October

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    1 October

    1 October 1708 John Blow dies in Westminster 59 years, seven months and eight days after his baptism.

    1 October 1753 Oden mit Melodien is published in Berlin.  It is a very influential collection of songs by some of the foremost composers in Germany, including Georg Philipp Telemann (72), Johann Gottlieb Graun (50), Carl Heinrich Graun (49), and CPE Bach (39).

    1 October 1754 Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen by Johann Joachim Quantz is published for the first time outside of Germany, in Amsterdam, translated by Jacob Wilhelm Lustig.

    1 October 1762 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (6) gives his first known public musical performance, at Trinity Inn, Linz.

    1 October 1777 Divertimento K.287 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    1 October 1791 Nantilde et Dagobert, an opéra by Giuseppe Cambini (45) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    1 October 1797 Hymne et marche funèbre for three solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Luigi Cherubini (37) to words of Chénier is performed for the first time, on the Champ de Mars, Paris for a celebration in memory of General Louis Lazare Hoche.  The very popular General Hoche died two weeks ago of natural causes while with the army in Germany.

    1 October 1809 Adrien Boieldieu (33) is hired by Tsar Alyekandr to write and teach at the Imperial Theatre School, St. Petersburg.

    1 October 1820 Fanny (14) and Felix (11) Mendelssohn enter the Berlin Singakademie as altos.

    1 October 1829 Wilhelm Hensel and Fanny Mendelssohn (23) sign a wedding contract in Berlin with her parents.  Fanny’s share of the family fortune is judged to be 19,000 thalers.  Her father Abraham agrees to add a yearly stipend of 1,500 thalers.

    1 October 1831 Hector Berlioz (27) and two colleagues arrive in Naples where he immediately visits the tomb of Virgil.

    Clara Wieck (12) plays for Goethe at his home in Weimar.  He provides a cushion for her since the piano bench is too low.  She performs two works by Henri Herz (28), La Violetta and Bravura Variations op.20.  Goethe complements her warmly and invites her back.

    1 October 1832 Le serment, ou Les faux-monnoyeurs, an opéra by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (50) to words of Scribe and Mazères, is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.

    1 October 1833 Felix Mendelssohn (24) enters upon duties as the director of music in Düsseldorf.  His duties include directing the choral and orchestral societies of the city and music for Catholic services.

    1 October 1836 Lowell Mason (44) signs a new contract with the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.  Mason will receive all profits from the church music collection after $2,000 for two years.  For the next two years he will receive one-third of the profits, the society two-thirds.

    1 October 1849 La fée aux roses, an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy (50) to words of Scribe and Saint-Georges, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.  It enjoys a good, if not unqualified, success.

    1 October 1851 Old Folks at Home, a song by Stephen Foster (25), is published.  Better known as Swanee River, Foster will sell the authorship rights to EP Christy.  See 25 May 1852.

    1 October 1853 The Schumann family is visited in Düsseldorf by a young friend of Joseph Joachim, Johannes Brahms (20).  Brahms plays extensively for them, astounding his hosts.  Robert Schumann (43) records in his diary, “Visit from Brahms, a genius.”

    1 October 1860 Bedrich Smetana (36) reopens his music institute in Göteborg.

    1 October 1865 Paul Abraham Dukas is born in Paris, second of three children born to Jules Dukas, a banker, and a mother who is a gifted pianist.

    Die Zeitlose op.302, a polka française by Johann Strauss (39), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    1 October 1868 Anton Bruckner (44) takes up duties as teacher of theory and organ at the Konservatorium der Gesellshaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna.

    1 October 1870 Charles Villiers Stanford (18) enters Queen’s College, Cambridge.

    1 October 1872 Incidental music to Daudet’s play L’arlesienne by Georges Bizet (33) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Vaudeville, Paris.  Present in the audience are Ambroise Thomas (61) and Jules Massenet (30).  According to the playwright, “It was a most dazzling failure.”

    1 October 1877 Gustav Mahler (17) begins studies at the University of Vienna and the harmony class of Anton Bruckner (53).

    1 October 1878 Jules Massenet (36) is appointed professor of counterpoint, fugue, and composition at the Paris Conservatoire.

    César Franck (55) premieres his Trois pieces in a recital of all his own works, on the new organ of the Trocadéro, Paris.

    1 October 1880 Das Spitzentuch der Königin, an operetta by Johann Strauss (54) to words of Bohrmann-Riegen and Genée after Cervantes, is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    John Philip Sousa (25) enlists in the United States Marine Corps for the third time, in order to accept the position of leader of the Marine band.  He is the 14th leader of the band and the first native born.

    1 October 1885 Richard Strauss (21) takes up the position of assistant court conductor at Meiningen under perhaps the greatest living conductor, Hans von Bülow.

    1 October 1886 Richard Strauss (22) makes his opera conducting debut, in Munich with a production of Jean de Paris by Adrien Boieldieu (†51).

    1 October 1892 Hans Pfitzner (23) takes up duties as teacher of piano and theory at Coblenz Conservatory.

    Antonín Dvorák’s (51) contract in New York begins on this date and he is officially welcomed to the National Conservatory.

    1 October 1894 Richard Strauss (30) becomes assistant conductor of the Munich Opera.

    1 October 1896 Richard Strauss (32) is promoted to Hofkapellmeister in Munich.

    1 October 1903 Claude Debussy (41) meets Emma Bardac for the first time.  She is the wife of banker Sigismond Bardac, a singer, and the former mistress of Gabriel Fauré (58).

    1 October 1904 Incidental music to Francmesnil’s (after Dickens) play Le grillon du foyer by Jules Massenet (62) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris.

    1 October 1905 Gabriel Fauré (60) takes up duties as director of the Paris Conservatoire.  On the same day, he plays for the last time on the organ of the Madeleine.

    1 October 1912 The Music Makers op.69, an ode for alto, chorus, and orchestra by Edward Elgar (55) to words of O’Shaughnessy, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, conducted by the composer.  On the same program, Jean Sibelius (46) conducts the British premiere of his Symphony no. 4.

    1 October 1913 Edward Elgar’s (56) symphonic study Falstaff op.68 is performed for the first time, in Leeds Town Hall, under the baton of the composer.

    1 October 1916 At Austro-Hungarian army headquarters in Graz, Anton von Webern (32) fails an eye examination, thereby disqualifying him for front-line service.

    1 October 1918 Charles Ives (43) spends the day arguing with other members of the Liberty Bond Committee in the Manhattan Hotel, New York.  Ives is able to persuade them to accept a $50 bond so less affluent people could participate in the war effort.  That night, he suffers a heart attack brought on by stress and diabetes.  Too sick to be moved, he will remain in the hotel for a week.

    1 October 1920 Gabriel Fauré (75) resigns as director of the Paris Conservatoire because he is going deaf.

    1 October 1921 The earthly remains of Engelbert Humperdinck are laid to rest in Stahnsdorf, near Berlin.

    1 October 1924 The Curtis Institute of Music opens in Philadelphia, founded by Mary Louis Curtis Bok and named after her father.  The second person through the door is Samuel Barber (14).

    1 October 1927 Mammon, a ballet by Ernst Krenek (27) to a story of Balasz (tr. Kröller), is performed for the first time, in the Munich Nationaltheater.

    1 October 1932 A Downland Suite for brass by John Ireland (53) is performed for the first time, in the Crystal Palace, London.

    1 October 1933 Concerto for string sextet by Roy Harris (35) is performed for the first time, at the Yaddo Estate, Saratoga Springs, New York.  Also premiered is Charles Ives’ (58) song Where the eagle cannot see to words of Turnbull.  The pianist in the Ives is Aaron Copland (32).

    1 October 1934 Henry Cowell (37) begins teaching a course entitled “Primitive and Folk Origins of Music” at the New School for Social Research in New York.  Among his students is John Cage (22).

    Arnold Schoenberg (60) takes up residence in Hollywood.

    1 October 1935 Music for five films by Benjamin Britten (21) is recorded:  Conquering Space:  the Story of Modern Communications, How the Dial Works, The New Operator, The Savings Bank and Sorting Office.

    1 October 1938 The Friends, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (32), is shown for the first time.

    1 October 1941 Dmitri Shostakovich (35), his wife, son and daughter, are evacuated by plane from Leningrad to Moscow, later to Kuibyshev.

    1 October 1945 William Schuman (35) enters upon duties as President of the Juilliard School of Music.

    1 October 1948 Four Anniversaries for piano by Leonard Bernstein (30) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    1 October 1952 The Harvest According, a ballet by Virgil Thomson (55) to a scenario by De Mille, is performed for the first time, in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York the composer conducting.

    1 October 1957 String Quartet no.4 by David Diamond (42) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    1 October 1960 John Cage (48), Merce Cunningham and others perform at the Hebbel Theatre in Berlin.  Some in the audience go into an uproar during Cage’s Music Walk, but like Venice, the audience is strongly divided.  Many curtain calls are made.

    1 October 1961 Symphony no.12 “1917” by Dmitri Shostakovich (55) is performed for the first time in its full score, simultaneously in Kuibyshev and Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall.  Actually, the Leningrad performance takes place two hours after Kuibyshev.  See 8 September 1961.

    1 October 1962 At an evening reception given by the Soviet Minister of Culture, Igor Stravinsky (80) meets with leading Soviet composers including Dmitri Shostakovich (56) and Aram Khachaturian (59).  According to Robert Craft, this is “the most extraordinary event of the trip.”

    1 October 1967 Symphony no.7 by Roger Sessions (70) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  Present is Luigi Dallapiccola (63), there to receive an honorary degree.  The two are hosted by Ross Lee Finney (60).

    1 October 1969 Serenata per un Satellite for violin, flute, oboe, clarinet, marimba, harp, guitar, and mandolin by Bruno Maderna (49) is performed for the first time, in the European Space Operation Center, Darmstadt.

    Change of Mind, a film with music by Duke Ellington (70), is released in the United States.

    1 October 1970 Chamber Concerto for 13 instrumentalists by György Ligeti (47) is performed completely for the first time, in Berlin.  See 11 May 1970.

    1 October 1974 Prelude for a Great Occasion for brass and percussion by William Schuman (64) is performed for the first time, in Washington for the opening of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian.

    1 October 1975 UNESCO sponsors the first International Day of Music.

    Viola Sonata op.147 by Dmitri Shostakovich (†0) is performed publicly for the first time, in the Glinka Concert Hall, Leningrad.  It was his last work, completed a month before his death.  See 25 September 1975.

    1 October 1976 Washington Square, a chamber opera by Thomas Pasatieri (30) to words of Elmslie after James, is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    1 October 1977 Liège à Paris for tape by Henri Pousseur (48) is performed for the first time, in the Centre Georges-Pompidou, Paris.

    1 October 1978 Christophorus, oder Die Vision einer Oper, an opera by Franz Schreker (†44) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Freiburg, approximately 50 years after he composed it.

    1 October 1979 Thérèse, an opera by John Tavener (35) to words of McLarnon, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden.

    After a series of strokes, Roy Harris dies of atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease in Santa Monica, California, aged 81 years, seven months, and 19 days.

    1 October 1980 Entrata for orchestra by Luciano Berio (54) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    1 October 1982 Vermont Counterpoint for flute/piccolo/alto flute and tape by Steve Reich (45) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  See 10 December 1983.

    Trio for violin, cello, and piano by Arthur Berger (70) is performed for the first time, at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, New York.

    1 October 1983 Tsubasa, a song for chorus by Toru Takemitsu (52) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.

    A Piano Trio by Charles Wuorinen (45) is performed for the first time, at Kean College, Union, New Jersey.

    1 October 1984 Symphonic Suite for orchestra by Karel Husa (63) is performed for the first time, in Athens, Georgia conducted by the composer to celebrate the bicentennial of the University of Georgia.

    1 October 1985 Dances, a divertimento for wind quintet and percussion by William Schuman (75), is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    1 October 1991 Medea, an opera by Mikis Theodorakis (66) to words of Euripides, is performed for the first time, at the Opera Arriaga in Bilbao.

    1 October 1993 Symphony no.8 by Hans Werner Henze (67) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    1 October 1994 Birthday Greeting for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (60) is performed for the first time, in Free Trade Hall, Manchester to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

    1 October 1995 Svyati for cello and chorus by John Tavener (51) to words of the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in St. Sampson’s Church, Cricklade.  Also premiered is Tavener’s Chant for solo cello.

    1 October 1998 Emerson Overture for piano and orchestra by Charles Ives (†44) (realized by Porter) is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland.

    1 October 2000 Apokatastasis for countertenor, oboe, and chamber ensemble by John Tavener (56) is performed for the first time, in London.

    1 October 2005 Doctor Atomic, an opera by John Adams (58) to words organized by Peter Sellars, is performed for the first time, in the San Francisco Opera House.  Press and public are ecstatic.

    1 October 2007 S/M Ballade for piano by David Del Tredici (70) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.

    1 October 2008 Un monde lacéré for tape by Pierre Henry (80) is  performed for the first time, in Centre Pompidou, Paris.

    1 October 2009 Versuchung for cello and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (57) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    2 October

    2 October 1769 William Billings (22) and an associate open a singing school in Boston “where any Person inclining to learn to sing may be attended upon at said School with Fidelity and Dispatch.”

    2 October 1791 L’Olimpiade, a dramma per musica by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (38) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Theater, Berlin.

    2 October 1816 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (37) accepts a position with King Friedrich I of Württemberg in Stuttgart.

    2 October 1826 Hector Berlioz (23) enrolls in the course in counterpoint and fugue of Anton Reicha at the Paris Conservatoire.

    2 October 1829 At a wedding-eve celebration in Berlin, it is noted that the organ piece to be played tomorrow as a postlude can not be found.  The groom, Wilhelm Hensel, suggests that the bride, Fanny Mendelssohn (23) compose a replacement.  She does, finishing after midnight.

    2 October 1834 While in Leipzig, Felix Mendelssohn (25) visits Friedrich Wieck who presents his daughter Clara (14).  She plays some of her own music, some Chopin (24) and some music by a student of Wieck, Robert Schumann (24).  Mendelssohn is favorably impressed by Clara.

    2 October 1835 A Requiem mass for Vincenzo Bellini is held at Les Invalides.  According to a report, “Paer, Cherubini (75), Carafa and Rossini (43) each held one corner of the shroud.”  Bellini’s earthly remains are laid to rest in Pére-Lachaise Cemetery between those of Andre Ernest Modeste Grétry (†22) and François-Adrien Boieldieu (†0).  See 15 September 1876.

    2 October 1840 Farewell to St. Petersburg, a cycle for voice and piano by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (36) to words of Kukolnik, is reviewed in Northern Bee.  The songs were first performed last summer.

    2 October 1846 Peter Cornelius (21) visits Giacomo Meyerbeer (55) in Berlin and plays his new Miserere for him.

    2 October 1854 The Academy of Music in New York opens at 14th street and Irving Place with a season of opera.

    2 October 1859 Franz Liszt’s (47) Die Seligkeiten for baritone, chorus, and organ, to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Weimar.

    2 October 1860 Maskenzug-Polka op.240 by Johann Strauss (34) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    2 October 1864 Aus den Bergen op.292, a waltz by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    2 October 1876 Nikolay Rubinstein asks Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) for a new composition to be played at a concert to aid the Slavonic Charity Committee which is attempting to equip Russian volunteers and aid victims of the Balkan War.  See 17 November 1876.

    2 October 1879 One day after arriving in the city, Leos Janácek (25) passes his entrance examinations at Leipzig Conservatory.

    Ernest Chausson (24) enters the Paris Conservatoire in the classes of Jules Massenet (37) and César Franck (56).

    2 October 1880 String Quartet op.106/2 by Anton Rubinstein (50) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    2 October 1881 The Stubborn Lovers, a comic opera by Antonín Dvorák (40) to words of Stolba, is performed for the first time, in the New Czech Theatre, Prague.

    2 October 1888 To the astonishment of everyone in the city, Gustav Mahler (28) is named the new director of the Royal Opera in Budapest.  He has been given a ten-year contract at a salary of 10,000 kronen.  He is only 28, he is largely unknown, and he is a Jew.

    2 October 1895 Invocation to Music, an ode for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Hubert Parry (47) to words of Bridges, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, the composer conducting.

    2 October 1900 The Soldier’s Tent for baritone and orchestra by Hubert Parry (52) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    2 October 1902 Incidental music to Caine’s play The Eternal City by Pietro Mascagni (38) is performed for the first time, in His Majesty’s Theatre, London.

    The Coronation Ode op.44 for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, by Edward Elgar (45), to words of Benson, is performed for the first time, at Sheffield conducted by the composer, with a raging toothache.

    2 October 1907 Job, a dramatic poem for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Frederick S. Converse (36) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts.

    2 October 1911 A new opera house is inaugurated in Helsinki with Jules Massenet’s (69) La Navarraise.

    2 October 1930 Concerto for piano and orchestra by John Ireland (51) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    2 October 1931 Incidental music to a stage revue of Voyevodin and Riss, Conditionally Killed, by Dmitri Shostakovich (25), is performed for the first time, in the Leningrad Music Hall.

    2 October 1933 Let ‘em Eat Cake, an operetta with a book by Kaufman and Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (35) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  See 21 October 1933.

    2 October 1936 Dona nobis pacem, a cantata for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (63) to words of Whitman and others, is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield Town Hall.

    2 October 1939 Manuel de Falla (62) and his sister board the SS Neptunia in Barcelona heading for Buenos Aires.  He will never again see Spain.

    2 October 1941 Movements 2, 5, and 6 of American Melting Pot for chamber orchestra by Henry Cowell (44) are performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  See 3 May 1943.

    2 October 1948 Leonard Bernstein (30) becomes music director of the Israel Philharmonic.

    2 October 1950 Scènes de la vie moyenne en quatre parties op.124 for orchestra by Florent Schmitt (79) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    2 October 1954 Il festino, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (72) to his own words after de Rossi, is staged for the first time, in Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo.  Also premiered is Malipiero’s Donna Urraca to his own words after Mérimée.  See 6 November 1937.

    Luigi Dallapiccola’s (50) Variazioni per orchestra is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    2 October 1956 While conducting his Symphony in C in Berlin, Igor Stravinsky (74) suffers a cerebral thrombosis near the end of the first movement.  In great pain, he finishes the performance, although he will not remember it.  In the dressing room afterwards, he is unable to write his name and has partial speech loss.  Eventually, the composer will make a complete recovery.

    2 October 1958 Leonard Bernstein (40) gives his first performance as sole Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.

    2 October 1959 Refrain no.11 for three players by Karlheinz Stockhausen (31) is performed for the first time, in Berlin as part of the first ever all-Stockhausen concert.  Cornelius Cardew (23) plays celesta.

    2 October 1960 String Quartet no.8 by Dmitri Shostakovich (54) is performed for the first time, in Glinka Concert Hall, Leningrad.  The work is dedicated “to the memory of the victims of fascism and war.”

    Four motets for voice and piano by Paul Hindemith (64) to words from the Bible are performed for the first time, in Berlin:  Ascendente Jesu in naviculam, Angelus Domini apparuit, Dicebat Jesus scribis et pharisaels, and Cum factus esset Jesus annorum duodecim.

    Remembrance for chorus and organ by Leslie Bassett (37) to words of Rupert is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    2 October 1962 Peter Mennin (39) replaces William Schuman (52) as President of the Juilliard School, New York.

    2 October 1963 Gasa for violin and piano by Isang Yun (46) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    2 October 1970 Evocations for chorus and orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (57) is performed for the first time, in Tampa, conducted by the composer.

    2 October 1973 Beyond Silence, a cantata for tenor, clarinet, trombone, viola, cello, and piano by TJ Anderson (45) to words of Hanson, is performed for the first time, at Busch-Reisinger Museum of Harvard University.

    2 October 1975 Ernst Krenek (75) receives the Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Cross of Austria), Austria’s highest award.

    2 October 1976 Piano Sonata no.2 by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington.

    2 October 1980 String Quartet no.2 by Brian Ferneyhough (37) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    2 October 1983 An untitled sound work by Max Neuhaus (44), is inaugurated in the Kunsthalle, Basel.  It will exist until 6 November.

    Venite exultemus Domino for chorus and organ by Benjamin Britten (†6) is performed for the first time, in Westminster Abbey, London 22 years after it was composed.

    2 October 1984 Two Romances on Verses by Lermontov op.84 for voice and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (†9) is performed for the first time, in Duisburg, 34 years after they were composed.

    Vers, l’Arc-en-ciel, Palma for guitar, oboe d’amore, and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (53) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Birmingham.

    2 October 1985 Humoreske in C for orchestra by Benjamin Britten (†8) is performed for the first time, 57 years after it was composed.

    Wind Quintet IV by George Perle (70) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.  It will win the Pulitzer Prize.  See 17 April 1986.

    2 October 1987 Fantasy for clarinet and wind ensemble by Leslie Bassett (64) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    2 October 1993 Three Fantasy Movements for cello and orchestra by Shulamit Ran (43) is performed for the first time, in Berkeley, California.

    2 October 1996 Outis, an azione musicale by Luciano Berio (71) to words of Del Corno and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    2 October 1999 Song for Roderick for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (65) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Lyons Hall of York University.

    2 October 2000 In One Single Moment for male voices, string quartet, and a Tibetan temple bowl by John Tavener (56) is performed for the first time, in Her Majesty’s Prison Pentonville, London.

    2 October 2002 Reflections on the Theme BACH for string quartet by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

    Bells for Stokowski for wind band by Michael Daugherty (48) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

    2 October 2003 Pontalba, an opera by Thea Musgrave (75) to her own words, is performed for the first time, in New Orleans.  It was commissioned by the New Orleans Opera to celebrate the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

    2 October 2005 Made in America for orchestra by Joan Tower (67) is performed for the first time, in Glen’s Falls, New York.  In a project funded by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the work is intended to be performed by community orchestras in each of the 50 United States over the next two years.

    2 October 2008 Elogium Musicum for chorus and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (82) to words of Serpa is performed for the first time, in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

    Viola Variations by Charles Wuorinen (70) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    3 October

    3 October 1750 Matthias Georg Monn dies in Vienna aged 33 years, five months, and 24 days.

    3 October 1756 Der Höchste erhöret das Flehen der Armen, a cantata by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (45), is performed for the first time, in Halle.

    3 October 1758 Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (44) opéra comique L’île de Merlin, ou Le monde renversé to words of Anseaume after Le Sage and d’Orneval, is performed for the first time, at the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna for the nameday of Emperor Franz (which is actually tomorrow).

    3 October 1759 Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (45) opéra comique L’arbre enchanté, ou Le tuteur dupé to words after Vadé is performed for the first time, in the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna for the name day of Emperor Franz (tomorrow).  See 27 February 1775.

    3 October 1767 Die Muse, a Nachspiel by Johann Adam Hiller (38) to words of Schiebeler, is performed for the first time, in Theater am Rannstädter Thore, Leipzig.

    3 October 1773 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (17) dates his Symphony no.24 K.182 in Salzburg.

    3 October 1786 Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf’s (46) singspiel Der Betrug durch Aberglauben oder die Schatzgräber to words of Eberl is performed for the first time, at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    3 October 1796 Bélisaire, an opéra-comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (†1) to words of Bertin d’Antilly after Marmontel, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Favart, Paris.  The work was left incomplete at the composer’s death and was finished by his student, Henri Berton.

    3 October 1798 Publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (27) Trio for clarinet, cello and piano op.11 is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.

    The first issue of the Leipzig Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung appears.

    3 October 1812 La duchesse de la Vallière, a cantata by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold (21) is performed for the first time, at the prize-giving ceremony for the Prix de Rome, in Paris.  Hérold’s work won first prize.

    3 October 1816 Perchè muni tiranni, a rondo for soprano, chorus and orchestra by Giacomo Meyerbeer (25) is performed for the first time, in Genoa.

    3 October 1822 A new overture and a chorus, Wo sich die Pulse, by Ludwig van Beethoven (51) are performed for the first time, for the opening of the Josephstadttheater, Vienna, conducted by the composer.  They are attached to Beethoven’s Die Ruinen von Athen which has been adapted by Carl Meisl as Die Weihe des Hauses.

    3 October 1829 16:00  Fanny Mendelssohn (23) marries the Prussian court painter Wilhelm Hensel in Berlin.  She has written her own music for the occasion, an organ processional in F.

    3 October 1833 Hector Berlioz (29) marries Harriet Constance Smithson, an actress, in the chapel of the British embassy in Paris.  Franz Liszt (21) is a witness as are Ferdinand Hiller and Heinrich Heine.  The service is in both English and French to accommodate the happy couple who still lack fluency in each other’s language.

    3 October 1841 The String Quartet in C W.6 by Peter Cornelius (16) is performed for the first time, in Wiesbaden.

    3 October 1843 Bedrich Smetana (19) arrives in Prague, his parents having allowed him to pursue a musical career.

    3 October 1851 Vivat! op.103, a quadrille by Johann Strauss (25), is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    3 October 1853 An die Künstler for chorus and winds by Franz Liszt (41) to words of Schiller, is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe, directed by the composer.

    3 October 1855 Madame Papillon, a bouffonerie musicale by Jacques Offenbach (36) to words of Halévy (under the pseudonym Servières), is performed for the first time, by the Bouffes Parisiens at Salle Marigny, Paris.

    3 October 1856 Sigismond Thalberg (44) arrives in New York aboard the steamship Africa for an extended tour of North America.

    3 October 1857 Georges Bizet’s (18) Prix de Rome-winning setting of the cantata Clovis et Clotilde to words of Burion is performed for the first time, in Paris on the night he is awarded the prize.

    3 October 1870 The earthly remains of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (†0) are laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn after a voyage from Rio de Janeiro and a funeral in St. Stephen’s Church, New York, complete with the Requiem of Luigi Cherubini (†28).

    3 October 1881 Gustav Mahler (21) conducts an opera for the first time, Il Trovatore, at the Landestheater in Laibach (Ljubljana).

    3 October 1882 Karol Maciej Szymanowski is born on his family’s estate Tymoszówka, near Yelisavetgrad, Russia (Kirovgrad, Ukraine), the third of five children born to Stanislaw (Bonawentura Marian) Szymanowski, a wealthy landowner and Baroness (Dominika Teodora) Anna Taube, descended from the Teutonic Order of Courland (Latvia).

    3 October 1883 Eine Nacht in Venedig, an operetta by Johann Strauss (57) to words of Zell and Genée after Cormon and Carré, is performed for the first time, in the Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater, Berlin.  The work elicits a chorus of boos and catcalls from the audience.

    3 October 1888 Violin Sonata op.18 by Richard Strauss (24) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    The Yeoman of the Guard, or The Merryman and his Maid, an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (46) to words of Gilbert, is performed for the first time, in the Savoy Theatre, London.  It is a tremendous success and will see 423 performances.  The author and composer argue about the arrangement of various numbers through the day.  Only just before the curtain goes up is a compromise reached.

    3 October 1894 King Saul, an oratorio by Hubert Parry (46), is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.  Like previous Parry oratorios, this is a triumph.

    Charles Ives (19) enters Yale University.

    3 October 1900 The oratorio The Dream of Gerontius op.38 for mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, chorus, and orchestra, words by JH Newman and music by Edward Elgar (43), is performed for the first time, at Birmingham Town Hall.  The premiere is a disaster, owing chiefly to the lack of preparation of the chorus.

    3 October 1906 The oratorio The Kingdom, by Edward Elgar (49) to his own words after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, conducted by the composer.  The hall is filled and the press and public are “ecstatic.”

    3 October 1907 Paul Dukas (42) introduces Manuel de Falla (30) to Isaac Albéniz (42) in Paris.

    Isabella for orchestra by Frank Bridge (28) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    3 October 1911 The Sonata for violin and piano no.8 op.122 by Max Reger (38) is performed for the first time, in Duisberg, the composer at the keyboard.

    3 October 1923 Alte Weisen op.33, a song cycle by Hans Pfitzner (54) to words of Keller, is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    3 October 1929 The Viola Concerto of William Walton (27) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  Paul Hindemith (33) is the soloist with the composer at the podium.  Also premiered is the Overture, Elegy and Rondo for orchestra by Arnold Bax (45).

    3 October 1931 Just after midnight.  After briefly regaining consciousness, Carl August Nielsen dies of angina pectoris in a hospital in Copenhagen, aged 66 years, three months, and 24 days.

    3 October 1932 Ruth Crawford (31) marries Charles Seeger, a teacher, composer and musicologist, in Winnemucca, Nevada.  The two have been living together, pretending to be married, for almost a year.

    3 October 1933 Universal Edition suspends its publishing contract with Kurt Weill (33).

    Idyll:  Once I Passed Through a Populous City, for soprano, baritone, and orchestra by Frederick Delius (71) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    Red Autumn for two pianos by Arnold Bax (49) is performed for the first time, in the College of Nursing Hall, London.

    3 October 1934 Benjamin Aaron Boretz is born in New York, son of Abraham Jacob Boretz and Leah Yullis.

    3 October 1936 Stephen Michael Reich is born in New York, the only child of Leonard J. Reich, an attorney, and June Carroll, singer and lyricist.  The parents will divorce a little more than a year from now.

    3 October 1941 John Melby is born in Whitehall, Wisconsin.

    3 October 1942 Malambo, a film with music by Alberto Ginastera (26), is released in Buenos Aires.

    3 October 1943 The National Theatre of Munich containing the Staatsoper is destroyed by incendiary bombs dropped during an Allied air raid.  Richard Strauss (79) writes that “this was the greatest catastrophe which has ever been brought into my life, for which there can be no consolation and in my old age no hope...”

    The Suite no.1 from the ballet Gayaneh by Aram Khachaturian (40) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of Columns, Moscow.  Natalia Spiller recalls, “Neither before nor [since] have I ever heard such a storm of applause, nor witnessed such unqualified success of a new work...”

    3 October 1945 The ashes of Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (†0) are placed next to those of her husband in Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston.  During the nine months since her death, they have been kept in St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York.

    3 October 1947 Thirty Years for orchestra op.113 by Sergey Prokofiev (56) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.  The work was composed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution.

    Concerto for harp and orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (34) is performed for the first time.

    3 October 1949 Works commissioned by UNESCO for the 100th anniversary of Chopin's death are performed for the first time, in the Salle Gaveau, Paris.  Among them are Estudio IV for piano by Carlos Chávez (50), and Mazurka-Nocturne for oboe, two violins, and cello by Bohuslav Martinu (58).

    Pastorale for oboe, harp, and strings op.38 by Howard Hanson (52) is performed for the first time, in Paris in a reduction for oboe and piano.  See 20 October 1950.

    3 October 1951 Arthur Honegger (59) conducts for the last time, in a recording session of Le Roi David.

    3 October 1952 Two works for twelve solo voices by Pierre Boulez (27) are performed for the first time, in Cologne:  Séquence and Oubli signal lapidé.

    3 October 1953 Incidental music to Slowacki’s play Horsztynski by Witold Lutoslawski (40) is performed for the first time, in Teatr Polski, Warsaw.

    Between 21:30 and 22:00.  Arnold Edward Trevor Bax dies suddenly in Cork of coronary thrombosis and acute pulmonary aedema, aged 69 years, ten months, and 25 days.

    3 October 1954 The Massdam collides with the French ship Tofevo and is forced to return to New York.  Within a few days, John Cage (42) and David Tudor will be part of a sit-down protest, demanding that Holland America Line provide for their transport to Europe.  The line gives in and charters a KLM plane to transport 60 “hardship cases” (among them Cage and Tudor) to Amsterdam.

    3 October 1955 Mount of Three Lights, a cantata for tenor, baritone, male chorus, and organ by Bohuslav Martinu (64) to words of Morton, the Bible, and traditional Moravian words, is performed for the first time, in Bern.

    3 October 1958 Epitafium op.12 for chorus and ensemble by Henryk Górecki (24) to words of Tuwim is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Fiesta, an opera by Darius Milhaud (66) to words of Vian, is performed for the first time, at the Berlin Staatsoper.

    3 October 1960 Mass for Solo Voice with piano accompaniment by Virgil Thomson (63) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  See 20 May 1974.

    3 October 1961 Les Six are awarded the Grande Medaille d’argent de la Ville Paris.

    3 October 1962 Orchesterstück 2 by Gottfried Michael Koenig (35) is performed for the first time, in Palermo.

    3 October 1963 Niponari, a cycle for female voice and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (†4) to Japanese poems, is performed for the first time, in Brno 51 years after it was composed.

    Violin Concerto op.30 by Alberto Ginastera (47) is performed for the first time, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein (45) in Philharmonic Hall, New York.

    3 October 1965 Quintana über die fünf Vokale, six songs for solo voice, chamber ensemble and tape by Ernst Krenek (65) to his own words, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Danish Radio, originating in Copenhagen, the composer conducting.

    3 October 1966 Festive Ode for orchestra by Robert Ward (49) is performed for the first time, in Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee.

    Ode to the Temple of Sound by Alan Hovhaness (55) is performed for the first time, at the dedication concert of the new Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston.

    3 October 1968 To Thee Old Cause for oboe, brass, timpani, piano, and strings by William Schuman (58) is performed for the first time, in New York, conducted by Leonard Bernstein (50).  It was commissioned for the 125th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic and was composed this summer while Schuman recovered from a heart attack.

    3 October 1971 Duo for flute and piano by Aaron Copland (70) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    3 October 1979 Henry V, an overture for brass band by Ralph Vaughan Williams (†21), is performed for the first time, at the University of Miami, 66 years after it was composed.

    3 October 1980 Music-Hall-Suite for eight players by Wolfgang Rihm (28) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    3 October 1982 Quando stanno morendo:  Diario polacco no.2 for four female voices, flute, cello, and electronics by Luigi Nono (58) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    3 October 1984 Two works are performed for the first time, in Milwaukee, conducted by Lukas Foss (62):  Cosmic Cycle for orchestra by Dane Rudhyar (89) and Creations:  Two Scenes from Genesis for narrator and chamber orchestra by John Corigliano (46) to words from Genesis.

    3 October 1986 To the Dark Wood for woodwind quintet by George Rochberg (68) is performed for the first time, in Armidale, New South Wales.

    3 October 1987 Konzert for piano and eight instruments by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Three Occasional Pieces for piano by John Harbison (48) are performed for the first time, in Kresge Auditorium of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    3 October 1990 Statuit ei Dominus by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna.

    3 October 1992 Trio for clarinet, bassoon, and horn by Isang Yun (75) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    3 October 1993 Maker of our Being for chorus and organ by Leslie Bassett (70) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    3 October 1997 Jacob’s Ladder for orchestra by Anthony Davis (46) is performed for the first time, in Kansas City.

    Three Delgado Palacios Dances for orchestra by William Bolcom (59) is performed for the first time.

    3 October 1999 Bethel for chorus and organ by John Tavener (55) to words from the Bible is performed for the first time, in Bath Abbey.

    3 October 2002 ALAP, a prelude to Contrapunctus IX of the Art of Fugue for string quartet by Charles Wuorinen (64) is performed for the first time, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

    3 October 2007 Agnus Dei aus dem “Polnischen Requiem” for cellos by Krzysztof Penderecki (73) is performed for the first time, at the Johanniskirche, Kronberg, Germany.

    3 October 2013 Vater unser for boy’s voice or countertenor and string quintet or string orchestra by Arvo Pärt (78) is performed for the first time, in Wollongong, Australia.

    george Washington, for orchestra, three narrators, projected imagery, and computer sound by Roger Reynolds (79), is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    4 October

    4 October 1763 Ifigenia in Tauride, an opera seria by Tommaso Traetta (36) to words of Coltellini, is performed for the first time, in the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

    4 October 1764 Les amours d’Alexandre et de Roxane, a ballo pantomimo by Christoph Willibald Gluck (50) to a choreography by Angiolini, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna for the name day of Emperor Franz.

    4 October 1766 La cameriera spiritosa, a dramma giocoso by Baldassare Galuppi (59) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in the Regio Ducal, Milan.

    4 October 1803 Three sacred works by Michael Haydn (66) are performed for the first time, for the Empress of Austria in the Hofburg Kapelle, Vienna:  Missa subtitulo San Francesci Seraphici and settings of Cantate and Domine Deus.

    Anacréon, ou L’amour fugitif, an opera-ballet by Luigi Cherubini (43) to words of Mendouze, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It receives five performances and is not performed again.

    4 October 1813 Two works by Franz Schubert (16) are performed for the first time, at the Schubert home in Vienna for the name day of the composer’s father:  Kantata zur Namensfeier des Vaters D.80 for male voices and guitar to words of the composer, and the String Quartet in D, D.74.

    4 October 1815 Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, a dramma by Gioachino Rossini (23) to words of Schmidt after Federici after Lee, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  King Ferdinando is present along with the royal family.

    4 October 1820 Carl Maria von Weber (33) performs before the King and Queen of Denmark at Fredriksborg.

    4 October 1821 A setting of the Mass by Vincenzo Bellini (19) is performed for the first time, in the church of San Francesco d’Assisi, Catania.

    4 October 1829 Mass in E flat D.950 for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Franz Schubert (†0) is performed for the first time, in the Church of the Holy Trinity at Alsergrund, Vienna.

    Having secured four concert dates in Leipzig for Nicolò Paganini (46), Friedrich Wieck reintroduces himself to the master in his Leipzig hotel.  Wieck brings along his daughter Clara (10) who plays a polonaise of her own composition.  Paganini is complementary toward her playing.

    4 October 1830 Bedrich Smetana (6) appears in public for the first time, at the local school in Litomysl, Bohemia.  It is a concert honoring the name day of the Austrian emperor.  He plays a piano arrangement of the overture to Auber’s (48) La muette de Portici.

    4 October 1835 Felix Mendelssohn conducts his first performance as director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig.  The program features his own Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage and the Fourth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven (†8).

    4 October 1837 After waiting a year to become a French citizen, César Franck (14) is enrolled in the Conservatoire.

    4 October 1847 Giacomo Meyerbeer (56) tells Otto Nicolai (37) that owing to his intercession with King Friedrich Wilhelm, Nicolai will soon be Kapellmeister in the Berlin Court Theatre.

    4 October 1848 Frédéric Chopin (38) appears in the only solo recital he will ever give, in the Hopetown Rooms, Edinburgh.  It is solo only because he is too ill to go out and find other musicians.  The program is two hours long and, despite his ill health, he captivates the audience.

    4 October 1860 Schwärmereien op.253, a concert waltz by Johann Strauss (34), is performed for the first time, in the Dianabad-saal, Vienna.

    4 October 1875 A revised version of Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito (33) to his own words after Goethe, is performed, much more successfully than the premiere, in Teatro Comunale, Bologna.  See 5 March 1868.

    4 October 1880 While composing the last act of Les contes d’Hoffmann, Jacques Offenbach (61) collapses.  Upon regaining consciousness he says, “I think tonight will be the end.”

    4 October 1884 Almost one year after his promise, Hans Richter plays through Ferruccio Busoni’s (18) Symphonic Suite with the Vienna Philharmonic.  By a majority of one vote, the orchestra decides not to perform it.

    4 October 1890 At Tiflis (Tbilisi), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) receives a letter from Mme von Meck announcing that she is bankrupt and will not be able to continue his allowance.

    4 October 1898 After attempting to drown himself in the Traunsee, Hugo Wolf (38) enters the Lower Austrian provincial asylum in Vienna, his care provided for by the Hugo Wolf Verein.

