Rameau is baptized in Dijon.

    25 September 1752 Antonio Soler (22) joins the Hieronymite order at El Escorial and becomes permanent organist.

    25 September 1776 Romeo und Julie, an ernsthafte Oper by Georg Benda (54) to words of Gotter after Shakespeare and Weisse, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.

    25 September 1793 Joseph Boulogne de Saint Georges (47) is relieved of his command by the French Minister for War.  Eight other officers of his regiment are dismissed.

    25 September 1802 Napoléon orders Giovanni Paisiello (62) to direct the music of the mass in the First Consul’s chapel every Sunday.

    25 September 1814 Franz Schubert’s (17) Mass in F D.105, composed for the centennial of the Liechtental Church, is probably performed, for the first time, directed by the composer.

    25 September 1825 Giacomo Meyerbeer’s (34) Il Crociato in Egitto opens in Paris to spectacular success.  King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia arrives in the city today and will see the second performance.  It was the idea of Gioacchino Rossini (32) to stage this opera and he invites Meyerbeer to direct the last rehearsals.  This reaffirms their friendship, in existence since 1819.  See 7 March 1824.

    25 September 1827 Der blinde Knabe D.833, a song by Franz Schubert (30) to words of Cibber translated by Craigher, is published in the Zeitschrift für Kunst, Vienna.

    25 September 1833 Felix Mendelssohn (24) arrives in Düsseldorf to take up his position as music director.

    25 September 1849 Josef Strauss finds the body of his father, Johann Strauss Sr., dead of scarlet fever, naked on the floor of his lodgings which he shared with his mistress Emilie Trampusch.  She has taken all his clothes, bedding and as much of their belongings as she can carry.

    25 September 1856 Krönungs-Marsch op.183 by Johann Strauss (30) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    25 September 1870 The “definitive” version of The Bartered Bride, a comic opera by Bedrich Smetana (46) to words of Sabina, is performed for the first time, at the Prague Provisional Theatre.

    25 September 1896 Robert (Roberto) Gerhard i Ottenwaelder is born in Valls, Tarragona, the first of three children born to a wine exporter.

    25 September 1903 Frederick Delius (41) marries Jelka Rosen, a painter and daughter of a diplomat, in a civil ceremony in Grez-sur-Loing, France.  They have lived together for six years.

    25 September 1906 17:00  Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich is born in St. Petersburg, second of three children born to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich, chemist and engineer working at the Central Department of Weights and Measures, and Sofia Vasiliyevna Kokoulina, daughter of a Siberian mine operator, who studied piano at St. Petersburg Conservatory.

    Laudate Dominum op.22, a motet for male chorus, organ, and brass by Frederick S. Converse (35), is performed for the first time, at the opening ceremonies for new buildings of the Harvard Medical School.

    25 September 1907 A suite from Belshazzar’s Feast by Jean Sibelius (41) is performed for the first time, under the composer’s direction, in Helsinki.

    25 September 1909 Fatherland, for tenor, chorus, and orchestra by Arnold Bax (25) to words of Runeberg, is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.  Also premiered is Dance Rhapsody by Frank Bridge (30).

    25 September 1912 Florence Smith (25) marries Thomas J. Price, an attorney, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

    25 September 1914 The King’s Highway for voice, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (61) to words of Newbolt is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  Stanford has donated all proceeds from the song to the Prince of Wales’ National Relief Fund.

    25 September 1917 Paul Hindemith’s (21) first published work is brought out by Breitkopf and Härtel, Leipzig:  Three Pieces for cello and piano.

    25 September 1918 Sonata for violin and piano op.27 by Hans Pfitzner (49) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    25 September 1922 Down to the Sea in Ships, a film with music by Henry F. Gilbert, is shown for the first time, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

    25 September 1923 Two songs by George Gershwin are performed for the first time on the eve of his 25th birthday, as part of the revue Nifties of 1923 to words of DeSylva and Caesar, at the Fulton Theatre, New York:  At Half Past Seven, to words of DeSylva, and Nashville Nightingale, to words of Caesar.

    25 September 1925 Kammermusik no.4 op.36/3 for violin and chamber orchestra by Paul Hindemith (29) is performed for the first time, in Dessau.

    25 September 1929 A Theremin is heard on the radio for the first time when the inventor, Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (33) plays music of Chopin (†80) and Rubinstein (†34) from the Radio World’s Fair in Madison Square Garden, New York over the WJZ network.

    25 September 1936 Two new works by British composers for voices and orchestra are performed for the first time, in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich:  Five Tudor Portraits for alto, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (63) to words of Skelton, and Our Hunting Fathers op.8, a cycle for voice and orchestra by Benjamin Britten (22) to words of Auden and Ravenscroft.  Britten conducts his work.

    25 September 1939 Igor Stravinsky (57) flees the war in Europe by boarding ship in Bordeaux, heading for New York.

    25 September 1948 From Jewish Folk Poetry, a cycle for three solo voices and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (48), is performed for the first time, privately at a party celebrating his 42nd birthday.  A public performance is unlikely in the current official mood of anti-Semitism.  See 15 January 1955.

    25 September 1949 Aaron Copland’s (48) response to Arnold Schoenberg’s (75) letter published 11 September appears in the New York Herald-Tribune.  He denies he ever tried to suppress Schoenberg’s music and heaps praise upon him.  Copland then chides Virgil Thomson (52) for defending him so weakly.

    25 September 1952 Petites légendes op.319, a cycle for voice and piano by Darius Milhaud (60) to words of Carême, is performed for the first time, in Aspen, Colorado.

    25 September 1956 William Walton’s (54) Johannesburg Festival Overture, commissioned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the city, is performed for the first time, in Johannesburg City Hall.

    25 September 1959 Conversations for string quintet and jazz quartet by Gunther Schuller (33) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, the composer conducting.

    25 September 1962 Walter Piston’s (68) Lincoln Center Festival Overture is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    25 September 1965 Der Traum des Liu-Tung, an opera by Isang Yun (48) to words of Rudelsberger and Bauernfeind after Ma Chi Yuan, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    25 September 1966 Cello Concerto no.2 op.126 by Dmitri Shostakovich is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall, on the composer’s 60th birthday.  As part of the celebrations surrounding his 60th birthday, Shostakovich is awarded a second Order of Lenin and the Gold Medal of the Hammer and Sickle as well as being created a Hero of Socialist Labor.  Today, two pianos arrive at the composer’s home, an old piano from Minister of Culture Yekaterina Furtseva and a new Steinway grand from Benjamin Britten (52).

    25 September 1970 Yefim Golishev dies in Paris aged 73 years and five days.

    ee cummings ist der Dichter for 16 solo voices and 24 instruments by Pierre Boulez (45) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    25 September 1971 String Quartet no.5 in Quarter Tones by Lejaren Hiller (47) is performed for the first time, in Binghamton, New York.

    Suite en sol op.431 for orchestra by Darius Milhaud (79) is performed for the first time, in Marin County, California.

    25 September 1974 Sun Music for Film, a film about the creation of Peter Sculthorpe’s (45) The Song of Talitnama, is aired by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

    25 September 1975 Viola Sonata op.147 by Dmitri Shostakovich (†0) is performed for the first time, privately at his home on what would have been his 69th birthday.  See 1 October 1975.

    25 September 1980 Divertimento for orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (62) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    Sonic Structure for orchestra by Robert Ward (62) is performed for the first time, in Andrew Jackson Concert Hall, Nashville.

    25 September 1984 Tango si for piano by Betsy Jolas (58) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    Tango? for piano by Conlon Nancarrow (71) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    25 September 1985 Recitatives and Ariosos--Lerchenmusik op.53 for clarinet, cello, and piano by Henryk Górecki (51) is performed completely for the first time, in Warsaw.  See 28 July 1984.

    The second and “definitive” version of Prometeo:  Tragedia dell’ascolto, an opera by Luigi Nono (61) to words of Cacciari, is performed for the first time, in Milan.  See 29 September 1984.

    25 September 1986 Concerto for orchestra by Karel Husa (65) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    25 September 1988 The first four of the Nonsense Madrigals for six solo voices by György Ligeti (65) are performed for the first time, in Berlin.  See 4 November 1989 and 27 November 1993.

    25 September 1989 The first complete performance of The Struggle Between the Realistic and Formalistic Trends in Music, for four basses, speaker, chorus, and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (†14) takes place in the Bolshoy Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on the 83rd anniversary of the composer’s birth.

    25 September 1990 Seven2 for seven instruments by John Cage (78) is performed for the first time, in Erlangen.

    25 September 1993 Symphony no.6 by Alfred Schnittke (58) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    25 September 1994 To God “In memoriam MB 1994”, an anthem for chorus and offstage trumpet by Dominick Argento (66) to words of Crashaw, is performed for the first time, in Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis.

    Spirituals and Swedish Chorales, a cycle for chorus by Dominick Argento (66) to words of Olon-Scrymgeour and Swedish chorales, is performed for the first time, in Ted Mann Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

    25 September 1997 Century Rolls, a concerto for piano and orchestra by John Adams (50), is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    25 September 1998 Spaghetti Western for english horn and orchestra by Michael Daugherty (44) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    25 September 2002 Broken Chords by Mauricio Kagel (70) is performed for the first time, in Duisburg.

    25 September 2009 Drei Frauen, music theatre in three monodramas and two intermezzos for soprano, tenor, and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (57), is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    25 September 2010 Gisela! oder: die merk- und denkwürdigen Wege des Glücks, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (84) to words of Kerstan and Lehnert, is performed for the first time, in Gladbeck, Germany.

    26 September

    26 September 1600 Claude LeJeune is buried in Paris, approximately 70 years after his birth.

    26 September 1663 Heinrich Scheidemann dies in Hamburg, aged approximately 68 years.

    26 September 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.

    26 September 1777 Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg withdraws his dismissal of Leopold (57) and Wolfgang Amadeus (21) Mozart.  They were sacked for asking for another leave to travel.

    26 September 1782 Il barbiere di Siviglia, ovvero La precauzione inutile, a dramma giocoso by Giovanni Paisiello (42) to words after Beaumarchais, is performed for the first time, at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

    26 September 1798 Publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (27) three piano sonatas op.10 is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    26 September 1800 William Billings dies in Boston, aged 53 years, eleven months and 19 days.

    26 September 1803 In the matter of Artaria and Beethoven (32), the High Police Court of Vienna rules for Artaria.  Beethoven is ordered to publish a retraction.  See 22 January 1803 and 4 December 1803.

    26 September 1804 The Gazette Nationale reports that Jan Ladislav Dussek (44) is named Kapellmeister to Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia in Magdeburg, a passionate amateur pianist and composer.

    26 September 1812 Gioachino Rossini’s (20) melodramma giocoso La pietra del paragone to words of Romanelli is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.  The work proves an instant success.

    26 September 1816 Gioachino Rossini’s (24) dramma La gazzetta to words of Palomba after Goldoni is performed for the first time, in Teatro dei Fiorentini, Naples.  It falls flat.

    26 September 1835 Lucia di Lammermoor, a dramma tragico by Gaetano Donizetti (37) to words of Cammarano after Scott, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The composer reports that “It has pleased, and pleased very much.”

    26 September 1838 Gaetano Donizetti’s (40) opera seria Poliuto, already in production, is banned by the King of Naples because its subject is a saint.  See 30 November 1848.

    26 September 1854 Richard Wagner (41) completes the full score of Das Rheingold in Zürich.

    26 September 1855 Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral ‘Ad nos, ad salutarem undam’ for organ by Franz Liszt (43) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of a new organ at Merseburg Cathedral.

    26 September 1856 Three months after the destruction of his shop by fire, Jacob Small Paine dies in Portland, Maine at the age of 46.  The family will now have to be supported by his son, John Knowles Paine (17).

    26 September 1868 Tonight sees the last of the Samedi soirs at the Villa Rossini (76) near Paris.

    Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert is born in Somerville, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, a banker, composer, church organist and a singer, and Therese Angeline Gilson, a professional singer and artist.

    26 September 1876 The casket containing the earthly remains of Vincenzo Bellini is reinterred in the Duomo of Catania, Sicily, the composer’s birthplace, three days after the 41st anniversary of his death.

    26 September 1892 The new Sousa Band, led by John Philip Sousa (37), presents its inaugural concert, at Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey.

    Antonín Dvorák (51) and his family arrive in the new world at Hoboken, New Jersey aboard the SS Saale, nine days out of Bremen.

    26 September 1898 One day after he completes the first uncut performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen in Vienna, a committee from the Vienna Philharmonic calls on Gustav Mahler (38) and offers him the directorship of their orchestra.  He is pleasantly surprised, and accepts gladly.

    Jacob Gershvin (George Gershwin) is born in Brooklyn, second of four children born to Russian immigrants Morris Gershvin (Moshe Gershovitz) presently a leather worker, and Rose Bruskin, daughter of a furrier.

    26 September 1901 The lyric drama Judith by George Whitefield Chadwick (46) to words of Langdon after the composer is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Worcester, Massachusetts conducted by the composer.

    26 September 1906 The first New York concert on the Telharmonium is given in the Music Hall at Broadway and 39th Street before 900 members of the New York Electrical Society.  The investors intend the music produced by this instrument to be piped by telephone lines to restaurants around the city.

    26 September 1907 The Vision of Life for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (59) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Cardiff.

    26 September 1916 Two Old English Songs for strings by Frank Bridge (37) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, the composer conducting.