    4 October 1912 Max Reger’s (39) Konzert im alten Stil op.123 is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    4 October 1914 Violinist Franz Milcke attempts to play through Charles Ives’ (39) Violin Sonata no.1, accompanied by the composer, at the Ives home in West Redding, Connecticut.  He fails.

    4 October 1916 A revised version of Ariadne auf Naxos, an opera by Richard Strauss (52) to words of Hoffmannsthal, is performed for the first time, at the Vienna Court Opera.  This one is received cautiously at first, but will soon replace the original.  See 25 October 1912.

    Water Colors, a song cycle for voice and piano by John Alden Carpenter (40) to words of Chinese poets, is performed completely for the first time, in Chicago the composer at the keyboard.  See 21 November 1920.

    4 October 1917 The Spirit of England op.80 for solo voice, chorus, and orchestra by Edward Elgar (60) is performed completely for the first time, in Birmingham.  See 3 May 1916.

    4 October 1919 Summer Night op.90/5, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (53) to words of Runeberg, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    4 October 1921 Three songs for solo voice and string trio entitled Merciless Beauty by Ralph Vaughan Williams (48) to words attributed to Chaucer, are performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    4 October 1923 The elite of artistic Paris is on hand to witness a concert given by George Antheil in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, to publicize the upcoming season of the Ballet Suédois.  Those present include Erik Satie (57), James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Pablo Picasso and Man Ray.  A riot is staged by Margaret Anderson, editor of The Little Review, for a film she is making.  Police take away many of the rioters.

    4 October 1935 Sergey Prokofiev (44) plays through a piano score of his ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow.  It is not well received, and many leave before he is done.

    4 October 1936 Symphony no.1 “The Bells of Zlonice” by Antonín Dvorák (†32) is performed for the first time, in Brno, 71 years after it was composed.

    4 October 1938 Kol Nidre for speaker, chorus, and orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg (64) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles, the composer conducting.

    4 October 1940 A second revision of Orpheus by Carl Orff (45) to a translation of Striggio by Günther is performed for the first time, in Dresden.  See 17 April 1925 and 13 October 1929.

    4 October 1941 Household Music for string quartet by Ralph Vaughan Williams (68) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    4 October 1944 Resigning after only a few weeks as director of Radio France, Pierre Schaeffer (34) becomes technical adviser to the Studio d’Essai.

    4 October 1945 The True Glory, a film with music by Marc Blitzstein (40), is released in the United States.

    A symphonic suite from the ballet Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland (44) is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 30 October 1944.

    4 October 1951 An American in Paris, a film with music by George Gershwin (†14), is released.

    4 October 1955 Five Love Songs for soprano and guitar by Thea Musgrave (27) to words of Parry is performed for the first time, in Utrecht.

    4 October 1956 Piano Concerto no.4 “Incantation” by Bohuslav Martinu (65) is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

    4 October 1957 Tre epitaffi per Federico García Lorca for speaker, speaking chorus, and orchestra by Luigi Nono (33) to words of García Lorca and Neruda are performed together for the first time, in Berlin.  The three have been performed separately already.  See 21 July 1952, 17 December 1952, and 16 February 1953.

    König Hirsch, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (30) to words of von Cramer after Gozzi, is performed completely for the first time, over the airwaves of RAI, Turin.  See 23 September 1956 and 5 May 1985.

    4 October 1959 Cello Concerto no.1 op.107 by Dmitri Shostakovich (53) is performed for the first time, in the Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall.  See 21 September 1959.

    4 October 1962 Symphony no.8 by William Schuman (52) is performed for the first time, at Lincoln Center, New York, conducted by Leonard Bernstein (44).  It was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for the inauguration of Philharmonic Hall (Avery Fisher Hall).

    4 October 1963 Sogno d’un tramonto d’autunno, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (81) to words of D’Annunzio, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of RAI, 50 years after it was composed.  See 4 October 1988.

    4 October 1965 A second revised version of Le soleil des eaux for soprano, chorus and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (40) to words of Char, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    4 October 1970 Oceans for trumpet and four-track tape by Robert Erickson (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, San Diego.

    4 October 1971 How the Stars Were Made for percussion ensemble by Peter Sculthorpe (42) is performed for the first time, in the Playhouse, Canberra.

    Con Antonio Machado for voice and piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (69) is performed for the first time, in Salón Carlos V, Seville.

    4 October 1973 Ouverture for orchestra by Isang Yun (56) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    4 October 1974 Parable XIII op.126 for clarinet by Vincent Persichetti (59) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    4 October 1975 Piano Sonata no.2 by Karel Husa (54) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    4 October 1981 Two works for piano by Virgil Thomson (84) are performed for the first time, at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut:  Richard Flender:  Solid Not Stolid and Scott Wheeler:  Free-Wheeling.

    4 October 1983 Chain I for chamber orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (70) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    4 October 1985 Lullaby for band by Leslie Bassett (62) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    4 October 1986 Symphony no.61 by Alan Hovhaness (75) is performed for the first time, in Boise, Idaho.

    4 October 1987 Oedipus, a Musiktheater by Wolfgang Rihm (35) to his own words after Sophocles, Nietzsche, and Müller, is performed for the first time, in the Deutschetheater, Berlin.

    In memoriam for soprano, baritone, and nine players by Ralph Shapey (66) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago.

    4 October 1988 Sogno d’un tramonto d’autunno, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (†15) to words of D’Annunzio, is staged for the first time, in Mantua, 75 years after it was composed.  See 4 October 1963.

    4 October 1991 Homage to Pacifica for chorus, solo voice, narrator, Javanese gamelan, bassoon, harp, psaltery, and percussion by Lou Harrison (74) to words of Twain, Chief Seattle, and the composer, is performed for the first time.

    4 October 1992 Spirit Divine for chorus and piano by Ned Rorem (68) to words of Longfellow is performed for the first time, in First Parish Church, Lexington, Massachusetts.

    Triptych for chamber orchestra by Ned Rorem (68) is performed for the first time, in Columbus, Ohio.

    4 October 1994 Nah und Fern, a radio piece for bells and trumpets by Mauricio Kagel (62) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR in Cologne.

    4 October 1996 Ittidra for string sextet by Iannis Xenakis (74) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    4 October 1997 Hymne an den heiligen Daniel for chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Moscow, directed by the composer.

    Niagara Falls for wind ensemble by Michael Daugherty (43) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

    4 October 1999 Nipson for counter tenor and viol consort by John Tavener (55) is performed for the first time, in Norwich Cathedral.

    Concerto for cello and orchestra no.2 by Richard Wernick (65) is performed for the first time.

    4 October 2000 A Glass of Frontignac for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (66) is performed for the first time, at the Chateau Yaldara Winery, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

    4 October 2001 Strike Zones, a concerto for percussion and orchestra by Joan Tower (63), is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    4 October 2003 Adagio for cello and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (69) is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    4 October 2013 Let Fly for violin and orchestra by Bright Sheng (57) is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    Red Maple for bassoon and strings by Joan Tower (75) is performed for the first time, in Columbia, South Carolina.

    5 October

    5 October 1564 Pierre de Manchicourt dies in Madrid, aged approximately 54 years.

    5 October 1755 Holder Friede dich zu küssen, a cantata by Georg Philipp Telemann (74), is performed for the first time, in St. Peter’s, Hamburg, for the 200th anniversary of the Augusburg Confession.

    5 October 1762 Orfeo ed Euridice, an azione teatrale by Christoph Willibald Gluck (48) to words of Calzibigi, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna for the name day of Emperor Franz.  It is a tremendous success and will have 19 performances this year alone.

    5 October 1767 Florian Leopold Gassmann’s (38) opera seria Amore e Psiche to words of Coltellini 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.  Ironically, the bride in the story dies.  See 15 October 1767.

    5 October 1773 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (17) dates his Symphony no.25 K.183 in Salzburg.

    5 October 1783 Il mondo della luna, an festa teatrale comica by Giovanni Paisiello (43) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, commissioned by Empress Yekaterina II for the opening of the new Bolshoy Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    5 October 1821 The publication of twelve Monferrinas for piano op.49 by Muzio Clementi (69) is entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.

    5 October 1823 While in Vienna for the premiere of Euryanthe, Carl Maria von Weber (36) travels to Baden to visit Ludwig van Beethoven (52).

    5 October 1842 Hector Berlioz (38) is presented to Leopold I, King of the Belgians in Brussels.  He offers the king a manuscript copy of the Marche des pèlerins.

    5 October 1849 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (39) enters upon duties as organist of Winchester Cathedral.

    5 October 1864 Huldigungsmarsch WWV 97 for military band by Richard Wagner (51) in honor of King Ludwig II of Bavaria is performed for the first time, in Munich.  See 12 November 1871.

    5 October 1869 Slovianka-Quadrille op.338 by Johann Strauss (43) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    5 October 1877 Sometime within the last few days, a fully clothed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) waded up to his waist in the Moscow River in an attempt to contract pneumonia.  Today he wires to his brother Anatoly in St. Petersburg, requesting that he wire back in the name of conductor Edvard Nápravnik, demanding that he come to St. Petersburg immediately.

    5 October 1880 03:30  Jacques Offenbach dies surrounded by his family in Paris of heart failure brought on by gout, aged 61 years, three months and 15 days.  Le Figaro devotes its first two pages to the news.

    5 October 1888 Arthur Sullivan (46) records a brief message for Thomas Edison on his phonograph.

    5 October 1892 Johannes Brahms (59) and Joseph Joachim give a joint concert on the second day of a three-day festival dedicating the new Bechstein Hall in Berlin.

    5 October 1897 At the Vienna premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s (38) La bohème attended by the composer, Gustav Mahler (37) “laughs derisively” through the entire performance.

    5 October 1898 Ernst Bloch (18) enters the orchestra of Eugene Ysaÿe in Brussels as a violinist.  At today’s first rehearsal he is so nervous that he puts soap on his bow so that no one will hear the mistakes.  Eventually, Bloch will become acquainted with many members of the Ysaÿe circle, including Claude Debussy (36), Camille Saint-Saëns (62) and Gabriel Fauré (53).

    Caractacus, a cantata by Edward Elgar (41) to words of Acworth, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, conducted by the composer.  The audience gives overwhelming support, the press is “polite” but mixed.  Afterwards, Elgar first makes the acquaintance of Hubert Parry (50).  Gabriel Fauré (53) and Charles Villiers Stanford (46) are also in the audience.

    5 October 1899 Sea Pictures op.37 for alto and orchestra by Edward Elgar (42) to words of various writers is performed for the first time, in Norwich conducted by the composer.  The work is a success.

    5 October 1907 By Imperial decree, Gustav Mahler (47) is relieved of his duties as Director of the Vienna Hofoper and given an annual pension of 14,000 kronen.  Felix Weingartner is appointed his replacement.  See 1 December 1907.

    5 October 1921 Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (25) gives his public debut with his new instrument which he calls the Etherphone, at the Eighth All-Union Electro-Technical Congress in Moscow.  He plays a number of classical examples, including Tchaikovsky (†27) and Saint Saëns (85), and is given a thunderous ovation.

    5 October 1925 Klaviermusik op.27 by Paul Hindemith (29) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.

    5 October 1926 Gottfried Michael Koenig is born in Magdeburg.

    5 October 1935 Two works for voice and orchestra by Frank Bridge (56) are performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London the composer conducting:  Love went a-riding to words of ME Coleridge, and E’en as a lovely flower to words of Heine (tr. Kroeker).

    5 October 1938 Serenade to Music for 16 vocal soloists and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (65) to words of Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in the Royal Albert Hall, London.

    5 October 1940 El Renacuajo Paseador, a ballet pantomime for marionettes by Silvestre Revueltas (40), is performed for the first time, in Mexico City.  At the same time, the composer is found unconscious on a street in the city and taken to the home of his doctor.

    5 October 1941 Music for Hecht and MacArthur’s pageant Fun to be Free by Kurt Weill (41) is performed for the first time, in Madison Square Garden, New York.  It is an attempt to rally the country to enter the war against Germany.

    5 October 1945 Gift of the Magi, a ballet by Lukas Foss (23) after the O. Henry story, is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    5 October 1947 Concertino for piano, winds, and percussion by Hans Werner Henze (21) is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden.

    5 October 1948 The first Concert de bruit of musique-concrète by Pierre Schaeffer (38) is broadcast over the airwaves of Paris Radio.  The five works performed are Étude aux chemins de fer, Étude aux tourniquets, Étude violette, Étude noire and Étude pathétique. Reactions of listeners are mixed.

    5 October 1956 String Quartet no.5 by Henry Cowell (59) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    5 October 1957 Incidental music to Seneca’s (tr. Pemán) play Tiestes by Joaquín Rodrigo (55) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Español, Madrid.

    5 October 1958 Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae for chorus by Ernst Krenek (58) is performed completely for the first time, in St. Martin Kirche, Kassel.  See 4 April 1943.

    Two Last Poems for flute and orchestra by Ernest Bloch (78) is performed for the first time, in Naples.

    On the tenth anniversary of his first Concert de bruit, Pierre Schaeffer’s (48) Étude aux allures and Étude aux sons animés for tape are performed for the first time, at the Brussels International Exposition.  Also premiered is Diamorphoses for two-track tape by Iannis Xenakis (36).

    5 October 1962 Amplification for jazz band and tape by Lejaren Hiller (38) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

    5 October 1964 Meditation on Zeami, a symphonic poem by Alan Hovhaness (53), is performed for the first time, in New York.

    5 October 1972 A Ring of Time, an orchestral suite by Dominick Argento (44), is performed for the first time, in O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, Minneapolis.

    5 October 1975 In Memory for strings, percussion, tape, and slides by Ben Johnston (49) is performed for the first time, at the dedication of Erlanger House in Urbana, Illinois.

    A Preview of Coming Attractions for orchestra by Lejaren Hiller (51) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.

    5 October 1978 Letter to Erik Satie 2 (†53) by John Cage (66) is performed for the first time, at City Center Theatre, New York.  It is performed simultaneously with Merce Cunningham’s solo dance Tango.

    5 October 1980 Zweite Abgesangsszene for voice and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (28) to words of Nietzsche and Novalis is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.

    5 October 1981 Triadic Memories for piano by Morton Feldman (55) is performed for the first time, at the Institute for the Contemporary Arts in London.

    5 October 1982 Fanfara for orchestra by Luciano Berio (56) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    Fürst Igor Strawinsky for bass, english horn, french horn, tuba, viola, and two percussionists by Mauricio Kagel (50) is performed for the first time, in St. Michael’s Church, Isola, Venice conducted by the composer.

    5 October 1984 Three Essays on Thomas Wolf for piano by Ralph Shapey (63) is performed for the first time, privately at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York 36 years after it was composed.

    5 October 1987 My Land, My People, a Korean cantata for soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Isang Yun (70) to words of various Korean authors, is performed for the first time, in Pyongyang.

    Decouvrir la subversion:  Hommage à Edmond Jabes for alto, bass, reciter, tuba, horn, flute, and electronic instruments by Luigi Nono (63) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris.

    5 October 1989 Anniversary, the third of Three Occasions for Orchestra by Eliott Carter (80) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London as part of the first complete performance of Three Occasions for Orchestra.  See 10 April 1987 and 10 August 1988.

    5 October 1990 Beatus Petronius by Arvo Pärt (55) is performed for the first time, in Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna.

    Rainbow for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (62) is performed for the first time, in Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow.

    5 October 1992 Silla, a legend for orchestra by Isang Yun (75), is performed for the first time, in the Hannover Opera House.

    5 October 2000 The Fool for chorus by John Tavener (56) to words of Mother Thekla is performed for the first time, in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.

    5 October 2002 E si fussi pisci for chorus by Luciano Berio (76) to an Italian folk song is performed for the first time, in Siena.

    Requiem profane for tape by Pierre Henry (74) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Unto the Hills for soprano, piano, and percussion by George Crumb (72) to words of Appalachian folk songs is performed for the first time, in Trinity Center, Philadelphia.

    5 October 2003 Osvaldo Golijov (42) is named a winner of a MacArthur Fellowship.  The prize brings him $500,000 over the next five years.

    5 October 2006 Aspiration for violin and chamber orchestra by Roger Reynolds (72) is performed for the first time, at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo.

    5 October 2007 Appomattox, an opera by Philip Glass (70) to words of Hampton, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    5 October 2008 Cantilena for oboe, violin, viola, and cello by Thea Musgrave (80) is performed for the first time, in King’s Place concert hall, London.

    5 October 2009 Due Duetti for violin and cello by Elliott Carter (100) is performed for the first time, in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

    6 October

    6 October 1651 Heinrich Albert dies in Königsberg, aged 47 years, two months and 28 days.

    6 October 1765 Wie ist der Held gefallen, an oratorio by Georg Philipp Telemann (84), is performed for the first time, to mourn the death of Emperor Franz I.

    Francesco Maria Veracini (75) is soloist in several violin concertos at the Florentine court.  Although he is a native of the city, it is his first performance there.

    6 October 1775 Leopold Mozart (55) writes to Breitkopf in Leipzig offering any of Wolfgang’s (19) compositions for publishing.  Breitkopf will politely decline.

    6 October 1782 La ballerina amante, a commedia per musica by Domenico Cimarosa (32) to words of Palomba, is performed for the first time, in Teatro dei Fiorentini, Naples.  It is a great success.

    6 October 1785 Giovanni Paisiello’s (45) cantata Il ritorno di Perseo, to words of Serio, is performed for the first time, at the Accademia degli Amici, Naples.

    6 October 1786 Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini dies in his Paris apartment at 15 rue de Richelieu, aged 56 years, three months and 22 days.  He was depressed since Queen Marie Antoinette removed her support and patronage earlier this year and he stopped eating.

    6 October 1802 Ludwig van Beethoven (31) writes to his brother from Heiligenstadt, a town in the country where he has gone on the advice of his doctor.  The composer speaks of his growing deafness and the emotion he feels inside at its onset, even to the point of suicide.  The letter was apparently never sent, and will be found among his effects after his death.

    6 October 1820 Charles Valentin Alkan (6) is admitted to the Paris Conservatoire.

    6 October 1828 Franz Schubert’s (31) song Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe to words of Kuffner is published by Diabelli, Vienna as op.97.

    6 October 1847 The Donizetti entourage arrives in Bergamo at the Palazzo Basoni.  Many well wishers are present but the composer (49) is so ill that he is almost carried into the house.  He will stay in Bergamo with friends who will tend to him until his death.

    6 October 1850 Ottinger Reiter-Marsch op.83 by Johann Strauss (24) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    6 October 1858 Edvard Grieg (15) officially enrolls in Leipzig Conservatory.

    6 October 1868 The first act of The Marriage, an opera by Modest Musorgsky (29) to words of Gogol, is performed for the first time, privately, at the house of Cesar Cui (33).  The composer sings the part of the hero.  See 1 April 1909.

    La Périchole, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (49) to words of Meilhac and Halévy, is performed for the first time, at the Variétés, Paris.  It is very successful.

    6 October 1869 Ten of the Liebeslieder Waltzes op.52 for vocal quartet and piano four hands by Johannes Brahms (36) are performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.  See 5 January 1870.

    6 October 1886 A 38-year-old woman named Alice Roberts arrives at the door of Edward Elgar (29) in Malvern, Worcestershire, answering his advertisement of piano lessons.  It is the first time he sees his future wife.

    6 October 1889 Edvard Grieg (46) writes to the poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, suggesting a reconciliation 14 years after their estrangement over Olav Trygvason. Grieg has revived the music he wrote for the text in 1875 and wants Bjørnson to be present for the premiere.  See 13 October 1889.

    6 October 1892 “Oh! Horror! Horror!”, a finale for Act II of the play Incognita by Isaac Albéniz (32) to words of Greenbank, is performed for the first time, in London.

    6 October 1894 The Schola Cantorum opens in Paris, led by Vincent d’Indy (43), Charles Bordes, and Alexandre Guilmant.

    6 October 1897 Requiem Mass op.63 for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (45) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, conducted by the composer.

    6 October 1898 Te Deum op.66 for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (46) is performed for the first time, in Leeds.

    6 October 1908 Incidental music to Euripides’ (tr. Murray) play Hippolytus by Granville Bantock (40) is performed for the first time, in the Gaity Theatre, Manchester.

    6 October 1911 Eine Lustspielouvertüre op.120 for orchestra by Max Reger (38) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    6 October 1915 Sonata for violin and piano no.9 op.139 by Max Reger (42) is performed for the first time, in Dortmund, the composer at the keyboard.

    6 October 1920 Two works for voice and orchestra or piano by Ferruccio Busoni (54) to words of Goethe are performed for the first time, in Zürich Tonhalle:  Lied des Mephistopheles op.49/2 and Lied des Unmuts.

    6 October 1922 Ode to Death, for chorus and orchestra by Gustav Holst (48) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, at Leeds.  The composer requires a police escort from the theatre to protect him from the crush of admirers.

    6 October 1927 The Jazz Singer, the first part-talking movie, is shown in New York.  For the first time, the soundtrack is on the film.

    6 October 1931 Caixinha de Música Quebrada for piano by Heitor Villa-Lobos (44) is performed for the first time.

    6 October 1933 Violin Concerto no.2 by Karol Szymanowski (51) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    6 October 1935 The Voice of the Forest, a radio opera by Bohuslav Martinu (44) to words of Nezval, is performed for the first time, over Czechoslovak Radio originating in Prague.

    6 October 1937 In Honour of the City of London for chorus and orchestra by William Walton (35) to words of Dunbar, is performed for the first time, ironically enough, in Leeds Town Hall.

    6 October 1938 Billy the Kid, a ballet by Aaron Copland (37), is performed for the first time, on two pianos in Chicago.  See 24 May 1939 and 9 November 1940.

    6 October 1939 American Festival Overture by William Schuman (29) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    6 October 1940 00:10  Silvestre Revueltas dies in Mexico City of bronchial pneumonia and the cumulative effects of alcoholism, aged 40 years, nine months, and six days.  The oration at his funeral will be written and performed by Pablo Neruda.

    6 October 1947 Aboriginal Legend for piano by Peter Sculthorpe (18) is performed for the first time, at Melbourne University, by the composer.

    6 October 1949 The Heiress, a film with music by Aaron Copland (48), is shown for the first time, in Radio City Music Hall, New York.

    Piano Sonata no.1 by Ned Rorem (25) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    Regina, an opera by Marc Blitzstein (44) to words of Hellman and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, New Haven.

    6 October 1951 Two works for small groups of instruments are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen:  Double Concerto for violin, piano, and small orchestra by Ernst Krenek (51), and Polyphonie X for 18 instruments by Pierre Boulez (26).

    6 October 1953 After a private funeral in Cork, the mortal remains of Arnold Bax are laid to rest in St. Finbarr’s Cemetery, Cork.

    6 October 1957 Music for violin, piano, and percussion by Gunther Schuller (31) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York conducted by the composer.

    6 October 1960 Cartridge Music for amplified sounds by John Cage (48) is performed before a live audience for the first time, at Mary Bauermeister’s Studio in Cologne.  Among the performers are Cornelius Cardew (24), Christian Wolff (26), Nam June Paik and David Tudor.  Simultaneously, the composer performs his Solo for Voice 2.  During Nam June Paik’s Etude for Piano, Paik suddenly rises from the piano and enters the audience, attacking Cage and Tudor, shredding Cage’s clothes with scissors, then leaving the hall.  See 15 September 1960.

    6 October 1961 Blake Songs for soprano and chamber ensemble by George Rochberg (43) is performed for the first time, at the New School, New York.

    6 October 1966 Hymn and Fuguing Tune no.16 for orchestra by Henry Cowell (†0) is performed for the first time, in New York under the baton of Leonard Bernstein (48).

    6 October 1970 Triplo Concerto a tre for nine soloists by Gian-Carlo Menotti (59) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    6 October 1971 Piece for Trumpet and 7 Instruments by Stefan Wolpe (69) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    We Sang Our Songs by William Grant Still (76) to words of Arvey is performed for the first time, for the centennial celebration of Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee.

    6 October 1977 String Quartet no.1 by Lejaren Hiller (53) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo, 28 years after it was composed.

    Symphony no.4 by Michael Tippett (72) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    6 October 1978 Dances from The Two Fiddlers for piccolo, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (44) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.  See 16 June 1978.

    6 October 1983 Sinfonietta accademica for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (49) is performed for the first time, in Reid Hall of the University of Edinburgh.

    6 October 1986 Three Small Songs for soprano and small orchestra by Benjamin Britten (†9) to words of Daniel and Fletcher, are performed for the first time, at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies, Snape, 55 years after they were composed.

    6 October 1988 Intermezzo for cello and accordion by Isang Yun (71) is performed for the first time, in Avignon.

    6 October 1991 Dox-Orkh for violin and orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (69) is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    As part of an all-Hovhaness concert at Carnegie Hall celebrating the 80th birthday of Alan Hovhaness (80), his Symphony no.65 “Artstakh” is performed for the first time.

    6 October 1992 Caroline Mathilde:  Concert Suite from Act II of the Ballet by Peter Maxwell Davies (58) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London the composer conducting.

    6 October 1994 Etude 10 from György Ligeti’s (71) Etudes for piano Book II  is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg.

    6 October 1998 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Samuel Adler (70) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    6 October 1999 Preludio a orchestra by Giacomo Puccini (†74) is given its first known performance in Teatro del Giglio, Lucca, 123 years after it was composed.

    6 October 2000 Concerto for viola and orchestra by Samuel Adler (72) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    6 October 2001 Guide to Strange Places for orchestra by John Adams (54) is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the composer conducting.

    6 October 2002 Orchestral Theatre 0 for orchestra by Tan Dun (45) is performed for the first time, in Brisbane, Australia.

    6 October 2003 Chakra for percussion trio by Kevin Volans (54) is performed for the first time, in Oslo.

    6 October 2004 Stella Matutina for chorus by John Tavener (60) is performed for the first time, in St. Janskerk, Gouda.

    6 October 2005 The Image Machine, real-time interactive computer music by Roger Reynolds (71), is performed for the first time, in Oslo.

    Three Illusions for Orchestra (Micomicón, Fons juventatis, More’s Utopia) by Elliott Carter (96) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.  See 15 January 2004.

    Three Gymnopedies for piano by David Del Tredici (68) are performed completely for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.

    Soundings for orchestra by Elliott Carter (96) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    Three Wordsworth Songs for soprano and computer by John Melby (64) is performed for the first time, at Pella College, Pella, Iowa.

    6 October 2010 Nocturne no.1 for piano quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (76) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    7 October

    7 October 1746 William Billings is born in Boston.

    7 October 1753 Johann Adolf Hasse’s (54) opera L’eroe cinese, to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Hubertusburg Court.

    7 October 1755 Il rè pastore, an opera by Johann Adolf Hasse (56) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Hubertusburg Court.

    7 October 1761 Zenobia, an opera by Johann Adolf Hasse (62) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Imperial Theatre, Warsaw.

    7 October 1763 Two days after succeeding his father as Elector of Saxony, Friedrich Christian sacks Johann Adolph Hasse (64) from the Dresden court.

    7 October 1770 Le trame per amore, a commedia per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (30) to words of Cerlone, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Nuovo, Naples.

    This date is appended by William Billings to the preface of his New England Psalm Singer in Boston. It is his 24th birthday.

    7 October 1787 Antonio Salieri (37) writes angrily to Lorenzo da Ponte requesting that he return immediately to Vienna and complete the libretto of Axur, Re d’Omus.  Da Ponte is in Prague for the upcoming opening of Don Giovanni.  Da Ponte will comply and miss the premiere.  See 29 October 1787 and 8 January 1788.

    7 October 1797 Publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (26) Piano Sonata op.7 and Serenade for string trio op.8 is announced in the Wiener Zeitung along with Three Grandes Sonates for piano with violin and cello accompaniment B.468-470 by Ignaz Pleyel (41).

    7 October 1816 Carl Maria von Weber (29), having resigned his position as opera director, leaves Prague for Berlin.  Soprano Caroline Brandt and her mother travel with him.

    7 October 1822 The Mendelssohn family makes a visit to Goethe’s home in Weimar.  It is the second meeting with the poet for Felix (13).  Fanny (16) plays Bach and her Goethe songs for him.  When Felix plays, the poet remarks, “You are my David, and if I am ever ill and sad, you must banish my bad dreams by your playing…”

    7 October 1835 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (25) enters upon duties as organist at Exeter Cathedral.  See 15 August 1835.

    7 October 1837 Samuel Wesley (71) composes his last piece, the hymn tune Cesarea.

    7 October 1849 Johann Strauss, Jr. (23) conducts his father’s orchestra for the first time, in the Kolonadensaal of the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    7 October 1856 A setting of the Ave Maria (I) in F for soloists, chorus, cello and organ by Anton Bruckner (32) is performed for the first time, at St. Florian.

    7 October 1858 Die Einsiedelei D.337 for male vocal quartet by Franz Schubert (†29) to words of Salis-Seewis is performed for the first time, before the composer’s birthplace in Vienna.

    7 October 1864 King Ludwig agrees to give Richard Wagner (51) a contract to finish Der Ring des Nibelungen.

    7 October 1867 Festival-Quadrille op.341 by Johann Strauss (41) is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London.

    7 October 1868 Die Nacht D.983c for male voices by Franz Schubert (†39) to words possibly by Krummacher is performed for the first time, in front of the composer’s birthplace in Vienna.

    7 October 1877 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) arrives in St. Petersburg in a state of near collapse.  Anatoly Tchaikovsky takes his brother to a hotel where he suffers violent episodes, goes to bed and lapses into a coma for two days.  A specialist orders that he never see his wife again.

    Kriegers Liebchen op.379, a polka mazurka by Johann Strauss (51), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    7 October 1878 Polyeucte, an opéra by Charles Gounod (60) to words of Barbier and Carré after Corneille, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  The work is not successful.

    7 October 1880 A funeral in memory of Jacques Offenbach is held at the Madeleine attended by a host of artistic Paris, including Ambroise Thomas (69), Johann Strauss (54) and Jules Massenet (38).  Offenbach’s earthly remains are laid to rest in the Montmartre Cemetery.

    The first movement of the Symphony no.4 by Anton Bruckner (55) is performed for the first time, in a four-hand piano arrangement, in Vienna.  See 4 February 1880 and 20 February 1881.

    7 October 1883 Introito, Alleluja and Sanctus by Pietro Mascagni (19) are performed for the first time, in the Church of Santa Caterina, Livorno.

    7 October 1891 Eden op.40, an oratorio for six solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (39) to words of Bridges, is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.  Press reaction is mixed.

    7 October 1893 Utopia Limited, or the Flowers of Progress, an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (51) to words of Gilbert, is performed for the first time, in the Savoy Theatre, London.  The line for tickets began to form at 10:00.  The first-night audience is enthusiastic and the show will run well, but the critics are lukewarm.  It goes for 245 performances.

    Incidental music to Cottinet’s play Vercingétorix by Camille Saint-Saëns (57) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris.

    7 October 1898 Maurische Rhapsodie for orchestra by Engelbert Humperdinck (44) is performed for the first time in Leeds, conducted by the composer.

    7 October 1901 Arnold Schoenberg (27) marries Mathilde von Zemlinsky in a civil ceremony in Pressburg (Bratislava).  See 18 October 1901.

    7 October 1904 Songs of the Sea op.91 for baritone, male chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (52) to words of Newbolt is performed for the first time, in Leeds.

    7 October 1909 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (†1) opera The Golden Cockerel, to words of Belsky after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, at the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.

    7 October 1912 Igor Stravinsky (30) boards a train in St. Petersburg for Ustilug (Ustyluh, Ukraine) and thence to Paris and Switzerland.  He will not see his native city again for 50 years.

    7 October 1918 After a month of pain and some delirium, Charles Hubert Hastings Parry dies in Rustington, Sussex, aged 70 years, seven months, and ten days.

    7 October 1924 The Second Violin Sonata by Frederick Delius (62) is performed for the first time, in Westminster.

    7 October 1925 The First Choral Symphony op.41 for soprano, chorus and orchestra by Gustav Holst (51), to words of Keats, is performed for the first time, in Leeds.  The critics are not pleased.

    7 October 1932 The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives its inaugural concert in Queen’s Hall, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.

    7 October 1937 The Society of Recorder Players is formed in London under its first president, Arnold Dolmetsch.

    7 October 1939 Médée, an opera by Darius Milhaud (47) to words of M. Milhaud is performed for the first time, in Opéra Flamand, Antwerp.

    7 October 1943 One Touch of Venus, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (43) to words of Perelman and Nash, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Imperial Theatre.  It is a smash and will see 567 performances.  See 17 September 1943.

    7 October 1945 Largely through the efforts of dramaturge Karl Amadeus Hartmann (40), the first orchestral concert in Munich since the war takes place in the Prinzregententheater.  It is small, but one of the few venues not damaged or destroyed by bombs.

    7 October 1948 Kurt Weill’s (48) vaudeville Love Life, to words of Lerner, is performed for the first time in New York at the 46th Street Theatre.  It is generally successful.  See 13 September 1948.

    7 October 1951 Piano Concerto no.2 by Lukas Foss (29) is performed for the first time, in Venice the composer at the piano.

    Symphony no.3 by Hans Werner Henze (25) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    7 October 1952 Incidental music to Molière’s play The Miser by Peter Sculthorpe (23) is performed for the first time, in Launceston, Tasmania.

    7 October 1954 Marian Anderson becomes the first African-American singer to sign a contract with the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

    7 October 1955 Symphony no.6 by Darius Milhaud (63) is performed for the first time, in Boston, the composer conducting.

    7 October 1956 String Quartet no.6 by Dmitri Shostakovich (50) is performed for the first time, in Glinka Concert Hall, Leningrad.

    Hymns and Responses for the Church Year, volume 1 op.68 for chorus by Vincent Persichetti (41) is performed for the first time, at First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.

    7 October 1960 Concerto for Improvising Instruments for flute, clarinet, cello, percussion, and piano by Lukas Foss (38) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia, the composer at the keyboard.

    7 October 1961 In Those Days for piano by John Ireland (82) is performed for the first time, in the Great Drawing Room, St. James’ Square, London, 66 years after it was composed.

    Symphony no.15 “Thesis” by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Murray, Kentucky.

    7 October 1962 Concerto-Rhapsody for violin and orchestra by Aram Khachaturian (59) is performed for the first time, in Yaroslavl.

    7 October 1968 Music for Vietnam for string quartet by Peter Sculthorpe (39) is performed for the first time, in Teachers Federation Hall, Sydney.

    Mutations from Bach for brass and timpani by Samuel Barber (58) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    7 October 1970 The Viola in My Life 2 for viola and six instruments by Morton Feldman (44) is performed for the first time, in Rome.

    Two works by Pauline Oliveros (38) are performed for the first time, at Hope College, Holland, Michigan:  Bog Road with Bird Call Patch for two-track tape, and To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of the Desperation for chamber orchestra, chorus, organ, electronics, and lights.  See 29 January 1971.

    7 October 1976 Final Alice for amplified soprano and folk group by David Del Tredici (39) to words of Carroll and Mee is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    7 October 1983 Wenn Bach Bienen gezüchtet hätte, a concertino for harpsichord, electric bass, magnetic tape, and chamber ensemble by Arvo Pärt (48), is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    Treue Liebe for voice and piano by Arnold Bax (†30) to anonymous words is performed for the first time, in a recording session in Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, Sussex, 73 years after it was composed, during the centennial of the composer’s birth.

    7 October 1987 String Quartet no.3 by Brian Ferneyhough (44) is performed for the first time, in Paris over the airwaves of Radio France.

    The Four Sections for orchestra by Steve Reich (51) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    7 October 1988 Ned Rorem’s (64) Quaker Reader, in the version for orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Tilles Center, New York City.  See 2 February 1977.

    7 October 1993 Legends for orchestra by Shulamit Ran (43) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    7 October 1995 Let’s Begin Again for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by John Tavener (51) is performed for the first time, in Norwich Cathedral.

    7 October 1997 Sinatra Shag for violin and chamber ensemble by Michael Daugherty (43) is performed for the first time, at Indiana State University, Terre Haute.

    Djuro’s Tree, an octaphonic computer music composition by Larry Austin (67), is performed for the first time, at North Carolina State University.

    7 October 1999 Music for Sophocles’ play Antigone by Mikis Theodorakis (74) is performed for the first time, at Megaron, Athens.

    La Lune et les Flots for string trio by Henri Pousseur (70) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    7 October 2000 UFO for percussion and wind band by Michael Daugherty (46) is performed for the first time, at Michigan State University.

    String Quartet no.4 by Charles Wuorinen (62) is performed for the first time, in El Paso.

    7 October 2003 Arthur Berger dies in Boston, aged 91 years, four months, and 22 days.

    7 October 2005 Crowd for harp by Harrison Birtwistle (71) is performed for the first time, in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Rostock.

    7 October 2006 The Museum-International Centre Mikis Theodorakis (81) is inaugurated in Zatouna, where the composer was exiled in 1968-69.

    Murmures for tape by Pierre Henry (78) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    7 October 2009 Quartettino 5 for string quartet by Robin Holloway (65) is performed for the first time, in West End Concert Hall, Cambridge.

    7 October 2012 In a Wintered Byre for chorus and organ ad. lib. by Peter Maxwell Davies (78), to words of George Mackay Brown, is performed for the first time, at the Chapel Royal to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

    Voyage for string quartet by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (73) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    8 October

    8 October 1551 Giulio Romolo Caccini is born in Rome.

    8 October 1754 Georg Philipp Telemann’s (73) cantata Habe acht auf dich selbst is performed for the first time, at the consecration of Joachim Lütken as preacher in St. Maria Magdalena, Hamburg.

    8 October 1760 Alcide al bivio, a festa teatrale by Johann Adolf Hasse (61) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna, to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Joseph to Princess Isabella of Parma.

    8 October 1772 Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville dies in Belleville, 60 years, nine months and 13 days after his baptism.

    8 October 1789 La Cleopatra, a dramma serio by Domenico Cimarosa (39) to words of Moretti, is performed for the first time, at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

    8 October 1793 Niccolò Piccinni’s (65) opera eroicomico La Griselda is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    8 October 1796 Johann Simon Mayr’s (33) dramma giocosa Un pazzo ne fa cento to words of Foppa after Somigli, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    8 October 1834 04:40  François-Adrien Boieldieu dies peacefully of “consumptive laryngitis” at Jarcy, aged 58 years, nine months and 22 days.

    8 October 1848 The Tchaikovsky family, including young Pyotr Ilyich (8), leave their provincial home for Moscow where the father believes a new job awaits him.

    Richard Wagner (35) dates a manuscript entitled Die Nibelungensage (Mythus). It is a prose outline of the Ring.

    8 October 1861 Chansonette-Quadrille op.259 by Johann Strauss (35) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    8 October 1863 After journalistic efforts of 30 years, Hector Berlioz (59) contributes his last article to the Journal des débats, a review of Bizet’s (24) Les pêcheurs de perles.  See 10 October 1833.

    8 October 1864 ‘s giebt nur a Kaiserstadt, ‘s giebt nur a Wien op.291, a polka by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    8 October 1866 In Avon, near Fontainebleau, Jules Massenet (24) marries Louise Constance de Gressy, sister of an artist, cousin of a mathematician and piano student of Franz Liszt (54) who introduced them.

    8 October 1882 Dimitrij, an opera by Antonín Dvorák (41) to words of Cervinkova-Riegrova, is performed for the first time, at the New Czech Theatre, Prague.