    26 September 1917 On the recommendation of Paul Dukas (51), Francis Poulenc (18) visits Paul Vidal, conductor of the Opéra-Comique, in search of composition lessons.  Poulenc shows him his Rapsodie nègre.  When he sees the dedication to Satie (51) Vidal stands and bellows, “Your work stinks, it is ridiculous, it is merely a load of balls...Ah! I see you are running with Stravinsky (35), Satie, and company.  Well then, good day!”

    26 September 1921 While attending the second-night performance of a production of Carl Maria von Weber’s (†95) Der Freischütz in Neustrelitz directed by his son Wolfram, Engelbert Humperdinck (67) suffers a heart attack.  On his return home he suffers another heart attack.

    26 September 1922 Homage to Holberg for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Carl Nielsen (57) to words of Pederson, is performed for the first time.

    26 September 1933 Three songs by Charles Ives (58) are performed for the first time, at the studio of Doris Barr in San Francisco:  General William Booth Enters Into Heaven to words of Lindsay, Swimmers to words of Untermeyer, and Hymn to words of Wesley after Tersteegen.

    26 September 1934 Concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg (60), is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    26 September 1935 Ernest MacMillan (42) is invested with a knighthood in a ceremony in Ottawa.

    26 September 1941 Aaron Copland (40) meets Alberto Ginastera (25) for the first time, in Buenos Aires calling him the “white hope” of Argentine music.

    26 September 1943 Chorale for Organ and Brass by Roy Harris (45) is performed for the first time, in Germanic (now Busch-Reisinger) Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  See 22 July 1944.

    26 September 1945 Just before noon.  Béla Bartók dies of leukemia at West Side Hospital, New York aged 64 years, six months, and one day.  His earthly remains will be buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York.

    26 September 1950 The Snowslide, a song for voice and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (37) to words of Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in Kraków.

    26 September 1957 Pas de six, an orchestral excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s (43) ballet The Prince of the Pagodas, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.  See 1 January 1957.

    Piano Sonata no.3 by Pierre Boulez (32) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt by the composer.

    West Side Story, a musical by Leonard Bernstein (38) to words of Sondheim and the composer after Laurents after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time in New York in the Winter Garden Theatre.  It will run for 734 performances, a yearlong national tour and then 249 more performances on Broadway.  Producer Harold Prince will later lament that he closed the show two months too soon.  See 19 August 1957.

    26 September 1959 Piano Sonata by Hans Werner Henze (33) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    26 September 1962 Igor Stravinsky (80) makes his first appearance in his homeland since the revolution as he conducts a concert of his own music in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.  The audience is filled with many musicians, including Dmitri Shostakovich (56) and Aram Khachaturian (59).

    26 September 1965 Fantasy for Pianist by Roger Reynolds (31) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    26 September 1967 Violin Concerto no.2 op.129 by Dmitri Shostakovich (61) is performed “officially” for the first time, in Bolshoy Hall of Moscow Conservatory, by its dedicatee, David Oistrakh.  See 13 September 1967.

    26 September 1968 Theatre Set for orchestra by Ulysses Kay (51) is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.

    26 September 1971 Who are these Children? op.84 for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (57) to words of Soutar, is performed completely for the first time, in Snape Maltings Concert Hall the composer at the keyboard.  See 7 March 1971 and 4 May 1971.

    26 September 1976 Rorate Coeli for chorus by Thea Musgrave (48) to words of Dunbar is performed for the first time, in St. Alfege’s Church, Greenwich.

    26 September 1977 Double Concerto for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra by Isang Yun (60) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    26 September 1979 Music for Wilderness Lake for twelve trombones and a small lake by R. Murray Schafer (46) is performed for the first time, at O’Grady Lake, Ontario.

    The Magic Art:  An Instrumental Masque Drawn from the Works of Henry Purcell for chamber orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (41) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul the composer conducting.

    26 September 1980 Music for a Celebration for chorus, audience, and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (54) is performed for the first time, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

    26 September 1981 Two works by R. Murray Schafer (48) are performed for the first time:  String Quartet no.3 in Boston, and The Princess of the Stars for speakers, soprano, dancers, seven instruments, percussion, and canoeists, at Heart Lake, near Brampton, Ontario.

    26 September 1983 Drei Phantasien for 16 voices by György Ligeti (60) to words of Hölderlin is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.

    26 September 1984 Sonata for seven players by Hans Werner Henze (58) is performed for the first time, in London.

    26 September 1985 Symphony no.3 by Isang Yun (68) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    26 September 1986 Het Muziektheater, the first opera house in the Netherlands, opens in Amsterdam.

    Showcase for orchestra by William Schuman (76) is performed for the first time, in Houston.

    26 September 1990 Amen for chorus by Henri Pousseur (61) is performed for the first time, in Rome.

    26 September 1991 Sonata for violin and piano by Isang Yun (74) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    Genesis for chorus and orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (53), to words of the Bible, Liber Usualis, missal, breviary, gradual, and antiphonal, is performed for the first time, at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    26 September 1993 The Pink, acoustic music for paper by Tan Dun (36), is performed for the first time, in Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania.

    26 September 1994 Concert à quatre for flute, oboe, piano, cello, and orchestra by Olivier Messiaen (†2) is performed for the first time, at the Opéra Bastille, Paris.  The work was left unfinished at the composer’s death and was completed by Yvonne Loriod (Mme. Messiaen).

    26 September 1995 Quintet for clarinet and strings no.2 by Isang Yun (78) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    26 September 1997 Of Things Exactly as they Are for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Leon Kirchner (78) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    26 September 1998 O Corvo Branco, an opera by Philip Glass (61) to words of Costa Gomes, is performed for the first time, at the Lisbon World Expo.

    26 September 2003 Gesangsstück for clarinet, violin, and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (51) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    26 September 2007 Lalishri for violin and strings by John Tavener (63) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    27 September

    27 September 1764 The first of several services in memory of Jean-Philippe Rameau takes place at the church of the Pères de l’Oratoire.  1,500 people hear 180 musicians from the Opéra and the Musique du Roi.

    27 September 1774 La pubblica felicità, a cantata by Luigi Cherubini (14), is performed for the first time, in the Florence Cathedral.

    27 September 1788 Publication of the Trio for piano, clarinet, and viola K.498 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (32) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    27 September 1797 Joseph Haydn’s (65) String Quartet op.76/3 “Emperor” is performed for the first time, at a mid-day banquet honoring the visiting Palatine Archduke Joseph, Viceroy of Hungary, at Eisenstadt.

    27 September 1816 Concerto for violin and orchestra no.8 by Louis Spohr (32) is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    27 September 1817 An Herrn Franz Schubert, a poem by Franz Xaver Schlechta, appears in the Wiener allgemeine Theaterzeitung.  It is the first time that Schubert’s (20) name appears in a periodical.