    8 October 1892 Music for tableaux vivants by Richard Strauss (28) is performed for the first time, in the Weimar Hofkapelle, conducted by the composer.  The work was composed for the golden anniversary of the Grand Duke and Duchess of Weimar.  He will later publish part of this as Kampf und Sieg.

    Prelude in c# minor for piano op.3/2 by Sergey Rakhmaninov (19) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

    8 October 1893 Helgoland for male chorus and orchestra by Anton Bruckner (69) to words of Silberstein is performed for the first time, in the Winterreitschule, Vienna.

    8 October 1897 The Vienna Hofoper announces that it has named Gustav Mahler (37) as director.

    Three works by Ferruccio Busoni (31) are performed for the first time, in the Singakademie, Berlin conducted by the composer:  Concerto for violin and orchestra op.35a, Second Orchestral Suite (Geharnischte Suite) op. 34a and the Comedy Overture op.38.  Reviews are widely mixed.

    8 October 1900 The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gives a final decision in the case of John Philip Sousa (45) and the heirs of David Blakely.  Sousa’s contract with Blakely ended with the latter’s death in November 1896.  However, since the tour of 1896-97 had been contracted by Blakely, one-half of the profits go to his heirs.  All music published by Sousa and Blakely belongs to them jointly and Blakely’s heirs are entitled to one-half of the royalties.

    8 October 1902 Little Lasse op.37/2, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (36) to words of Topelius, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    8 October 1903 Carl Nielsen’s (38) overture Helios is performed for the first time, under the composer’s direction, in Copenhagen.  This work was composed earlier this year on a trip to Greece with his wife who was copying sculptures at the Acropolis.

    8 October 1905 Max Reger’s (32) Sinfonietta op.90 is performed for the first time, in Essen.

    8 October 1906 Ruggero Leoncavallo (49) gives his first performance in North America at Carnegie Hall, New York.  It includes excerpts from his operas and the first performance of his march Viva l’America! Reviews are mixed.

    8 October 1908 Edvard Grieg’s (†1) incomplete opera Szenen aus Olav Trygvason, to words of Bjørnson, is performed for the first time, in Christiania (Oslo).

    8 October 1910 Two works for orchestra by Jean Sibelius (44) are performed for the first time, in Christiania (Oslo), conducted by the composer:  In memoriam op.59, and the tone poem The Dryad.  The composition of In memoriam was inspired by the assassination of the Russian governor-general of Finland in 1904.  Also premiered is Sibelius’ song The Tree op.57/5 to words of Josephson.

    8 October 1921 Three works for piano by Amy Cheney Beach (54) are performed for the first time, in New London, New Hampshire:  The Fair Hills of Eire op.91, The Hermit Thrush at Eve op.92/1, and The Hermit Thrush at Morn, op.92/2.

    8 October 1928 Concerto for violin and orchestra by Alfredo Casella (45) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    8 October 1929 Ruth Crawford (28) attends a concert of American folk music, spirituals, and mountain songs, in Washington.  It is an eye-opening experience that will affect her later life.

    8 October 1930 Toru Takemitsu is born in Tokyo, the son of Takeo and Reiko Takemitsu.

    8 October 1931 Belshazzar’s Feast, an oratorio for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by William Walton (29) to words of Sitwell after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Leeds.  It is a stunning success with critics and the public.

    8 October 1933 Edward Elgar (76) undergoes exploratory surgery at South Bank Nursing Home.  It reveals that cancer has spread throughout his body.

    8 October 1940 Béla Bartók (59) and his wife give their farewell performance at the Budapest Academy of Music, a few days before they leave Hungary.

    8 October 1941 49th Parallel, a film with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (68), is shown for the first time, in the Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square, London.

    Incidental music to Exbrayat’s play La fille du jardinier by Francis Poulenc (42) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    8 October 1943 Igor Stravinsky’s (61) orchestral work Ode, elegiac chant in three parts is performed for the first time, in Boston and broadcast across the United States.  It is a fiasco, owing to the rush occasioned by the decision by Serge Koussevitsky to program it only two weeks ago.  In the rush to prepare the music, several glaring errors are made by both the composer and the copyists.

    8 October 1944 Capricorn Concerto for flute, oboe, trumpet, and strings by Samuel Barber (34), is performed for the first time, in New York.  The work is named after the composer’s house in Mount Kisco, New York.

    8 October 1945 Leonard Bernstein (27) takes up duties as director of the New York City Symphony.

    8 October 1946 Two works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (59) are performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, conducted by the composer:  Fantasia for cello and orchestra, and the symphonic poem Madona.

    8 October 1949 String Quartet no.4 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (62) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, 32 years after it was composed.

    8 October 1953 Winter Words op.52, a cycle for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (39) to words of Hardy, is performed for the first time, at Harewood House, Leeds by Peter Pears and the composer.

    8 October 1958 Ten Blake Songs for solo voice and oboe by Ralph Vaughan Williams (†0) are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.  The music was composed to accompany the film The Vision of William Blake which is first shown publicly on 10 October 1958 in the Academy Cinema, London.

    Three Vocalises for soprano and clarinet by Ralph Vaughan Williams (†0) are performed for the first time, in Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

    8 October 1960 The Story of a Real Man, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (†7) to words of Mendelson and the composer after Polevoy, is staged for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.  See 3 December 1948.

    8 October 1962 Before conducting a concert of his music in the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic, Igor Stravinsky (80) tells his audience, “69 years ago I sat with my mother in that corner at a concert conducted by Napravnik to mourn the death of Tchaikovsky.  Now I am conducting in the same hall.  It is a great occasion for me.”

    String Quartet no.5 by Walter Piston (68) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    8 October 1964 Night Flight, a revision of the second movement of Samuel Barber’s (54) Second Symphony, is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland.

    8 October 1965 Three Postludes for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (52) are performed completely for the first time, in Kraków.  See 1 September 1963.

    Antiphonen for viola and chamber orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (47) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    8 October 1966 Requiem Canticles for alto, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (84) to words of the Latin requiem, is performed for the first time, at Princeton University.

    8 October 1971 Duke Ellington (72) and his Orchestra play the first of five concerts in Moscow.

    8 October 1977 Requiem for chorus, organ, piano, electric bass, electric guitar, brass, percussion, and celesta by Alfred Schnittke (42) is performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    Three Slow Pieces for cello and piano by Ned Rorem (53) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    8 October 1988 Attracteurs estranges for clarinet and synthesized sound by Jean-Claude Risset (50) is performed for the first time.

    8 October 1990 String Quartet no.4 “In Memoriam John Ogdon” op.52 by Alexander Goehr (58) is performed for the first time, at the University of Iowa.

    8 October 1992 Concerto for violin and orchestra by Györgi Ligeti (69) is performed completely for the first time, in Cologne.  See 3 November 1990 and 9 June 1993.

    8 October 1993 Esther, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (80) to words of Kondek after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Troubadours:  Variations for guitar and chamber orchestra by John Corigliano (55) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    8 October 1994 La lugubre gondola/Das Eismeer for two pianos by Wolfgang Rihm (42), composed in memory of Luigi Nono, is performed for the first time, in Graz.  See 14 September 1992.

    String Quartet no.5 “Dancers on a Plane” by Kevin Volans (45) is performed for the first time.

    8 October 1995 L’Andalouse dans Barcelone op.134 for orchestra by Charles Koechlin (†44) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  It was composed in 1933 for a film called Cruises with the Squadron but this music was replaced at the last minute and was never heard in Koechlin’s lifetime.

    String Quartet no.4 by Ned Rorem (71) is performed for the first time, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

    8 October 2004 Eins und doppelt for voice and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (52) is performed for the first time, in Ludwigshafen.

    8 October 2006 Daniel Variations for voices and instruments by Steve Reich  (70) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    8 October 2009 City Noir for orchestra by John Adams (62) is performed for the first time, in Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

    8 October 2010 Fanfare, Reminiscence, and Celebration for brass by Ellen Taafe Zwilich (71) is performed for the first time, at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

    9 October

    9 October 1585 Heinrich Schütz is baptized in Köstritz (Bad Köstritz), near Gera.

    9 October 1770 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (14) is examined for membership in the Accademia Filarmonica, Bologna.  He is required to display his proficiency in 16th century counterpoint.  It is the culminating event of his study with Padre Giovanni Battista Martini (64).  He passes.

    9 October 1772 The earthly remains of Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville are laid to rest in the Church of Saint Jean de Belleville.

    9 October 1795 The Morning Chronicle, London announces the publication of Joseph Haydn’s (63) three piano trios XV:  24-6.

    9 October 1799 Johann Simon Mayr’s (36) farsa Labino e Carlotta to words of Rossi is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Benedetto, Venice.

    9 October 1806 At the home of the Prince of Rudolstadt, Jan Ladislav Dussek (46) performs his Concerto for two pianos and orchestra op.63 C.206 for the first time, possibly with string quartet.

    9 October 1823 Daniel-François-Esprit Auber’s (41) opéra comique La neige, ou Le nouvel Eginhard to words of Scribe and Delavigne is performed for the first time, in Thêâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    9 October 1826 Gioachino Rossini’s (34) tragédie-lyrique Le siège de Corinthe, to words of Balocchi and Soumet after della Valle, is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.  As to the response, Léon Escudier will write, “The hall...leaped to its feet as one man at the final notes of the chorus and gave vent to a long shout of admiration.”  It is the first Rossini work to be premiered at the Paris Opéra.

    9 October 1831 Clara Wieck (12) plays for Goethe at his home for a second time.  He presents her with a medallion of himself with a handwritten note on the box:  To the artistically highly gifted Clara Wieck.  In kindly remembrance of 9 October 1831.  Weimar.  J.W. Goethe.

    9 October 1834 Felix Mendelssohn (25) enters upon duties as Intendant of the Düsseldorf Opera.

    9 October 1835 06:45  Charles Camille Saint-Saëns is born in Paris, the son of Jacques Joseph Victor Saint-Saëns, an audit clerk at the Ministry of the Interior, Paris, and Clémence Françoise Collin, daughter of a carpenter.  The baby is their first and only child, as the father will die on 31 December of consumption.

    9 October 1848 Georges Bizet (9) competes in the examination for entrance to the Paris Conservatoire.  He is accepted.

    9 October 1851 Jules Massenet (9) takes his entrance examination at the Paris Conservatoire before a panel of judges including Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (69), Fromental Halévy (52) and Ambroise Thomas (40).  He is not admitted.  See 10 January 1853.

    9 October 1853 Kron-Marsch op.139 by Johann Strauss (27) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.  Also premiered is Strauss’ Wellen und Wogen waltz op.141.

    9 October 1855 A patent is issued to Joshua Stoddard of Worcester, Massachusetts for a steam calliope.

    9 October 1867 Franz Liszt (55) arrives at Tribschen to discuss Richard Wagner’s (54) relationship with his daughter Cosima von Bülow.  They talk for six hours.  Later, they discuss Die Meistersinger, which Liszt sight-reads from the orchestral score while Wagner sings the vocal parts.  Liszt calls it a masterpiece.  They will not see each other again for five years.

    9 October 1881 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (37) writes that he has resigned from the directorship of the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg.

    9 October 1888 Ecce sacerdos magnus for chorus and organ by Edward Elgar (31) is performed for the first time, in St. George’s Church, Worcester.

    9 October 1891 Requiem op.89 for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (50) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, conducted by the composer.

    9 October 1896 String Quartet no.13 by Antonín Dvorák (55) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Phaudrig Crohoore op.62, a ballad for chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (44) to words of Le Fanu, is performed for the first time, in Norwich.

    9 October 1897 Ralph Vaughan Williams marries Adeline Fisher at Parish Church, All Saints, Hove, near Brighton, three days before his 25th birthday.  The couple are joined by Rev. WJ Spooner, later of Spoonerism fame.

    9 October 1906 Incidental music to Drachmann’s play Master Oluf Rides by Carl Nielsen (41) is performed for the first time, under the direction of the composer, at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen.

    9 October 1908 Violin Sonata no.1 op.11 by Albert Roussel (39) is performed for the first time, at the Salon d’Automne, Paris.

    9 October 1914 The second of the Three Pieces for Organ by Frank Bridge (35) is performed for the first time, in Twrgwyn Chapel.

    9 October 1920 The first two of the Five Piano Pieces op.23 by Arnold Schoenberg (46) are performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    9 October 1921 Leos Janácek’s (67) symphonic rhapsody Taras Bulba is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Brno.  It is a success.

    9 October 1922 The first public performance of Woodwind Quintet op.43 by Carl Nielsen (57) takes place in Copenhagen.  See 30 April 1922.

    9 October 1924 Anton Webern’s (40) Sacred Songs op.15 for soprano and chamber group are performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    9 October 1925 Igor Stravinsky (43) writes to Jean Cocteau suggesting an opera in Latin on an ancient tragedy.

    9 October 1931 Six days after his death, a state funeral in memory of Carl Nielsen takes place in the Free Church of Copenhagen.  King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine attend and the church is full.  Hundreds congregate outside.

    9 October 1932 Maurice Ravel (57) suffers injuries to the face and throat when the taxi in which he is riding collides with another vehicle in Paris.  The wounds are not life threatening but they may aid the progression of his illness which has recently manifested in involuntary body movements and the inability to put thought into words.

    Symphony no.4 for piano and orchestra by Karol Szymanowski (50) is performed for the first time, in Poznan, the composer at the piano.

    9 October 1933 Kantate von der Vergänglichkeit des Irdischen for soprano, chorus, and piano by Ernst Krenek (33) to words of various 17th century authors, is performed for the first time, in Zürich the composer at the keyboard.

    9 October 1942 The first of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare for Airmen by Bernard Wagenaar, is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    9 October 1943 O Salutaris for solo voice and organ by Arthur Honegger (51) is performed for the first time, in Église Saint-Séverin, Paris.

    9 October 1946 String Quartet no.2 by Ernest Bloch (66) is performed for the first time, in London.

    9 October 1958 Dmitri Shostakovich (52) is awarded the Sibelius Prize by the Wihuri Foundation.

    9 October 1959 Psalms of David for chorus, percussion, keyboard, and double basses by Krzysztof Penderecki (25) is performed for the first time, in Kraków.

    9 October 1960 Sechs Vermessene for piano by Ernst Krenek (60) is performed for the first time, in Kassel.

    9 October 1963 Symphony no.4 by Hans Werner Henze (37) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, directed by the composer.

    9 October 1964 Festive Ode for chorus and orchestra by Karel Husa (43), to words of Blackall, is performed for the first time, at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    9 October 1965 Benjamin Britten (51) receives the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in Helsinki.

    Incidental music to Krasinsky’s play The Ungodly Comedy by Krzysztof Penderecki (31) is performed for the first time, in Stary Teatr, Kraków.

    9 October 1967 Elliott Carter (58) writes from Bellagio, Italy to Secretary of State Dean Rusk asking if anything could be done for Isang Yun (50), who was kidnapped by South Korean agents from West Berlin last July.  Rusk will not reply.

    9 October 1968 Nine Rivers from Jordan, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (55) to words of Johnston, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    9 October 1971 Olivier Messiaen (62) receives the Sibelius Prize in Helsinki.

    9 October 1973 Witold Lutoslawski (60) is awarded the Sibelius Prize in Helsinki.

    Leonard Bernstein (55) gives the first of his lectures entitled The Unanswered Question as Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University.  Well into the talk, a bomb threat is received and the theatre has to be cleared.

    Initium for orchestra by Carlos Chávez (74) is performed for the first time, in Edwin J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, Ohio.

    9 October 1975 Symphonic Hymn for orchestra by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (†11) is performed for the first time, in Munich, 33 years after it was composed.

    9 October 1976 Etude Fantasy for piano by John Corigliano (38) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    9 October 1980 Before Breakfast, a dramatic monologue by Thomas Pasatieri (34) to words of Corsaro after O’Neill, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    9 October 1981 Credo for piano, chorus, and orchestra by Arvo Pärt (46) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.

    9 October 1983 Krzysztof Penderecki (49) receives the Sibelius Prize in Helsinki from the Wihuri Foundation.  Previous winners include Jean Sibelius (†26), Igor Stravinsky (†12), Paul Hindemith (†19), Dmitri Shostakovich (†8), Olivier Messiaen (74), Witold Lutoslawski (70), and Benjamin Britten (†6).

    Clarinet and String Quartet for clarinet and string quartet by Morton Feldman (57) is performed for the first time, in Newcastle.

    Monodram for cello and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (31) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    Lili Hastings for violin and piano by Virgil Thomson (86) is performed for the first time, at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.

    9 October 1985 X:  the Life and Times of Malcolm X, an opera by Anthony Davis (34) to words of Davis, Davis, and Levine, is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  See 28 September 1986.

    9 October 1987 Campagne di Ravello for orchestra by John Corigliano (49) is performed for the first time, in Chicago to celebrate the 75th birthday of Sir Georg Solti.

    9 October 1988 Two works by Isang Yun (71) are performed for the first time, in Berlin:  Distanzen for wind and string quintet, and Contemplation for two violas.

    All in Twilight, four pieces for guitar by Toru Takemitsu (58), is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    Orchestra Variations by Marc Blitzstein (†24) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York, 54 years after it was composed.

    9 October 1990 Tuorakemsu for orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (68) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo for the 60th birthday of Toru Takemitsu.

    Leonard Bernstein (72) announces his retirement from performing due to medical problems.

    9 October 1992 Suite on the Name Gabriel Fauré for piano by Arnold Bax (†39) is performed for the first time, in Église Saint Pierre, Paris, 47 years after it was composed.

    9 October 1994 The Myrrh-Bearer for viola, chorus, and percussion by John Tavener (50) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    9 October 1996 An arrangement of Advance Australia Fair for strings by Peter Sculthorpe (67) is performed for the first time, in a recording by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

    9 October 1997 A Song of War and Victory for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†44) is performed completely for the first time, at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 92 years after it was composed.  See 24 September 1994.

    9 October 1998 Scenes from Antwerp op.85, symphonic images by Robin Holloway (54), is performed for the first time, in Antwerp.

    9 October 1999 Two sacred works by Pietro Mascagni (†54) are performed for the first time, in Santa Maria del Soccorso, Livorno:  Alleluja, solemnitas gloriae Virginis Mariae for soprano and organ 120 years after it was composed, and Alleluja, Dies sanctificatus, 178 years after is was composed.  The manuscripts were discovered earlier this year.

    The Bridal Chamber for two counter tenors, three tenors, and two basses by John Tavener (55) is performed for the first time, in Little Missenden Church.

    A View from the Bridge, an opera by William Bolcom (61) to words of Weinstein and Miller, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    9 October 2000 Györgi Ligeti (77) is awarded the Sibelius Prize in Helsinki.

    9 October 2004 Joan Tower (66) is inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston.

    9 October 2007 Magyar Madness for clarinet and string quartet by David del Tredici (70) is performed for the first time, at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

    9 October 2008 Rhapsodie for trumpet and orchestra by Mikis Theodorakis (83) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    9 October 2010 Promised End, an opera by Alexander Goehr (78) to words of Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London.

    9 October 2011 Double Concerto for violin, piano, and orchestra by Hans Abrahamsen (58) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    10 October

    10 October 1756 Georg Philipp Telemann’s (75) Donner-Ode, to words of Cramer, is performed for the first time, in St. Catherine’s, Hamburg.

    10 October 1759 The Beggar’s Opera, a ballad opera by Thomas Augustine Arne (49) to words of Gay, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London.

    10 October 1760 Tetide, a serenata by Christoph Willibald Gluck (46) to words of Migliavacca, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Hofburg to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Joseph to Princess Isabella of Parma.

    10 October 1765 Georg Benda (43) is granted six months leave from his position as Kapellmeister to Duke Friedrich III of Saxe-Gotha to study in Italy.

    10 October 1766 Heinrich Gottfried Koch opens the new Theater am Rannstädter Thore in Leipzig.  It will become the center of German opera in the late 18th century.

    10 October 1770 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (14) is accepted into membership in the Accademia Filarmonica, Bologna.

    10 October 1774 Antonio Salieri (24) marries Theresia Helferstorfer, whose father once worked in the Austrian court treasury, on the same day as the dress rehearsal for his opera La calamita de cuori.

    10 October 1784 I due supposti conti, ossia Lo sposo senza moglie by Domenico Cimarosa (34) to words of Anelli, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    10 October 1797 Adelina Senese, o sia L’amore secreto, a dramma giocoso by Gaspare Spontini (22) to words of Bertati, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    10 October 1806 French forces defeat the Prussians at Saalfeld, 40 km southeast of Erfurt.  Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia is killed in action.  He was accompanied into battle by his friend and employee, Jan Ladislav Dussek (46).  After the death of Prince Ludwig, Prussian and Saxon troops flee before the French.  Dussek will later pen the Elégie harmonique sur la mort du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse, honoring the memory of his good friend.

    10 October 1813 20:00  Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi is born at Le Roncale near Busseto, 30 km northwest of Parma, eldest of two children born to Carlo Verdi, a tavern owner and Luigia Uttini, daughter of tavern owners.  Unknown to a world preoccupied with the fortunes of Napoléon Bonaparte, the two giants of the 19th century musical stage have been born within the space of five months.

    10 October 1821 A contract is signed between Lowell Mason (29) and George K. Jackson of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.  Mason’s tune book will be issued under the name of the society.

    10 October 1825 Dmitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky dies in St. Petersburg, aged approximately 74 years.

    10 October 1828 Nicolò Paganini (45) undergoes an operation for an ulcerated tooth in Prague.  The procedure results in severe inflammation of his lower jaw.

    10 October 1843 Ambroise Thomas’ (32) opéra comique Mina, ou Le ménage à trois to words of de Planard is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    10 October 1853 In the home of Madame Patersi de Fossombroni in Paris, Franz Liszt (41) sees his three children for the first time in nine years.  He has come from Switzerland with Richard Wagner (40), Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein and her daughter Princess Marie.  Also present are Hector Berlioz (49) and Liszt’s mother Anna.  At the request of Princess Marie, Wagner continues to read his Nibelungen poem which he had begun reading to them in Switzerland.  It is the first time that Wagner lays eyes on Cosima Liszt, now just 15.  It is the first time that Wagner and Berlioz have met since 1843.

    10 October 1869 Von der Börse op.337, a polka française by Johann Strauss (43), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    10 October 1881 Richard D’Oyly Carte opens his new Savoy Theatre in London with a production of Patience by Gilbert and Sullivan (39).  The building has been erected to accommodate the immense popularity of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.  In honor of the event, Arthur Sullivan conducts the performance personally.  The auditorium is illuminated by electricity.  See 28 December 1881.

    10 October 1882 Pietro Mascagni (18) passes the entrance examination to the Milan Conservatory.

    10 October 1889 Georg Martin Adolf von Henselt dies at WarmBrünn, Silesia (Cieplice Slaskie-Zdroj, Poland), aged 75 years, five months and one day.

    10 October 1891 Paa Vidderne, a symphonic poem by Fritz (Frederick) Delius (29), is performed for the first time, in Christiania (Oslo).

    10 October 1902 Two songs for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (36) are performed for the first time, in Helsinki:  Sunrise op.37/3 to words of Hedberg, and Was it a Dream op.37/4, to words of Wecksell.

    10 October 1907 Stabat mater op.96, a symphonic cantata for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (55), is performed for the first time, in Leeds.

    Toward the Unknown Region, for chorus and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (34) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, at Leeds Town Hall, directed by the composer.

    10 October 1910 Primary School Children’s March for children’s chorus by Jean Sibelius (44) to words of Pekka is performed for the first time, simultaneously at several Finnish primary schools.

    10 October 1911 String Quartet no.5 op.121 by Max Reger (38) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.

    The first five of the Ten Piano Pieces op.58 by Jean Sibelius (45) are performed for the first time, in Helsinki, along with the premiere of the Two Rondinos op.68 for piano.

    10 October 1914 Follow the Colours, in the version for male chorus, by Edwar Elgar (57) to words of Stretton, is performed for the first time, at the Royal Albert Hall, London.  Also premiered is Elgar’s song A Soldier’s Song:  Roll Call to words of Begbie.

    Margot, a comedia lírica by Joaquín Turina (31) to words of Martínez Sierra, is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    10 October 1919 Die Frau ohne Schatten op.65, an opera by Richard Strauss (55) to words of Hoffmannsthal, is performed for the first time, at the Vienna Staatsoper.  It is generally well received, but most don’t understand it.

    10 October 1925 Flos Campi, a suite for viola, small wordless chorus, and small orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (52), is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    10 October 1927 String Quartet no.1 by Bohuslav Martinu (36) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    10 October 1928 A young musician named Eric Fenby arrives at the home of Frederick Delius (66) at Grez-sur-Loing to serve as secretary to the composer, who is near paralysis.  Together they will complete many of Delius’ unfinished works.

    10 October 1931 Alone, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (25), is shown for the first time, at the Splendid Palace Cinema, Leningrad.

    10 October 1932 Three Songs for voice and orchestra by William Walton (30) to words of E. Sitwell, are performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    Concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (41) is performed for the first time, in London.

    10 October 1933 Two works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (46) are performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, under the baton of the composer:  Canção da saudade for chorus, and O contra-baixo for children’s chorus to words of Salema.

    10 October 1935 The official premiere of Porgy and Bess, an opera by George Gershwin (37) to words of DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, takes place in the Alvin Theatre, New York.   Critics are mixed.  After the performance, the Gershwins meet Kurt Weill (35) recently arrived from Europe.  See 30 September 1935.

    10 October 1936 Roy Harris (38) marries Beula Duffey, pianist and composer, in Union, Oregon.  It is his third marriage.

    10 October 1938 String Quartet no.1 by Dmitri Shostakovich (32) is performed for the first time, in Leningrad Conservatory Malyi Hall.

    10 October 1939 Trenzinho for chorus by Heitor Villa-Lobos (52) to words of Santoro, is performed for the first time, under the baton of the composer.

    10 October 1940 Virgil Thomson (43) is hired as music critic for the New York Herald Tribune.

    10 October 1944 During a German counterattack in Hungary, a group of Jewish slave laborers including György Ligeti (21) find themselves unattended near Nagyvárad.  Over the next ten days Ligeti will be captured four times by the Soviets, and four times will escape in the chaos.  He will walk back to Kolozsvár to find his parents and younger brother have been taken off to death camps.

    10 October 1947 Bachianas Brasileiras no.5 for soprano and eight cellos by Heitor Villa-Lobos (60) is performed completely for the first time, in Paris.  See 25 March 1939.

    10 October 1948 La bonne cuisine for voice and piano by Leonard Bernstein (30) to words of Dutoit (tr. Bernstein), is performed for the first time, in New York.

    10 October 1951 Ten Poems on Texts by Revolutionary Poets for boys’ chorus and chorus by Dmitri Shostakovich (45) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.

    10 October 1953 Concerto for piano, winds, and strings by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (48) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  Also premiered is Portrait for strings by Karel Husa (32).

    10 October 1955 The Sibelius Prize is awarded to Paul Hindemith (59) by the Wihuri Foundation.

    Concerto for C trumpet and orchestra “Nobody Knows de Trouble I see” by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (37) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR, Hamburg.

    Reuben Reuben, a musical play by Marc Blitzstein (50) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, Boston.  It is a colossal failure.  About 300 people walk out before the end.  There is some enthusiasm in the remaining audience, but this is a minority.  The critics are scathing.

    10 October 1957 Three Pieces for chamber ensemble by Arnold Schoenberg (†6) are performed for the first time, in Berlin, 47 years after they were composed.

    10 October 1958 Mass in four parts op.138 for chorus and organ by Florent Schmitt (†0) is performed for the first time, in Église St-Pierre de Chaillot, Paris.

    10 October 1959 Incidental music to Ardrey’s play Tower of Solitude by Henryk Górecki (25) is performed for the first time, in Katowice.

    10 October 1961 The television film New York:  City of Magic with music by Ulysses Kay (44) is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

    10 October 1962 Klavierstück X by Karlheinz Stockhausen (34) is performed for the first time, in Palermo.

    10 October 1963 Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folksongs op.115 by Dmitri Shostakovich (57) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.

    10 October 1965 Three Studies in Electronic Sound by Leslie Bassett (42) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    10 October 1966 Piano Trio no.2 by Walter Piston (72) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    10 October 1967 Bolivian officials announce that Ernesto “Che” Guevara was killed in a clash between his revolutionary forces and Bolivian federal troops two days ago.  In fact, he was captured by Bolivian forces on 8 October and shot to death by a Bolivian soldier the next day. When they hear the news, Hans Werner Henze (41) and Ernst Schnabel, the composer and poet of Das Floß der Medusa, decide to turn the hero of the work into a Guevara-like figure.

    10 October 1968 Sinfonia for singers and orchestra by Luciano Berio (42) to words of Lévi-Strauss, Beckett, and the composer, is performed for the first time, without the fifth movement, in New York, the composer conducting.  See 18 October 1969.

    10 October 1969 Ramifications by György Ligeti (46) is performed for the first time, in the setting for twelve solo strings, in Saarbrücken.  See 23 April 1969.

    10 October 1974 The first concert by Mikis Theodorakis (49) in Greece in seven years takes place.

    Heralds II for three trumpets by Ulysses Kay (57) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    10 October 1975 Dis-Kontur for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (23) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    10 October 1976 Marginalia for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (46) is performed for the first time, in NHK Hall, Tokyo.

    Rejoice and Sing for bass, string quartet, and piano by Roy Harris (78) to words of the Bible and Whitman is performed for the first time, in Murphy Auditorium, New Harmony, Indiana.

    10 October 1977 Jubiläum no.45 for orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen (49) is performed for the first time, in Hanover.

    10 October 1979 Greek Interlude for flute and piano by John Tavener (35) is performed for the first time, in Little Missenden Parish Church.

    10 October 1980 My Grandfather’s Waltz for piano four-hands by John Tavener (36) is performed for the first time, in Little Missenden Parish Church.  The composer plays two of the hands.

    10 October 1981 A Birthday Fanfare for seven trumpets and percussion by William Walton (79) is performed for the first time, in Recklinghausen at the home of the dedicatee, Karl-Friedrich Still.  Still is a neighbor of the composer on Ischia.

    10 October 1982 Harpsichord Sonata no.3 op.149 by Vincent Persichetti (67) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    10 October 1983 Second Idyll for orchestra by Robin Holloway (39) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    10 October 1984 Hidden Sparks for violin by Tod Machover (30) is performed for the first time, in Veterans’ Hall, San Francisco.

    10 October 1987 ¡Qué buen caminito! for guitar by Joaquín Rodrigo (85) is performed for the first time, in Seville.

    10 October 1989 Narrative in argument for piano by Ross Lee Finney (82) is performed for the first time, at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti.

    10 October 1993 Concertino for harpsichord and seven instruments by Ned Rorem (69) is performed for the first time at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, 46 years after it was composed.

    10 October 1994 Sonata for violin and piano no.3 by Alfred Schnittke (59) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    10 October 1995 Innocence for cello, organ, soprano, tenor, chorus, and handbells by John Tavener (51) is performed for the first time, in Westminster Abbey.

    10 October 2003 Under the Sign of Scorpio for bayan and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (71) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.

    Desert Steps for viola, cello, and two guitars by Kevin Volans (54) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London.

    10 October 2006 Tristram Redux for baritone voice, percussion, and guitar by Richard Wernick (72) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York.

    10 October 2007 One Sweet Morning for voice and piano by John Corigliano (69) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.

    10 October 2009 Miroirs des poemes for chorus and nine strings by John Tavener (65) is performed for the first time, in Chan Center for the Performing Arts, Vancouver.

    11 October

    11 October 1759 François-Joseph Gossec (25) marries Marie-Elizabeth Georges in Paris.

    11 October 1764 A Requiem by François-André Danican-Philidor (38) is performed for the first time, in honor of Jean-Philippe Rameau (†0) in the Carmelite Church in the Rue Vaugiraud (now the Institut Catholique).  It is described as an uninspiring performance of some uninspiring music.

    11 October 1769 Christoph Willibald Gluck (55) and Franz Lopresti each buy a 25% interest in the Viennese theatrical productions of the Venetian Giuseppe d’Afflisio.  Afflisio will be bankrupt within a month.

    11 October 1774 La calamita de’ cuori, a dramma giocosa by Antonio Salieri (24) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    11 October 1799 Étienne-Nicolas Méhul’s (36) drame mêlé de musique Ina to words of Hoffman after Ariosto, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Favart, Paris.  It will later be called Ariodant. It will be performed 70 times during the composer’s life.

    11 October 1816 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (37) reaches Stuttgart to take up his new position with King Friedrich I of Württemberg.

    11 October 1818 Heinrich August Marschner’s (23) Ouvertüre über ungarische Nationalweisen is performed for the first time, in Stuhlweissenburg.  It was composed for the opening of a new theatre and, on hearing the national themes, the Hungarian audience is wildly enthusiastic.

    11 October 1824 The Times of London runs an article about the newly published biographical dictionary of musicians from Sainsbury and Co.  Their article on Samuel Wesley (58) states that he died in 1815.  The Times points out that Wesley is very much alive.

    11 October 1830 At his last performance in Warsaw, Fryderyk Chopin (20) premieres his Piano Concerto no.1 in e minor.

    11 October 1832 Die erste Walpurgisnacht, a cantata for chorus and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn (23) to words of Goethe, is performed for the first time, privately, in his family’s home in Berlin.  See 10 January 1833.

    Der Pole und sein Kind, oder Der Feldwebel vom IV Regiment, a liederspiel by Albert Lortzing (30) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Osnabrück.

    11 October 1834 On the day after the Journal des Débats has reprinted a story by Hector Berlioz (30), the composer appears at the newspaper office to thank the editor.  The editor offers him a job as music writer.  Berlioz accepts and will begin in January.

    Samuel Sebastian Wesley (24) wins a glee contest by the Manchester Gentlemen’s Glee Club (for the second time) with his At That Dread Hour to words of Linley.

    11 October 1835 The last installment of “On the Situation of Artists and Their Condition in Society” by Franz Liszt (23) appears in the Gazette musicale de Paris.

    11 October 1837 16:20  Samuel Wesley dies after a short illness, in London, aged 71 years, seven months and 17 days.

    11 October 1853 At the home of Hector Berlioz (49) in Paris, Franz Liszt (41) and Richard Wagner (40) come over for breakfast.  Liszt accompanies Berlioz’ singing parts of Benvenuto Cellini.  It is the first time Wagner has heard it.

    11 October 1880 An Ave Maria for soprano and piano by Pietro Mascagni (16) is performed for the first time, at the Istituto Musicale Luigi Cherubini, Livorno.

    11 October 1883 In an attempt to gain a reputation as composer as well as pianist, Ferruccio Busoni (17) goes to see Hans Richter, the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic, with the score to his Symphonic Suite.  After six tries he is allowed in.  Richter promises to try it out with the orchestra.

    11 October 1884 Il Re a Napoli for tenor and orchestra by Pietro Mascagni (20) to words of Maffei is performed for the first time, in Teatro Goldoni, Livorno.

    11 October 1889 Ode on St. Cecilia's Day for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (41) to words of Pope is performed for the first time, in Leeds.  It is a resounding success.  Also premiered is The Voyage of Maeldune op.34, a ballad for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (37) to words of Tennyson.

    11 October 1890 A String Quintet by Jean Sibelius (24) is performed completely for the first time, in Turku.  See 5 May 1890.

    11 October 1896 15:00  Anton Joseph Bruckner dies of heart disease in his Vienna home, aged 72 years, one month and seven days.

    11 October 1900 Two movements of a Piano Sonata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†6) is performed for the first time, in Odessa, 35 years after it was composed.

    11 October 1906 Two songs by Jean Sibelius (40) to words of Dehmel are performed for the first time, in Helsinki:  Aus banger Brust op.50/4 and Die stille Stadt op.50/5.

    11 October 1911 Scènes historiques Suite I by Jean Sibelius (45) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki directed by the composer.

    11 October 1912 Romantische Suite op.125 by Max Reger (39) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.

    11 October 1915 In memoriam Franz Neruda, for reciter and orchestra by Carl Nielsen (50) to words of Clausen, is performed for the first time, directed by the composer.  This concert is the first with Nielsen as permanent conductor of the Copenhagen Music Society.

    11 October 1917 Trois chansons pour choeur mixte sans accompagnement, by Maurice Ravel (42) to his own words, are performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Igor Stravinsky (35) completes the short score to Les Noces in Switzerland, but it will not be performed until 6 April 1923.

    11 October 1919 Song of the Earth, a cantata by Jean Sibelius (53) to words of Hemmer, is performed for the first time, in Turku, directed by the composer.

    Ditirambo tragico for orchestra by Gian Francesco Malipiero (37) is performed for the first time, in London.

    11 October 1921 Psalm 22 in E flat for chorus and piano and Das Lied vom deutschen Vaterland for male chorus, both by Anton Bruckner, are performed for the first time, at St. Florian on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the composer’s death.

    11 October 1923 A Fugal Concerto op.40/2 by Gustav Holst (49) is performed publicly for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London the composer conducting.  See 17 May 1923.

    11 October 1925 Amy Beach (58) is elected first president of the Society of American Women Composers in New York.

    11 October 1927 Smarty, a musical comedy with book by Smith and Thompson, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by George Gershwin (29), is performed for the first time in the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia.  It includes the song ‘S Wonderful.  By the time it gets to New York the name is changed to Funny Face. See 22 November 1927.

    11 October 1928 Carl Nielsen’s (63) Clarinet Concerto is performed publicly for the first time, in Copenhagen.  It is not well received.  See 14 September 1928.

    11 October 1930 Veni creator spiritus and Der gute Mensch, two cantatas by Carl Orff (35) to words of Werfel, are performed for the first time, in Munich.

    11 October 1934 Symphony no.2 by Kurt Weill (34) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.  Critics are not impressed.  It is presented as his First Symphony since he withdrew the symphony of 1919.

    11 October 1935 Two songs for voice and piano by Aaron Copland (34) are performed for the first time, in the New School for Social Research, New York the composer at the piano:  Vocalise and Poet’s Song to words of Cummings.

    11 October 1936 End of the Trail, a film with music by William Grant Still (41), is released in the United States.

    11 October 1937 Cantate pour l’inauguration du Musée de l’Homme for vocal quartet and chamber ensemble by Darius Milhaud (45) to words of Desnos is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Paris.

    11 October 1940 Symphony in C op.46 by Hans Pfitzner (71) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    11 October 1942 Leonard Bernstein (24) takes part in a Youth for Victory rally in Boston.  The fact is entered into his FBI file because the printer who produced the programs has also done work for leftist organizations.

    The third suite from Descobrimento do Brasil, a film with music by Heitor Villa-Lobos (55), is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro the composer conducting.  The film was commissioned by the Brazilian Cacao Institute of Bahia.

    11 October 1943 Incidental music to Giraudoux’ play Sodome et Gomorrhe by Arthur Honegger (51) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Herbertot, Paris.

    11 October 1944 Miniatures for flute, oboe, and piano by William Grant Still (49) is performed for the first time, in Chelsea Town Hall, London.

    11 October 1945 Incidental music to Duncan’s play This Way to the Tomb by Benjamin Britten (31) is performed for the first time, in the Mercury Theatre, London.

    11 October 1946 Piano Concerto no.1 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (59) is performed for the first time in the Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, along with the premiere of the second suite from his film score Descobrimento do Brasil for orchestra and Mandu çarará, a cantata for children’s voices, chorus, and orchestra, the composer conducting.