    27 September 1835 Frédéric Chopin (25) arrives in Leipzig and spends the day making music with Mendelssohn (26).  During his stay, he visits Robert Schumann (25) and the Wiecks, and declares that Clara Wieck (16) is the only person in Germany to properly play his compositions.

    27 September 1849 A funeral for Johann Strauss, Sr. is held at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.  His mortal remains are laid to rest at Döbling.  The total of all in the cathedral and en route to the cemetery number 100,000 people, one-fifth of the city’s population.

    27 September 1851 The Théâtre-Historiques, Paris, after refurbishment, is reopened for opera as the Théâtre-Lyrique.

    27 September 1863 Neues Leben op.278, a polka française by Johann Strauss (37), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    27 September 1864 Newa-Polka française op.288 by Johann Strauss (38) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    27 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) takes up duties as conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague.

    27 September 1881 The new Budapest Opera House is opened in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.  Franz Liszt (69) composed his Ungarisches Königslied for the event, but the work is not performed because it includes the Rákóczy tune, referring to the old enemy of the Habsburgs.

    27 September 1889 Lo schiavo, an opera seria by Carlos Gomes (53) to words of Paravicini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Lírico, Rio de Janeiro.  It is very successful.

    27 September 1890 Morning.  Gerda Herminia Sjöstrand, daughter of a sculptor and a painter, arrives in Moscow to marry Ferruccio Busoni (24) who has been appointed professor at the Imperial Conservatory.  She has traveled for three days with her father, sister and Busoni’s dog Lesko.  Busoni tells her that the Protestant minister engaged to marry them is leaving on holiday and haste is of the utmost.  Without time to change into her wedding dress, she marries Busoni.

    27 September 1907 The Norfolk Rhapsodies nos.2 and 3 for orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (34) are performed for the first time, in Park Hall, Cardiff, conducted by the composer.

    27 September 1912 WC Handy publishes Memphis Blues.

    27 September 1915 Sergeant Léo Latil of the French 67th Infantry, a budding poet, is killed in action in Champagne.  At that moment, his good friend Darius Milhaud (23) is crossing the Place de Villiers and feels a sharp pain and thinks of Léo.  Milhaud will dedicate his String Quartet no.3 to the memory of Léo Latil.

    27 September 1919 Suite for viola and piano by Ernest Bloch (39) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    27 September 1921 Engelbert Humperdinck dies in Neustrelitz, aged 67 years and 26 days.

    27 September 1924 The Seal Woman, an opera by Granville Bantock (56) to words of Kennedy-Fraser, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    27 September 1927 Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (31) gives his Berlin debut in the Bechsteinsaal.  It is an invited audience of musicians, scientists, and politicians including Albert Einstein and Bruno Walter.  It is a great success.

    27 September 1930 Severn Suite op.87 for brass band by Edward Elgar (73) is performed for the first time, in the Crystal Palace, London.  The work is dedicated to George Bernard Shaw who says, “it will secure my immortality when all my plays are dead and damned and forgotten.”  The composer is not present owing to an attack of “sciatica.”  In fact it is the first signs of the disease which will take his life.

    27 September 1934 Fantasia on Greensleeves for small orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (61) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London under the baton of the composer.

    27 September 1935 Concerto for cello and orchestra op.42 by Hans Pfitzner (66) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    27 September 1941 Henry Cowell (44) marries Sidney Robertson, an ethnomusicologist, in New York.

    27 September 1945 Sonatina for violin and piano by Karel Husa (24) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    27 September 1946 Kammerkonzert for piano, flute, and strings by Hans Werner Henze (20) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    27 September 1950 Two Pieces for violin and piano by William Walton (48) is performed for the first time, in London.

    27 September 1956 Enigma de mujer, a film with music by Alberto Ginastera (40), is released in Argentina.

    27 September 1957 The Conservatório Villa-Lobos (70) is opened in São Paulo during “Villa-Lobos Week” in the city, celebrating his 70th birthday.

    27 September 1960 Novorossisk Chimes for orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich (54) is performed for the first time, at the Flame of Eternal Glory, Heroes Square, Novorossisk.  The leaders of the city government asked Shostakovich to select appropriate pieces from the classical repertoire for a tape to be played at the monument.  They were astonished and pleased when the composer wrote a work especially for this purpose.  The recording is played every hour at the flame.

    Monumentum pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad CD anum, arrangements for orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (78) of three madrigals by Carlo Gesualdo (†347), is performed for the first time, in Venice the composer conducting.

    27 September 1961 Paris Blues, a film with music by Duke Ellington (62), is released in the United States.

    27 September 1962 Harry Partch (61) travels from San Francisco to Petaluma, California.  He inspects a former chick hatchery and finds its 100 sq. meters adequate to hold his equipment.  Here he will produce And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma.

    Octet for oboe, clarinet, horn, trombone, violin, cello, bass, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (24) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    27 September 1966 Solo Piece for trumpet by Stefan Wolpe (64) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    27 September 1974 Rites of Passage, a theatre piece by Peter Sculthorpe (45) to his own words after several sources, is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House.

    27 September 1978 An untitled sound work by Max Neuhaus (39), is inaugurated at Stichting De Appel in Amsterdam.  It exists for four days.

    Instantané-Simultané for tape by Pierre Henry (50) is performed for the first time, in the Palais des Arts, Paris.

    27 September 1980 Te Deum for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (46) is performed for the first time, in Assisi.  The work is dedicated to Pope John Paul II.

    27 September 1984 Chaconne for viola and orchestra by Michael Colgrass (52) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    27 September 1985 Witold Lutoslawski (72) wins the first Grawemeyer Award of the University of Louisville.  The award, for his Symphony no.3, brings $150,000.

    27 September 1986 "Zungenspitzentanz", a version of "Luzifers Tanz" for piccolo, percussion, and euphonium by Karlheinz Stockhausen (58) from his opera Samstag aus Licht is performed for the first time, in Bergisch-Gladbach.  See 9 March 1984, 16 May 1984, and 18 October 1985.

    27 September 1987 Galliard for chamber orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (49) is performed for the first time, at Cleveland State University, Cleveland.  Also given its first complete performance is the Narrative in Two Movements for cello and 14 instruments by Ross Lee Finney (80).

    27 September 1991 Lev Sergeyevich Theremin (Leon Theremin) (95) is present at a concert at Stanford University in his honor.  It is his first trip to the United States in 53 years.  He spontaneously breaks into Midnight in Moscow.  See 15 September 1938.

    27 September 1996 Briefly It Enters for soprano and piano by William Bolcom (58) to words of Kenyon is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    27 September 1997 Ritorno Perpetuo for harpsichord by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    27 September 1998 White Raven, an opera by Philip Glass (61) is performed for the first time, in Lisbon.

    27 September 2001 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Elliott Carter (92) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Chicago.