    11 October 1947 Symphony no.6 op.111 by Sergey Prokofiev (56) is performed for the first time, in the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic.  The audience is ecstatic.

    11 October 1948 The Young Guard, Part 1, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (42), is shown for the first time.

    11 October 1949 Shangri-La for piano “by Max Davies of Swinton” (Peter Maxwell Davies (15)) is performed for the first time, on the BBC Children’s Hour originating in Manchester.

    11 October 1951 Duo no.2 for violin and piano by Arthur Berger (40) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    11 October 1952 Symphony no.7 op.131 by Sergey Prokofiev (61) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.  It is his last public appearance.

    Spiel no.1/4 for orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen (24) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Concerto for oboe and chamber orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (34) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    11 October 1953 Le Réveil des Oiseaux for piano and orchestra by Olivier Messiaen (44) is performed for the first time, in the Stadthalle, Donaueschingen.  The response is tepid.

    Due espressioni per orchestra by Luigi Nono (29) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    11 October 1954 Symphony Pallas Athene by Ernst Krenek (54) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR, originating in Hamburg, the composer conducting.

    A revised version of Igor Stravinsky’s (72) Four Russian Peasant Songs for chorus and four horns, to words of Sakharov, is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    11 October 1957 Concerto per la notte di Natale dell’anno 1956 for soprano and chamber orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (53) to words of Jacopo da Todi is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.

    11 October 1959 Introduction and Allegro for orchestra by TJ Anderson (31) is performed for the first time, in Oklahoma City.

    11 October 1962 Nikita Khrushchev receives Igor Stravinsky (80) and his party at the Kremlin for 40 minutes.  A few hours later they board a plane for Paris.

    11 October 1963 From Here for 16 solo voices and 20 instrumentalists by Earle Brown (36) is performed for the first time, in New York.  Also premiered are several works by Morton Feldman (37):  Vertical Thoughts 1 for two pianos, performed by David Tudor and John Cage (37), Vertical Thoughts 2 for violin and piano, Vertical Thoughts 3 for soprano, flute/piccolo, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, percussion, piano/celesta, violin, cello, and double bass to words of the Psalms, Vertical Thoughts 4 for piano, Vertical Thoughts 5 for soprano, tuba, percussion, celesta, and violin to words of the Psalms, and Straits of Magellan for flute, horn, trumpet, harp, electric guitar, piano, and double bass. John Cage organized the concert to try to soothe the differences between Brown and Feldman.

    Two songs by Charles Ives (†9) are performed for the first time, at the Friends School in Germantown, Pennsylvania:  Pictures, to words of Turnbull, and Wiegenlied from Des knaben Wunderhorn.

    11 October 1965 Tambuco for six percussionists by Carlos Chávez (66) is performed for the first time, in the Leo S. Bing Center of Los Angeles County, California.

    11 October 1968 Funktion Gelb for tape by Gottfried Michael Koenig (42) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    Linoi for clarinet and piano by Harrison Birtwistle (34) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.  See 22 April 1969.

    Four of the Five Pieces for piano by Arthur Berger (56) are performed for the first time, in New York.

    Reverie and Rondo for orchestra by Ulysses Kay (51) is performed for the first time, in Flint, Michigan.

    11 October 1969 Trio for violin, cello and piano op.428 by Darius Milhaud (77) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    11 October 1971 String Quartet no.1 by Charles Wuorinen (33) is performed for the first time, in Goodman Theatre, Chicago.

    11 October 1972 Aulokithara for oboe, harp, and tape by Ernst Krenek (72) is performed for the first time, in the Hilton Hotel, Mainz.

    11 October 1974 Space Play for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and double bass by Thea Musgrave (46) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    11 October 1975 Gending for gamelan orchestra by Ton de Leeuw (48) is performed for the first time, in Hilversum.

    Assembly and Fall for solo oboe, trumpet, timpani, viola, and orchestra by Ned Rorem (51) is performed for the first time, in the Raleigh, North Carolina Memorial Auditorium.

    11 October 1977 Several works by Leonard Bernstein (59) are performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center in Washington:  Three Meditations from Mass for cello and orchestra, Songfest for six solo voices and orchestra to various poets, both conducted by the composer, and the overture Slava!

    11 October 1978 Quartet for four flutes by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    11 October 1980 A Musical Toast for orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (62) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.

    11 October 1981 Prayer for the World for 16 solo voices by John Tavener (37) is performed for the first time, at the Round House, London.  The audience is polite.

    11 October 1985 String Quartet no.1 by John Harbison (46) is performed for the first time, in Corcoran Gallery, Washington.

    11 October 1986 Fanfare for Foley’s for brass and percussion by John Harbison (47) is performed for the first time, in Houston.

    11 October 1988 Seven Magnificat Antiphons by Arvo Pärt (53) are performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 October 1991 Navigations for string quartet by Alvin Lucier (60) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt.

    11 October 1992 Fifty-eight for 58 wind players by John Cage (†0) is performed for the first time, in the Landhaushof, Graz.

    11 October 1993 Come Holy Spirit op.61 for chorus by Henryk Górecki (59) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Orfeo III for flute and string quintet by Thea Musgrave (65) is performed for the first time, at the Moscow Conservatory of Music.

    11 October 2003 Passacaglia for violin and piano by Arvo Pärt (68) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    The Ring Dance of the Nazarene for tenor, chorus, two flutes/piccolos, oboe/english horn, clarinet/E flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and African drum by Harrison Birtwistle (69) to words of Harsent, is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

    11 October 2011 Double Trio for trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin, and cello by Elliott Carter (102) is performed for the first time, in Salle de concert Bourgie, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Montreal.

    12 October

    12 October 1490 Bernardo Pisano is born in Florence.

    12 October 1692 Giovanni Battista Vitali dies in Bologna, aged 60 years, seven months and 24 days.

    12 October 1754 Jean-Philippe Rameau’s (71) acte de ballet La naissance d’Osiris ou La fête Pamilie, to a scenario by Cahusac, is performed for the first time, in Fontainebleau to celebrate the birth of the Duc de Berry (later King Louis XVI).

    12 October 1776 Sophonisbe, a musikalisches Drama mit historischen Prolog und Choren by Christian Gottlob Neefe (28) to words of Meissner, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    12 October 1778 La partie de chasse, an opéra comique by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (32) to words of Desfontaines, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne.  It is a hit with audience and critics.

    12 October 1785 La grotta di Trofonio, an opera comica by Antonio Salieri (35) to words of Casti, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Burgtheater, Vienna.  It has been performed already at the Castle of Laxenburg.

    Die Weinlese, a singspiel by Johann Schenk (31) to words of Wiest, is performed for the first time, in Theater in der Leopoldstadt, Vienna.

    12 October 1787 Im Finstern ist nicht gut tappen, a singspiel by Johann Schenk (33) to words of Hiesberger, is performed for the first time, at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    12 October 1813 A setting of Psalm 23, Gott ist mein Hirt, for solo voices and chorus by Meyer Beer (Giacomo Meyerbeer) (22) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 October 1826 The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde grants 100 florins to Franz Schubert (29).  He recently sent them a manuscript to a symphony (which they managed to lose).

    12 October 1841 Incidental music to Kukolnik’s play Prince Kholmsky by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (37) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.  The play is too long and not well received.

    12 October 1849 At the suggestion of Alexander Jelowicki, an acquaintance from Warsaw, Frédéric Chopin (39) receives the Last Rights of the Roman Catholic Church, in his rooms at the Place Vendôme, Paris.

    12 October 1851 Mephistos Höllenrufe op.101, a waltz by Johann Strauss (25), is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    12 October 1854 Napoleon-Marsch op.156 by Johann Strauss (28) is performed for the first time, in Schwender’s Collosseum, Vienna.

    12 October 1861 Two movements from an incomplete symphony by Georges Bizet (22) are performed for the first time at the Institute, Paris.  They were part of Bizet’s submission to the Institute.

    12 October 1868 The choral version of Sängerslust op.328, a polka française by Johann Strauss (42), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    12 October 1872 Ralph Vaughan Williams is born in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, youngest of three children born to Rev. Arthur Charles Vaughan Williams, Vicar of Christ Church, Down Ampney, and Margaret Susan Wedgwood.

    12 October 1892 Colombo, an oratorio by Carlos Gomes (56), is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro, on the 500th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World.

    12 October 1894 Jabuka, an operetta by Johann Strauss (68) to words of Kalbeck and Davis, is performed for the first time, in Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    At the premiere of the French version of Otello, Giuseppe Verdi (81) receives the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor from President Jean Casimir-Périer.

    12 October 1895 In Frankfurt on an extended tour of central Europe, Pietro Mascagni (31) receives word that he is offered the position of director of the Liceo Rossini in Pesaro.  He enthusiastically accepts.

    12 October 1903 Pietro Mascagni (39) accepts the directorship of the Scuola Nazionale di Musica in Rome.

    12 October 1904 I Would I Were Dwelling op.38/5, a song for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (38) to words of Frödling, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    12 October 1910 Max Reger (37) receives an honorary MD from the faculty of medicine at the University of Berlin since “the harmoniousness of his music raises the spirits of those stricken with melancholy and heals sick minds.”

    The Symphony no.1 “A Sea Symphony” by Ralph Vaughan Williams for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra, to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, conducted by the composer on his 38th birthday.

    12 October 1911 Die Weihe der Nacht op.119 for alto, male chorus, and orchestra by Max Reger (38) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 October 1912 An die Hoffnung op.124 for alto and orchestra by Max Reger (39) is performed for the first time, in Eisenach, the composer conducting.

    An article appears in Musical America written by conductor and composer Kurt Schindler, extolling the virtues of John Alden Carpenter (36).  He is “of such unusual accomplishments and culture, such gifts of melody and harmony that, to my mind, his success all over the world is already a matter of certainty.”

    12 October 1913 The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde of Donaueschingen presents the first performance in an annual series designed to showcase modern music.

    Vier Tondichtungen nach Arnold Böcklin op.120 by Max Reger (40) are performed for the first time, in Essen.

    12 October 1916 Masques op.34, a piano work by Karol Szymanowski (34), is performed for the first time, in Petrograd.

    12 October 1922 Gustav Holst (48) and friends silently enter the garden of 13 Cheyne Walk, London, and serenade the inhabitant, Ralph Vaughan Williams, on his fiftieth birthday.  They sing a part song written for the occasion by Jane Joseph.

    12 October 1924 Three works by Anton Bruckner (†28) are performed in Klosterneuberg for the first time during the centennial year of his birth:  March for orchestra in d minor, Three Pieces for orchestra, the third movement of his Symphony in f minor, and the complete Symphony no.0, 62, 62, 61 and 65 years after their composition, respectively.  See 17 May 1924.

    The first and third movements of the unfinished Symphony no.10 by Gustav Mahler (†13) are performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    12 October 1928 The Piano Sonata D.566 by Franz Schubert (†99) is performed completely for the first time, in Munich, 111 years after it was composed.  See 9 May 1907.

    12 October 1929 A Late Lark for tenor and orchestra by Frederick Delius (67) to words of Henley is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    Hymn to Art for soprano, tenor, chorus, and winds by Carl Nielsen (64) to words of Michaelis, is performed for the first time, the composer conducting.

    12 October 1930 Konzertmusik op.49 for piano, brass, and two harps by Paul Hindemith (34) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    12 October 1931 A Concert Overture in c minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†37) is performed for the first time, in Voronezh 66 years after it was composed.

    Variations on a Theme of Corelli for piano by Sergey Rakhmaninov (58) is performed for the first time, by the composer in Montreal.

    12 October 1935 All jazz is banned from German radio.

    12 October 1936 The Story of Norah for chorus by Roy Harris (38) to words of Niles is performed for the first time, at the French Institute, New York.  It was first performed in a radio broadcast in 1936.

    12 October 1940 Béla Bartók (59) and his wife depart Budapest making for Lisbon and America.  He will never see Hungary again.

    Igor Stravinsky (58) views a screening of Fantasia at the Disney Studios in Los Angeles.  He is not entirely unhappy.

    12 October 1941 Freedom’s Land for chorus by Roy Harris (43) to words of MacLeish is performed for the first time, in a CBS radio broadcast originating in Sage Chapel, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

    12 October 1942 Incidental music to MacNeice’s radio play Christopher Columbus by William Walton (40) for alto, tenor, bass, two speakers, female speaking chorus, male speaking chorus, guitar, and orchestra, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in Bedford.  It celebrates the 450th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World.

    12 October 1944 British paratroopers land at Megara airfield, 15 km from Athens as the Germans evacuate Piraeus.  The British also land on Corfu.  Vasilis Zannos, a minister in the National Liberation Front, together with Mikis Theodorakis (19) disarm the staff of the Luftwaffe.  The weapons are handed over to the Lord Byron student group, whose members include Iannis Xenakis (22).

    String Quartet in a minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams is performed for the first time, in the National Gallery, London on the composer’s 72nd birthday.

    12 October 1945 Symphony no.3 by Bohuslav Martinu (54) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    12 October 1949 Selections from the Guia prática for piano, from albums ten and eleven, by Heitor Villa-Lobos (62), are performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    12 October 1952 Brass Quartet by Ulysses Kay (35) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Museum.

    12 October 1953 Música para un códice salmantino, a cantata for bass, chorus, and eleven instruments by Joaquín Rodrigo (51) to words of Miguel de Unamuno, is performed for the first time, at the University of Salamanca.

    12 October 1954 Violin Sonata in a minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC Home Service, on the composer’s 82nd birthday.

    Two works for voice and piano by Francis Poulenc (55) are performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the composer at the keyboard:  Parisiana, to words of Jacob, which includes the songs “Jouer du bugle” and “Vous n’écrivez plus?” and Rosemonde, to words of Apollinaire.

    12 October 1958 Ennanga for harp and orchestra by William Grant Still (63) is performed for the first time, in West Side Jewish Community Center, Los Angeles.  For this performance, a piano reduction is played by Verna Arvey Still.

    12 October 1962 Trio for strings by LaMonte Young (26) is performed for the first time, in Judson Hall, New York.

    12 October 1964 Being Beauteous for soprano, harp, and four cellos by Hans Werner Henze (37) to words of Rimbaud, is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer conducting.

    Harry Partch (63) drives from San Diego to Pasadena to meet members of the Pasadena Art Museum where he will give a lecture-demonstration next month.  Here he meets Betty Freeman who will be his chief source of income for the rest of his life.

    Party Pieces for wind quintet by Virgil Thomson (67), Henry Cowell (67), John Cage (52), and Lou Harrison (47) is performed for the first time, in the San Francisco Tape Music Center.

    12 October 1965 Zwischenspiele für Orchester from Hans Werner Henze’s (39) opera Der junge Lord is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    12 October 1966 The Visitation, an opera by Gunther Schuller (40) to his own words after Kafka, is performed for the first time, at the Hamburg Staatsoper conducted by the composer.

    12 October 1970 Rain for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (41) is performed for the first time, in Sydney Town Hall.

    Songs for Dov for tenor and small orchestra by Michael Tippett (65) to his own words is performed for the first time, at University College, Cardiff the composer conducting.

    12 October 1971 Messe Gib uns den Frieden for chorus and orchestra by Ernst Krenek (71) is performed for the first time, in Hauptkirche St. Nikolay, Hamburg.

    12 October 1972 Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings by Witold Lutoslawski (59) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    12 October 1973 Koto Music I for amplified piano and tape by Peter Sculthorpe (44) is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House.

    12 October 1975 The Seven Brightnesses for clarinet by Peter Maxwell Davies (41) is performed for the first time, at William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia.

    12 October 1976 The Western Paradise for narrator and orchestra by Ulysses Kay (59) to words of Dorr is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    Concerto for Orchestra no.2 by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    12 October 1978 Klavierstück nr.6 by Wolfgang Rihm (26) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    12 October 1980 Sonata for cello by Peter Sculthorpe (51) is performed for the first time, in Cell Block Theatre, Sydney, 21 years after it was composed.

    Annum per annum for organ by Arvo Pärt (45) is performed for the first time, in the Dom zu Speyer.

    12 October 1982 Five Scenes from the Snow Country for marimba by Hans Werner Henze (56) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    12 October 1984 Sinfonia for orchestra by Olly Wilson (47) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    Celebration for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (45) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    12 October 1988 John Cage (76) gives the first of his Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University.  They are entitled I-VI.

    12 October 1989 Fanfare for Lancaster for brass and percussion by Witold Lutoslawski (76) is performed for the first time, at the University of Lancaster.

    12 October 1990 The Mask, a cycle for chorus and piano by William Bolcom (52) to words of five writers, is performed for the first time.

    12 October 1991 Poems for string quartet by Karel Husa (70) is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    12 October 1992 A Winter’s Tale for soprano, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (54) to words of Thomas, is performed for the first time, in Spivey Hall of Clayton State College, Atlanta.

    The Voyage, an opera by Philip Glass (55) to words of Hwang, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  The work was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Columbus.  The Met pays $325,000 for The Voyage, perhaps the most money, in real dollars, ever paid for a new opera.

    12 October 1996 Récit for alto saxophone and orchestra by Luciano Berio (70) is performed for the first time, in Milan.

    A Few Words About Chekhov for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and piano by Dominick Argento (68) to words of Chekhov and Knipper is performed for the first time, in St. Paul.

    12 October 1997 Little Fantasia for violin and piano by Henryk Górecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    12 October 2003 passi leggieri for Hardanger fiddle by Kevin Volans (54) is performed for the first time, in Oslo.

    12 October 2006 Rhiannon’s Blackbirds for piccolo/flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin/viola, cello, piano, and percussion by Joseph Schwantner (63) is performed for the first time, at the Modlin Center for the Arts of the University of Richmond, Virginia.

    12 October 2007 Air for accordion by Hans Abrahamsen (54) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    12 October 2009 Three Poems of Victor Schnittke for tenor and piano by Alfred Schnittke (†11), is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    13 October

    13 October 1562 Claudin de Sermisy dies in Paris, aged approximately 72 years.

    13 October 1762 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (6) and his sister Nannerl perform at Schönbrunn Palace before Emperor Franz I, Empress Maria Theresia, Archduchess Marie Antoinette and the music teacher to the imperial family, Georg Christoph Wagenseil (47).  Leopold (42) writes home to Salzburg, “Everyone is amazed, especially at the boy, and everyone whom I have heard says that his genius is incomprehensible.”  (Solomon, 41)

    13 October 1785 Thémistocle, a tragédie lyrique by François-André Danican-Philidor (59) to words of Morel de Chédeville, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    13 October 1799 Two String Quartets op.77 by Joseph Haydn (67) are performed for the first time, at Eisenstadt Castle.

    13 October 1813 The invention of the chronometer, an early metronome, by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel is announced in the Wiener Vaterländische Blätter.  It also includes endorsements of the device by several composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven (42).

    13 October 1825 A Kyrie in d minor for chorus and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn (16) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    13 October 1827 Pietro von Abano, a romantic opera by Louis Spohr (43) to words of Pfeiffer after Tieck, is performed for the first time, in the Kassel Hoftheater.

    13 October 1830 Daniel-François-Esprit Auber’s (48) opéra Le Dieu et la bayadère, ou La courtisane amoureuse to words of Scribe is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.

    13 October 1833 Felix Mendelssohn (24) performs his first official duty as music director in Düsseldorf, conducting a mass by Franz Joseph Haydn (†24).

    13 October 1834 A state funeral service for François-Adrien Boieldieu is held at Les Invalides.

    13 October 1841 Felix Mendelssohn (32) is appointed Royal Kapellmeister by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.

    13 October 1850 Joseph Joachim takes up duties as Konzertmeister in the Weimar orchestra conducted by Franz Liszt (38).

    13 October 1855 Trio for piano and strings no.1 op.8 by Johannes Brahms (22) is performed for the first time, in Danzig (Gdansk).

    13 October 1856 Strelna Terrassen-Quadrille op.185 by Johann Strauss (30) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    13 October 1863 The remains of Franz Schubert (†34) are exhumed and examined in Vienna.  The biographer, Heinrich Kreissle von Hellborn reports that “His round, plump, somewhat swollen face; the low forehead; the pouting lips; bushy eyebrows; the stumpy nose; and the curly hair gave his head a moorish appearance...His stature was below medium size, rounded back and shoulders, the arms and hands plump, the fingers short.”  The body of Ludwig van Beethoven (†35) is also exhumed.

    13 October 1870 Gustav Mahler (10) performs what is apparently his debut, playing the piano in Iglau (Jihlava), Bohemia.  The program is unknown.

    13 October 1876 Pierrette et Jacquot, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (57) to words of Noriac and Gille, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    13 October 1887 Richard Strauss (23) conducts his Symphony no.2 in Leipzig.  While in town, he makes the acquaintance of the second conductor at the Stadttheater, Gustav Mahler (27).  Mahler will later say that he and Strauss were like “two miners who dig a shaft from opposite sides and finally meet underground.”

    13 October 1889 Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson replies to Edvard Grieg’s (46) letter of 6 October, gladly agreeing to reconcile.  “You have the greatest lyric power of any musician living today.”  He agrees to be present at the premiere of Grieg’s Olav Trygvason music.

    13 October 1890 String Quartet op.4 by Jean Sibelius (24) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    Macbeth, a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss (26), is performed for the first time, in the Wiemar Hofkapelle conducted by the composer.

    13 October 1904 Three months after her husband, Claude Debussy (42), left her, Rosalie “Lily” Texier shoots herself “beneath the breast” in her Paris home.  She will survive, and the bullet will never be removed.

    13 October 1910 Songs of the Fleet op.117 for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (58) to words of Newbolt is performed for the first time, in Leeds.

    13 October 1912 Hugo David Weisgall is born in Ivancice, near Brünn (Brno), son of Adolph Joseph Weisgal, cantor and composer of Jewish religious music.

    Tres Danzas andaluzas op.8 for piano by Joquin Turina (29) is performed for the first time, in the Academia Santa Cecilia de Cádiz.

    13 October 1921 Igor Stravinsky’s (39) Study for Pianola is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    13 October 1924 During the centennial year of his birth, Anton Bruckner’s (†28) Piece in B flat for orchestra is performed for the first time, in Vienna, 62 years after being written.

    13 October 1929 A revised version of Orpheus by Carl Orff (34) to a translation of Striggio by Günther, is performed for the first time, in Munich.  See 17 April 1925 and 13 October 1929.

    13 October 1933 Litany to the Virgin Mary for soprano, female chorus, and orchestra by Karol Szymanowski (51) to words of Liebert, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    Janitzio for orchestra by Silvestre Revueltas (33) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Hidalgo, Mexico City directed by the composer.

    13 October 1936 Rogue’s Comedy, an overture for orchestra by Arnold Bax (52), is performed for the first time, in Central Hall, Liverpool.

    13 October 1937 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra by Virgil Thomson (40) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    13 October 1944 Symphony no.2 by David Diamond (29) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    13 October 1954 Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight, a cantata by Roy Harris (56) to words of Lindsay, is performed in a concert for the first time, in Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh.  See 4 July 1954.

    13 October 1956 Sonate-Variations for piano by Ralph Shapey (35) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    13 October 1960 Il pigmalione, a scena drammatica by Gaetano Donizetti (†112), is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Donizetti, Bergamo.  It was the composer’s first stage work, written during his student days in 1816.

    13 October 1961 Chiaroscuro for orchestra by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Guatemala City.

    13 October 1965 Ein Landarzt, a monodrama for baritone and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (39) to words of Kafka, after the composer’s opera, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  See 30 November 1965.

    13 October 1966 Arthur Vincent Lourié (Artur Sergeyevich Lurye) dies in Princeton, New Jersey, aged 75 years, four months, and 28 days.

    13 October 1967 Isang Yun (50) is sentenced to life in prison by a Korean court for spying for North Korea.

    13 October 1968 Incidental music to Jonson’s play The Alchemist by George Rochberg (50) is performed for the first time, at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York.  See 31 October 1969.

    An episode of the CBS television program The Twenty-first Century, entitled “Incredible Voyage”, with a sound track by Vladimir Ussachevsky (56), is shown  for the first time, over the airwaves of the CBS television network.

    13 October 1972 Two works by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) are performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London:  Hymn to St. Magnus for flute, clarinet, keyboards, viola, cello, and percussion; and JS Bach:  Prelude and Fugue in c# minor Book I for instrumental ensemble.

    Polytope de Cluny for eight-track tape and lights by Iannis Xenakis (50) is performed for the first time, in Musée de Cluny, Paris.

    13 October 1976 Tashi for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and orchestra ad lib by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed for the first time, in Severence Hall, Cleveland, the composer conducting.  See 15 January 1976.

    13 October 1977 An Tasten, an etude for piano by Mauricio Kagel (45), is performed for the first time, in the Stephaniensaal, Graz.

    Stria for tape by John Chowning (43) is performed for the first time, in the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

    13 October 1982 Sechs Stücke für junge Pianisten by Hans Werner Henze (56) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    13 October 1983 Peter Maxwell Davies’ (49) Birthday Music for John for flute, viola, and cello is performed completely for the first time, in St. Mary’s Church, Swansea.  See 25 January 1983.

    13 October 1984 Little Missenden Calm for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn by John Tavener (40) is performed for the first time, in Little Missenden Church.

    13 October 1985 Antiphony IX (---a Dot is no mere thing---) for orchestra, children, and tape by Kenneth Gaburo (59) is performed for the first time, at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

    13 October 1987 Musica Ptolemica for brass quintet by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    13 October 1988 The first movement and sketches to an adagio from a Symphony in E by Richard Wagner (†105) are performed for the first time, in Munich, orchestrated by Mottl.

    Concerto for flute and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (62) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    13 October 1991 Quotation of Dream--Say Sea, Take Me! for two pianos and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (61) is performed for the first time, in London.

    13 October 1994 Several works are premiered in Merkin Hall, New York:  Fragment for string quartet by Elliott Carter (85), Ned Rorem’s (70) Somewhere... for voice and piano the composer at the keyboard, Spirit Quartet for string quartet and electronics by Tod Machover (40), and Quartet Movement in Memoriam DH by Robin Holloway (50).

    13 October 1996 The Hidden Face for oboe, counter tenor, and strings by John Tavener (52) is performed for the first time, in the Barbican Center, London.

    13 October 1998 Great Sandy Island for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (69) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

    13 October 2001 Sparkler for orchestra and electronics by Tod Machover (47) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    13 October 2002 The Haroun Songbook, selections from the opera by voice and piano by Charles Wuorinen (64) to words of Rushdie, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    13 October 2005 …but not simpler… for string quartet by Tod Machover (51) is performed for the first time, at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

    13 October 2009 A Framing Hommage for Haydn's Unfinished String Quartet op. 103 for string quartet by Robin Holloway (65) is performed for the first time, in Skipton Town Hall.

    The Last Island for string sextet by Peter Maxwell Davies (75) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    Leonard Stein Anagrams for piano by John Harbison (70) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    13 October 2013 Thoughts, Places, Dreams, for cello and ensemble by Roger Reynolds (79) is performed for the first time, in Venice.

    14 October

    14 October 1669 Antonio Cesti dies in Florence, 46 years, two months and nine days after his baptism.

    14 October 1746 Domenico Alberti dies in Rome, aged approximately 36 years.

    14 October 1784 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dates the score to his Piano Sonata K.457.

    14 October 1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (35) writes to his wife that he took their son Carl, his mother-in-law Caecilia Weber, Antonio Salieri (41) and Caterina Cavalieri to see Die Zauberflöte.  “They both said it was an operone, worthy to be performed for the grandest festival and before the greatest monarch, and that they would often go to see it, as they had never seen a more beautiful or delightful show.  Salieri listened and watched most attentively and from the overture to the last chorus there was not a single number that did not call forth from him a bravo! or bello!”  (Anderson, 970)

    14 October 1795 The Sun of London announces the publication of Joseph Haydn’s (63) String Quartets op.71.

    Palmira, Regina di Persia, a dramma eroicomico by Antonio Salieri (45) to words of De Gamerra after Voltaire, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.  It will become one of the composer’s most successful works.

    14 October 1800 Jakob Meyer Beer (Giacomo Meyerbeer) (9) makes his public performing debut, playing Mozart’s (†8) d minor piano concerto K.466.

    14 October 1826 The French Royal Palace announces that Gioachino Rossini (34) has been created a chevalier of the Legion of Honor.  Rossini, however, declines saying that some worthy Frenchmen (i.e. Hérold (35)) have not yet received it.

    14 October 1835 A Gran marcia funebre for orchestra in memory of Bellini (†1) by Otto Nicolai (26) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome, between the acts of La Sonnambula.

    14 October 1843 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s (translated by Tieck) play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, at the Neuer Palais, Potsdam.  The overture written by Mendelssohn in 1826 is also performed.  It is a great success.

    14 October 1847 Otto Nicolai (37) is named Kapellmeister at the Royal Opera House, Berlin and artistic director of the cathedral choir.  In this capacity he succeeds Mendelssohn (38).

    14 October 1856 La bonne d’enfants, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (37) to words of Bercioux, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    Louis Moreau Gottschalk (27) premieres his Grande Valse poétique concertante for voice and piano in Philadelphia.

    14 October 1860 After burning down in January 1859, the permanent home of the Russian Opera reopens in St. Petersburg and is named the Mariinsky Theatre.

    Fantasieblümchen op.241, a polka mazur by Johann Strauss (34), is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    14 October 1862 Jacqueline, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (43) to words of d’Archy (pseud. of Crémieux and Halévy), is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    14 October 1871 Edvard Grieg (28) along with several leading Norwegian artists, publishes an invitation to create a Music Association with the aim of establishing a permanent orchestra in Christiania (Oslo).  See 2 December 1871.

    14 October 1880 Symphony no.5 by Anton Rubinstein (50) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    14 October 1883 Concerto for violin and orchestra in a op.53 by Antonín Dvorák (42) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    14 October 1886 The Revenge:  a Ballad of the Fleet op.24 for chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (34) to words of Tennyson is performed for the first time, in Leeds.  It is his greatest success so far.

    14 October 1891 O Praise the Lord, All Ye Nations op.7 for chorus by Amy Beach (24) is performed for the first time, in Trinity Church, Boston, for the installation of Phillips Brooks as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.  Rev. Brooks performed the composer’s wedding ceremony.

    14 October 1894 Two works by Johann Strauss (68) are performed for the first time, at the Musikverein, Vienna:  the waltz Ich bin Dir gut! op.455, and the march Zivio! op.456.

    14 October 1896 A funeral in memory of Anton Bruckner takes place in the Karlskirche, Vienna.  Hugo Wolf (36) is denied entry as he has no ticket.  Johannes Brahms (63) arrives late, stands at the door and mumbles what is perceived to be “Never mind-soon my coffin” and leaves.  The remains are taken to the train station for transportation to St. Florian.

    14 October 1902 Serviliya, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (58), to his own words, after Mey, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    14 October 1903 The oratorio The Apostles op.49 by Edward Elgar (46), to his own words after the Bible, is performed for the first time, under the composer’s direction in Birmingham Town Hall.  It is a resounding success.

    14 October 1908 Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington op.100 for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (56) to words of Tennyson, is performed publicly for the first time, in Bristol, the composer conducting.  See 14 June 1907.

    14 October 1923 Puritan Passions, a film with music supplied by Frederick S. Converse (52), is performed for the first time in an orchestral setting, in the Cameo Theatre, New York.  See 24 August 1923.

    14 October 1924 Die glückliche Hand op.18, a drama with music by Arnold Schoenberg (50) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Vienna Volksoper.

    Concerto grosso no.2 by Ernst Krenek (24) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.

    14 October 1930 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 New York, in the Alvin Theatre, conducted by the composer.  Ethel Merman’s interpretation of the Gershwin numbers causes wild applause and calls for encores.  During intermission, George Gershwin tells her, “Don’t ever let anybody give you a singing lesson.  It’ll ruin you.”  Girl Crazy includes the songs Embraceable You and I Got Rhythm and will run for 272 performances.  See 29 September 1930.

    14 October 1933 Concerto Ballata for cello and orchestra by Alyeksandr Glazunov (68) is performed for the first time, in Paris the composer conducting.

    14 October 1935 LaMonte Thornton Young is born in a log cabin in Bern, Bear Lake County, Idaho, the son of Dennis Young, a shepherd, and Evelyn Young.

    The first commercial recording of music from Porgy and Bess takes place in New York, supervised by the composer, George Gershwin (37).

    14 October 1938 Incidental music to Lestringuez’ play Tricolore by Darius Milhaud (46) is performed for the first time, in the Comédie Française, Paris.

    Songs by Francis Poulenc (39) are performed for the first time, at The Hague:  Deux poèmes de Guillaume Apollinaire, Le Portrait to words of Colette, and Tu vois le feu du soir from Miroirs brûlants, to words of Eluard.

    14 October 1939 Broadcast Music Incorporated is organized in New York in opposition to ASCAP.

    14 October 1941 Igor Stravinsky’s (59) arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner, for orchestra and chorus ad lib, is performed for the first time, in Embassy Auditorium, Los Angeles.

    14 October 1942 Incidental music to the radio play The Man Behind the Gun by David Diamond (27) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the CBS radio network.

    14 October 1943 Mermoz, a film with music by Arthur Honegger (51), is shown for the first time, in Paris.  The composer is conducting on the soundtrack.

    14 October 1945 Chant for Psalm 67, Deus misereatur by Ralph Vaughan Williams (73) is performed for the first time, in St. Martin’s Church, Dorking.

    14 October 1948 Toccata for orchestra by Walter Piston (54) is performed for the first time, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

    14 October 1953 Aria and Toccata for two pianos by Norman Dello Joio (40) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    14 October 1956 Robert Browning Overture for orchestra by Charles Ives (†2) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    Symphony no.3 by Alan Hovhaness (45) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    14 October 1958 Two employees of RCA, Harry F. Olsen and Herbert Belar, receive a patent for an electronic music synthesizer.  See 31 January 1956.

    Music Walk for one or more pianists playing one piano, radio and/or recordings by John Cage (46) is performed for the first time, in Galerie 22, Brussels.  The performers are David Tudor, Cornelius Cardew (22), and the composer.

    14 October 1960 Walter Piston’s (66) Violin Concerto no.2 is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    14 October 1966 Kaze no Uma/Wind Horse for chorus and women’s chorus by Toru Takemitsu (36) to words of Akiyama, is performed completely for the first time, in Tokyo.  See 14 November 1961.

    14 October 1967 Study no.1 “Harmonies” for organ by György Ligeti (44) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg. Also premiered is Phantasie for organ, two assistants, and two tapes by Mauricio Kagel (35).

    Vertige d’Eros for orchestra by Gunther Schuller (41) is performed for the first time, in Madison, Wisconsin.

    14 October 1968 String Quartet no.3 by Karel Husa (47) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    14 October 1969 Prima vista for two ensembles and two slide projectors by Mauricio Kagel (37) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    14 October 1970 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (57) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    The Wheel of Fortune for clarinet, slides, monologue, and costumes by Pauline Oliveros (38) is performed for the first time, at the University of Washington, Seattle.

    14 October 1971 Celebration in Praise of Earth for chorus and orchestra by Leslie Bassett (48) is performed for the first time, in Berea, Ohio.

    Postcard from Morocco, an opera by Dominick Argento (43) to words of Donahue, is performed for the first time, in Cedar Village Theatre, Minneapolis.

    14 October 1972 The earthly remains of Alyeksandr Glazunov (†36) are transported from Paris to reinterrment in Leningrad.

    14 October 1973 Serenade for chorus by Charles Ives (†19) to words of Longfellow is performed for the first time, in Battell Chapel, Yale University.

    Sonority Forms no.1 for orchestra by Otto Luening (73) is performed for the first time, in North Bennington, Vermont.

    14 October 1979 Detto I for organ and percussion by Sofia Gubaidulina (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    14 October 1982 A Fluttering of Wings from The Double Life of Amphibians Part 3 for string quartet by Morton Subotnick (49) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    Perspectives III for piano-four hands by Arthur Berger (70) is performed for the first time, in Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, New York.

    14 October 1983 Works by Arnold Bax (†30) are performed for the first time, at the British Music Information Centre, London during the centennial year of the composer’s birth:  The Fiddler of Dooney for voice and piano to words of Yeats 76 years after it was composed, Aspiration (1909) for voice and piano trio to words of Dehmel, O Mistress Mine (1916) for voice and piano trio or voice and string quartet, My Eyes for Beauty Pine (1920) for voice and string quartet, the extant fragments of the Sonata no.2 for viola and piano composed in 1934, and Two Songs for tenor and string quartet composed around 1921.  These last may have been privately performed during the composer’s lifetime.

    14 October 1984 Deutschlandsberger Mohrentanz I for recorders, guitars, percussion, string quartet, and string orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (58) is performed for the first time, in Deutschlandsberg, Austria.

    14 October 1989 “Hay que caminar” sognando for two violins by Luigi Nono (65) is performed for the first time, in Milan.

    14 October 1990 18:15  Leonard Bernstein dies of heart failure from emphysema and lung inflammation, at his home in New York City, aged 72 years, one month, and 19 days.

    14 October 1991 The Rewaking for soprano and string quartet by John Harbison (52) to words of Williams is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    14 October 1994 Etude 14a from György Ligeti’s (71) Etudes for piano Book II is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    14 October 2004 Step by Circle for chorus and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (70) to words of George Mackay Brown is performed for the first time, in St. Giles Cripplegate, London.

    Maha Maya for chorus by John Tavener (60) is performed for the first time, in Canterbury.

    Hyper Dim-Sums : Glade, Winding Line, and Punchy for string quartet by Tod Machover (50) is performed for the first time, in the Contemporary Art Museum of La Jolla, California.

    14 October 2007 Variations for cello and piano by Harrison Birtwistle (73) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    14 October 2011 “Seraphin” Symphonie for chamber ensemble and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (59) is performed for the first time, in the Baar-Sporthalle, Donaueschingen.

    14 October 2012 The Moth Requiem for twelve female singers, three harps, and alto flute by Harrison Birtwistle (78) to words of Blaser, is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    15 October

    15 October 1769 The Mass in C “Dominicus” K.66 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (13) is performed for the first time, in St. Peter’s Church, Salzburg.

    15 October 1781 Serenade in E flat K.375 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (25) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  It was composed for St. Theresa’s Day.

    15 October 1786 Johann Herbst (51) is ordained a presbyter in the Moravian Church by Bishop John de Watteville in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

    15 October 1810 Cantate auf die Einweihung der Berliner Universität by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (57) to words of Brentano is performed for the first time.

    15 October 1832 La médecine sans médecin, an opéra comique by Ferdinand Hérold (41) to words of Scribe and Bayard, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre de la Bourse, Paris.

    15 October 1844 Johann Strauss (18) debuts as conductor, in opposition to his father’s popularity, at Dommayer’s Casino, Heitzing with a program including first performances of the waltzes Sinngedichte op.1 and Gunst-Werber Waltz op.4 as well as the Debut Quadrille op.2 and Herzenslust Polka op.3.  He is a complete success.

    15 October 1845 The Dämonen-Quadrille op.19 of Johann Strauss (19) is performed for the first time, in Dommayer’s Casino, Heitzing.

    15 October 1855 Gedanken auf den Alpen op.172, a waltz by Johann Strauss (29), is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    15 October 1864 Arthur Sullivan’s (22) incidental music to Shakespeare’s The Tempest is used for the first time in a staging of the play, in the Prince’s Theatre, Manchester.  See 6 April 1861.