    27 September 2002 Strip-Weave for orchestra by Kevin Volans (53) is performed for the first time, in Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

    27 September 2003 Fanfarria Real for orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (69) is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

    27 September 2005 Orphée dévoilé for tape by Pierre Henry (77) is  performed for the first time, in Paris.

    27 September 2006 The Golden Rule for chorus and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (72) is performed completely for the first time, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.  See 23 April 2006.

    27 September 2009 Four Sonnets of Shakespeare for voice and piano by Ned Rorem (85) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    28 September

    28 September 1681 Johann Mattheson is born in Hamburg.

    28 September 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.

    28 September 1773 Amore e Psiche, an opera seria by Tommaso Traetta (46) to words of Coltellini, is performed for the first time, at the Russian court, St. Petersburg.

    28 September 1790 Prince Nikolaus Esterházy dies in Vienna and is succeeded by his son Anton.  The younger Esterházy will have little need for music and will dismiss most of his father’s musical establishment, including Joseph Haydn (58).

    28 September 1800 The earthly remains of William Billings are laid to rest in Boston in an unmarked grave, usually reserved for paupers or social outcasts.

    28 September 1804 Franz Schubert (7) is one of several boys examined by Antonio Salieri (54) and found good enough to sing in the Imperial Court Chapel.

    28 September 1815 Nicolò Paganini’s (32) lawyer submits a large amount of testimony and evidence to a Genoa court as to the low moral character of Angiolina Cavanna.  This will support his claim that he was the victim of a plot by her father to extort money from him.  Cavanna will reduce his charge to breach of promise.

    28 September 1818 Le premier venu, ou Six lieus de chemin, an opéra comique by Ferdinand Hérold (27) to words of Vial and de Planard, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    28 September 1820 Widerschein D.639, a song by Franz Schubert (23) to words of Schlechta, is published in the Taschenbuch zum geselligen Vergnügen, Leipzig.

    28 September 1834 Six-and-a-half years after departing for Vienna, Nicolò Paganini (51) departs Paris for Genoa and home.  During this short time, Paganini has achieved fame and recognition as the greatest violin virtuoso of the age.

    28 September 1852 Heil Vater!  Dir zum hohen Feste, a cantata by Anton Bruckner (28) to words of Marinelli, is performed for the first time, at St. Florian.

    28 September 1863 Johannes Brahms (30) conducts his first rehearsal with the Vienna Singakademie.

    28 September 1865 The Haunted Manor, an opera by Stanislaw Moniuszko (46) to words of Checinski after Wojcicki, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    28 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) makes his debut as conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague, with a performance of Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber (†40).

    28 September 1870 Florent Schmitt is born in Blâmont, Meurthe-et-Moselle, 65 km west of Strasbourg, currently occupied by the Germans.

    28 September 1889 The issue of this date of the Boy’s Own Paper announces prize winners in a musical composition competition.  The sixth in order of merit of the 29 prizes in the junior division is Gustav Holst (15).

    28 September 1908 The Fairest of the Fair, a march by John Philip Sousa (53), is performed for the first time, at the Boston Food Fair.

    28 September 1916 Theme and Variations for flute and string quartet op.80 by Amy Cheney Beach (49) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.  The composer is not present, having left California for home about 6 August.

    28 September 1918 L’Histoire du Soldat, a theatre piece by CF Ramuz and music by Igor Stravinsky (36), is performed for the first time, in the Lausanne Municipal Theatre.

    28 September 1927 Trittico botticelliano for chamber orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (48) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    28 September 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.

    28 September 1939 Arthur Farwell (67) marries Betty Richardson, his former student 40 years his junior, in New York.

    28 September 1942 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar by John Ireland (63) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.

    28 September 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 Hugo Weisgall (30).  This marks the first time that an all-black chorus performs in the hall.

    28 September 1945 A funeral service in memory of Béla Bartók takes place in the Unitarian chapel on West Side Avenue in New York.  His mortal remains are then buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.  They will be returned to Hungary in 1988.

    28 September 1948 Louisiana Story, a film with music by Virgil Thomson (51), is released in the United States.

    28 September 1949 Ballett-Variationen for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (23) is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in the Schumann-Saal, Düsseldorf.  See 21 December 1958.

    28 September 1954 Karel Husa (33) arrives in Ithaca, New York to take up a position as music theory teacher at Cornell University.  He is able to speak German, French, some Italian but little English.

    28 September 1955 Two songs for Auden and Plomer’s play The Punch Revue by Benjamin Britten (41) are performed for the first time, in London.

    28 September 1961 Scherzo (Burlesque) op.2 for piano and orchestra by Béla Bartók (†16) is performed for the first time, in Budapest, 57 years after it was composed.

    Incidental music to Aristophanes’ (tr. Arrowsmith) play The Birds by George Perle (46) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at Berkeley.

    28 September 1962 Toccata for the Sixth Day by William Bergsma (41) is performed for the first time, at Lincoln Center, New York.

    28 September 1964 Chansons du carnaval de Londres op.171b for voice and orchestra by Darius Milhaud (72) to words of Gay (tr. Fluchère), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Marseille, conducted by the composer.

    Le Rire for tape by Bruno Maderna (44) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    28 September 1970 Shivaree for brass and percussion by Leonard Bernstein (52) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    28 September 1971 Olivier Messiaen (62) and his wife are invited to dinner with President Pompidou at the Elysée Palace.  At the end of the meal, Rolf Liebermann, general manager of the Paris Opéra, announces, “Messiaen, you will write an opera for the Opéra de Paris.”  The composer later recalls, “I couldn’t refuse in front of the President of the Republic.”

    Missa super L’homme armé for speaker, flute, piccolo, clarinet, keyboards, percussion, violin, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) is performed for the first time, in Perugia, the composer conducting.  See 26 February 1968.

    28 September 1974 Score (40 Drawings by Thoreau) and 23 Parts for any instruments by John Cage (62) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    28 September 1978 Sonata Serenata for piano quartet by Gunther Schuller (52) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    28 September 1979 In an Autumn Garden for gagaku instruments by Toru Takemitsu (48) is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Tokyo.  See 30 October 1973.

    28 September 1982 Segmente 99-105 for violin and piano by Gottfried Michael Koenig (55) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    “Luzifers Abschied” no.54, an excerpt from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (54) unperformed opera Samstag aus Licht for male chorus, organ, and seven trombones, is performed for the first time, in Assisi.

    28 September 1983 Lagu Cirebon for Cirebonese gamelan by Lou Harrison (66) is performed for the first time, at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

    Casa Guidi, a cycle for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Dominick Argento (55) to words of EB Browning, is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.

    28 September 1984 Polish Requiem for four solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (50) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    28 September 1985 The New Ear, a sonata for winds by Jonathan Lloyd (36), is performed for the first time, in Colchester, Great Britain.

    Three Songs for male chorus and chamber ensemble by Lou Harrison (68) to words of Whitman and the Bible is performed for the first time, in Portland, Oregon.

    28 September 1986 X:  the Life and Times of Malcolm X, an opera by Anthony Davis (35) to words of Davis, Davis, and Levine, is performed (officially) for the first time, in New York.  See 9 October 1985.

    28 September 1993 Akhmatova Songs for soprano and cello by John Tavener (49) is performed for the first time, in St. Sampson’s Church, Crickdale.

    28 September 2002 Venetian Blinds for piano by Michael Daugherty (48) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    28 September 2003 Two psalms by Samuel Adler (75) are performed for the first time, in Iowa City, Iowa:  Psalm 124 for chorus and organ, and Psalm 24 for chorus, brass, and organ.

    28 September 2004 Two works by Paul Lansky (60) are performed for the first time, at Princeton University:  Etudes and Parodies for french horn, violin and piano, and Ricercare Plus for string quartet.

    28 September 2006 Veni Creator for chorus and organ by Arvo Pärt (71) is performed for the first time, in the Fulda Cathedral.

    28 September 2008 Verwandlung 4 for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (56) is performed for the first time, in Bonn.

    29 September

    29 September 1753 Antonio Soler (23) receives Holy Orders at El Escorial, in a ceremony for which he composed a Veni creator.

    29 September 1756 The cantata Lobet den Herrn, ihr seine Engel TWV 1:  1063 by Georg Philipp Telemann (75) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1757 The cantata Welch Getrümmel erschüttert TWV 1:  1546 by Georg Philipp Telemann (76) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1758 The cantatas Welch Getrümmel erschüttert TWV 1: 558 and Sing Dank und Ehr TWV 1: 1341 by Georg Philipp Telemann (77) are performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1760 The cantatas Lob Ehr und Preis TWV 1:  1057 by Georg Philipp Telemann (79) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1762 The cantata Dich rühmen die Welten TWV 1: 329 by Georg Philipp

    Telemann (81) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1764 The cantata Michael, wer ist wie Gott TWV 1:  1136 by Georg Philipp Telemann (83) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 September 1777 Incidental music to Voltaire’s play Zaïre by Michael Haydn (40) is performed for the first time.

    29 September 1815 Two celebratory works by Franz Schubert (18), Namensfeier für Franz Michael Vierthaler and Gratulations-Kantate, are performed for the first time, in the Waisenhaus, Vienna.

    29 September 1818 Polonaise in B flat D.580 for violin and strings by Franz Schubert (21) is performed for the first time, in the Waisenhaus, Vienna.

    29 September 1821 The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music, compiled by Lowell Mason (29), is announced in the leading American music journal, The Euterpeiad.

    29 September 1829 Nicolò Paganini (46) visits Goethe at Weimar.

    29 September 1835 Grand duo concertant sur la romance de ‘Le Marin’ for violin and piano by Franz Liszt (23) is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    29 September 1859 Gruß an Wien op.225, a polka française by Johann Strauss (33), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    29 September 1869 Mass no.2 in e for chorus, woodwinds and brass by Anton Bruckner (45) is performed for the first time, outside Linz Cathedral for the consecration of the Votivkapelle.

    29 September 1871 Cesar Cui (36), Modest Musorgsky (32), Valdimir Stasov, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (27),  and Mikhail Azanchevsky gather at Stasov’s to hear Anton (41) and Nikolay Rubinstein play Anton’s recently completed opera The Demon.  They are at first unimpressed, later enthusiastic.

    29 September 1890 After a concert at the Helsinki Music Institute, Jean Sibelius asks for the hand of Aino Järnefelt in marriage.  She accepts.  She is the sister of his close friend Armas Järnefelt and the daughter of a general.  They have known each other for three years.

    29 September 1905 Cleopatra, a symphonic poem by George Whitefield Chadwick (50), is performed for the first time, in Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts.

    29 September 1918 Gustav Holst’s (44) suite The Planets, for female chorus and orchestra, is performed for the first time, privately, in Queen’s Hall, London.  See 15 November 1920.

    29 September 1919 The first and fourth movements of the Symphony no.1 “O Imprevisto” by Heitor Villa-Lobos (32) are performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.  See 30 August 1920.

    29 September 1920 Lied der Frauen op.68/6 for voice and piano by Richard Strauss (56) to words of Brentano, is performed for the first time, in Dresden.  See 30 May 1919.

    Three songs by George Gershwin (22) are performed for the first time, as part of the revue Broadway Brevities of 1920 in the Winter Garden Theatre, New York: Lu Lu and Snowflakes, to words of Jackson, and Spanish Love, to words of Caesar.

    29 September 1923 Sergey Prokofiev (32) marries the Spanish singer Carolina (Lina) Llubera Codina in Ettal, Germany.  The wedding takes place in Villa Christophorus, where he is staying, due to her condition.  She is pregnant.

    29 September 1924 Legend op.5 for cello and piano by Alyeksandr Vasilyevich Mosolov (24) is performed for the first time, in Moscow the composer at the keyboard.

    29 September 1928 A Moorside Suite for brass band by Gustav Holst (54) is performed for the first time, in Crystal Palace, London.

    29 September 1930 String Quartet no.5 by Ernst Krenek (30) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    Girl Crazy, a musical comedy with a book by Bolton and McGowan, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (32), is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  It includes the songs Embraceable You and I Got Rhythm.  See 14 October 1930.

    29 September 1933 Incidental music to Romains’ play M. Le Trouhadec saisi par la débauche by Francis Poulenc (34) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 September 1934 Comedy Overture for brass by John Ireland (55) is performed for the first time, in Crystal Palace, London.

    Llamadas for chorus and small orchestra by Carlos Chávez (35) is performed for the first time, under the baton of the composer, at a concert dedicating the new Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City.  In attendance are President Abelardo L. Rodríguez and his cabinet.

    29 September 1937 The Company of Heaven, a cantata for speakers, solo voices, chorus, timpani, organ, and strings by Benjamin Britten (23) to words of Roberts, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC National.

    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).

    29 September 1946 In the inaugural broadcast of the culturally-oriented BBC Third Programme, Benjamin Britten’s (32) Occasional Overture op.38 is performed for the first time.

    29 September 1947 Four Inventions for piano by Ulysses Kay (30) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    29 September 1949 A Wedding Anthem op.46 for soprano, tenor, chorus, and organ by Benjamin Britten (35) to words of Duncan, is performed for the first time, at the wedding of Lord Harewood with Marion Stein in St. Mark’s, London conducted by the composer.  King George and Queen Elizabeth, aunt and uncle of the groom, are in attendance.

    29 September 1956 Antiphon op.56b for chorus and organ by Benjamin Britten (42) to words of Herbert is performed for the first time, at St. Michael’s College in Tenbury Wells.