    15 October 1866 In Christiania (Oslo), a newly arrived Edvard Grieg (23) introduces himself and his music to the city in a concert where he performs his music with Nina Hagerup and Wilhelmine Norman Neruda.  It is very successful.

    15 October 1868 The instrumental version of Sängerslust op.328, a polka française by Johann Strauss (42), is performed for the first time, at the Cursalon in Vienna.

    15 October 1872 Franz Liszt (59) makes his first visit to Bayreuth to visit Richard (59) and Cosima Wagner.

    15 October 1880 The Martyr of Antioch, a sacred music drama by Arthur Sullivan (38) to words of Gilbert after Milman, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, conducted by the composer.  The work is presented before the dedicatee, the Duke of Edinburgh.  Reviews are lukewarm.

    Concerto for violin and orchestra no.3 op.61 by Camille Saint-Saëns (45) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    15 October 1881 The hall of the Paris Opéra is illuminated by electricity for the first time, during a gala evening celebrating the Congress of Electricity.

    15 October 1884 On the 40th anniversary of the beginning of his career, Johann Strauss, Jr. (58) is granted the Freedom of the City of Vienna by the mayor.

    Elegiac Ode op.21 for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (32) to words of Whitman is performed for the first time, in Norwich conducted by the composer.

    15 October 1886 The Vienna Philharmonic plays through Hugo Wolf’s (26) symphonic poem Penthesilea.  At the conclusion, orchestra members openly ridicule the work.

    St. Ludmilla, an oratorio by Antonín Dvorák (45) to words of Vrchlicky, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, conducted by the composer.  During the rehearsals, the composer’s interpreter was Arthur Sullivan (44).

    15 October 1890 L’Allegro ed Il Pensieroso, a cantata for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (42) to words of Milton, is performed for the first time, in Norwich.

    15 October 1893 Charles Gounod (75) collapses into a coma in his home at St. Cloud, just west of Paris.

    Erik Satie (27) founds the Église Métropolitaine d’Art de Jésus Conducteur.  He appoints himself Parcier et Maître de Chapelle.

    15 October 1896 Anton Bruckner’s earthly remains are laid to rest in a crypt beneath the great organ of St. Florian near Linz, as was his wish.

    15 October 1900 Symphony Hall, Boston is formally inaugurated as the permanent home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

    15 October 1904 Arnold Schoenberg (30) begins a course “for professionals and serious amateurs” in harmony and counterpoint in Vienna, along with Alexander von Zemlinsky (analysis and instrumentation) and Dr. Elsa Bienenfeld (music history).  One of his students is Alban Berg (19), who was brought to the attention of Schoenberg by the young man’s brother and sister.  Upon seeing Berg’s compositions, Schoenberg invites him to the course free of charge.

    Appalachia:  Variations on an Old Slave Song for solo voice, chorus, and orchestra by Frederick Delius (42) to anonymous words, is performed for the first time, in the Elberfeld Stadthalle.

    15 October 1905 La Mer, for orchestra by Claude Debussy (43), is performed for the first time, in Paris.  The critics are confused and generally hostile.

    15 October 1906 Incidental music to MacKaye’s play Jeanne d’Arc by Frederick S. Converse (35) is performed for the first time, at the Lyric Theatre in Philadelphia.  See 10 January 1907.

    15 October 1907 Variations and Fugue on a Theme of JA Hiller, op.100 for orchestra by Max Reger (34), is performed for the first time,  in Cologne.

    Gustav Mahler (47) opens his last production as music director of the Vienna Opera.  It is Beethoven’s (†80) Fidelio.

    15 October 1908 The Violin Concerto op.101 of Max Reger (35) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    15 October 1909 Sonata Romantica sobre un tema español op.3 for piano by Joaquín Turina (26) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Ernst Bloch (29) gives his first concert as orchestra conductor in Lausanne.

    15 October 1923 Das Marienleben, a song cycle by Paul Hindemith (27) to words of Rilke, is performed completely for the first time, in Frankfurt.  See 22 June 1923.

    15 October 1925 Two works by Albert Roussel (56) are performed for the first time at the Salle Gaveau, Paris:  the Second Violin Sonata op.28 and the Sérénade for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp op.30.

    A Piano Sonata by Frank Bridge (46) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    15 October 1927 The first issue of New Music Quarterly, founded by Henry Cowell (30), is published.

    15 October 1928 A suite from Béla Bartók’s (47) pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin is performed for the first time, in Budapest.  See 27 November 1926 and 1 April 1927.

    Berlin im Licht by Kurt Weill (28) is performed for the first time, as a march for military band, in the Wittenberg Platz, Berlin.  See 16 October 1928.

    Treasure Girl, a musical comedy with book by Lawrence and Thompson, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (30), is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  See 8 November 1928.

    15 October 1933 Piano Concerto no.1 op. 35 by Dmitri Shostakovich (27) is performed for the first time, in the Philarmonic Bolshoy Hall, Leningrad the composer at the keyboard.

    15 October 1937 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play The Winter’s Tale by Lou Harrison (20) is performed for the first time, at Mills College, Oakland.

    15 October 1938 Daphne, an opera by Richard Strauss (74) to words of Gregor, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Staatsoper.  The response is tepid despite the approval of Joseph Goebbels.

    15 October 1941 The diplomatic corps and most of the Soviet government leave Moscow for Kuibyshev.  Stalin remains in the capital.  The overcrowded train includes a car reserved for the Bolshoy Theatre.  On it are Dmitri Shostakovich (35) and his family, and several other important Soviet artists including Aram Khachaturian (38).

    15 October 1942 Incidental music to Native Country by Dmitri Shostakovich (36) to words of Alymov, is performed for the first time, in the Dzerzhinsky Central Club, Moscow.  See 7 November 1942.

    15 October 1943 Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings op.31 by Benjamin Britten (29) to words of various poets, is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    A symphonic suite from Lukas Foss’ (21) unperformed cantata The Prairie is performed for the first time, in Boston.  See 14 May 1944.

    15 October 1944 Duo concertante for cello and piano by Norman Dello Joio (31) is performed for the first time.

    15 October 1946 Songs on Two Pages for piano by Bohuslav Martinu (55) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Benjamin Britten’s (32) Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra op.34 is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

    15 October 1955 An Arnold Bax (†2) memorial room is opened at Cork University by Ralph Vaughan Williams (83).  It houses a number of effects donated by Harriet Cohen.

    Luciano Berio’s (29) orchestral work Nones is performed for the first time, in Rome.

    The Burgtheater, Vienna reopens having been rebuilt after extensive damage during World War II.

    Livre pour quatuor Ia, Ib, II for string quartet by Pierre Boulez (30) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Sonata for viola solo by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (37) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Music for Piano 21-36; 37-52 by John Cage (43) is performed for the first time, at Clarkstown High School, New City, New York.

    15 October 1956 Leonard Bernstein (38) is named one of two principal conductors of the New York Philharmonic.  He thus becomes the first conductor of a major orchestra born and trained in the United States.  He will share the post with Dmitri Mitropoulos.

    15 October 1958 The high point of a cultural exchange between Soviet and American composers in Moscow takes place in a concert by the Moscow State Radio Orchestra in Tchaikovsky Hall.  Works performed include Peter Mennin’s (35) Symphony no.6, the Symphony no.5 by Roy Harris (60), Roger Sessions’ (61) Suite from The Black Maskers, and Of New Horizons by Ulysses Kay (41).

    Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber, a ballet by Hans Werner Henze (32), is staged for the first time, in Cologne.  See 30 December 1951.

    15 October 1960 As water rises to 50 cm in the lobby of his Venice hotel, Igor Stravinsky (78) is evacuated in the arms of a porter.

    String Quartet no.12 by Alois Haba (67) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    15 October 1962 The Ballad of the Dead Brother, a musical play by Mikis Theodorakis (37) to his own words, is staged for the first time, in Athens.  The work causes protest, both artistically and politically, from all sides of the political spectrum.

    15 October 1964 Sonata for cello and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (30) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    15 October 1966 A requiem mass in honor of Arthur Vincent Lourié is celebrated in St. Paul’s Church, Princeton, New Jersey.

    The second movement of the Symphony no.2 of Witold Lutoslawski (53) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg, conducted by Pierre Boulez (41).  See 9 June 1967.

    Variations VII for many sound sources by John Cage (54) is performed for the first time, at the 69th Regiment Armory, New York.

    15 October 1967 A year from Monday:  New Lectures and Writings by John Cage (55) is published by Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut.

    15 October 1968 Ornithologica multiplicata for two cages of birds and two microphones by Mauricio Kagel (36) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    15 October 1970 Poem in October for tenor and eight players by John Corigliano (32) to words of Thomas is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    15 October 1972 Commiato for soprano and chamber ensemble by Luigi Dallapiccola (68) is performed for the first time, in the Festsaal der Staatgemeinde, Murau, Austria.

    Day Music for violin and piano by Ned Rorem (48) is performed for the first time, at Iowa State University in Ames.

    15 October 1973 Clocks and Clouds for female chorus and orchestra by György Ligeti (50) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    15 October 1974 Lumen in Christo for chorus and orchestra by Howard Hanson (77) is performed for the first time, at Nazareth College of Rochester, New York.

    15 October 1975 Three Studies for percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (41) is performed for the first time, at Gosforth High School, Northumberland.

    15 October 1977 Westerlings for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) is performed completely for the first time, in the BBC Concert Hall, London.  See 25 May 1977.

    Persiflage for flute, oboe, and percussion by Lejaren Hiller (53) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.

    15 October 1982 Rrrrrrr..., a radio play by Mauricio Kagel (50), is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Muero porque no muero, a cantata for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Gian-Carlo Menotti (71) to his own words after St. Teresa of Avila, is performed for the first time, in the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, Washington.

    15 October 1983 “Kathinkas Gesang als Luzifers Requiem” no. 52 for flute and six percussionists, an excerpt from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (55) Samstag aus Licht, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  See 6 May 1985.

    15 October 1985 Soliloquy III for guitar and nine players by Thea Musgrave (57) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    15 October 1986 Gemeaux for oboe, trombone, and two orchestras by Toru Takemitsu (56) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.

    15 October 1987 Songs of Sea and Sky for clarinet and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (58) is performed for the first time, in Sprague Memorial Hall, Yale University.

    15 October 1988 String Quartet no.3 by Conlon Nancarrow (75) is performed for the first time, in Cologne, along with the premiere of Nancarrow’s Study for Player Piano no.29.

    15 October 1994 The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.49 by Conlon Nancarrow (81) takes place in Donaueschingen.

    Symphony no.2 by Philip Glass (57) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Spirituals and Swedish Chorales for chorus by Dominick Argento (66) is performed for the first time, in Minnesota.

    15 October 1995 The Three Kings for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (61) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    15 October 1996 Le Tombeau de Liberace for orchestra by Michael Daugherty (42) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    15 October 1997 The Jacobite Rising for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (63) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow the composer conducting.

    15 October 1998 Double Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra by Ned Rorem (74) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    15 October 2000 Piano Concerto by Hans Abrahamsen (47) is performed for the first time, in Oslo.

    A version of Songs from Liquid Days for chorus by Philip Glass (63) is performed for the first time, in London.

    15 October 2003 Gogo no Eiko, Das verratene Meer, a Musikdrama by Hans Werner Henze (77) to words of Treichel after Mishima, is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

    Naxos Quartet no.3 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (69) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    Most Holy Mother of God for four solo voices by Arvo Pärt (68) is performed for the first time, at Durham University.

    15 October 2005 …songs are sung op.67 for string quartet by Henryk Górecki (71) is performed for the first time, in Bielsko-Biala, Poland.

    15 October 2006 In the Distances of Sleep, a cycle for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble by Elliott Carter (97) to words of Stevens, is performed for the first time, in Zankel Hall, New York.

    15 October 2008 String Quartet no.3 by Hans Abrahamsen (55) is performed for the first time, in Oslo.

    manere for clarinet and violin by Alexander Goehr (76) is performed for the first time, in the Hochschule für Musik Saar, Saarbrücken.

    16 October

    16 October 1621 Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck dies in Amsterdam, aged approximately 59 years.

    16 October 1750 Silvius Leopold Weiss dies in Dresden at the age of 64.

    16 October 1760 Dienet dem Herrn mit Freuden, a cantata by Georg Philipp Telemann (79), is performed for the first time, for the installation of Friedrich August Selle as priest at Döse Amt, Ritzebüttel.

    16 October 1771 Il Ruggiero ovvero L’eroica gratitudine, an opera by Johann Adolf Hasse (72) to words of Metastasio after Ariosto, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan.  Among the audience are two visitors named Leopold (51) and Wolfgang Amadeus (15) Mozart.

    16 October 1783 Didon, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (55) to words of Marmontel, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    16 October 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) dates his Piano Quartet K.478.

    16 October 1789 Brenno, an opera seria by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (36) to words of Filistri, is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Theater, Berlin.

    16 October 1791 The Concerto for clarinet and orchestra K.622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (35) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    16 October 1797 Incidental music to Angelica liberata oder Der Sturz des Ungeheuers by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (44) is performed  for the first time, in the Stadttheater, Leipzig.

    16 October 1800 Tamerlan, a tragedy by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (47) to words of Mandenville (translated by Schaum), is performed for the first time, in the Königlichestheater, Berlin.  It was intended for production in Paris in 1786 but the composer was forced to return to Berlin on the death of King Friedrich II.

    16 October 1809 Before the King, Queen and the entire court, Georg Joseph Vogler (60) gives the innaugural concert on the organ at St. Peter’s in Munich, which he recently rebuilt.

    16 October 1842 Determined to leave his royal appointment, Felix Mendelssohn (33) meets with King Friedrich Wilhelm in Berlin.  The king does not agree.  He needs Mendelssohn to be part of his reorganization of the musical culture of the city.

    16 October 1849 On his deathbed, Frédéric Chopin (39) orders that all his unfinished manuscripts be burned, that his notes for a proposed Method be turned over to Charles-Valentin Alkan (35), and that the Requiem of Mozart (†57) be performed at the funeral.

    16 October 1853 In a performance of the Gesangverein in Düsseldorf, Robert Schumann (43) continues conducting well after the music stops.  Members of the Gesangverein refuse to be led by Schumann in the future.

    16 October 1859 Depressed over his advancing age, Louis Spohr (75) takes to his bed in Kassel.  He will not rise from it again.

    16 October 1865 Richard Wagner (52) writes to King Ludwig demanding 200,000 florins, 40,000 payable immediately and the rest paid out through the rest of his life.  Ludwig will agree to 40,000 immediately and an annual stipend of 8,000 florins.

    16 October 1868 Modest Musorgsky (29), Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (24), Cesar Cui (33) and Sergey Dargomizhsky (55) attend the first Russian performance of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner (55) at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.  Rimsky-Korsakov recalls, “In our opinion, Lohengrin was contemptable.”  They have no end of abuse for the work.

    16 October 1874 Blanca Albéniz, 19-year-old sister of Isaac (14), kills herself in the Retiro, a large park near the Prado in Madrid.  She is a singer and has failed to win a contract at the Teatro de la Zarzuela.  Isaac Albéniz will end his concert tour, currently in Barcelona, and return home to Madrid.

    16 October 1886 The Golden Legend, a cantata by Arthur Sullivan (44) to words of Bennett after Longfellow, is performed for the first time, in Leeds conducted by the composer.  The work receives tremendous critical and popular acclaim.

    16 October 1887 Johannes Brahms (54) and Clara Schumann (68) return all the letters that they have written to each other over the course of 35 years.

    16 October 1888 Carl Nielsen (23) conducts in public for the first time, leading his Suite for Strings with the Odense Music Society.

    16 October 1893 For Me the Jasmine Buds Unfold, a song for voice and piano by Amy Beach (26) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    16 October 1896 Gabriel Fauré (51) is appointed professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire replacing Jules Massenet (54).

    16 October 1903 Two songs for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (37) to words of Rydberg, are performed for the first time, in Helsinki:  On a Balcony by the Sea op.38/2, and In the Night op.38/3.

    16 October 1904 The opera Pan Voyevoda, by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) to words of Tyumenev, is performed for the first time, at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.  An interested young protege of the composer, Igor Stravinsky (22), is in the audience.

    16 October 1909 Fantasia after JS Bach for piano by Ferruccio Busoni (43) is performed for the first time, in Bechstein Hall, London, by the composer.  The work is in memory of his father.  Busoni also premieres most of his An die jugend for piano.

    16 October 1912 After forty rehearsals, the long-awaited public premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s (38) Pierrot Lunaire op.21, for speaker and chamber group to words of Giraud (tr. Hartleben), takes place in the Choralionsaal, Berlin.  Some hissing is heard, but the audience is generally enthusiastic, giving the composer seven curtain calls.  Anton von Webern (29) and Edgard Varèse (28) are among the listeners.

    16 October 1916 Five of the Six Songs op.86 by Jean Sibelius (50) to words of Tavaststjerna, Karlfeldt, and Snoilsky, are performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    16 October 1917 Ruth Crawford (16) has her first piano lesson with Agathe Backer-Grøndahl at the School of Musical Art, Jacksonville, Florida.

    16 October 1918 A funeral in memory of Charles Hubert Hastings Parry takes place in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The building is full, including Edward Elgar (61), Charles Villiers Stanford (66) and representatives of the King, Queen, Prince of Wales, the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London, Trinity College, Dublin, the Royal Academy of Music and various musical and academic societies.  Lento (in memoriam CHHP) for organ by Frank Bridge (39) is performed for the first time.

    16 October 1919 A chi la giarrettiera?, an operetta by Ruggero Leoncavallo (†0), is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Adriano, Rome.

    Brief incidental music for Martínez Sierra’s play El corazón ciego by Manuel de Falla (43) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Eslava, Madrid.

    16 October 1922 Two piano works by Ernst Krenek (22) are performed for the first time, in Berlin:  Toccata und Chaconne über den Choral Ja ich glaub an Jesum Christum and Eine kleine Suite von Stücken über denselbigen Choral, verschiedenen charakters.

    16 October 1925 Parergon zur Sinfonia Domestica op.73 for piano left hand and orchestra by Richard Strauss (61) is performed for the first time, in Dresden.  The work is commissioned by, dedicated to, and performed by Paul Wittgenstein.

    16 October 1926 Háry János op.15, a singspiel by Zoltán Kodály (43) to words of Paulini and Harsányi, is performed for the first time, at the Hungarian Royal Opera House in Budapest.

    Our Flag for two sopranos and male chorus by Leos Janácek (72) to words of Prochazka is performed for the first time, in Prerov.

    16 October 1928 Berlin im Licht, a song for voice and piano by Kurt Weill (28) to his own words, is performed for the first time in its original form, at the Kroll Opera House, Berlin.  See 15 October 1928.

    16 October 1929 Air and Dance for string orchestra by Frederick Delius (67) is performed publicly for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    16 October 1930 Benjamin Britten (16) has his first full composition lesson with John Ireland (51) and the Royal College of Music.  Britten finds Ireland “terribly critical.” (Evans, 55)

    Partita for violin and piano by Charles Martin Loeffler (69) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    16 October 1932 Etude from the Six Compositions for Carillon by Gian Carlo Menotti (21) is performed for the first time, in Richmond, Virginia.

    Duke Ellington (33) and three others record Mood Indigo in New York.

    16 October 1936 Concertino for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (45) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    The first performance of an orchestral work by Olivier Messiaen (27) outside of France takes place in Symphony Hall, Boston when Les Offrandres oublieés is conducted by Serge Koussevitzky.

    16 October 1937 The baritone Titta Ruffo is arrested at his home in Rome on orders of Mussolini.  He is imprisoned for three days, then released, but his passport is not returned to him.  He is the only important Italian singer to have no intercourse with fascism.

    Incidental music to Bloch’s play Naissance d’une cité by Darius Milhaud (45) is performed for the first time, in the Palais des Sports, Paris.

    Two Songs for Alto and Piano from the Song of Songs by Stefan Wolpe (35) are performed for the first time, in Jerusalem.

    16 October 1940 Tres Piezas op.6 for piano by Alberto Ginastera (24) is performed for the first time, in Montevideo.

    16 October 1942 Coastal Command, a film with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (70), is shown for the first time, in the Plaza Cinema, Picadilly Circus, London.  See 17 September 1942.

    Rodeo, a ballet by Aaron Copland (41) to a scenario by De Mille, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  It is a glittering sold out event and a great success.  In the audience, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II decide to hire Agnes de Mille to choreograph their next project, Oklahoma!. See 28 May 1943 and 22 June 1943.

    The second of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare for Russia by Deems Taylor, is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    16 October 1944 Scenes from War and Peace, an opera by Sergey Prokofiev (53) to his own words after Tolstoy are performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Moscow.  See 12 June 1946 and 8 November 1957.

    16 October 1946 Granville Bantock dies in London, aged 78 years, two months, and nine days.  The ashes of his mortal remains will be housed at Golders Green Crematorium, London.

    16 October 1947 Three works by Bohuslav Martinu (56) are performed for the first time, in Prague:  Serenade no.1 for clarinet, french horn, three violins, and viola, Serenade no.3 for oboe, clarinet, four violins and cello, and the Divertimento for chamber orchestra.

    16 October 1948 Calligrammes, a cycle for voice and piano by Francis Poulenc (49) to words of Apollinaire, is performed for the first time, privately in the Paris salon of the Comtesse Marie-Blanche de Polignac, the composer at the keyboard.  See 20 November 1948.

    16 October 1954 Three One-Part Inventions for piano by Arthur Berger (42) are performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    16 October 1955 Metastaseis for 61 instruments, the third part of Anastenaria by Iannis Xenakis (33), is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  Also premiered is An Mathilde, a cantata for female voice and orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (51) to words of Heine.  See 15 December 2000.

    Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs for clarinet and jazz ensemble by Leonard Bernstein (37) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the ABC television network.

    16 October 1957 Flourish for Glorious John for orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (85) is performed for the first time, in the Manchester Free Trade Hall, conducted by its dedicatee, John Barbirolli.

    16 October 1958 Nocturne op.60 for voice, seven obbligato instruments, and strings by Benjamin Britten (44), to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Leeds Town Hall.  The work is dedicated to Alma Mahler.

    16 October 1959 String Quartet no.17 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (72) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    16 October 1960 Two new works are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen:  Anaklasis for strings and percussion by Krzysztof Penderecki (26) and Chronochromie for orchestra by Olivier Messiaen (51).  The audience requires that Anaklasis be encored.

    Concerto for violin, cello, ten winds, and percussion by Leon Kirchner (41) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    16 October 1963 The first movement of Sonata for piano (W87) by Peter Sculthorpe (34) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, originating in Hobart.  See 3 November 1963.

    16 October 1965 Momente no.13 (1965 version) for soprano, four choruses, and 13 instruments by Karlheinz Stockhausen (37) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen directed by the composer. Also premiered is String Quartet by Earle Brown (38).

    16 October 1967 Chamber Concerto no.3 for clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet by Thea Musgrave (39) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.  The work is dedicated to Nadia Boulanger in honor of her 80th birthday.

    Three works for male chorus and orchestra by Charles Ives (†13) are performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York:  An Election and The Masses to his own words and Lincoln, the Great Commoner to words of Markham.  Also premiered is the chorus and orchestra version of They are There! See 25 March 1966.

    16 October 1969 Fuge for piano by Albert Roussel (†32) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of RTB 3e Programme originating in Brussels, 71 years after it was composed, during the centennial of the composer’s birth.

    Metropolitan Museum Fanfare:  Portrait of an American Artist for brass and percussion by Virgil Thomson (72) is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, conducted by the composer.

    Music for orchestra by Leon Kirchner (50) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    16 October 1970 A ballet to György Ligeti’s (47) Aventures et Nouvelles Aventures is performed for the first time, in Graz.  See 4 April 1963 and 26 May 1966.

    16 October 1971 Trans no.35 for orchestra and tape by Karlheinz Stockhausen (43) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  The composer derived the work from a dream he had in December of 1970.

    16 October 1974 Noomena for large orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (52) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    16 October 1975 Futuristie, a “manifestation sonore et visuelle en hommage à Luigi Russolo” by Pierre Henry (47) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre National de Chaillot.

    16 October 1976 Five Klee Pictures for school orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (42) is performed for the first time, at St. John’s Smith Square, London.

    16 October 1977 De profundis for chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (43) is performed for the first time, in Graz.  Also premiered is Coro for 40 voices and instruments by Luciano Berio (52) to words of Neruda and others.

    16 October 1979 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Donald Martino (48) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    16 October 1982 To Axion Esti (The Worth of Being), an oratorio by Mikis Theodorakis (57) to words of Elytis, is performed for the first time (in German) at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

    16 October 1983 Piano Sonata in E flat by Arnold Bax (†30) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London, 62 years after it was composed, during the centennial year of the composer’s birth.

    To a Child Dancing in the Wind for soprano, flute, harp, and viola by John Tavener (39) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, in Little Missenden Parish Church.

    Little Harpsichord Book op.155 by Vincent Persichetti (68) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    16 October 1987 Symphony no.6 by George Rochberg (69) is performed for the first time, in Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.

    16 October 1988 Praising Charles:  Fanfare and Flourish for two trumpets, two trombones, and organ by Ned Rorem (64) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    16 October 1990 A funeral in memory of Leonard Bernstein takes place in his apartment in the Dakota on Central Park West.  A procession with police escort takes his mortal remains to Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn where they are laid to rest.  Along the route, ordinary New Yorkers stop, some waving and calling out “Good by, Lenny!”

    A revised version of Calmo for mezzo-soprano and 22 players by Luciano Berio (64) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Paris, conducted by Pierre Boulez (65).  See 25 March 1974.

    Correspondences (String Quartet no.4), a dance opera by Kevin Volans (41) to words of Ramanujan, is performed for the first time, in The Palace Theatre, London.

    16 October 1992 Music for cello and orchestra by Leon Kirchner (73) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman no.4 for orchestra by Joan Tower (54) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Kansas City.

    16 October 2002 Concerto for orchestra:  Yi0 by Tan Dun (45) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.

    16 October 2003 Raise the Roof for timpani and orchestra by Michael Daugherty (49) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Detroit.

    Paper Concerto for paper percussion and orchestra by Tan Dun (46) is performed for the first time, in Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

    16 October 2004 Licht-Bilder by Karlheinz Stockhausen (76) is performed for the first time.  It is the last section of his massive composition Licht which comprises 29 hours of music and on which he has been laboring for the past 27 years.

    Four Seascapes for orchestra by Dominick Argento (76) is performed for the first time, in Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sibley Library at the Eastman School of Music.

    16 October 2007 Naxos Quartet no.10 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (73) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    16 October 2008 The Forbidden for orchestra by Leon Kirchner (89) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    16 October 2010 Sidereus for orchestra by Osvaldo Golijov (49) is performed for the first time, in the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Memphis, Tennessee.

    17 October

    17 October 1729 Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny is born in Fauquembergues, near Saint-Omer.

    17 October 1744 Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri dies in Cremona, aged 46 years, one month and 26 days.

    17 October 1761 Don Juan, ou Le festin de Pierre, a pantomime by Christoph Willibald Gluck (47) to a scenario by Angiolini, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    17 October 1771 Ascanio in Alba K.111, a festa teatrale by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (15) to words of Parini, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan, to celebrate the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Maria Ricciarda Berenice of Modena.  Leopold Mozart (51) reports that it is “an extraordinary success” overshadowing the work by Hasse (72) performed last night.

    17 October 1792 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (51) opéra-comique Basile, ou A trompeur, trompeur et demi, to words of Sedaine after Cervantes, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne.

    17 October 1823 Franz Liszt (11) gives the first of three concerts in Munich.  Present is King Maximilian I of Bavaria.  The reviews of this performance contain so many superlatives that his second concert will be sold out.

    17 October 1825 Don Sanche, ou Le Château d’amour, an opéra by Franz Liszt (13) and his composition teacher Ferdinando Paer to words of Théaulon and de Rancé after Claris de Florian, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  While everyone finds it remarkable that this is the work of a 13-year-old, the opera ultimately fails.  It will be withdrawn after four performances.

    17 October 1826 Gioachino Rossini (34) is named Premier Compositeur du Roi and Inspecteur Général du Chant en France by King Charles X.  See 1 January 1827.

    17 October 1831 At a concert made up entirely of his music, the Piano Concerto in g minor by Felix Mendelssohn (22) is performed for the first time, in Munich before King Ludwig I of Bavaria, the composer at the keyboard.  The premiere has been postponed to this date until after the musicians are done with their work during the Oktoberfest.  Afterward, the king proposes Mozart's (†31) Non piu andrai for the young pianist to improvise.

    17 October 1833 The death of Robert Schumann’s (23) sister-in-law Rosalie precipitates an acute anxiety attack through this night.  “I was seized by an idee fixe:  the fear of losing my mind.”  Later, when seeking medical advice, he will be told “Find yourself a woman; she’ll cure you in no time.”

    17 October 1837 07:00  Johann Nepomuk Hummel dies at Weimar, probably of heart disease, aged 58 years, eleven months and three days.

    A funeral service in memory of Samuel Wesley takes place in Old Marybone Church following which his mortal remains are laid to rest in the family vault.

    17 October 1847 Incidental music to Elmar’s play Ein Held und seine Liebe by Albert Lortzing (45) is performed for the first time, in Theater an der Wien, Vienna.

    17 October 1849 02:00  Frédéric François Chopin dies at 12 Place Vendôme, Paris probably of tuberculosis, aged 39 years, seven months and 16 days.  He is attended by his sister, Ludwika, Princess Marcelina Czartoryska, Solange Dudevant (George Sand’s daughter), Thomas Albrecht and his student Adolphe Gutmann.

    17 October 1850 Exactly one year to the day after his death, a monument is unveiled at the grave of Frédéric Chopin.  A small amount of Polish earth is brought for the occasion and sprinkled over the final resting place.

    17 October 1861 A charter for a new conservatory is published in an appendix to Senate Bulletins no.95. It begins “Under the aegis of the Russian Music Society, a music school is to be founded for instruction in the art of music in all its disciplines.  The school, on a par with the Society, is under the direct patronage of Her Imperial Highness the grand duchess Yelena Pavlovna.”  (Taylor, 97)  It is the first such school in Russia.

    Apothicaire et perruquier, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (42) to words of Frébault, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    17 October 1864 Ode to Labour, a cantata by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (54), is performed for the first time, to celebrate the opening of the North London Working Men’s Industrial Exhibition in the Agricultural Hall, Islington.

    17 October 1872 Prague Opera musicians, led by Antonin Dvorák (31), send a letter in support of Bedrich Smetana (48) to the theatre’s intendant, FL Rieger, who has been trying to remove him.

    17 October 1875 Licht und Schatten op.374, a polka mazurka by Johann Strauss (49), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    17 October 1876 Isaac Albéniz (16) is accepted into the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels where he will stay for three years.  It will constitute the longest period of formal study he will have.

    17 October 1890 Quartet for piano and strings op.87 by Antonín Dvorák (49) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    17 October 1893 Sonata for cello and piano op.5 by Max Reger (20) is performed for the first time, the composer at the piano.

    17 October 1894 Mily Balakirev (57) makes his last public appearance as pianist, in Chopin’s birthplace, Zelazowa Wola, on the 45th anniversary of Chopin’s death.

    17 October 1896 The second movement of Suite for Grand Orchestra by Arthur Farwell (24) is performed for the first time, in Auburn, New York, under the title Andante from a New Suite.

    17 October 1907 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play (tr. Schröder) Was ihr wollt (Twelfth Night) by Engelbert Humperdinck (53) is performed for the first time, in the Deutsches Theater, Berlin.

    17 October 1908 Reveille op.54 for male chorus by Edward Elgar (51) to words of Harte, is performed for the first time, in Blackpool.

    17 October 1913 Otto Luening (13) has his first flute lesson, with Professor Schellhorn, in Munich.

    17 October 1919 Four Pieces for clarinet and piano op.5 by Alban Berg (34) are performed for the first time, by the Society for Private Performances, Vienna.

    17 October 1921 Hymne for ten stringed instruments by Arthur Honegger (29) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    17 October 1924 Leos Janácek’s (70) String Quartet no.1 is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    The bequest of Augustus D. Juilliard becomes the Juilliard Graduate School in New York.  This is not really a graduate school because no undergraduate degree is required for admittance.  Only private instruction in piano, violin, voice, and composition is offered.

    17 October 1925 The Black Horse Troop, a march by John Philip Sousa (70), is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    17 October 1932 Todessehnsucht for piano by Frank Bridge (53) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    17 October 1940 Symphony no.1 by Darius Milhaud (48) is performed for the first time, in Chicago the composer conducting.

    17 October 1941 Symphony no.3 by William Schuman (31) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  The critics are extremely positive.

    17 October 1943 Invasion for orchestra by Bernard Rogers (50) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    17 October 1944 Aaron Copland’s (43) work for chamber orchestra Letter from Home is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the ABC radio network, originating in New York.

    17 October 1946 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s (tr. Gide) play Hamlet by Arthur Honegger (54) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Marigny, Paris.

    Quatre cançons en llengua catalana for soprano and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (44) to words of four Catalan poets, is performed for the first time, in Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona.  Also premiered is Rodrigo’s Triptic de Mosén Cinto for soprano and orchestra to words of Verdaguer.

    17 October 1947 A Munich court clears Werner Egk (46) of any profiteering during the Nazi regime.

    Variations for an Album for piano op.32 by Vincent Persichetti (32) is performed for the first time, at Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio.

    17 October 1954 34’ 46.776” and 31’ 57.9865” for a pianist (prepared piano) by John Cage (42) are performed for the first time, in the Festhalle, Donaueschingen by David Tudor and the composer.  Also premiered is Morton Feldman’s (28) Intersection for Magnetic Tape.

    Triumvirate for male choir by Ulysses Kay (37) to words of Emerson, Longfellow, and Manville is performed for the first time, at Hunter College, New York.

    A letter from Harry Partch (53) appears in the Los Angeles Times in response to that paper’s review of his most recent recording:  “Sir:  How dare you waste my time with your ‘reviews’?  You...are a Euro-technique-inculcated hashbrain, who displaces a depth of water that a pollywog would die in.  Go back to your histories, crawl between the pages, and get pressed for another century.”

    17 October 1955 Ernst Krenek’s (55) opera Pallas Athene Weint to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Hamburg State Opera.

    17 October 1959 Variations on a Slovak Folk Song for cello and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (†0) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Igor Stravinsky’s (77) Epitaphium für das Grabmal des Prinzen Max Egon zu Fürstenberg, for flute, clarinet, and harp, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen, conducted by Pierre Boulez (34).  Also premiered is Boulez’ Tombeau for soprano and orchestra.

    17 October 1964 Couleurs de la cité céleste for piano, 13 winds, and percussion by Olivier Messiaen (55) is performed for the first time, in the Stadthalle, Donaueschingen under the direction of Pierre Boulez (39).

    17 October 1965 Miniature Overture for orchestra by William Grant Still (70) is performed for the first time, in Miami.

    17 October 1968 Incidental music to Tabori’s play The Cannibals by Vladimir Ussachevsky (56) is performed for the first time, in the American Place Theatre, New York.

    17 October 1970 Form IV for piano by Stefan Wolpe (68) is performed for the first time, in the YMHA, New York.

    17 October 1971 One Man’s Week:  John Tavener (27) is broadcast by BBC television.

    Actions for 14 jazz instruments by Krzysztof Penderecki (37) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen, conducted by the composer.

    17 October 1975 String Quartet no.9 by Peter Sculthorpe (46) is performed for the first time, in the Everest Theatre, Sydney.

    Chemins IV for oboe and eleven strings by Luciano Berio (49) is performed for the first time, in London directed by the composer.

    An expanded version of Lamia for soprano and orchestra by Jacob Druckman (47) to words of Ovid, Wagner, and elsewhere is performed for the first time, in New York.  Pierre Boulez (50) is one of the conductors.

    17 October 1976 Dream Sequence (Images II) for violin, cello, piano, percussion, and glass harmonica by George Crumb (46) is performed for the first time, in Brunswick, Maine.

    17 October 1977 Landscapes for brass quintet by Karel Husa (56) is performed for the first time, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

    17 October 1978 Concerto pastoral for flute and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (76) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    17 October 1979 Vox Humana?, a cantata for loudspeaker, women's voices, and orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (47), is performed for the first time, in Jerusalem.  Also premiered is “Michaels Jugend” no.49, a scene from Karlheinz Stockhausen's (51) opera Donnerstag aus Licht.

    17 October 1985 14 chants pour flûte et piano op.157 by Charles Koechlin (†34) is performed completely for the first time, over the airwaves of radio station WGBH in Boston, 49 years after they were composed.  See 16 July 1941.

    Prelude, Aria, and Waltz for orchestra by Arthur Berger (73) is performed for the first time, in Cambridge, Massachusetts directed by John Harbison (46).  It is a reworking of his Three Pieces for String orchestra of 1946.  See 26 January 1946.

    17 October 1987 Post-Prae-Ludium no.1:  Donau for tuba and electronic instruments by Luigi Nono (63) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    17 October 1993 Into the Dreaming for cello by Peter Sculthorpe (64) is performed for the first time, in Eugene Goossens Hall, Sydney.

    17 October 1994 Brain Opera, a two-act opera and magic trick by Tod Machover (40) to words of Gillette, Teller, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Kresge Auditorium of the Massachusetts Institute of Techonology.

    17 October 1995 Glint for flute, violin, and piano by Jacob Druckman (67) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, New York.

    Night Song for clarinet, violin, and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (66) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, New York.

    17 October 1997 Etude 16 from György Ligeti’s (74) Etudes for piano Book III is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Sequenza IXc for bass clarinet by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Turin.

    Two Voices--an allegory for orchestra and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (63) is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

    17 October 2000 Una Balena Azzura for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (66) to words of George Mackay Brown is performed for the first time, at the Pieve dell’Assunta, Cavalese, Trentino.

    The Bridegroom for four female voices and string quartet by John Tavener (56) is performed for the first time, in South Bank Centre, London.

    17 October 2001 Steep Steps for bass clarinet by Elliott Carter (92) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York.

    18 October

    18 October 1545 John Taverner dies in Boston, Lincolnshire, aged approximately 55 years.

    18 October 1706 Baldassare Galuppi is born in Burano, near Venice.

    18 October 1752 As part of the Querelle des Bouffons, Le Devin du village, an intermède by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau before King Louis XV.  See 1 March 1753.

    18 October 1754 Empress Maria Theresia appoints Christoph Willibald Gluck (40) as Imperial and Royal Chamber Composer.

    18 October 1764 L’olimpiade, an opera seria by Florian Leopold Gassmann (35) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    18 October 1766 Joseph Haydn (34) receives one of his first notices in an Austrian paper, the Wiener Biarium, in which he is described as “the darling of our nation.”

    18 October 1774 By decree of Empress Maria Theresia, Chistoph Willibald Gluck (60) is created Imperial Court Composer in Vienna, “in consideration of his thorough knowledge of music and his proven especial skill, as also an ability practiced in various compositions.”

    18 October 1785 François-André Danican-Philidor’s (59) opéra-comique L’amitié au village to words of Desforges (pseud. of Choudard) is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    18 October 1788 Giuseppe Cambini’s (42) opera bouffon Le bon pére to words of Le Pitre is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Comte de Beaujolais, Paris.