    29 September 1959 The earthly remains of Josef Matthias Hauer are laid to rest in Dornbach Cemetery, Vienna.

    Sechs Motetten nach Worten von Franz Kafka for chorus by Ernst Krenek (59) is performed for the first time, at Berlin Conservatory.

    29 September 1968 Ulisse, an opera by Luigi Dallapiccola (64) to his own words after Homer, is performed for the first time, at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.  The response is unfavorable, and in some parts of the press, hostile.  Later productions will fare better.

    80 people march in Chicago to protest the march of yesterday and express support for the police.

    Piano Concerto no.2 by Hans Werner Henze (42) is performed for the first time, at the opening of a new arts center in Bielefeld.  The composer is called to the stage to acknowledge the applause, but the orchestra refuses to stand with him.  He will later learn it is because of his leftist political views.

    29 September 1969 Symphony no.14 op.135 for soprano, bass, strings, and percussion by Dmitri Shostakovich (63) to words of Garcia Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke, is performed publicly for the first time, in the Hall of the Glinka Academy Choir, Leningrad.  It is greeted with a thunderous ovation.  The work is dedicated to Benjamin Britten (55).  See 21 June 1969.

    29 September 1977 Animus IV for tenor, violin, trombone, piano/electric piano, electric organ, percussion, and tape by Jacob Druckman (49) is performed for the first time, in Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

    29 September 1978 Variations on a Theme by Alban Berg for viola and piano by TJ Anderson (50) is performed for the first time, at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    29 September 1979 Ivan Alyeksandrovich Vyshnegradsky dies in Paris, aged 86 years, four months, and 13 days.

    29 September 1982 A Paganini for violin solo by Alfred Schnittke (47) is performed for the first time, in Leningrad.

    29 September 1983 Symphony no.3 by Witold Lutoslawski (70) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    29 September 1984 Prometeo:  Tragedia dell’ascolto, an opera by Luigi Nono (60) to words of Cacciari, is performed for the first time, in Venice.  See 25 September 1985.

    Music for Cello and Orchestra by Joan Tower (46) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.

    29 September 1985 Selbst- und Zweigespräche for viola, guitar, and chamber organ by Hans Werner Henze (59) is performed for the first time, in Bruhl.

    Two works by Wolfgang Rihm (33) are performed for the first time, in Venice:  Dämmerung for orchestra, and Zeichen for bass flute, piccolo, contrabass clarinet, E flat clarinet, and two orchestras.

    29 September 1988 A Violin Concerto by Leos Janácek (†60) is performed for the first time, in Brno 62 years after it was composed.

    29 September 1990 Con Leggerezza Pensosa--Omaggio a Italo Calvino for clarinet, violin, and cello by Elliott Carter (81) is performed for the first time, in the Istituto di Studi Musicali, Latina, Italy.

    29 September 1995 The Padrone, an opera by George Whitefield Chadwick (†64) to words of Stevens after the composer, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in the Thomaston, Connecticut Opera House 82 years after it was composed.  See 6 December 1961 and 11 April 1997.

    29 September 1999 In doppelter Tiefe for two female voices and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (47) to words of van der Lubbe is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    29 September 2000 Parts of A Crimson Path for cello and piano by Roger Reynolds (66) are performed for the first time, in Parma.  See 15 November 2002.

    Crouching Tiger Concerto for cello and orchestra with optional video by Tan Dun (43) is performed for the first time, in London.

    29 September 2002 Zweite Trio in einem Satz for violin, cello, and piano by Mauricio Kagel (70) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    29 September 2005 The television series Night Stalker with theme music by Philip Glass (68), is shown for the first time, over the airwaves of the American Broadcasting Company.

    29 September 2006 Séraphin-Sphäre for 14 players by Wolfgang Rihm (54) is performed for the first time, in the Philharmonie, Brussels.

    29 September 2007 Canzona nuova for viola by Wolfgang Rihm (55) is  performed for the first time, in the Palais du Rhin, Strasbourg.

    30 September

    30 September 1622 Johann Sebastiani is born near Weimar.

    30 September 1765 At least two early symphonies of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (9) are performed at The Hague.

    30 September 1769 Johann Adolf Hasse (70) writes to a friend from Vienna:  “I have made the acquaintance here of a certain Mr. Mozard (sic)...a man of spirit, astute, experienced; and I think he well knows his way in the world of music...He has a daughter and a son.  The former plays the harpsichord very well and the latter, who can’t be more than twelve or thirteen, even at that age composes...I’ve seen compositions which appear to be his, and certainly they are not bad and not as I would expect to find in a boy of twelve...Certainly he will become a prodigy if as he grows older he continues to make the necessary progress.”

    30 September 1791 Two days after the completion of the composition, Die Zauberflöte K.620, a singspiel by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (35) to words of Schikaneder, is performed for the first time, in Theater-auf-der-Wieden, Vienna.  Disliked by critics, it is very popular with the public.

    30 September 1792 L’offrande à la liberté, a scène religieuse by François-Joseph Gossec (58), is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    30 September 1793 Under the watchful eye of police, the courts and the Committee of Surveillance, important leaders of the Paris Opéra create a large bonfire outside the building and destroy anything the institution possesses which is in any way connected with monarchy.

    30 September 1808 Franz Schubert (11) passes an examination to become a chorister in the Imperial Chapel-Royal.  Among the judges is Court Music Director Antonio Salieri (58).

    30 September 1816 Carl Maria von Weber (29) conducts his last opera performance in Prague.

    30 September 1818 Tired of having to fight for the money he feels is due him, and the attacks on his honor, Johann Nepomuk Hummel (39) writes to King Wilhelm I of Württemberg asking to be released from his contract.  The King will refuse.

    30 September 1819 Louis Spohr’s (35) resignation as Director of Opera in Frankfurt goes into effect.

    30 September 1832 Clara Wieck (13) appears at a Leipzig Gewandhaus subscription series concert, playing Moscheles’ Piano Concerto in g minor from memory.

    30 September 1847 This is the approximate date that Franz Liszt (35) arrives at the home of Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein in Woronice for the first time.

    30 September 1852 Charles Villiers Stanford is born in Dublin, the only child of John James Stanford, a lawyer, and Mary Henn, daughter of a lawyer.

    30 September 1854 Giacomo Meyerbeer (63) is invested with the Order of the Württemberg Crown in Stuttgart, which allows him nobility.  He will not take advantage of this.

    30 September 1858 La Favorite op.217, a polka-française by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    30 September 1863 Les pêcheurs de perles, an opéra by Georges Bizet (24) to words of Carré and Cormon, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre-Lyrique, Paris.  The audience is enthusiastic but the critics are harsh.

    30 September 1868 L’île de Tulipatan, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (49) to words of Chivot and Duru, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    30 September 1870 Hugo Wolf (10) begins piano lessons at the school of the Styrian Musical Association, Graz.  His teacher is Johann Buwa.

    30 September 1894 Charles Ives (19) enters duties as organist at Center Church on the Green, New Haven, Connecticut.

    30 September 1898 Sonata for violin and piano no.2 op.36a by Ferruccio Busoni (32) is performed for the first time, at the Musikinstitut, Helsinki.

    30 September 1909 String Quartet no.4 op.109 by Max Reger (36) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    30 September 1910 Ferruccio Busoni (44) gives the first performance of two of his piano works in the Musikhochschule, Basel:  Sonatina no.1 and Fantasia Contrappuntistica.

    30 September 1924 Das Feuerwerk D.642 for chorus and piano by Franz Schubert (†95) to words of Eberhard, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Konzerthaus.

    30 September 1928 The symphonic poem Komsomoliya by Nikolay Andreyevich Roslavets (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    30 September 1930 Nonet for flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, string quartet, and double bass by Arnold Bax (46) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, Bradford.

    30 September 1933 Six Casual Developments for clarinet and piano by Henry Cowell (36) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.

    30 September 1934 Three lieder, composed in 1880 by Gustav Mahler (†23) to his own words for voice and piano, are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Brno Radio.  The three are:  Im Lenz, Winterlied and Maitanz im Grünen.

    George Gershwin (36) begins a half-hour-long weekly radio program, “Music by Gershwin”, on Sunday nights over the airwaves of the Columbia Broadcasting System.  It will run until 23 December.

    30 September 1935 Porgy and Bess, an opera by George Gershwin (37) to words of DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, is performed for the first time, in an out-of-town tryout in the Colonial Theatre, Boston.  It is an enormous success but one-quarter of the score will be cut before New York.  See 10 October 1935.

    30 September 1937 Paul Hindemith’s (41) resignation from the Frankfurt Hochschule becomes effective.

    30 September 1939 Igor Stravinsky (57) arrives in New York from France.

    30 September 1944 Concerto for oboe and strings by Ralph Vaughan Williams (71) is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

    30 September 1948 Jonathan Lloyd is born in London.

    30 September 1949 Sonata for violin and piano by William Walton (47) is performed for the first time, in the Zürich Tonhalle.

    30 September 1950 (Tale) in Seven Wags for piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (16) is performed for the first time, by the composer over the airwaves of the BBC originating in Manchester.

    30 September 1957 After a state funeral in Helsinki, the earthly remains of Jean Sibelius are interred in the garden of his home Ainola, in Järvenpää.  Among the mourners is Finnish President Urho Kekkonen.

    Pierre Schaeffer (47) is removed as Chairman of Soraform, in spite of the fact that it has done what it was set up to do, improve radio in the French colonies.  The staff strikes for his reinstatement but the government refuses.

    Epithalamion, a cantata for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (84) to words of Spenser, is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    30 September 1960 Quaestio Temporis for chamber orchestra by Ernst Krenek (60) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR originating in Hamburg the composer conducting.

    Toccata festiva for organ and orchestra by Samuel Barber (50) is performed for the first time, at Philadelphia Academy of Music.  The work was commissioned to inaugurate the Academy’s new Aeolian-Skinner organ.

    Introduction, Scherzo and Fugue op.74 for cello, winds, and timpani by Wallingford Riegger (75) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    30 September 1963 Incidental music to Violett’s adaptation Color of Darkness:  An Evening in the World of James Purdy by Ned Rorem (39) is performed for the first time, in Writer’s Stage, New York.

    30 September 1965 Sun Music I for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (36) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.  The press is very positive.

    30 September 1969 The first playing meeting of the Scratch Orchestra takes place at St. Katherine’s Dock, London organized by Cornelius Cardew (33).

    30 September 1970 String Quartet no.2 by Krzysztof Penderecki (36) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    30 September 1972 Grand Bamboula for string orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (34) is performed for the first time, in Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

    30 September 1973 Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives) for piano by Aaron Copland (72) is performed for the first time, in Ft. Worth, Texas.

    30 September 1975 Rondell for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon by Isang Yun (58) is performed for the first time, in Bayreuth.

    30 September 1976 Polonaise, Adagio & Finale for four winds and string quintet by Werner Egk (75) is performed completely for the first time, in Munich.  See 20 October 1975.

    Two works for orchestra by John Cage (64), Renga and Apartment House 1776, are performed for the first time, simultaneously, in Boston.  Renga was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra largely through the efforts of Seiji Ozawa.

    30 September 1977 Tabula rasa, a double concerto for two violins, strings, and prepared piano by Arvo Pärt (42) is performed for the first time, in Tallinn.

    30 September 1980 The Peace Place for chorus and piano by Virgil Thomson (83) to words of Larson, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    30 September 1981 Layers for computer by John Melby (39) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Reprising his 1966 performance, Aaron Copland (80) appears as the Narrator in a production of Igor Stravinsky’s (†10) L’histoire du soldat at the Whitney Museum.  Roger Sessions (84) plays the part of the soldier and appearing as the Devil is Virgil Thomson (84).

    30 September 1986 Two songs for voice and piano by Otto Luening (86) to words of Blake are performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York:  Ah! Sunflower and The Lily.

    30 September 1989 Virgil Garnett Thomson dies at his New York City home, of “General Failure”, aged 92 years, ten months, and five days.

    30 September 1990 Concerto for computer and orchestra by John Melby (48) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.

    30 September 1993 Meditation on the Bach Chorale Vor Deinen Thron tret ich Hiermit for harpsichord and string quintet by Sofia Gubaidulina (61) is performed for the first time, in Bremen.

    30 September 1994 Ritmos and Melos for violin, piano, and percussion by Terry Riley (59) is performed for the first time, at Mills College, Oakland, California.

    30 September 1998 Asanga for percussion by Kevin Volans (49) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.

    30 September 1999 Beyond Autumn for horn and orchestra by Joseph Schwantner (56) is performed for the first time, in Eugene McDermott Concert Hall, Dallas.

    30 September 2000 Orient and Occident for strings by Arvo Pärt (65) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    30 September 2002 A seventh movement for the Hamburg Concerto for horn and orchestra by György Ligeti (79) is performed for the first time, in Utrecht.  See 20 January 2001.

    30 September 2005 Eine Stimme 1-3 for mezzo soprano and twelve players by Wolfgang Rihm (53) is performed for the first time, in the Palais de Fêtes, Strasbourg.

    Pygmalion for band by Samuel Adler (77) is performed for the first time.

    30 September 2011 One Sweet Morning for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by John Corigliano (73) to words of four different poets is performed for the first time, in New York.  The work commemorates the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

    ©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger

    9 October 2012

    Last Updated (Tuesday, 09 October 2012 06:10)

     

    Copyright  2011 Music and History