    18 October 1798 Johann Simon Mayr’s (35) farsa Che originali to words of Rossi is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Benedetto, Venice.

    18 October 1815 Two numbers for a play celebrating the Battle of Leipzig by Carl Maria von Weber (28), Wer stets hinter’n ofen kroch J.186 and Wie wir voll Glut J.187, are performed for the first time, in Prague.

    18 October 1817 Étienne-Nicolas Méhul dies of tuberculosis in Paris, aged 54 years, three months and 26 days.

    La clochette, ou Le diable page, an opéra féerie by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold (26) to words of Théaulon de Lambert, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    18 October 1834 Buondelmonte, a tragedia lirica by Gaetano Donizetti (36) to words of Salatino, is performed for the first time, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The opera was to have been Maria Stuarda but when the censors objected to the tragic ending two weeks ago, Salatino took the libretto of Bardari and rewrote it.  Donizetti then quickly fit his music to the new words.  Needless to say, the production is a disaster and receives only one performance.  See 30 December 1835.

    18 October 1835 The Hochzeitskantate Cassia La sede empirea for four voices and piano by Otto Nicolai (25) is performed for the first time.

    18 October 1838 George Sand, her two children and maid leave Paris for Mallorca.  Few people know that she is gone and Chopin (28) tells only four close friends that he will soon join her.

    18 October 1841 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (31) performs on the new organ at the parish church in Leeds.  He is so impressed by the town and its citizens that he will accept an offer to become organist there.

    18 October 1853 Incidental music to Aylic-Langlé’s comédie en vers Murillo ou la Corde du pendu by Jacques Offenbach (34) is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Française, Paris.

    18 October 1854 La nonne sanglante, an opéra by Charles Gounod (36) to words of Scribe and Delavigne after Lewis, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It will ultimately fail.

    18 October 1855 The symphonic poem Prometheus by Franz Liszt (43) is performed for the first time, in Braunschweig, under the direction of the composer.  See 24 August 1850.

    18 October 1861 King Wilhelm I of Prussia is crowned in Königsberg.  The new king revives the old coronation ceremony used in 1701 when Prussia became a kingdom.  Krönungsmarsch for winds by Giacomo Meyerbeer (69) is performed for the first time at the ceremony.

    18 October 1870 Anton Bruckner (46) is appointed teacher of theory, piano, and organ at the St. Anna Teacher Training Institute for Men and Women in Vienna.

    18 October 1871 Schicksalslied for chorus and orchestra by Johannes Brahms (38) to words of Hölderlin is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe, conducted by the composer from manuscript.  Among the audience is Clara Schumann (52).

    18 October 1873 String Quartet no.2 op.51/2 by Johannes Brahms (40) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Singakademie.

    18 October 1878 Today is Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (38) last day as a teacher at Moscow Conservatory.

    18 October 1884 Fantasia eroica op.110 for orchestra by Anton Rubinstein (54) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer.

    18 October 1885 Richard Strauss (21) makes his debut as solo pianist, in Meiningen, playing the Mozart (†93) Concerto K.491.  He also conducts his own f minor symphony.  In the audience is Johannes Brahms (52) who is visiting the city for the premiere of his own Fourth Symphony.  He offers the young musician (what Strauss calls) a memorable piece of advice on composing.

    18 October 1887 Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra op.102 by Johannes Brahms (54) is performed for the first time, in Cologne conducted by the composer.

    18 October 1889 Giuseppe Verdi (76) buys land near Porta Garibaldi in Milan.  This will be the site of the Casa di Riposa per Musicisti.

    18 October 1890 Overture to Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra for orchestra by Ethel Smyth (32) is performed for the first time, in Crystal Palace, London.

    18 October 1893 06:25  Charles François Gounod dies at St. Cloud, aged 75 years and four months.

    18 October 1897 Incidental music to Heiberg’s play Folkeraadet by Fritz (Frederick) Delius (35) is performed for the first time, in Christiania Theatre, Christiania (Oslo).  The audience is strongly divided.

    18 October 1898 Richard Strauss (34) conducts Fidelio, his last production as chief conductor of the Munich Opera.  He is moving to Berlin.

    18 October 1901 Arnold Schoenberg (27) marries Mathilde von Zemlinsky in a religious ceremony in the Church of the Dorotheer Community, Vienna.  See 7 October 1901.

    18 October 1904 The Symphony no.5 of Gustav Mahler (44) is performed for the first time, in Gürzenich Concert Hall, Cologne, under the baton of the composer.  The audience response is mixed, the press is hostile.

    18 October 1923 Igor Stravinsky’s (41) Octet for Winds is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra, conducted by the composer.  Also on the program is the premiere of the First Violin Concerto op.19 of Sergey Prokofiev (32).  Present for the occasion, along with both composers, are Nadia Boulanger (36), members of Les Six, Karol Szymanowski (41), Pablo Picasso, Anna Pavlova, Arthur Rubinstein and Josef Szigeti.

    18 October 1925 The Fire of the Cauldron for piano by Henry Cowell (28) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    18 October 1926 Oh, Kay!, a musical comedy with a book by Bolton and Wodehouse, lyrics by Dietz and Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (28), is performed for the first time in Philadelphia.  One of the new songs is Someone to Watch Over Me.  See 8 November 1926.

    18 October 1927 The new Salle Pleyel is opened in Paris with a grand concert.  Maurice Ravel (52) conducts his La Valse and Igor Stravinsky (45) conducts his 1919 Firebird Suite.

    18 October 1929 Cynara for baritone and orchestra by Frederick Delius (67) to words of Dowson is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    18 October 1935 Chapultepec (Oberatura republicana) for orchestra by Carlos Chávez (36), is performed for the first time, in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City.

    18 October 1939 Igor Stravinsky (57) delivers the first of his Norton Lectures in the New Lecture Hall (Lowell Hall) at Harvard University.

    18 October 1943 Hail Mary for tenor chorus, violin, and organ by Leos Janácek (†15) is performed, likely for the first time, in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Brno-Zidenice, 39 years after it was composed.

    18 October 1944 Dance Overture op.20 for orchestra by Vincent Persichetti (32) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (47).

    18 October 1946 Un revenant, a film with music by Arthur Honegger (54), is released in France.  It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in September.

    Symphony no.3 by Aaron Copland (45) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    18 October 1953 Cortège académique for organ by Ernest MacMillan (60) is performed for the first time, at Convocation Hall, Toronto by the composer.  The work was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of the University of Toronto.

    Two works by Igor Stravinsky (71) are performed for the first time, in Los Angeles:  Preludium for jazz band and Tango for 19 instruments.

    18 October 1956 Portrait for violin and orchestra by Bernard Rogers (63) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    18 October 1958 An Intrada for four violins by Leos Janácek (†30) is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    Twelve Madrigals for chorus by Paul Hindemith (62), to words of Weinheber, are performed for the first time, in Vienna, conducted by the composer.

    Duke Ellington (59) and his Orchestra play two concerts in Leeds.  Later, Ellington is presented to Queen Elizabeth II.  Ellington tells her that she makes him feel “tremendously inspired.”

    18 October 1961 West Side Story, a film with music by Leonard Bernstein (43), is shown for the first time, in New York.

    Suite for Symphonic Strings by Lou Harrison (44) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    18 October 1964 To Axion Esti (Worth of Being), a “popular oratorio” by Mikis Theodorakis (39) to words of Elytis, is performed for the first time, in the Rex Theatre, Athens.  It is wildly successful.

    Divertissement for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Ross Lee Finney (57) is performed for the first time, at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

    18 October 1965 Symphony no.19 by Henry Cowell (68) is performed for the first time, in War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

    18 October 1968 Four Interludes and a Tragedy for basset clarinet and tape by Harrison Birtwistle (34) is performed for the first time, in London.  The first performance is without tape.  See 10 February 1969.

    18 October 1969 Sinfonia for singers and orchestra by Luciano Berio (43) to words of Lévi-Strauss, Beckett and the composer, is performed completely for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  See 10 October 1968.

    18 October 1970 Mantra no.32 for percussion and ring modulators by Karlheinz Stockhausen (42) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Music for a Great Occasion for band by Robert Ward (53) is performed for the first time, at Duke University.

    18 October 1971 Ten Russian Folksongs for various groupings of voices and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (65) are performed for the first time, in Magnitogorsk.

    Duel for two small orchestras by Iannis Xenakis (49) is performed for the first time, in Hilversum, Netherlands.

    Three works by Ernst Krenek (71) are performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan:  Three Sacred Pieces for chorus to words of the Bible, Three Lessons for chorus to words of the composer, and Orga-nastro for organ and tape.

    18 October 1973 Trio for flute, oboe, and violin by Isang Yun (56) is performed for the first time, in Mannheim.

    18 October 1974 Vortrag über Hu no.38 1/2, introductory lecture to Inori by Karlheinz Stockhausen (46) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen the composer conducting.

    Lord God, Thy Sea is Mighty for chorus and organ by Charles Ives (†20) is performed for the first time, in Hunter College Playhouse, New York two days before the centennial of his birth.

    18 October 1975 Kantrimiusik, Pastorale für Stimmen und Instrumente by Mauricio Kagel (43), is performed for the first time, in the Donauhalle, Donaueschingen.

    Open House, a cycle for tenor and chamber orchestra by William Bolcom (37) to words of Roethke, is performed for the first time.

    18 October 1976 Psalm no.8 for chorus and organ by John Corigliano (38) is performed for the first time, in San Antonio, Texas.

    18 October 1979 Der Gesetz der Quadrille op.41 for middle voice and piano by Alexander Goehr (47) to words of Kafka is performed for the first time, in Norwich.

    18 October 1981 The Panhellenc Socialist Movement wins the Greek general election.  Mikis Theodorakis (56) is elected to Parliament.

    Répons for six percussionists, small orchestra and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (56) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen conducted by the composer.  The work is “in progress.”  See 6 September 1982.

    18 October 1982 On a visit to Moscow, five West German composers have a “secret” meeting with seven Soviet composers in the apartment of Edison Denisov.  Among the seven are Sofia Gubaidulina (50) and Alfred Schnittke (47).  During a long night, the twelve are able to make deep personal and lasting connections.

    Pour Maurice for baritone and piano by Iannis Xenakis (60) is performed for the first time, in Brussels.

    Evocation no.3 for viola and piano by Ralph Shapey (61) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    18 October 1983 A setting of the Kyrie by Johannes Brahms (†86) WoO 17 is performed for the first time, in Vienna 127 years after it was composed.

    18 October 1984 Secret Theatre for 14 players by Harrison Birtwistle (50) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.  Also premiered is Birtwistle’s Songs by Myself for soprano, flute/alto flute, piano, vibraphone, violin, viola, cello, and double bass to his own words conducted by the composer.

    Lento espressivo for string quartet by Aaron Copland (83) is performed for the first time, in New York 60 years after it was composed.

    Quintet for woodwinds by Arthur Berger (72) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    18 October 1985 Oberlippentanz, a version of Luzifers Tanz for piccolo trumpet or trombone or euphonium, two percussionists, and horns by Karlheinz Stockhausen (57) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  See 9 March 1984, 16 May 1984, and 27 September 1986.

    18 October 1986 Beitrag for orchestra by Gottfried Michael Koenig (60) is performed for the first time, in The Hague.

    Was aber-- for two female voices and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (34) to words of Pindar (tr. Hölderlin) is performed for the first time, in Heidelberg.

    18 October 1987 Three works by Wolfgang Rihm (35) are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen:  Klangbeschreibung I for three orchestral groups; Klangbeschreibung II “Innere Grenze” for four solo voices, five brass, and six percussionists to words of Nietzsche, and Klangbeschreibung III for orchestra.

    18 October 1988 The Canyon for orchestra by Philip Glass (51) is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam.

    The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.6 by Conlon Nancarrow (75) takes place in Hannover.

    18 October 1995 Concerto for piano and wind instruments by Kevin Volans (46) is performed for the first time, at De Doelen, Rotterdam.

    18 October 1996 Concerto for guitar and orchestra:  Yi2  by Tan Dun (39) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    18 October 1997 Two works for chorus to Biblical words by Arvo Pärt (62) are performed for the first time, in Karlstad Cathedral, Sweden:  Tribute to Caesar and The Woman with the Alabaster Box.

    Hymne an den heiligen Adalbert for chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) is performed for the first time, in Gdansk, directed by the composer.

    18 October 1998 Styx und Lethe for cello and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (46) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    18 October 2000 Stilles Stück for baritone and eight instruments by Wolfgang Rihm (48) to words of Lenz is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    18 October 2003 Cello Counterpoint for cello and tape or eight cellos by Steve Reich (67) is performed for the first time, in Urbana, Illinois.

    18 October 2006 Steve Reich (70) is presented with the Praemium Imperiale for music in Meiji Hall, Tokyo.

    Naxos Quartet no.9 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (72) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    18 October 2007 Tondo di Michelangelo for baritone and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (73) is performed for the first time, at the Martin Harris Center, Manchester University.

    String Quartet no.5 “The Miraculous” by Bright Sheng (51) is performed for the first time, in the Staller Center for the Arts, SUNY Stony Brook.

    18 October 2008 Chronos-Aion for instrumental ensemble by Brian Ferneyhough (65) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    18 October 2012 Virgencita chorus by Arvo Pärt (77) is performed for the first time, in Léon, Mexico.

    19 October

    19 October 1659 Domenico Gabrielli is born in Bologna.

    19 October 1762 Komm wieder, Herr, a cantata by Georg Philipp Telemann (81), is performed for the first time, for the consecration of the rebuilt St. Michael’s Church, Hamburg.

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (6) performs before the French ambassador in Vienna, Glorent-Louis-Marie Comte du Châtelet-Lomont, who invites him to Versailles.  Leopold (42) sends home gifts from the Imperial family and many nobles totalling 120 ducats, about twice his annual salary.

    19 October 1814 Franz Schubert (17) composes his first great work, Gretchen am Spinnrade.

    19 October 1845 Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg, a grosse romantische Oper by Richard Wagner (32) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Dresden Hoftheater, conducted by the composer.  The reception is friendly but lukewarm.  Robert Schumann (35) is in the audience.  He is not impressed.  See 1 August 1847, 13 March 1861 and 1 August 1867.

    19 October 1854 Hector Berlioz (50) marries Marie-Geneviève Recio in L’Eglise de la Trinité and then in a civil ceremony with a notary, in the Mairie of the 2me arondissement, Paris.  A religious ceremony follows in L’Eglise de la Trinité.  Among the guests is Giacomo Meyerbeer (63).

    The Revue et gazette musicale publishes a letter from Olympe Pélissier denying persistent rumors that her husband, Gioachino Rossini (62), has gone insane.

    19 October 1855 Hans von Bülow conducts the first performance in Berlin of the Overture and Venusberg music from Richard Wagner’s (42) Tannhäuser.  Present are Franz Liszt (43) and his two daughters.  The conclusion of the music is met with hisses and boos.  In his dressing room, von Bülow collapses and faints from the strain.  At 02:00 he is well enough for Liszt to force him out and back to his hotel.  Cosima Liszt is waiting for him.  The two stay up all night talking, and confess their love for each other.

    19 October 1857 Giuseppe Verdi (44) sends the outline of a new opera, Gustavo III, to Vincenzo Torelli, secretary to the impressario of Teatro San Carlo, Naples in order that it might gain approval by the censors.  They will disapprove it.  See 28 January 1858.

    19 October 1875 La boulangère a des écus, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (56) to words of Meilhac and Halevy is performed for the first time, at the Variétés, Paris.  The press likes it, as does the audience.

    19 October 1878 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) departs Moscow for St. Petersburg, having resigned his post at the Moscow Conservatory.  “And so, at last, I am a free man.”

    19 October 1885 Arthur Foote (32) premieres his Cinq Pièces op.6 for piano in Boston.

    19 October 1889 Edvard Grieg’s (46) incidental music to Olav Trygvason to words of Bjørnson is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Christiania (Oslo), conducted by the composer.  See 26 October 1889.

    19 October 1891 Three songs for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (25) are performed for the first time, in Helsinki:  The Heart’s Morning op.13/3 and The Dream op.13/5 to words of Runeberg, and Enticement op.17/3 to words of Tavaststjerna.

    19 October 1894 Symphony no.3 by George Whitefield Chadwick (39) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston, conducted by the composer.  Reviews are mixed.

    19 October 1899 Claude Debussy (37) marries Rosalie “Lily” Texier in a civil ceremony in Paris.  She is a model in a dressmaker’s firm, the daughter of a telegraph inspector for the French Railroad.  Among the witnesses is Erik Satie (33).

    19 October 1901 Edward Elgar’s (44) Pomp and Circumstance Marches nos. 1 and 2, op.39/1-2, are performed for the first time, in Liverpool.

    19 October 1902 La fin de l’homme op.11, a cantata for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Koechlin (34) to words of Leconte de Lisle, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    19 October 1903 A song by Ralph Vaughan Williams (31), Réveillez-vous, Piccars, to anonymous words (tr. England), is performed for the first time, in Eastbourne.

    19 October 1905 Incidental music to von Kleist’s play Das Käthchen von Heilbronn, by Hans Pfitzner (36), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    Richard Strauss (41) conducts the premiere of the revised version of Jean Sibelius’ (39) Violin Concerto, in Berlin.

    19 October 1908 Evening Mood, for male chorus by Carl Nielsen (43) to words of Hauch, is performed for the first time.

    19 October 1913 A Festliche Praeludium by Richard Strauss (49) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of the Konzert-Haus, Vienna.

    19 October 1917 Symphony no.1 “Sermons in Stone” by John Alden Carpenter (41) is performed publicly for the first time, in Chicago.

    19 October 1919 The Japanese Suite op.33 by Gustav Holst (45) for orchestra is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    19 October 1922 Maurice Ravel’s (47) orchestration of Modest Musorgsky’s (†41) piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    19 October 1924 La mascherata delle principesse prigionere, a dramma sinfonico by Gian Francesco Malipiero (42) to a story by Prunières, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels.

    19 October 1928 Mouvement symphonique no.2:  Rugby, an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger (36), is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    19 October 1935 Symphony no.4 by Albert Roussel (66) is performed for the first time, in the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

    Radio-Panoramique, for orchestra by Arthur Honegger (43) is performed for the first time before a live audience, in Paris.  See 4 March 1935.

    19 October 1938 Knickerbocker Holiday, a musical comedy by Kurt Weill (38) to words of Anderson, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  It is a success, with 168 performances.  See 26 September 1938.

    19 October 1941 Even though he has raised most of the money needed for a production, Marc Blitzstein (36) writes in today’s New York Times that his opera No For An Answer will not be staged at present.  Its theme of leftist non-intervention in the war has been overshadowed by the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

    Baal Shem for violin and orchestra by Ernest Bloch (61) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    19 October 1943 Robin Greville Holloway is born in Leamington Spa, England.

    19 October 1946 String Quartet no.3 by Michael Tippett (41) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    19 October 1949 Les rêves de Jacob op.294 for oboe, violin, viola, cello, and bass by Darius Milhaud (57) is performed for the first time, at Jacob’s Pillow, Massachusetts.

    19 October 1951 The first two movements of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s (40) symphonic poem Apocalypse is performed for the first time, in the Oakland Civic Center, Pittsburgh.  See 18 January 1952.

    Cumberland Concerto for orchestra by Roy Harris (53) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Cincinnati.

    19 October 1954 Studie I & II no.3 for electronic sound generators by Karlheinz Stockhausen (26) are performed for the first time, in the Funkhaus, Cologne, in an all-electronic/serial concert over the airwaves of West German Radio.  Also premiered is Seismogramme by Henri Pousseur (25).  Earlier in the day, Stockhausen makes the acquaintance of John Cage (42) and David Tudor.

    19 October 1956 Sonata concertante for violin and piano by Peter Mennin (33) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    19 October 1958 Poésie pour pouvoir for five-track tape and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (33) to words of Michaux, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen, conducted by Hans Rosbaud and the composer.

    Wondrous Love for organ by Samuel Barber (48) is performed for the first time, in Christ Episcopal Church, Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

    19 October 1959 He is There for unison chorus and orchestra by Charles Ives (†5) to his own words is performed for the first time, in the Norwalk High School Auditorium, Norwalk, Connecticut.

    19 October 1964 Autumn:  Concertino for harp, strings, and percussion by Virgil Thomson (67) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.  Also premiered is Capriccio for harp and strings by Walter Piston (70).

    19 October 1965 Musiche di scena per “Ermittlung” di Piero Weiss for tape by Luigi Nono (41) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    19 October 1966 Aventures et Nouvelles aventures, a theatre piece for chamber works by György Ligeti (43) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Württemberg State Theatre, Stuttgart.

    19 October 1967 Lullaby for string quartet by George Gershwin (†30) is performed publicly for the first time in its original setting, in Washington, 47 years after it was composed.  See 29 August 1963.

    19 October 1969 The Greek government announces that Mikis Theodorakis (44) has been imprisoned again, at Oropos, north of Athens.

    Study no.2 “Coulée” for organ György Ligeti (46) is performed for the first time, in Basilika Seckau, Graz.

    ...pianissimo... for orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (34) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    War Scenes, a cycle for voice and piano by Ned Rorem (45) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in Constitution Hall, Washington.  The work is dedicated “to those who died in Vietnam, both sides, during the composition:  20-30 June 1969.”

    19 October 1970 Chorale Prelude on Abide with Me for organ by William Bolcom (32) is performed for the first time, in Everett, Washington by the composer.

    19 October 1971 Facets for piano and woodwind quintet by Ulysses Kay (54) is performed for the first time, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.

    19 October 1973 March no.3, with My Old Kentucky Home for small orchestra by Charles Ives (†19) is performed for the first time, at Yale University.  Also premiered is Ives’ Decoration Day for violin and piano and the song They Are There! to his own words.

    19 October 1975 Variations on a memory for chamber orchestra by Ross Lee Finney (68) is performed for the first time, at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

    19 October 1979 Dance, a multi-media performance piece by Philip Glass (42) to a choreography by Childs, is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    19 October 1980 Deutsche messgesänge zum 29. Sonntag im Jahreskreis for speaker, chorus, and organ by Ernst Krenek (80) is performed for the first time, in Graz Cathedral.

    19 October 1981 Risen! for chorus, brass, percussion, piano, and strings by John Tavener (37) to words of the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, at Bedford School conducted by the composer.

    19 October 1984 Deutschlandsberger Mohrentanz II for recorders, guitars, percussion, string quartet, and string orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (58) is performed for the first time, in Deutschlandsberg, Austria.

    19 October 1986 Brahmsliebewalzer for piano by Wolfgang Rihm (34) is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.

    19 October 1990 From Me Flows What You Call Time for five percussionists and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (60) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    Symphony by Shulamit Ran (40) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  It will win the Pulitzer Prize.  See 9 April 1991.

    19 October 1991 ...den 24. xii. 1931 for baritone and eight players by Mauricio Kagel (59) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    19 October 1994 In a “Schnittke at 60” concert, Concerto for Three for violin, viola, cello, strings, and piano by Alfred Schnittke (59) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.  Also premiered is Schnittke’s Minuet for violin, viola, and cello.

    19 October 1996 Burleske Suite aus Ubu Rex for winds and percussion by Krzysztof Penderecki (62) is performed for the first time, in Merano, South Tyrol.

    Gnarly Buttons for clarinet and chamber orchestra by John Adams (49) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    19 October 1997 Anthemes II for violin and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (72) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    19 October 1998 Psalm 126 for speaker, chorus, and orchestra by Philip Glass (61) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    19 October 2002 Trumpet and String Quartet 2 by Kevin Volans (53) is performed for the first time, in Philips Hall, Eindhoven.

    19 October 2003 The Long Boat for mezzo-soprano and english horn by Charles Wuorinen (65) to words of Kunitz is performed for the first time, in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

    19 October 2005 Naxos Quartet no.7 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (71) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    19 October 2006 Kettletoft Inn for Northumbrian bagpipes, english horn, and string quintet by Peter Maxwell Davies (72) is performed for the first time, at Sage Gateshead.

    19 October 2007 La Musique for voice by Elliott Carter (98) to words of Baudelaire, is performed for the first time, at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

    19 October 2011 Nähe fern 2 for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (59) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.

    20 October

    20 October 1676 Christopher Gibbons dies in Westminster, 61 years, one month and 28 days after his baptism.

    20 October 1757 The Tempest, a masque by William Boyce (46) to words of Garrick after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    20 October 1790 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (34) performs before Elector Friedrich Karl Joseph Freiherr von Erthal in Mainz.

    20 October 1828 Clara Wieck (9) performs at the Leipzig Gewandhaus for the first time, playing one part in a piano duet by Kalkbrenner (42).

    20 October 1830 Robert Schumann (20) moves into the Leipzig home of his teacher, Friedrich Wieck, which includes Wieck’s daughter, Clara (11).

    20 October 1837 A funeral is held in memory of Johann Nepomuk Hummel in Weimar in the presence of the Grand Ducal court.  His mortal remains are laid to rest near those of the ruling family, Goethe and Schiller.

    20 October 1840 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (30) is called before the Chapter of Exeter Cathedral to explain his actions of 26 September.  He claims he had a right to punish the boys and offers no apology.  The chapter recommends that he be suspended from his duties.  This will never be carried out.

    20 October 1842 Richard Wagner’s (29) grosse tragische Oper Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen WWV 49 to his own words after Bulwer Lytton is performed for the first time, in the Dresden Hoftheater.  The work is a great success and is very enthusiastically received.

    20 October 1858 Modest Musorgsky (19) appears in a one-act play “A Fair Copy” by Viktor Krylov, premiered to celebrate the marriage of Cesar Cui (23) to Malvina Bamberg.

    20 October 1860 String Sextet no.1 by Johannes Brahms (27) is performed for the first time, in the Saal des Museums, Hannover.

    20 October 1861 After traveling for two months through Germany and France, Franz Liszt (49) arrives in Rome by steamship from Marseille.  He goes immediately to the apartment of Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein and the two are reunited after 17 months of separation.  They go together to the Vatican and Liszt swears on the Gospels that he is single, has not taken vows to be a priest, is not promised in marriage to another, and that he came to Rome to marry.  Carolyne makes similar vows.

    20 October 1865 Cosima von Bülow goes to the Bavarian treasury in Munich to collect 40,000 florins paid to Richard Wagner (52) by King Ludwig.  Officials tell her they have no paper money and give her the entire amount in coins.  She engages two cabs to haul the loot away.

    20 October 1874 Bedrich Smetana (50) becomes deaf in his left ear.  Within a few days he will be completely deaf.

    Charles Edward Ives is born in Danbury, Connecticut, first of two children born to George E. Ives, bandmaster and choir director, and Mary Elizabeth Smith Parmalee, daughter of a storekeeper.

    20 October 1877 Symphony no.2 D.125 by Franz Schubert (†48) is performed publicly for the first time, in the Crystal Palace, London, 62 years after it was composed.

    20 October 1878 The Frankfurt Conservatory fetes their newest faculty member, Clara Schumann (59).  She is escorted down a flower-strewn path to a chair bedecked with garlands to listen to speeches, receive a laurel wreath, and listen to a concert of her own works by students and teachers.

    The first and third of the Four Choruses op.29 by Antonin Dvorák (37) to words of Heyduk and a Moravian folk poem are performed for the first time, in Turnov.

    20 October 1885 Romance op.1 for violin and piano by Edward Elgar (28) is performed for the first time, in Worcester.

    20 October 1888 Charles Ives enters duties as organist at the First Baptist Church, Danbury, Connecticut on his 14th birthday.

    20 October 1889 Charles Ives plays his first regular church service as organist at the Baptist Church in Danbury, Connecticut.  It is his fifteenth birthday.

    20 October 1896 String Quartet no.14 by Antonín Dvorák (55) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    20 October 1900 The improvisation Snöfrid for reciter, male chorus, and orchestra, with words by Rydberg and music by Jean Sibelius (34), is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    20 October 1913 Romantische Suite op.14 for orchestra by Franz Schreker (35) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    20 October 1916 After recurrent asthma attacks, Arnold Schoenberg (42) is discharged from the Austro-Hungarian army.

    20 October 1921 Tintagel for orchestra by Arnold Bax (37) is performed for the first time, in Winter Gardens, Bournemouth.

    20 October 1923 A Dance Rhapsody no.2 by Frederick Delius (61) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    The Boar’s Head for male chorus by Arnold Bax (39) is performed for the first time, in the Old Opera House, Blackpool.

    20 October 1924 Die Zwingburg op.14, a scenic cantata by Ernst Krenek (24) to words of Werfel after Demuth, is performed for the first time, at the Berlin Staatsoper, in the presence of the President of Germany.  Critics are enthusiastic but the public is lukewarm.

    20 October 1926 The Toccata for piano by Gustav Holst (52) is performed probably for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in Liverpool.

    Entente cordiale, a postwar comedy by Ethel Smyth (68) to her own words, is performed professionally for the first time, in Theatre Royal, Bristol.

    20 October 1928 Suite canadienne for chorus and orchestra by Claude Champagne (37) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    20 October 1930 Nazis throw stink bombs in the Frankfurt Opera House during a performance of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny.  In a brawl after the performance, one communist student is killed.

    20 October 1931 So perverse for voice and piano by Frank Bridge (52) to words of Bridges is performed for the first time, in Grotrian Hall, London.

    20 October 1935 The original version of Symphony no.5 by Anton Bruckner (†39) is performed for the first time, in Munich, 60 years after it was composed.  See 8 April 1894.

    20 October 1936 Music for four films by Benjamin Britten (22) is recorded:  Men of the Alps, The Saving of Bill Blewitt, Calendar of the Year and Line to the Tschierva Hut.

    20 October 1940 After having arrived at 02:00 and only a few hours sleep, Béla Bartók (59) and his wife, without luggage, board ship in Lisbon for the United States.

    20 October 1944 William Hugh Albright is born in Gary, Indiana.

    Theme and Variations for orchestra op.43b by Arnold Schoenberg (70) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    20 October 1945 Thomas Pasatieri is born in New York.

    20 October 1947 Three of the Six Children’s Songs for voice and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (34) are performed for the first time, in Krakow.  See 26 January 1948.

    Music for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for orchestra by David Diamond (32) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    20 October 1949 Simplicius simplicissimus, a chamber opera by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (44) to words of Scherchen, Petzet, and the composer after von Grimmelshausen, is staged for the first time, in Cologne.  See 2 April 1948 and 9 July 1957.

    Serenade for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (36) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.  It is the orchestral setting of his ballet Diversion of Angels. See 13 August 1948.

    Chaconne for violin and piano by David Diamond (34) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    20 October 1950 Pastorale for oboe, strings, and harp op.38 by Howard Hanson (53) is performed for the first time in its original setting, in Philadelphia.  See 3 October 1949.

    20 October 1951 On a train between Amboise and Paris, in the “fog of a headache”, Pierre Schaeffer (41) works out his ideas for Symphonie pour un homme seul.

    20 October 1952 Concertato for orchestra “Moby Dick” by Peter Mennin (29) is performed for the first time, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

    20 October 1953 Carl Orff’s (58) bairische Komödie Astutuli, to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Munich Kammerspiele.

    20 October 1954 Pampeana no.3 op.24 for orchestra by Alberto Ginastera (38) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    20 October 1957 Suite no.2 for unaccompanied cello by Ernest Bloch (77) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.

    Nachtstücke und Arien for soprano and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (31) to words of Bachmann, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  A few seconds after the performance begins, Pierre Boulez (32), Luigi Nono (33), and Karlheinz Stockhausen (29) stand up and leave the hall.

    Varianti for violin, woodwinds, and strings by Luigi Nono (33) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    20 October 1961 A suite from Lou Harrison’s (44) incidental music to Cocteau’s play Marriage at the Eiffel Tower is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz, California.  See 29 July 1949.

    20 October 1962 A stranger to myself for baritone, male chorus, two trombones, and timpani by Ross Lee Finney (55) to words of Camus is performed for the first time, at Colgate University.

    Trio for flute, violin, and harp by Henry Cowell (65) is performed for the first time, at Michigan State University, Oakland.

    20 October 1963 Punkte no.1/2 for orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen (35) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen, conducted by Pierre Boulez (38).

    20 October 1967 A petition in support of Isang Yun (50), signed by 160 composers, musicians, and scholars, appears in Die Zeit.  Among the signers are Igor Stravinsky (85) and Elliott Carter (58).

    Musiquette 3 op.25 for at least three violas by Henryk Górecki (33) is performed for the first time, in Katowice, conducted by the composer.

    20 October 1970 A Message to Denmark Hill for baritone, flute, cello, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (32) to words of Howard is performed for the first time, privately at the home of Coburn Britton, 6 St. Luke’s Place, New York the composer at the keyboard.  See 23 December 1970.

    20 October 1973 Queen Elizabeth officially opens the Sydney Opera House.

    Zwei-Mann-Orchester by Mauricio Kagel (41) is performed for the first time, in the Stadthalle, Donaueschingen.

    20 October 1974 Inori no.38 for one or two soloists and orchestra by Karlheinz Stockhausen (46) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  Also premiered is Points on the curve to find... for piano and 22 instruments by Luciano Berio (48).

    Brass Quintet by Elliott Carter (65) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.  See 15 November 1974.

    Tristan for piano, orchestra, and tape by Hans Werner Henze (48) is performed for the first time, in London.

    Johnny Poe for male chorus and orchestra by Charles Ives (†20) to words of Low is performed for the first time, in Gusman Philharmonic Hall, Miami on the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth.  The work was composed in 1925.

    Matthew Arnold from Set no.4 for small orchestra by Charles Ives (†20), realized by Kirkpatrick, is performed for the first time, in Woolsey Hall at Yale University on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the composer.

    To Be Sung Upon the Water, barcaroles and nocturnes for high voice, clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano by Dominick Argento (46) to words of Wordsworth, is performed for the first time, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

    20 October 1975 The first two movements of Polonaise, Adagio & Finale for four winds and string quintet by Werner Egk (74) are performed for the first time, in Munich.  See 30 September 1976.

    20 October 1977 Deja Vu for percussion quartet and orchestra by Michael Colgrass (45) is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 17 April 1978.

    20 October 1978 Music for flute and orchestra by Leon Kirchner (59) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    20 October 1979 Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegan's Wake by John Cage (67) to words of Joyce, is performed for the first time, in the Sternensaal, Donaueschingen.  Today, Cage is awarded the Karl-Sczuka-Preis for radio art.

    Three works for chorus by Frank Bridge (†38) are performed for the first time, at the London College of Music:  The Bee to words of Tennyson, composed 1913, Hilli-ho! Hilli-ho! to words of Thomas Moore, composed in 1909, and O weary hearts to words of Longfellow composed in 1909.  This is the centennial year of the composer’s birth.

    20 October 1980 Liturgies for organ by Leslie Bassett (57) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    20 October 1982 The Seven Words for cello, bayan, and strings by Sofia Gubaidulina (50) is performed for the first time, in Malyi Hall of Moscow Conservatory.  It is programmed under the title Partita after the Soviet censor refuses to allow the Christian nature of the title.  It is not well received.

    20 October 1983 Concerto for double bass and orchestra by Gian Carlo Menotti (72) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.

    20 October 1984 Sun Song for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (55) is performed for the first time, in Winthrop Hall of the University of Western Australia in Perth.

    20 October 1985 Piano Concerto with Selected Orchestra by Lou Harrison (68) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    20 October 1987 On the eve of her 38th birthday, Shulamit Ran undergoes surgery to remove a brain tumor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  The operation is successful but full recovery will take a year.

    Irish Rhapsody no.3 by Charles Villiers Stanford (†63) is performed for the first time, in Belfast, 74 years after it was composed.

    20 October 1988 The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.31 by Conlon Nancarrow (75) takes place in the Kongresshalle, Berlin.

    20 October 1989 Okho for three djembes (large African drum) by Iannis Xenakis (67) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    20 October 1990 The Stream Flows for violin by Bright Sheng (34) is performed for the first time, at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston.  The work is dedicated to Hugo Weisgall (78).

    20 October 1993 String Quartet no.4 by Mauricio Kagel (61) is performed for the first time, in Anvers, Belgium.

    Fanfares to Music for brass by John Corigliano (55) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    20 October 1996 Ioolkos for orchestra by Iannis Xenakis (74) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    20 October 2001 Music for Federation for orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (72) is performed for the first time, in Parliament House, Canberra.

    20 October 2002 Concerto for clarinet and chamber orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (63) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.  See 22 November 2002.

    20 October 2004 Koori Dreaming for recorder and guitar by Peter Sculthorpe (75) is performed for the first time, at Downing College, Cambridge.

    Birtwistle Games, a three week celebration of the 70th birthday of Harrison Birtwistle, opens at the South Bank Centre, London.

    Naxos Quartet no.5 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (70) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    20 October 2006 Plötzlichkeit, for solo voices and orchestra by Brian Ferneyhough (63) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    20 October 2007 Youth Without Youth, a film by Francis Ford Coppola with music by Osvaldo Golijov (46), is shown for the first time, in Rome.

    20 October 2010 The Hawthorn Tree for mezzo-soprano, piano, flute, oboe, viola, and contrabass by William Bolcom (72) is performed for the first time, at the Morgan Library, New York.

    20 October 2012 Ouverture zu einem Theater for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (86) is performed for the first time, at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.

    20 October 2013 IN-SCHRIFT 2 for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (61) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    21 October

    21 October 1662 Henry Lawes dies in London, 58 years, nine months, and 16 days after his baptism.

    21 October 1762 In Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (6) begins showing symptoms of scarlet fever.  He will be in bed for ten days.

    21 October 1765 Nannerl Mozart, ill with typhus, receives the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church, at The Hague.  Leopold (45) calls in a second doctor who reverses the opinion of the first doctor and changes the remedy.  She will recover.

    21 October 1772 La secchia rapita, a dramma eroicomico by Antonio Salieri (22) to words of Giovanni Gastone Boccherini (brother of the composer) after Tassoni, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    21 October 1784 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (43) comédie mise en musique Richard Coeur-de-Lion, to words of Sedaine after La Curne de Sainte-Palaye, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.  Among the audience is a diplomat named Thomas Jefferson.

    21 October 1836 The Trauerkantate on the death of Maria Malibran for chorus and orchestra by Otto Nicolai (25), to words possibly by Bonnetti, is performed for the first time, in Bologna.

    21 October 1838 Gaetano Donizetti (40) arrives in Paris, moving into an apartment house wherein Adolphe Adam (35) lives.

    21 October 1848 The Tchaikovsky family, including Pyotr Ilyich (8), arrives in Moscow only to find that the job promised the father is taken and that there is a cholera epidemic in the city.  They quickly depart for St. Petersburg.

    21 October 1858 Orphée aux enfers, an opéra-bouffon by Jacques Offenbach (39) to words of Crémieux and Halévy, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.  The public is tepid, the press is negative.  It will eventually succeed.

    21 October 1861 18:00  Franz Liszt and Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein take communion at the church of San Carlo in Rome where they intend to marry tomorrow, Liszt’s 50th birthday.  They dine together in her apartment.  At 23:00 a messenger from Cardinal Antonelli, papal secretary of state, brings the news that Carolyne’s family have declared her marriage to Liszt illegal, charging that she lied in obtaining her original annulment from Prince Nicholas Wittgenstein.  She had said that she was forced to marry which the family claims is not true.  Pope Pius IX has agreed to review the case.  The wedding will never take place.

    21 October 1880 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (36) writes this day, “Owing to inadequate technique, Balakirev (43) writes...little, Borodin (47) with difficulty, Cui (45) in a slipshod way, Musorgsky (41) sloppily and often absurdly...and all this constitutes the regrettable specialty of the Russian school.”  “I have absolutely no desire to mess with [the Free Music School] anymore.  And even those whose works it would be a pleasure to perform, for example, Borodin, Musorgsky and Balakirev, aren’t writing much, and if they do write, they don’t orchestrate; you have to run after everyone like a nurse after a child.”

    21 October 1883 Six Studies for piano by Ferruccio Busoni (17) are performed for the first time, in Graz by the composer.

    21 October 1888 Two works by Johann Strauss (62) are performed for the first time at the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna:  Spanischer Marsch op.433 and the waltz Sinnen un Minnen op.435.

    21 October 1889 Kaiser-Walzer op.437 by Johann Strauss (63) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    21 October 1892 Antonín Dvorák (51) conducts his first concert in America, at Carnegie Hall.  He conducts the premiere of his Te Deum for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra.  Horatio Parker (29) plays the organ for the Te Deum.

    Columbus March and Hymn for chorus and orchestra by John Knowles Paine (53) is performed for the first time, at the dedication ceremonies of the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Also premiered is Ode for the Opening of the World’s Fair held at Chicago 1892 for vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra, and band by George Whitefield Chadwick (37).

    21 October 1893 Night for chorus and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory.

    21 October 1899 The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River for reciter, male chorus, and orchestra by Jean Sibelius (33) to words of Topelius is performed for the first time, in Helsinki directed by the composer.

    21 October 1901 Incidental music to the play Grania and Diarmid by Moore and Yeats, composed by Edward Elgar (44), is performed for the first time, at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.

    Béla Bartók (20) makes his Budapest debut at a student concert, playing the b minor piano sonata of Franz Liszt (†15).

    21 October 1905 Charles T. Griffes (21) visits Engelbert Humperdinck (51) at his home in Grunewald near Berlin.  Griffes plays some of his compositions and Humperdinck agrees to take him as a student.

    A suite from the incidental music to Gozzi’s play Turandot by Ferruccio Busoni (39) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovensaal, Berlin.

    21 October 1908 Abendgang op.111a/3 for soprano, alto, and piano by Max Reger (35) is performed for the first time, in Dresden, the composer at the piano.

    21 October 1913 Modest Musorgsky’s (†32) comic opera Sorochintsy Fair, after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Moscow Free Theatre.  Left unfinished at the composer’s death, the work was completed and orchestrated by Lyadov, Karatigin and others.

    21 October 1916 Horatio Parker’s (53) stage work An Allegory of War and Peace op.81, to words of Markoe, for chorus and band is performed for the first time, in the Yale Bowl, New Haven.

    21 October 1919 Fennimore and Gerda, an opera by Frederick Delius (57) to his own words after Jacobsen, is performed for the first time, at the Opernhaus, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    21 October 1921 Several works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (34) are performed for the first time in the Salão Nobre, Rio de Janeiro:  the Piano Trio no.3, the Quatour for harp, celesta, flute, alto saxophone and female chorus (performed under the title Quarteto simbólico ), A Fiandeira for piano, and the complete song cycle Historietas.

    21 October 1922 Sir Roger de Coverley for orchestra by Frank Bridge (43) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    Now is the Time of Christymas, for male chorus, flute and piano by Arnold Bax (38) is performed for the first time, in Blackpool.

    21 October 1924 Youth for wind sextet by Leos Janácek (70) is performed for the first time, in Brno.  The premiere is something of a fiasco.  One key on the clarinet does not work.  At the conclusion of the piece Janácek rushes on stage and tells his audience that the music they just heard was not composed by him.  Subsequent performances are more successful.

    21 October 1926 A monument in honor of Jules Massenet (†14) is unveiled in the Jardin du Luxembourg, near Rue Guynemer, Paris.

    Concerto for flute and orchestra by Carl Nielsen (61) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Gaveau, Paris.  Short of time, the composer has created a provisional ending.  Arthur Honegger (34) will tell the composer, “You formulated the aims for which we are all striving now, a generation before the rest of us.”  See 25 January 1927.

    21 October 1930 Das dunkle Reich op.38 for solo voices, chorus, organ, and orchestra by Hans Pfitzner (61) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    21 October 1931 Valse for harp by Arnold Bax (47) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    21 October 1932 Patterns for piano and orchestra by John Alden Carpenter (56) is performed for the first time, in Boston, the composer at the keyboard.  The work was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

    21 October 1933 Saga Fragment for piano, trumpet, two percussionists, and strings by Arnold Bax (49) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    Let ‘em Eat Cake, an operetta with a book by Kaufman and Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by George Gershwin (35), is performed for the first time in New York, in the Imperial Theatre.  The critics are not impressed.  It will receive 90 performances.  See 2 October 1933.

    21 October 1936 Two works by William Schuman (26) are performed for the first time, in a concert consisting entirely of his work in New York:  Symphony no.1 and String Quartet no.1.  These are funded by the Composers Forum Laboratory of the Federal Music Project.

    21 October 1941 Piano Sonata by Aaron Copland (40) is performed for the first time, by the composer, in Buenos Aires.

    21 October 1944 Walter Piston’s (50) Fugue on a Victory Tune is performed for the first time, in New York.

    21 October 1945 Sonata for violin and piano op.99 by Ernst Krenek (45) is performed for the first time, in Bridgman Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota the composer at the piano.

    Cain et Abel op.241 for speaker and orchestra by Darius Milhaud (53) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in Hollywood.

    21 October 1946 The Donkey for voice and piano by Henry Cowell (49) to words of Chesterton is performed for the first time, at Kutztown State Teachers’ College, Pennsylvania.

    21 October 1947 Canticle for violin and piano by David Diamond (32) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    Symphony no.1 op.18 by Vincent Persichetti (32) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (50).

    21 October 1949 Shulamit Ran is born in Tel Aviv, the only child of Zvi Ran, an immigrant from Germany who owns a jewelry and dental supply business, and Berta Ran, a Lithuanian immigrant who works in public relations.

    21 October 1952 Several works by Charles Koechlin (†1) are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of French Radio-National originating in Paris:  Sonate à sept op.221 for oboe, harpsichord or harp, flute, and string quartet, Second Quintet with harp op.223 for flute, harp, violin, viola, and cello, and eight of the 15 motets de style archaïque op.225.  See 17 December 1993.

    21 October 1956 Variazioni for two basset horns and strings by Luciano Berio (30) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Sept chansons pour Gladys op.151, a cycle for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (†5) to his own words, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of French Radio III.  The cycle was inspired by the performance of Lilian Harvey in the film Calais-Douvre.

    The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, or The Three Sundays of a Poet for chorus, ten dancers, and nine instruments, by Gian-Carlo Menotti (45) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington.

    21 October 1960 Symphony no.7 by William Schuman (50) is performed for the first time, in Boston, commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

    Time Cycle for soprano and orchestra by Lukas Foss (38) to words of Nietzsche, Auden, Housman, and Kafka, is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York the composer at the piano and Leonard Bernstein (42) conducting.  See 10 July 1961.

    21 October 1961 Structures Book II for two pianos by Pierre Boulez (36) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.  The composer plays one part.

    Duo concertante for flute, harp, and orchestra by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio.

    21 October 1962 Fluorescences for orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (28) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    21 October 1968 ST/48 for 48 instruments by Iannis Xenakis (46) is performed for the first time, in Paris, conducted by Lukas Foss (46).

    21 October 1970 Eclat/Multiples for orchestra by Pierre Boulez (45) is performed for the first time, in London, directed by the composer.  See 26 March 1965.

    21 October 1971 Several works composed in 1950-1951 by Karlheinz Stockhausen (43) are performed for the first time, in Paris:  Chöre für Doris no.1/11 to words of Verlaine, Drei Lieder no.1/10 for alto and chamber ensemble to words of Baudelaire and anonymous, and Choral no.1/9 for chorus to his own words.

    Prelude for Five Players for flute, oboe or violin, clarinet, bassoon or cello, and piano by Joan Tower (33) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    21 October 1974 Several works by Charles Ives (†20) are performed for the first time, in Sprague Hall, Yale University, one day after the centennial of his birth:  Sneak Thief for unison chorus, trumpet, and piano four-hands to words of the composer, The Boys in Blue for male chorus, the Ragtime Dances nos.2 and 4, A Song of Mory’s for chorus to words of Merrill, the incomplete March no.3 in F and C, March no.4 in F and C; and Prelude on Eventide for baritone/trombone, two violins/echo organ, and organ.  Also premiered today are four of Ives’ works for organ:  Canzonetta in F, Fugue in c minor, Fugue in E flat and Interludes for Hymns, in Center Church on the Green, New Haven, Connecticut.

    21 October 1978 The complete IRCAM building, with the “Salle de projection” goes into operation in Paris.  See 18 May 1976.

    Mirages for 16 musicians and tape by Jean-Claude Risset (40) is performed for the first time, in the Sportshalle, Donaueschingen.

    Why Patterns? for flute/alto flute, piano, and percussion by Morton Feldman (52) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer at the keyboard.

    “Michaels Reise um die Erde” no.48, a scene from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (50) opera Donnerstag aus Licht for trumpet and orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    Parable XXI op.140 for guitar by Vincent Persichetti (63) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    21 October 1981 Minnesang for 52 choristers by Alfred Schnittke (46) to words of the medieval Minnesinger is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    The first four of the Five Songs for tenor and piano by Gian Carlo Menotti (70) are performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.  See 12 December 1983.

    21 October 1982 Star-Isle for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (52) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.

    21 October 1984 The second of the 3 ASKO Stücke for winds, string, piano, and marimba by Gottfried Michael Koenig (58) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  See 21 November 1982.

    Double Quartet for strings by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (45) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    21 October 1985 True Refuge for clarinet and piano by Jonathan Lloyd (37) is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield, Great Britain.

    Quintet for flute, clarinet, trumpet, viola, and cello by Robert Erickson (68) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    21 October 1989 String Quartet no.4 by Alfred Schnittke (54) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    21 October 1990 Five Aphorisms for piano by Alfred Schnittke (55) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    21 October 1991 Gawain’s Journey for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (57) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Para Yoko for player piano by Conlon Nancarrow (78) is performed for the first time, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris.

    21 October 1994 Incises for piano by Pierre Boulez (69) is performed for the first time, in Milan.

    21 October 1995 Amen for chorus by John Corigliano (57) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.

    21 October 1996 Intérieur/Extérieur for tape by Pierre Henry (68) is performed for the first time, as part of the Autumn Festival of Paris, at the home of the composer through 30 November.

    21 October 2001 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Philip Glass (64) is performed for the first time, in Beijing.

    Missa caiensis op.93 for chorus and organ by Robin Holloway (58) is performed for the first time, at the Chapel of Gonville and Caius, Cambridge.

    The Name of the Game for guitar and eleven players by Richard Wernick (67) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    21 October 2004 Tempo di valse for cello alone by Krzysztof Penderecki (70) is performed for the first time, in the Joanniskirche, Kronberg.

    21 October 2006 Darwin Calypso for flute, clarinet, string quartet, and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (77) is performed for the first time, in Clancy Auditorium, Sydney.

    Akt und Tag for soprano and string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (54) to words of Blake is performed for the first time, in the Christuskirche, Donaueschingen.

    21 October 2008 O-Antiphonen for eight cellos by Arvo Pärt (73) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    21 October 2010 Sonnet 147 for voices and piano by Ned Rorem (86) is performed for the first time, in Holywell Music Room, Oxford, Great Britain.

    21 October 2012 Atonal Rock n’ Roll for orchestra by Tan Dun (55) is performed for the first time, in Beijing.

    Stoker for piano-four hands by Philip Glass (75) is performed for the first time, at the Morgan Library, New York.

    Two works are performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York:  The Pool for chorus and piano by John Harbison (73), and Alphabet II for chorus by David Del Tredici (75) to words of The New England Primer.

    Dream Drapery “Thoreau Songs” for voice and string quartet by Joseph Schwantner (69) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    22 October

    22 October 1681 Benedetto Ferrari dies in Modena, approximately 77 years of age.

    22 October 1698 Nicola Bonifacio Logroscino is baptized in Bitonto.

    22 October 1725 Alessandro Scarlatti dies in Naples, aged 65 years, five months and 20 days.

    22 October 1764 Jean-Marie Leclair dies in Paris, aged 67 years, five months and twelve days.  His earthly remains will be laid to rest in the Churchyard of Saint-Laurent, Paris.

    22 October 1773 Amore artigiano, an intermezzo by Luigi Cherubini (13), is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Domenico, Fiesole.

    22 October 1777 Concerto for three pianos K.242 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) is performed for the first time, in Augsburg, the composer at one keyboard.

    22 October 1786 Le faucon, an opéra-comique by Dmitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky (35) to words of Lafermière after Boccaccio and Sedaine, is performed for the first time, at Gatchina Palace, south of St. Petersburg.

    22 October 1787 Le fils-rival ou La modèrne Stratonice, an opéra-comique by Dmitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky (36) to words of Lafermière, is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk.

    22 October 1800 Antonio Salieri’s (50) opera buffa L’Angiolina ossia Il matrimonio per sussurro, to words of Defranceschi after Jonson, is performed for the first time, at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    22 October 1811 Franciscus Liszt is born at Raiding (Doborján) near Sopron, 60 km south of Vienna, the only child of Adam Liszt, a sheep inspector and steward in the service of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, and Maria Anna Lager, daughter of a baker.

    22 October 1817 A Grand Bacchanale for orchestra by Gaspare Spontini (42) is performed for the first time, in a performance of Les danaïdes by Antonio Salieri (67).

    22 October 1818 On his seventh birthday, Franz Liszt accompanies his father Adam on a business trip to see a merchant named Ruben Hirschler in Lackenbach.  Adam asks Hirschler’s daughter to play something for Franz on her new piano.  Franz is so overcome by the music that he begins to cry and flies into his father’s arms.  Hirschler is so taken by the scene that he gives the piano to the boy.

    22 October 1850 Sara la Baigneuse for three choruses and orchestra by Hector Berlioz (46) to words of Hugo is performed for the first time, in Salle Ste.-Cécile, Paris.  See 7 November 1834 and 13 December 1840.

    22 October 1856 In celebration of the 45th birthday of Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner (43) and a young soprano perform the first act of Die Walküre before an assembled group in the Hotel Baur au Lac, Zürich.  Liszt accompanies them at the keyboard.

    22 October 1859 Ludwig (Louis) Spohr dies after a short illness, in Kassel, aged 75 years, six months and 17 days.

    22 October 1872 Claude Debussy (10) enters the Paris Conservatoire in the piano class of Antoine Marmontel and the solfege class of Albert Lavignac.

    22 October 1877 Salome op.69/8, a song by Johannes Brahms (44) to words of Keller, is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.

    22 October 1878 O kühler Wald op.72/3, a song for voice and piano by Johannes Brahms (45) to words of Brentano, is performed for the first time, in Breslau.

    22 October 1879 A Capriccio in b minor for piano op.76/2 by Johannes Brahms (46) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    22 October 1880 Edvard Grieg (37) gives his first performance as conductor of Harmonien, the Bergen Symphony Orchestra.

    22 October 1881 The Boston Symphony Orchestra gives its inaugural concert at the Music Hall.

    22 October 1883 A Cello Sonata in A op.36 by Edvard Grieg (40) is performed for the first time, in Dresden, the composer at the piano.

    The Metropolitan Opera House opens in New York with a production of Faust by Charles Gounod (65).  This is the first permanent opera company in the United States.

    22 October 1888 Alyeksandr Glazunov (23) makes his conducting debut in St. Petersburg.

    22 October 1893 Auf dem Tanzboden, musikalische Illustration zu dem gleichnamigen Gemälde von Franz Defregger op.454 by Johann Strauss (67) is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    22 October 1901 Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March no.1 is performed in London for the first time.  The conductor, Henry Wood, says “The people simply rose and yelled...the one and only time in the history of the Promenade concerts that an orchestral item was accorded a double encore.”

    22 October 1904 In London, Giacomo Puccini (45) writes an acceptance to a dinner invitation from Sybil Seligman, wife of a wealthy banker.  It is the first of 700 letters he will write to her.

    Two works for piano-four hands by Max Reger (31) are performed for the first time, in Munich:  Five Picturesque Pieces op.34 and Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Beethoven op.86.  The composer plays one part in both works.

    22 October 1906 Summer Evening, for orchestra, by Zoltán Kodály (23) is performed for the first time, at a diploma concert of the Budapest Academy of Music.  The work wins a scholarship for the composer.

    22 October 1907 Incidental music to Aicard’s play Le manteau du roi by Jules Massenet (65) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Porte St. Martin, Paris.

    The Piano Concerto in c minor by Frederick Delius (45) is given its first performance with the newly revised first movement, in Queen’s Hall, London.  See 24 October 1904.

    While on a walk near Farmington, Connecticut, Charles Ives (33) and Harmony Twichell, a registered nurse, profess their love for each other and decide to marry.

    22 October 1921 Fanfare pour une fête for two trumpets and percussion by Manuel de Falla (44) is performed for the first time, in London.

    22 October 1922 An English Suite for strings by Hubert Parry (†4) is performed for the first time, in London.

    22 October 1924 The New Music Society, founded by Henry Cowell (27), gives its first concert, in Los Angeles.

    22 October 1928 The Guardian of the Bridge for male chorus by Jean Sibelius (62) to words of Sola is performed for the first time, in New York.

    22 October 1929 The Trio for flute, viola, and cello op.40 by Albert Roussel (60) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    22 October 1933 Three Variations on a Theme (String Quartet no.2) by Roy Harris (35) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    Horn Pipe for orchestra by Henry Cowell (36) is performed for the first time, in Havana.

    22 October 1934 Divertimento in quattro Esercizi for soprano and five instruments by Luigi Dallapiccola (30) to anonymous 13th century words is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    22 October 1937 String Quartet no.3 by Arthur Honegger (45) is performed for the first time, in the Salle de la Réformation, Geneva.

    22 October 1939 Little Suite for piano by George Perle (24) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    22 October 1941 Most of the Soviet government, diplomatic corps, and numerous important cultural figures including Dmitri Shostakovich (35) and Aram Khachaturian (38) arrive from Moscow by train in Kuibyshev.

    22 October 1942 Symphony no.2 by John Alden Carpenter (66) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.  The critics are generally negative.

    22 October 1944 Chant de libération for baritone, unison chorus and orchestra by Arthur Honegger (52) to words of Zimmer, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.  The work was composed in 1942.

    22 October 1945 Sonatina for flute and viola by Ernst Krenek (45) is performed for the first time, in Teatro del Pueblo, Buenos Aires.

    22 October 1948 Toccata Concertante for orchestra by Irving Fine (33) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    22 October 1949 Duo no.1 for violin and piano by Arthur Berger (37) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    22 October 1951 Piano Concerto no.4 by Ernst Krenek (51) is performed for the first time, in Cologne, under the baton of the composer.

    22 October 1954 Four Silesian Songs for four violins by Witold Lutoslawski (41) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    22 October 1959 Dmitri Shostakovich (53) and five other Soviet musical luminaries begin a tour of seven American cities as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the United States State Department.  They will be in US until 21 November.

    22 October 1960 George Rochberg’s (42) Time-Span for orchestra is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    22 October 1961 Three works for orchestra are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen:  Atmosphères by Györgi Ligeti (38), Epifanie by Luciano Berio (35), and Contrasts by Gunther Schuller (35).  The audience requires that Atmosphères by encored.

    The Peaceful Land, a symphonic poem by William Grant Still (66), is performed for the first time, at the University of Miami.

    22 October 1962 Chamber Symphony for ten players by Ralph Shapey (41) is performed for the first time, in McMillin Auditorium at Columbia University, conducted by the composer.

    Trio for flute, cello, and piano by Otto Luening (62) is performed for the first time, in New York.  Charles Wuorinen (24) plays the piano part.

    22 October 1963 The Last Savage, an opera buffa by Gian-Carlo Menotti (52) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    Synthesis for orchestra and electronic sound by Otto Luening (63) is performed for the first time, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

    22 October 1965 Match for three players by Mauricio Kagel (33) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.  See 26 April 1967.

    22 October 1966 Cain and Abel, a dramatic cantata by John Tavener (22) to the York Mystery Play and the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Guild Church of St. Andrew Holborn the composer conducting.

    22 October 1967 Two new works are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen:  Capriccio for violin and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (33) and Lontano for orchestra by György Ligeti (44).

    22 October 1969 Les larmes du couteau, an opera by Bohuslav Martinu (†10) to words of Ribemont-Dessaignes, is performed for the first time, in Brno, 41 years after it was composed.

    Il marescalco, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (87) to his own words after Aretino, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Comunale, Treviso.

    Two works by Harrison Birtwistle (35) are performed for the first time, in Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield:  Hoquetus David for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, glockenspiel, and bells, and Medusa for flute/piccolo, clarinet/saxophone, violin/viola, cello, piano/celesta, percussion, two tapes, and shozyg, conducted by the composer.

    22 October 1970 Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†17) is performed for the first time, at the Royal College of Music, London, 65 years after it was composed.

    22 October 1971 Dimensionen for organ and orchestra by Isang Yun (54) is performed for the first time, in Nuremberg.

    Formel no.1/6 for 29 instruments, and Sonatine for violin and piano by Karlheinz Stockhausen (43) are performed for the first time, in Paris conducted by the composer 20 years after they were composed.

    22 October 1976 Mi-Parti for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (63) is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam conducted by the composer.

    22 October 1979 Early morning.  Juliette Nadia Boulanger dies at Fontainebleau, aged 92 years, one month, and six days.

    Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegan's Wake by John Cage (67) to words of Joyce, is broadcast for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR, Cologne.

    Hour of the Soul for percussion, mezzo-soprano, and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (47) to words of Tsvyetayeva is performed for the first time, in Paris.  See 26 May 1988.

    Flutings for flute and optional percussion by Leon Kirchner (60), is performed for the first time, at New England Conservatory, Boston.

    22 October 1985 She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket for percussion by Kevin Volans (36) is performed for the first time, in the Museum Corlino Augusteum, Salzburg.

    Krosnick Soli for cello by Ralph Shapey (64) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    22 October 1987 Protokoll-ein Traum for six cellos by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    Nixon in China, an opera by John Adams (40) to words of Goodman, is performed for the first time, in Houston.

    22 October 1989 Frau/Stimme for soprano and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (37) to words of Müller is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    22 October 1993 The Most Often Used Chords for orchestra by John Harbison (54) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    22 October 1994 New York Waltzes for piano by Lou Harrison (77) are performed for the first time, in Aptos, California, 43 years after they were composed.

    22 October 1999 Gondwana Land for string orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (70) is performed for the first time, in Malvern, Great Britain.

    22 October 2000 Ein kleines Potpourri aus der Oper Boulevard Solitude for flute, piano, vibraphone, and harp by Hans Werner Henze (74) is performed for the first time, at EXPO 2000.

    22 October 2001 As part of the International Festival Sofia Gubaidulina during her 70th birthday year, her family home in Kazan officially becomes the Sofia Gubaidulina Center for Contemporary Music.

    22 October 2002 Tea:  a Mirror of the Soul, an opera by Tan Dun (45) to words of Xu Ying and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo the composer conducting.

    22 October 2005 Trio Concerto for violin, cello, piano, and orchestra by Kevin Volans (56) is performed for the first time, in Groningen.

    22 October 2007 Two for Five “Concerto Grosso” for clarinet and string quartet by Ralph Shapey (†5) is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York.

    22 October 2012 Concerto doppio for violin, viola, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (78) is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    22 October 2013 Pieces of Eight for piano by Richard Wernick (79) is performed for the first time, at the Settlement School, Philadelphia.

    23 October

    223 October 1619 Nicholas Yonge is buried in London.

    23 October 1754 Anacreon(i), an acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau (71) to a scenario by Cahusac, is performed for the first time, in Fontainebleau.

    23 October 1773 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (32) La rosière de Salency to words of Masson de Pézay is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    23 October 1781 Iphigenia auf Tauris, a tragic singspiel by Christoph Willibald Gluck (67) to words of von Alxinger and the composer after Guillard, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Burgtheater.  See 18 May 1779.

    23 October 1801 Gustav Albert Lortzing is born in Berlin, second of two children born to Johann Gottlob Lortzing, a hide merchant, and Charlotte Sophie Seidel.

    23 October 1828 Le Corsaire publishes an obituary for Franz Liszt, claiming that he died yesterday on his 17th birthday.  He has lately been so despondent over a failed love affair that the rumor of his death spreads easily through Paris.

    The Christiania (Oslo) Public Theatre gives its first performance.  It will concentrate on opera and singspiels.

    23 October 1853 Edward Gottschalk dies in New Orleans.  His son, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (24), in Boston on a concert tour, hurries home.  From this date, the composer will take on all his father’s debts and support his mother and siblings.

    23 October 1854 The second and third movements of the Piano Sonata no.3 op.5 of Johannes Brahms (21) are performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    23 October 1859 Richard Wagner (46) runs into Hector Berlioz (55) on a Paris street.  Wagner finds him “in a pitiable state of health” having just had electrical treatments for his nervous condition.  The two men resume their personal, if not professional, friendship.

    23 October 1860 Louis Moreau Gottschalk (31) conducts an opera for the first time, Les Martyrs of Gaetano Donizetti (†12), in the Teatro Principal, Havana.  Reviewers call the performance “abysmal” although not blaming Gottschalk.

    23 October 1881 Charles Lamoureux inaugurates the Concerts Lamoreux in Paris.  Over the next ten years, two hundred concerts will be given in this series.

    23 October 1887 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Romeo und Julia by Richard Strauss (23) is performed for the first time, in the Munich Hoftheater.

    23 October 1890 Engelbert Humperdinck (36) brings Dr. Strecker of Schott publishers to Mainz to meet Hugo Wolf (30) for the first time.  While working at Schott, Humperdinck became an admirer of Wolf and wins Strecker to the idea of publishing his work.

    23 October 1894 A Menuett for orchestra by Jean Sibelius (28) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    23 October 1896 Charles Koechlin (28) enters the composition class of Gabriel Fauré (51) at the Paris Conservatoire.

    23 October 1897 Concerto for piano and orchestra op.20 by Alyeksandr Skryabin (25) is performed for the first time, in Odessa the composer at the keyboard.

    Three Bavarian Dances for orchestra by Edward Elgar (40) is performed for the first time, in Crystal Palace, London, conducted by the composer.

    23 October 1899 Chris and the Wonderful Lamp, an operetta by John Philip Sousa (44) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, in the Hyperion Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut.

    23 October 1901 The ‘definitive’ version of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (57) opera The Maid of Pskov to words of Krestovsky, Musorgsky (†20), and the composer after May, is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.  See 13 January 1873.

    The tragédie lyrique Les barbares, words by Sardou and Gheusi, music by Camille Saint-Saëns (66), is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    The Hymnos Andron op.53 for solo voices, male chorus, and orchestra, words by Goodell and music by Horatio Parker (38) is performed for the first time, at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the college.

    23 October 1902 The lyric rhapsody A Star Song op.54 by Horatio Parker (39) to words of Carpenter is performed for the first time, in Norwich, England.  On the same program is the premiere of the Irish Rhapsody no.1 for orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (50).

    23 October 1906 Serenade for orchestra op.95 by Max Reger (33) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    23 October 1910 The Orquesta Sinfónica of Barcelona gives its inaugural concert.

    23 October 1913 Two small pieces for orchestra, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring and Summer Night on the River, by Frederick Delius (51)  are performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

    23 October 1917 Two piano pieces by John Alden Carpenter (41), Little Indian and Little Nigger, are performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, New York.

    23 October 1920 La Valse by Maurice Ravel (45) is performed for the first time, in a two-piano arrangement, at the Kleiner Konzerthaussaal, Vienna.  Alfredo Casella (37) and the composer are at the keyboards.

    The first of the Two Ballads op.12 for voice and piano by Arnold Schoenberg (46) is performed for the first time, in the Schubertsaal, Vienna.

    23 October 1922 Arnold Schoenberg (48) writes a scathing letter to Edgard Varèse (38) in New York.  He refuses the repeated invitation to join the International Honorary Committee of Varèse’s International Composers Guild.  He objects to the lack of German composers in the Guild’s programs and especially to the proposed performance of Pierrot Lunaire in New York.  He withholds his blessing for that performance in the most scolding terms.

    23 October 1923 Ned Rorem is born in Richmond, Indiana, the youngest of two children born to Clarence Rufus Rorem, a medical economist and a founder of Blue Cross, and Gladys Miller, a peace activist.

    Two movements of the Suite for voice and violin by Heitor Villa-Lobos (36) is performed for the first time, at the Salle des agriculteurs, Paris.  See 9 April 1924.

    23 October 1930 A concert version of Job, a Masque for Dancing, a ballet by Ralph Vaughan Williams (58), is performed for the first time, in St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.  See 5 July 1931.

    23 October 1931 Violin Concerto by Igor Stravinsky (49) is performed for the first time, in Berlin under the baton of the composer.

    Ernest MacMillan (38) accepts the post of permanent conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.  He will hold it for 25 years.

    23 October 1932 Preludio from the Six Compositions for Carillon by Gian Carlo Menotti (21) is performed for the first time, in Richmond, Virginia.

    23 October 1933 New works by Hungary’s two leading composers are performed for the first time, in Budapest:  Five Hungarian Folksongs, set for solo voice and orchestra by Béla Bartók (52), and Dances of Galánta for orchestra by Zoltán Kodály (50).

    23 October 1934 Three Songs for voice and piano by Samuel Barber (24) are performed for the first time, in Philadelphia:  With Rue My Heart is Laden, to words of Houseman, Bessie Bobtail, and The Daisies, both to words of Stephens.

    23 October 1936 Adventure in Manhattan, a film with music by William Grant Still (41), is released in the United States.

    23 October 1938 A farewell concert for Stefan Wolpe (36) and his wife Irma Schoenberg takes place, organized by their students at the Palestine Conservatoire in Jerusalem.  Wolpe is too radical for the faculty and administration, politically and musically.

    23 October 1941 Plain-chant for America for baritone, orchestra, and organ by William Grant Still (46) to words of Chapin is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.  Chapin is the wife of Francis Biddle, the Attorney-General of the United States.

    23 October 1942 The third of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare for the Fighting French by Walter Piston (48), is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    23 October 1944 Passacaglia for piano by Walter Piston (50) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    23 October 1945 Concertino for piano and orchestra op.16 by Vincent Persichetti (30) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York, the composer at the keyboard.

    23 October 1946 Violin Sonata no.1 op.80 by Sergey Prokofiev (55) is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory.

    23 October 1949 In Paris, Ned Rorem celebrates his 26th birthday by burning his draft card.

    23 October 1953 Duo Sonata for clarinet and bass clarinet by Gunther Schuller (27) is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre of Columbia University.  Also premiered is Schuller’s Recitative and Rondo for violin and piano.

    23 October 1954 String Quartet no.2 by Karel Husa (33) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Poèmes pour la paix, a cycle for voice and piano by Ned Rorem to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, the composer at the piano on his 31st birthday.

    23 October 1959 Three New England Sketches by Walter Piston (65) is performed for the first time, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

    Eagles, a symphonic poem by Ned Rorem, is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia on the composer’s 36th birthday.

    23 October 1960 The Howard Hanson Inter-Faith Chapel is dedicated at the University of Rochester to celebrate Hanson’s (63) 35th anniversary as director of the Eastman School of Music.  As part of the festivities, Creator of Infinities Beyond Our Earth for chorus by Howard Hanson to words of Hansen is performed for the first time.

    Lines and Contrasts for 16 horns by Gunther Schuller (34) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    23 October 1961 John Tavener (17) undergoes an entrance examination for the Royal Academy of Music in London.  He will be accepted.

    23 October 1963 Symphony for Metal Orchestra (Symphony no.17) by Alan Hovhaness (52) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    23 October 1966 Réak for orchestra by Isang Yun (49) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    23 October 1967 Seven Romances on Poems of Alyeksandr Blok op.127 for soprano, violin, cello, and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (61) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall, by Galina Vishnevskaya, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Moisei Vainberg.  The audience requires the entire piece to be encored.  The work will be officially premiered on 28 October in Moscow.

    23 October 1968 Friede Anno 48, a cantata for soprano, chorus and piano by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (†4) to words of Gryphius, is performed for the first time, in Cologne 32 years after it was composed.

    Letters from Composers, a cycle for high voice and guitar by Dominick Argento (40) to words of several composers, is performed for the first time, at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota.

    23 October 1969 Animus III for clarinet and tape by Jacob Druckman (41) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    23 October 1970 Black Angels (Thirteen Images from the Dark Land) for electric string quartet by George Crumb is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the eve of the composer’s 41st birthday.

    23 October 1973 Evryali for piano by Iannis Xenakis (51) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    Behold My Servant for chorus by George Rochberg (55) is performed for the first time, at the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York.

    23 October 1976 Sub-Kontur for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (24) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.

    23 October 1977 First Piano Quartet by William Bolcom (39) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York.

    23 October 1981 Walzer 1 “Sehnsuchtswalzer” for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (29) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.  See 21 February 1987 and 6 July 1988.

    Fanfare for a Festive Occasion for brass and percussion by Richard Wernick (47) is performed for the first time, at the University of Pennsylvania for the inauguration of a new president.

    Concerto for Orchestra by Roger Sessions (84) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  This work will win the Pulitzer Prize.  See 12 April 1982.

    23 October 1982 Soldier Boy, Soldier, an opera by TJ Anderson (54) to words of Forrest, is performed for the first time, at Indiana University.

    23 October 1983 Guai ai gelidi mostri for two altos, instrumental ensemble, and electronic sounds by Luigi Nono (59) to words of Cacciari is performed for the first time, in the Großer Sendesaal, Cologne.

    23 October 1986 Piano Concerto by György Ligeti (63) in the original three movement version is performed for the first time, in Graz.  See 29 February 1988.

    23 October 1989 Threnody on a Plain Song for Michael Vyner for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) is performed for the first time, in the Glyndebourne Festival Theatre, the composer conducting.

    23 October 1990 String Quartet no.4 with soprano by Brian Ferneyhough (47), to words of Mac Low, is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    23 October 1992 Rain Tree Sketch II--In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen (†0) for piano by Toru Takemitsu (62) is performed for the first time, in Education Hall, Yokohama.

    23 October 1994 Concerto piccolo über B-A-C-H for trumpet, harpsichord, piano, and strings by Arvo Pärt (59) is performed for the first time, in Göteborg.

    23 October 1995 Road Movies for violin and piano by John Adams (48) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    23 October 1997 Orkney Saga II:  In Kirkwall, the first red Saint Magnus Stones for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (63) is performed for the first time, in New Broadcasting House, Manchester conducted by the composer.

    23 October 1998 Etude 17 from György Ligeti’s (75) Etudes for piano Book III is performed for the first time, in London.

    Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona for string quartet and computer generated sounds by Morton Subotnick (65) is performed for the first time, in Pasadena, California.

    23 October 1999 A Fugue for solo violin by Alfred Schnittke (†1) is performed for the first time, in New York, 46 years after it was composed.

    23 October 2002 Sechs Gedichte von Friedrich Nietzsche for baritone and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    Quasi una fantasia op.78 for orchestra by Henryk Górecki (68) is performed for the first time, in Auditorio Nacional, Madrid.  See 27 October 1991.

    Naxos Quartet no.1 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (68) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    23 October 2003 Mr. Tambourine Man:  Seven Poems of Bob Dylan for soprano and orchestra by John Corigliano (65) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.  See 15 March 2000.

    23 October 2005 Serenata Notturna for oboe and string quartet by William Bolcom (68) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    23 October 2008 Two Hadiths for chorus and harp by John Tavener (64) from the Orthodox service is performed for the first time, in York Minster.

    23 October 2011 Kohelet for string quartet by Osvaldo Golijov (50) is performed for the first time, in Dinkelspiel Auditorium of Stanford University.

    24 October

    24 October 1775 King Ferdinando IV of Naples orders performances of Socrate immaginario by Giovanni Paisiello (35) to words of Lorenzi halted.  He finds the libretto “indiscreet.”

    24 October 1794 The Committee of Public Safety orders the release of Joseph Boulogne de Saint Georges (48) from detention in Houdainville, near Clermont-sur-Oise.  The order will not be carried out for several months.

    24 October 1799 Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf dies at Cervená Lhota,  a small castle owned by Ignaz Freiherr von Stillfried in Neuhof (Novy Dvur) near Sobeslav, Bohemia, in poverty, aged 59 years, eleven months and 22 days.  His earthly remains will be buried in the village of Deschen (Destná) near Neuhaus (Jindrichuv Hradec).

    24 October 1813 Incidental music for Das österreichische Feldlager, a play by Schmidt after Schiller, by Carl Maria von Weber (26), is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    24 October 1819 La donna del lago, a melodramma by Gioachino Rossini (27) to words of Tottola after Scott, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The work receives a general yawn.

    24 October 1836 Gioachino Rossini (44) leaves Paris for Italy.  He will not move back to the French capital for 19 years.

    A soiree takes place at the Paris apartment of Franz Liszt (25) and his mistress Marie d’Agoult to celebrate their recent return from Switzerland.  Among the guests are Frédéric Chopin (26) and Aurore Dupin Dudevant (George Sand) who meet for the first time.  It was Sand who repeatedly asked Liszt to arrange the meeting.  She appears in men’s clothing, as is her wont.  Their first impressions are quite different.  Chopin finds Sand “repulsive” while Sand finds Chopin “noble.”

    24 October 1837 Adolf von Henselt (23) marries Rosalie (Mangen) Vogel, recently divorced from the physician to Duke Carl August, in Bad Salzbrunn, Silesia (Szczawno-Zdroj, Poland).

    24 October 1850 Robert Schumann (40) conducts his first concert in Düsseldorf.  It features Clara Schumann (31) as soloist in Mendelssohn’s (†2) g minor concerto.

    24 October 1861 Festhymnus for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Giacomo Meyerbeer (70) to words of Köster is performed for the first time, in Berlin for celebrations surrounding the coronation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia.

    24 October 1867 Richard Wagner (54) completes Die Meistersinger at Tribschen.

    24 October 1871 An ein Veilchen op.49/2, a song by Johannes Brahms (38) to words of Zappi, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    24 October 1878 Clara Schumann (59) is given a day of celebration in Leipzig, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her first public performance at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.  In the morning she receives numerous presents, telegrams and flowers.  At her concert, she plays Robert Schumann’s (†22) Piano Concerto.  The orchestra presents her with a laurel wreath, with the names of composers whose music she performed during her career on the leaves.  Later, she attends a party in her honor, serenaded by the Paulinerchor on her arrival.

    24 October 1880 Jota Aragonese op.64 for orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (45) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    24 October 1883 Amy Marcy Cheney (16) makes her public performing debut as one of several soloists at the Boston Music Hall.  She performs a Rondo in E flat by Chopin (†34) and Moscheles’ Piano Concerto in g minor.  Critics are effusive in their praise.

    24 October 1885 Der Zigeunerbaron, an operetta by Johann Strauss to words of Schnitzer after Jókai, is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna, conducted by the composer on the eve of his 60th birthday.  It is an unqualified success and will run for 87 straight nights.

    24 October 1892 Robert Franz dies in Halle, aged 77 years, three months and 26 days.

    24 October 1900 Tennis at Trianon, op.36/3, a song by Jean Sibelius (34) to words of Fröding, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    24 October 1904 The Piano Concerto in c minor by Frederick Delius (42) is performed for the first time, in the Elberfeld Stadthalle.  See 22 October 1907.

    Two Vocal Duets for 2 voices, piano and string quartet ad.lib. by Ralph Vaughan Williams (32) are performed for the first time, in Reading Town Hall.

    24 October 1907 After hearing his Piano Concerto, Ralph Vaughan Williams (35) writes to Frederick Delius (45) in London, asking to show him some scores and for advice.  Delius will be of great help to him.

    24 October 1908 Lamia, a symphonic poem by Edward MacDowell (†0), is performed for the first time, in Boston 20 years after it was composed.

    24 October 1918 Oma Maa (Our Native Land), a cantata by Jean Sibelius (52) to words of Kallio, is performed for the first time, in Kansalliskuoro, as part of a concert organized for the German army.  The piece was written to honor Gösta Schybergson, a medical student killed by communists on 2 February.

    The Real American Folk Song, a song by George Gershwin (20) to words of Ira Gershwin, is performed for the first time as part of the musical comedy Ladies First, at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York.  Also premiered is Gershwin’s song Some Wonderful Sort of Someone to words of Greene.

    24 October 1919 Prelude in e flat minor for piano by Bohuslav Martinu (28) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Two songs by George Gershwin (21), Swanee, to words of Caesar and Come to the Moon, to words of Paley and Wayburn, are performed for the first time, at the opening of the Capitol Theatre, New York.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra gives its inaugural performance, in Trinity Auditorium.

    24 October 1920 Deuxième suite symphonique op.57 by Darius Milhaud (28) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  A riot takes place between supporters and detractors as a result of the music.  Police arrive and physically eject at least one critic while providing protection for the composer.  Milhaud will remember, “this genuine, spontaneous, violent reaction filled me with boundless confidence...enthusiasm, or vehement protests, are a proof that your work is alive.”

    24 October 1925 Luciano Berio is born in Oneglia.

    24 October 1927 The song cycle Along the Field, for voice and violin by Ralph Vaughan Williams (55) to words of Houseman, is performed for the first time, at Grotrian Hall, London.

    Three new works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (40) are performed for the first time in a major concert of his music at the Salle des concerts, Maison Gaveau, Paris:  Chôro no.4 for three horns and trombone, Chôro no.8 for two pianos and orchestra and Rudepoema for piano.  See 15 July 1942.

    24 October 1929 George Henry Crumb, Jr. is born in Charleston, West Virginia, eldest of two children born to George Henry Crumb, Sr. a professional clarinetist, copyist, and arranger, and Vivian Reed, a professional cellist.

    24 October 1930 Symphony no.3 by Albert Roussel (61) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    24 October 1931 Sofiya Asgatovna Gubaidulina is born in Chistopol, USSR, the last of three children born to Asgad Masgudovich Gubaidullin, a geodetic engineer and son of an imam, a Tatar, and Fedosia Fyodorovna Yelkhova, a teacher and daughter of a laborer, a Russian.

    Six Pieces for male chorus op.35 by Arnold Schoenberg (57) to words of various authors is performed completely for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.  See 3 November 1929.

    24 October 1937 I’ve Got the Tune, a radio song-play by Marc Blitzstein (32) to his own words, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of CBS radio originating in New York.

    24 October 1939 Cowboy Songs for orchestra by Roy Harris (41) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of CBS radio originating in New York.

    24 October 1940 First Symphony by John Alden Carpenter (64) is performed for the first time, in Chicago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  It is an almost complete revision of his Symphony no.1 “Sermons in Stone.”  See 5 June 1917.

    24 October 1942 I capricci di Callot, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (60) to his own words after Hoffmann, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Reale dell’Opera, Rome.

    24 October 1945 The second revision of Igor Stravinsky’s (63) Suite from “The Firebird” is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Serenade Concertante for orchestra by Arthur Berger (33) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (48).

    24 October 1946 Ode to Fraternity for chorus and harmonium by Jean Sibelius (80) to words of Sario, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    Facsimilie, a ballet by Leonard Bernstein (28) to a scenario by Robbins, is performed for the first time, in the Broadway Theatre, New York conducted by the composer.

    24 October 1947 Symphony no.4 “Short Symphony” by Henry Cowell (50) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    24 October 1948 Sinfonietta by Francis Poulenc (49) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.

    Afterthought for voice and piano by Leonard Bernstein (30) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    24 October 1949 String Quartet no.1 op.20 by Alberto Ginastera (33) is performed for the first time, in Buenos Aires.

    24 October 1953 Concerto for two pianos and orchestra by Ernst Krenek (53) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    24 October 1956 Il Canto Sospeso for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, chorus, and orchestra by Luigi Nono (32) to words from letters written by resistance fighters, is performed for the first time, in the Großen Sendesaal, Cologne.

    Serenata for orchestra by Walter Piston (62) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    24 October 1958 Two works for organ by Leos Janácek (†30) are performed for the first time, in Brno:  Overture and Lyre for Full Organ.

    Symphony of Chorales for orchestra by Lukas Foss (36) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh, the composer conducting.

    24 October 1959 Symphony no.7 op.80 by Vincent Persichetti (44) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    24 October 1960 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play King Lear by Peter Sculthorpe (31) is performed for the first time, at Oxford.

    24 October 1961 Ballad About the Motherland for bass and orchestra by Aram Khachaturian (58) to words of Garnakerian, is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.

    24 October 1962 0’0” for any player by John Cage (50) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo by the composer.  The most important part of the score reads, “IN A SITUATION PROVIDED WITH MAXIMUM AMPLIFICATION (NO FEEDBACK), PERFORM A DISCIPLINED ACTION.”  For this simultaneous composition and first performance, Cage writes a manuscript.  The work is dedicated to the young Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi and his wife Yoko Ono.

    24 October 1963 Praises and Prayers, a cycle for voice and piano by Virgil Thomson (66) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York the composer at the piano.

    24 October 1965 Voices for Today op.75 for boys’ chorus, chorus, and organ by Benjamin Britten (51) to words of Virgil, Lao tzu, Jesus Christ, Albert Camus, Yevgeny Yevtushenko and others, commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations, is performed for the first time, simultaneously in Royal Festival Hall, London, UN General Assembly Hall, New York, and Maison de l’ORTF, Paris.

    24 October 1967 Funeral-Triumphal Prelude in Memory of the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad op.130 for orchestra and band by Dmitri Shostakovich (61) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    Psalm 25 for chorus by Charles Ives (†13) is performed for the first time, in the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian, Washington 66 years after it was composed.

    24 October 1969 Night Music for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (41) is performed for the first time, in Cardiff City Hall.  The work was commissioned by the BBC.

    24 October 1970 Musique pour Graz for chamber orchestra by Darius Milhaud (78) is performed for the first time, in Graz

    Kosmogonia for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (36) is performed for the first time, at the United Nations to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

    24 October 1971 18:00  Carl Sprague Ruggles dies of pneumonia in the Crescent Manor Nursing Home in Bennington, Vermont, aged 95 years, seven months, and 13 days.

    24 October 1973 Third Sacred Concert for soloists, choruses, and players by Duke Ellington (74) is performed for the first time, in Westminster Abbey, in the presence of Princess Margaret and Prime Minister Edward Heath.

    24 October 1975 Symphony no.26 by Alan Hovhaness (66) is performed for the first time, in San Jose, California.

    24 October 1976 29 of the 31 parts of Coro for 40 voices and 40 instruments by Luciano Berio to words of Neruda and folk texts are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen on the composer’s 51st birthday.  See 16 November 1977.

    24 October 1977 Astrea, a group including Sofia Gubaidulina and two others, which plays on traditional instruments, performs at the Moscow Jazz Club (on her 46th birthday).  Afterwards, they are driven home by a man unknown to them who they assume is a KGB agent.  He tells them to call him if they ever need anything like foreign currency or a way out of the country.

    24 October 1982 Nocturne for solo voice, harp, and string quartet by Gian-Carlo Menotti (71) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    24 October 1983 Sonata for cello by György Ligeti (60) is performed for the first time, in Paris, 30 years after it was composed.

    24 October 1984 Minette Fontaine, a dramatic work by William Grant Still (†5) to words of his wife, Verna Arvey, is performed for the first time, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

    24 October 1986 Horos for 89 instruments by Iannis Xenakis (64) is performed for the first time, for the inauguration of Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

    Moderato for cello by Dmitri Shostakovich (†11) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg, around 50 years after it was composed.

    Five Japanese Songs for voice and piano by David Diamond (71) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    24 October 1987 Double Visions for band by Samuel Adler (59) is performed for the first time.

    24 October 1988 Several works in honor of the 50th birthday of Joan Tower are performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York, including For Joan on her 50th for five players by John Corigliano (50), Minuet from Short Suite for four players by John Harbison (49), and Tower Power for five players by Joseph Schwantner (45).

    24 October 1989 Nourlangie, a concerto for guitar, percussion, and strings by Peter Sculthorpe (60) is performed for the first time, in Brisbane, Queensland.

    24 October 1994 The Second Mrs. Kong, an opera by Harrison Birtwistle (60) to words of Hoban, is performed for the first time, at Glyndebourne.

    24 October 1997 DC Fanfare for orchestra by John Corigliano (59) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    24 October 1998 Echoes from the Silent call of Girona for string quartet and computer by Morton Subotnick (65) is performed for the first time, in the Presbyterian Church of Pasadena, California.

    24 October 1999 On her 68th birthday, Sofia Gubaidulina is awarded the Preis der Stiftung Bibel und Kultur by German President Johannes Rau.

    24 October 2003 The Dharma at Big Sur for orchestra by John Adams (56) is performed for the first time, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

    24 October 2004 Songs America Loves to Sing for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by John Harbison (65) is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.

    You Are (Variations) for chorus and chamber ensemble by Steve Reich (68) to words of Rebbe Nachman, the Bible, Wittgenstein, and the Talmud is performed for the first time, in Disney Hall, Los Angeles.

    24 October 2008 Never Far Away for harp and orchestra by Bright Sheng (52) is performed for the first time, in San Diego.

    24 October 2010 Portae Eternales by Robin Holloway (67) is performed for the first time, in Norwich Cathedral.

    25 October

    25 October 1764 Wolfgang Amadeus (8) and Nannerl Mozart perform once again before the royal family, at Buckingham House.

    25 October 1769 La rosière de Salency, a ballet pastorale by François-André Danican-Philidor (43), Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (40), Baron van Swieten and others to words of Favart, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    25 October 1776 Georg Joseph Vogler (27) receives a contribution from Elector Palatine Karl Theodor to found the Mannheimer Tonschule.

    25 October 1821 The Kyrie and Gloria from the Missa Solemnis by Ludwig van Beethoven (50) are performed for the first time, in the Landständischer Saal, Vienna.  See 7 April 1824.

    25 October 1823 Carl Maria von Weber’s (36) grand Romantic opera Euryanthe to words of von Chézy after Gerbert de Montreuil, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna, conducted by the composer.  The work is enthusiastically received, although some find it confusing, including Franz Schubert (26) who expresses dislike for the work.  Unable to gain her reserved seat through the crowd, the librettist, Helmina von Chézy is passed over the heads of the audience.

    25 October 1825 Johann Baptist Strauss is born in Vienna, the eldest of six children born to Johann Strauss, Sr., composer, conductor and violinist, and Maria Anna Streim, daughter of an innkeeper.  This blessing comes less than four months after the couple are married.

    25 October 1838 Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet is born in Paris, the only child of Adolphe Armand Bizet, singing teacher, and Aimée Marie Louise Léopoldine Joséphine Delsarte, amateur pianist and daughter of an inventor.  This child will be baptized Georges on 16 March 1840 but the name does not appear on the birth certificate.

    25 October 1848 Il corsaro, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi (35) to words of Piave after Byron, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Grande, Trieste.  The audience is less than complementary.

    25 October 1859 An elaborate funeral in memory of Louis Spohr takes place in Kassel, at public expense.

    25 October 1862 Reverie suggested by Longfellow’s “Song of the Silent Land” for organ by John Knowles Paine (23) is performed for the first time, by the composer in West Church, Boston.

    25 October 1872 Claude Debussy (10) attends his first piano class at the Conservatoire.

    25 October 1873 On his 48th birthday, Johann Strauss conducts a concert for the benefit of Hungarian victims of a cholera epidemic, in Vienna.  He premieres his Csárdás für Gesang, to words of Genée, part of the operetta he is working on.  It is so successful that he hurries to finish the rest of the work:  Die Fledermaus.

    25 October 1875 Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston by Hans von Bülow who is currently on a tour of the United States.  The audience demands that the finale be encored.  See 5 January 1875.

    25 October 1882 Lullaby op.19/2 by Charles Villiers Stanford (30) to words of Dekker is performed for the first time, at Cambridge University.

    25 October 1885 Symphony no.4 of Johannes Brahms (52) is performed for the first time, in Meiningen conducted by the composer.  Upon hearing the symphony, Richard Strauss (21) calls it a “giant work, great in concept and invention, masterful in its form, and yet from A-Z genuine Brahms, in a word, an enrichment of our art.”

    25 October 1891 Africa op.89, a fantasy for piano and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (56) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    25 October 1892 Caedmar, an opera by Granville Bantock (24) to words of Corder, is performed for the first time, in the Olympic Theatre, London.

    25 October 1902 Den 25 oktober 1902.  Till Thérèse Hahl for chorus by Jean Sibelius (36) to words of Wasastjerna is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.  Thérèse Hahl is an important leader of Finnish choral music and the work is in honor of her 60th birthday.

    25 October 1912 Ariadne auf Naxos op.60 by Richard Strauss (48) to words of Hofmannsthal is performed for the first time, in the Stuttgart Court Theatre, the composer conducting.  The production is a disaster.  The first part of the work is Molière’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme with incidental music by Strauss.  The second part is a one-act opera by Strauss.  See 4 October 1916.

    25 October 1913 Piano Sonata no.9 op.68 by Alyeksandr Skryabin (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

    25 October 1923 The Piano Trio no.1 op.8 by Dmitri Shostakovich (17) is performed for the first time during the screening of a film, at the Harlequinade Cinema, Petrograd, the composer at the piano.  See 13 December 1923.

    La Création du monde, a ballet by Darius Milhaud (31) to a scenario by Cendrars, is performed for the first time, in Paris.  On the same program is Cole Porter’s jazz ballet Within the Quota.

    Deux chorals pour petit orchestre op.76/2 by Charles Koechlin (55) are performed for the first time, in Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    25 October 1924 El retablo de maese Pedro, a puppet opera by Manuel de Falla (47) to his own words, after Cervantes, is publicly staged for the first time.

    Suite for Two Pianos founded upon Old Irish Melodies op.104 by Amy Cheney Beach (57) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    25 October 1925 Der vertauschte Cupido, a ballet by Ernst Krenek (25) after Rameau, is performed for the first time, in Kassel, the composer conducting.

    25 October 1927 My Childhood on Fyn, a collection of childhood memoirs by Carl Nielsen (62), is published.

    25 October 1928 Rítmos, an orchestral fantasy by Joaquín Turina (45), is performed for the first time, in Madrid conducted by the composer.

    25 October 1930 Check and Double Check, a film with music by Duke Ellington (31), is released in the United States.

    25 October 1932 Duke Ellington (33) and his Orchestra play for a class in music appreciation at New York University taught by Percy Grainger.  Wallingford Riegger (47) is also present.  Grainger favorably compares Ellington’s melodies with those of Frederick Delius (70) and Johann Sebastian Bach (†182).  Ellington remarks “I’ll have to find out about this Delius.”

    25 October 1933 Arnold Schoenberg (59) and his wife leave Europe aboard a ship from France heading for the United States.

    25 October 1941 Incidental music to Roux’s play La Ligne d’horizon by Arthur Honegger (49) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    25 October 1945 The Philharmonia Orchestra gives its first concert in Kingsway Hall, London conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.

    Serenade for flute, harp and strings op.35 by Howard Hanson (48) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    25 October 1946 Celebration Variations on a Timpani Theme from Howard Hanson’s Third Symphony for orchestra by Roy Harris (48) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    25 October 1947 Three Fanfares for four trumpets by Ulysses Kay (30) is performed for the first time, in New York.  Also premiered is Kay’s Duo for flute and oboe.

    25 October 1948 The Young Guard, Part 2, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (42), is shown for the first time.

    25 October 1953 Incantation for tape by Otto Luening (53) and Vladimir Ussachevsky is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the Columbia Broadcasting System, originating in New York.

    25 October 1957 Piano Fantasy by Aaron Copland (56), commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Juilliard School, is performed for the first time, in the Juilliard Concert Hall.

    25 October 1958 A seriously revised version of Leos Janácek’s (†30) opera Fate:  Destiny, to words of Bartosova and the composer, is staged for the first time, at the National Theatre, Brno.  See 18 September 1934.

    25 October 1961 Ave Maria, Hail Blessed Flower for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (27) to an anonymous Medieval English text is performed for the first time, in the Church of St. James, Picadilly.

    25 October 1962 Two new works are performed for the first time in the Beethovensaal der Stuttgarter Liederhalle:  Polla ta dhina for children’s chorus, wind and percussion by Iannis Xenakis (40) to words of Sophocles and Nach wie vor der Reihe nach for orchestra by Ernst Krenek (62).

    25 October 1964 Lyric Scene for flute and strings by Otto Luening (64) is performed for the first time, in Arlington, Virginia.

    25 October 1966 Amanda/Serenata VI for ten instruments by Bruno Maderna (46) is performed for the first time, in Naples.

    25 October 1971 Piri for oboe by Isang Yun (54) is performed for the first time, in Bamberg.

    25 October 1972 Gagok for voice, guitar, and percussion by Isang Yun (55) is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.

    25 October 1973 Concerto for violin and orchestra no.1 by Bohuslav Martinu (†14) is performed for the first time, in Chicago, 40 years after it was composed.

    25 October 1974 String Quartet no.15 by Dmitri Shostakovich (68) is performed for the first time, privately at the Leningrad Composers’ Club.  See 15 November 1974.

    25 October 1979 La Dixième Symphonie, hommage à Beethoven, by Pierre Henry (51) is performed for the first time, in Bonn.

    25 October 1986 A Grace for voice(s) and instrument by Peter Maxwell Davies (52) is performed for the first time, in The Blossoms Hotel, Chester.

    25 October 1990 Symphony (Myths) for orchestra by Roger Reynolds (56) is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

    25 October 1991 Three2 for three percussionists by John Cage (79) is performed for the first time, in the Kitchen, New York.

    25 October 1994 Laurie Anderson’s (47) sixth album Bright Red is released.

    String Quartet no.8 by Ralph Shapey (73) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    25 October 1995 Vers une Symphonie fleuve III for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (43) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    25 October 1996 Last Round for string orchestra by Osvaldo Golijov (35) is performed for the first time, in Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, Great Britain.

    25 October 2002 The Second Coming for chorus and organ by John Tavener (58) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, in Glenn Memorial Auditorium of Emory University, Atlanta.

    25 October 2003 Encounters for six optional voices and jazz ensemble by Gunther Schuller (77) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.

    December 1 for mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble by John Harbison (64) to words of Milosz is performed for the first time, in Tallahassee, Florida.

    The Eleventh String Quartet of William Bolcom (65) is performed for the first time, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

    25 October 2008 O My People for chorus by John Tavener (64) is performed for the first time, in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dundalk, Louth, Ireland.

    Concerto for violin, piano, and computer by John Melby (67) is performed for the first time, at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    25 October 2010 Perfect Storm for viola by Shulamit Ran (61) is performed for the first time, in Meany Hall of the University of Washington in Seattle.

    25 October 2011 Will Sound More Again for chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (59) is performed for the first time, in the Casa de Musica, Porto.

    25 October 2012 Dialogues II for piano and chamber orchestra by Elliott Carter (103) is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    26 October

    26 October 1685 Domenico Scarlatti is born in Naples.

    26 October 1749 Louis-Nicolas Clérambault dies in Paris, aged 72 years, ten months and seven days.

    26 October 1754 Baldassare Galuppi’s (48) dramma giocoso Il filosofo di campagna to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    26 October 1756 Two works by Georg Philipp Telemann (75), to words of Richey, are performed for the first time, in Hamburg:  the cantata Der Herr hat Grosses an uns getan and the serenata Edle krone grauer Haare.

    26 October 1761 Arcadia, or The Shepherd’s Wedding, a dramatic pastoral by John Stanley (49) to words of Lloyd, is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    26 October 1767 Fleeing the smallpox epidemic in Vienna, the Mozart family reaches Olmütz (Olomouc) where Wolfgang (11) begins exhibiting the symptoms of the disease.

    26 October 1771 L’ami de la maison, an opéra-comique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (30) to words of Marmontel, is performed for the first time, in Fontainebleau.

    26 October 1783 The incomplete Mass in c minor K.427 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27) is heard for the first time, in St. Peter’s Abbey, Salzburg.  Singing one of the soprano parts is the composer’s wife.

    26 October 1786 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (72) sends the manuscript of his Clavier Sonaten und Freye Fantasien nebst einigen Rondos fürs Fortepiano für Kenner und Liebhaber...(volume 6) to his publisher Breitkopf.

    26 October 1801 The publication of Muzio Clementi’s (49) Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte op.42 is entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.

    26 October 1805 Simon Mayr’s (42) melodramma eroicomico La roccia di Frauenstein to words of Rossi after Anelli is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    26 October 1811 L’equivoco stravagante, a dramma giocoso by Gioachino Rossini (19) to words of Gasparri, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro del Corso, Bologna.  The work is warmly received but after the third performance the city fathers will close the show due to the “impure” nature of the story.

    26 October 1817 Heinrich August Marschner (22) marries Emilie von Cerva, daughter of a businessman and city council member, in Pressburg (Bratislava).

    26 October 1822 Gaetano Donizetti’s (24) melodramma semiseria Chiara e Serafina, o Il pirata to words of Romani after Pixérécourt is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    26 October 1842 Felix Mendelssohn (33) meets with King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia for a second time in Potsdam to tell him that he feels his appointment is a failure and that he wishes to leave Berlin.  Rather than be angry, the king negotiates a more reasonable set of responsibilities for Mendelssohn.  He will create a new court chapel which Mendelssohn will conduct and compose for.  Before it is established, he is free to travel.

    26 October 1873 The original version of Anton Bruckner’s (49) Symphony no.2 is performed for the first time, in Vienna, conducted by the composer.  It is the first orchestral work by Bruckner to be performed in the capital.  Reaction is mixed, but Bruckner is pleased.  See 20 February 1876.

    26 October 1874 Carl August Peter Cornelius dies in Mainz, aged 49 years, ten months and two days.

    26 October 1875 Le voyage dans la lune, an opéra-féerie by Jacques Offenbach (56) to words of Leterrier, Vanloo and Mortier, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Gaité, Paris.

    26 October 1889 Edvard Grieg (46) conducts a second performance of his Olav Trygvason music, this time with the poet present.  After five or six curtain calls, the composer shouts, “To this I have just one thing to say:  Long live Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.”  To which the poet replies from the audience that he is proud to be a Norwegian, when we have a man who can write music like that.  “Long live Edvard Grieg.”  See 19 October 1889.

    26 October 1894 San Antonio de la Florida, a zarzuela by Isaac Albéniz (34) to word of Sierra, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Apolo, Madrid, conducted by the composer.  It is strongly applauded but will receive only 20 performances.

    26 October 1896 The Golden Spinning Wheel op.109, a symphonic poem by Antonín Dvorák (55), is performed publicly for the first time, in London.  See 3 June 1896.

    26 October 1899 Wiener Blut, an operetta by Johann Strauss (†0) to words of Léon and Stein, is performed for the first time, at the Carltheater, Vienna a day after what would have been the composer’s 74th birthday.  Despite the love that the Viennese feel towards the late composer, the work is a flop.

    26 October 1901 Edward Elgar’s (44) song In the Dawn, to words of Benson, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    26 October 1903 Taillefer op.52 for chorus and orchestra by Richard Strauss (39) to words of Uhland, is performed for the first time, under the composer’s direction in Heidelberg.  Strauss wrote the work for the occasion of his receipt of an honorary Ph.D. from Heidelberg University.

    26 October 1905 The Pied Piper of Hamelin, a cantata by Hubert Parry (57) to words of Browning, is performed for the first time, in Norwich.

    26 October 1906 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play (tr. Schlegel) Die Sturm, by Engelbert Humperdinck (52) is performed for the first time, in the Neues Schauspielhaus, Berlin.

    Four songs for voice and piano by Jean Sibelius (40) are performed for the first time, in Helsinki:  Sehnsucht op.50/2 to words of Weiss, Im Feld ein Mädchen singt op.50/3 to words of Susman, Rosenlied op.50/6 to words of Ritter, and Hertig Magnus op.57/6 to words of Josephson.

    26 October 1910 Hey Nonny No for chorus and orchestra by Ethel Smyth (52) to anonymous words, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    26 October 1911 Verzweiflung und Ergbebung, an appendix to the Turandot Suite of Ferruccio Busoni (45), is performed for the first time, in the Deutsches Theater, Berlin for a production of Turandot.  See 21 October 1905.

    26 October 1912 Gustave Charpentier (52) is elected to fill the chair in the Académie des Beaux-Arts vacated by the death of Jules Massenet (†0).

    26 October 1915 Berceuse héroique, a work for small orchestra composed by Claude Debussy (53) to honor King Albert of Belgium, is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    26 October 1917 A version of Modest Musorgsky’s (†36) Sorochintsy Fair, organized by Cesar Cui (82) using all available music, some orchestrations by Lyadov and additional music by Cui, is performed for the first time, at the Theatre of Musical Drama, Petrograd.

    Six Songs op.88 by Jean Sibelius (51) to words of Franzen and Runeberg are performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    Mujeres españolas op.17 by Joquín Turina (34) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    26 October 1918 Blow out you bugles for tenor and orchestra by Frank Bridge (39) to words of Brooke, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London, the composer conducting.

    26 October 1920 Vincent d’Indy (69) marries his second wife, Caroline Janson.

    Deuxième suite symphonique op.57 by Darius Milhaud (28) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  A riot ensues as a result of the music.  Police arrive and physically eject at least one critic while providing physical protection for the composer.

    26 October 1921 Aaron Copland (20) visits the Paris apartment of Nadia Boulanger (34) with some of his scores.  Among them he plays “Jazzy” the last of his Three Moods for piano. Boulanger immediately accepts him as a student.

    26 October 1922 Trio for violin, cello, and piano by Otto Luening (22) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.  Reviews are mixed.

    26 October 1925 The first version of Nursery Rhymes for nine voices and ten players by Leos Janácek (71) is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    26 October 1933 The German government takes over directorship of the Berlin Philharmonic making the musicians civil servants.  Since Jews are barred from the civil service, this ends participation by Jewish musicians in the orchestra.

    26 October 1937 Variations for piano op.27 by Anton Webern (53) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  This is the last time that Webern’s music is played publicly in Vienna during his lifetime.

    The tenth and eleventh of Friday Afternoons op.7, twelve children’s songs for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (23) to various authors, are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Regional.  See 18 May 1949.

    26 October 1938 An Overture in a minor by Georges Bizet (†63) is performed for the first time, approximately 83 years after its composition, one day after the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

    26 October 1940 As the composer, his wife and child reach Paris from Saint-Hilaire-sur-Garonne, Nicolas de flue, a dramatic oratorio by Arthur Honegger (48) to words of de Rougemont, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Solothurn.  See 31 May 1941.

    26 October 1942 Arthur Honegger (50) meets Werner Egk (41) for the first time, in Paris.  Egk is in town for a production of his Peer Gynt at the Opéra.  He is an admirer of Honegger’s work.

    26 October 1945 Suite symphonique by Ernest Bloch (65) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    26 October 1949 String Quartet no.3 by Peter Sculthorpe (20) is performed for the first time, in the British Music Society Rooms, Melbourne.

    26 October 1956 Overture op.60 for orchestra by Wallingford Riegger (71) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    New England Triptych for orchestra by William Schuman (46) is performed for the first time, in Miami.  It will prove to be Schuman’s most popular work.

    26 October 1957 Variations for brass band by Ralph Vaughan Williams (85) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    26 October 1958 The Romance of the Dandelions, a cantata for soprano and chorus by Bohuslav Martinu (67) to words of Bures, is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    26 October 1960 Wesleyan University Press publishes the first collected thought of John Cage (48), Silence.

    26 October 1961 Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (33) theatre piece Originale no.12 2/3, using his electronic music Kontakte, is performed for the first time, in the Theater am Dom, Cologne.

    The Crucible, an opera by Robert Ward (44) to words of Stambler after Miller, is performed for the first time, in New York.  The press is positive.  This work will win Ward the Pulitzer Prize.

    Symphony no.8 by David Diamond (46) is performed for the first time, in New York Leonard Bernstein (43) conducting.

    26 October 1962 Concerto for piano and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (36) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    26 October 1963 Lukas Foss (41) makes his first performance as conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic.

    26 October 1966 Janissary Music (Part I) for percussion solo by Charles Wuorinen (28) is performed for the first time, in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.  See 12 March 1967.

    26 October 1967 String Quartet no.2 op.23 by Alexander Goehr (34) is performed completely for the first time, at Bristol University.  See 13 July 1967.

    26 October 1969 A concert takes place in Alice Tully Hall marking the official opening of the Juilliard School and the completion of Lincoln Center.  Attenders include the First Lady, her daughter and son-in-law, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Martha Graham, Sol Hurok, Isaac Stern, and William Schuman (59).  The master of ceremonies is Leonard Bernstein (51).  Speakers include John D. Rockefeller III and President of Juilliard Peter Mennin (46).  A dispute between Mennin and Schuman has recently become very public culminating this morning in the appearance of a scathing letter to the editor from Schuman in the New York Times.

    26 October 1970 Doppelt beflügeltes Band for two pianos and tape by Ernst Krenek (70) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    Song Books, solos for voice 3-92 by John Cage (58), are performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.

    26 October 1972 Les momies d’Egypte op.439 for chorus by Darius Milhaud (80) to words of Régnard, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Graz.

    Dinah and Nick’s Love Song for three melody instruments and harp by Harrison Birtwistle (38) is performed publicly for the first time, in Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield.  Also premiered is Birtwistle’s La Plage:  Eight Arias of Remembrance to words of Robbe-Griller for soprano, three clarinets, piano, and marimba to words after Robbe-Grillet.

    26 October 1976 Concerto for string quartet, winds, and percussion by Walter Piston (82) is performed for the first time, in Portland, Maine.

    26 October 1979 The earthly remains of Juliette Nadia Boulanger are laid to rest in Montmartre.

    26 October 1980 Im Tal der Zeit for orchestra by Ernst Krenek (80) is performed for the first time, in Graz.

    26 October 1982 Rain Coming for chamber orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (52) is performed for the first time, in London.

    In Sleep, in Thunder, a cycle for tenor and 14 players by Elliott Carter (73) to words of Lowell, is performed for the first time, in St. John’s, Smith Square, London.

    26 October 1984 Voci for viola and two instrumental ensembles by Luciano Berio (59) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    26 October 1985 String Quartet no.6 “Blaubuch” by Wolfgang Rihm (33) is performed for the first time, in Kassel.

    Aaron Copland’s (84) Sonnet II for piano is performed for the first time, in New York approximately 66 years after it was composed.

    26 October 1988 Départ for chorus and 22 players by Wolfgang Rihm (36) to words of Rimbaud is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    26 October 1991 The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.46 by Conlon Nancarrow takes place in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, on the eve of the composer’s 79th birthday.

    26 October 1993 A fragment from an Adagio movement for the Symphony no.1 by Anton Bruckner (†97) is performed for the first time, in Essen.

    Two works for voice and keyboard by Leonard Bernstein (†2) are performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York:  Psalm 148 and Vayomer Elohim.

    26 October 1995 Concerto for pizzicato piano and ten instruments by Tan Dun (38) is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    String Quartet by John Corigliano (57) is performed for the first time, in the Jane Mallett Theatre, Toronto.

    26 October 1996 Walden Pond, a cycle for chorus, three cellos, and harp by Dominic Argento to words of Thoreau, is performed for the first time, in Ted Mann Auditorium of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis on the eve of the composer’s 69th birthday.

    26 October 2000 Hans Werner Henze (63) is one of five recipients of the 12th Praemium Imperiale, given by the Japan Art Association and presented by the Japanese imperial family.

    ...fleuve V (omnia tempus habent) for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (48) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    26 October 2001 Six American Painters for oboe, violin, viola, and cello by John Harbison (62) is performed for the first time, in Brookline, Massachusetts.  See 14 April 2002.

    26 October 2006 Baltimore Songlines for clarinet, violin, and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (77) is performed for the first time, at the National Aquarium, Baltimore.

    26 October 2009 Violin Concerto “The Love” by Tan Dun (52) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    26 October 2012 The Blazing Mirage for cello and string orchestra by Bright Sheng (56) is performed for the first time, in Hong Kong.

    27 October

    27 October 1678 John Jenkins dies in Kimberley, Norfolk at the age of 86.

    27 October 1770 Les deux avares, an opéra bouffon by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (29) to words of Fenouillot de Falbaine, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau, to celebrate the wedding of Louis le Dauphin to Marie Antoinette.

    27 October 1771 Johann Gottlieb Graun dies in Berlin, aged approximately 69 years.

    27 October 1780 Persée, a tragédie lyrique by François-André Danican-Philidor (54) to words of Marmontel after Quinault, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  The public response is frigid.

    27 October 1781 The newly rebuilt Paris Opéra reopens with a free concert celebrating the birth of the Dauphin.  The inaugural work is the premiere of Adèle de Ponthieu, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (53) to words of des Rasins de Saint-Marc.  It is moderately successful.

    27 October 1782 Nicolò Paganini is born in Genoa, the third of six children born to Antonio Paganini, a cargo handler and shipping clerk, and Teresa Bocciardo.

    27 October 1823 Two songs by Franz Schubert (26) are published by Sauer and Leidesdorf, Vienna as his op.24:  the second setting of Gruppe aus dem Tartarus to words of Schiller, and Schlummerlied (Schlaflied) to words of Mayrhofer.

    27 October 1824 Clara Wieck (5) begins taking piano lessons with her father, in Leipzig.

    27 October 1827 Il pirata, a melodramma by Vincenzo Bellini (25) to words of Romani after Taylor, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.  It is an immediate hit.  He decides to stay in Milan.

    27 October 1849 The Bach (†99) Society, founded by Sterndale Bennett, meets for the first time at Bennett’s house in Russell Place, London.

    27 October 1853 The Düsseldorf Musikverein refuses to sing under Robert Schumann (43) owing to a “disasterous performance of a mass by Hauptmann at the Maximilian Church on 16 October.”

    27 October 1854 Robert Schumann’s (44) Piano Concerto in a minor is performed in Weimar, Clara Schumann (35) at the piano and Franz Liszt (43) conducting.

    27 October 1883 Trio for piano and strings op.65 by Antonín Dvorák (42) is performed for the first time, in Mladá Boleslav, 50 km northeast of Prague.

    27 October 1892 Claude Debussy (30) dedicates copy no.45 of his Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire to Erik Satie (26), whom he calls a “gentle medieval musician strayed into this century for the joy of his friend CA Debussy.”

    27 October 1893 After a state funeral in the Madeleine, where the organ is played by Gabriel Fauré (48) the earthly remains of Charles Gounod are laid to rest in the family vault in Auteuil Cemetery.

    Three songs from the cycle Des knaben Wunderhorn by Gustav Mahler (33) to words of Brentano and von Arnim are performed for the first time, in Hamburg:  Trost im Unglück, Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?, and Rheinlegendchen, along with the song Das himmlische Leben.

    27 October 1897 For the first time, Sergey Rakhmaninov (24) publicly conducts music that is not his own, in his operatic debut in Moscow.  He directs Camille Saint-Saëns’ (62) Samson et Dalila.

    Charles Villiers Stanford (45) gives his first performance as conductor of the Leeds Philharmonic Society, in the Town Hall.

    27 October 1901 Nocturnes, by Claude Debussy (39), is given it’s first complete performance, in Paris.  See 9 December 1900.

    27 October 1904 String Quartet in a minor by Frederick S. Converse (33) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences.

    27 October 1905 Charles T. Griffes (21) has his first lesson with Engelbert Humperdinck (51) at Humperdinck’s home in Grunewald near Berlin.

    The opera Matinada, by Filipe Pedrell (64) is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.

    27 October 1906 The poema Gaziel, by Enrique Granados (39) to words of Mestres, is performed for the first time, at the Principal, Barcelona.  It is fairly successful.  The composer is called to the stage after the second tableau.

    27 October 1908 Letter to KS Stanislavsky from S. Ra., a song by Sergey Rakhmaninov (35), is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    27 October 1912 Samuel Conlon Nancarrow is born in Texarkana, Arkansas, first of two children born to Samuel Charles Nancarrow, the manager of a barrel factory for Standard Oil, and Myra Brady.

    27 October 1916 In Variety, an article appears describing “Jass” bands.  This is perhaps the first printed use of the word to describe music.

    27 October 1919 Sonata no.1 for cello and piano op.11/3 by Paul Hindemith (23) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main along with the premiere of Melancholie op.13, a cycle of songs for voice and string quartet to words of Morgenstern.

    Edward Elgar’s (62) Cello Concerto op.85 is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London the composer conducting.  The hall is not full, but those attending are enthusiastic about a rather lackluster performance.

    27 October 1927 Enter Spring for orchestra by Frank Bridge (48) is performed for the first time, at the Norwich Triennial Festival, the composer conducting.  At the festival, Bridge is introduced to Benjamin Britten (12).

    Dominick Argento is born in York, Pennsylvania, the first child of Michael and Nicolina Argento, both Italian immigrants.

    27 October 1930 The Golden Age, a ballet by Dmitri Shostakovich (24) to a scenario by Ivanovsky, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Leningrad.  Two days ago there was a matinee preview and yesterday a private performance.  It is extremely successful.  See 19 March 1930.

    27 October 1931 Die Nachtigall for voice and orchestra by Ernst Krenek (31) to words of Kraus, is performed for the first time, in Bern.  See 26 November 1931.

    27 October 1937 Albada, Interludi i Dansa for orchestra by Roberto Gerhard (41) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.

    Symphony no.3 by Bernard Rogers (44) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (40).

    Danzas Argentinas op.2 for piano by Alberto Ginastera (21) is performed for the first time, in Buenos Aires.

    27 October 1938 Three piano compositions by Georges Bizet (†63) are performed for the first time during the centennial year of the composer’s birth:  First Caprice original in c# minor, Grande Valse de concert in E flat, and Nocturne in F.  Also premiered are the songs L’âme humaine est pareille au doux ciel to words of Lamartine, Le Colibri to words of Glan, and Voeu to words of Hugo.

    27 October 1948 Igor Stravinsky’s (66) Mass for chorus and double wind quintet is performed for the first time, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    Incidental music to Camus’ play L’etat de siége by Arthur Honegger (56) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre de Marigny, Paris at the premiere of the play.

    27 October 1951 Divagação for cello, piano, and drum by Heitor Villa-Lobos (64) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    27 October 1954 The Symphony of the Air gives its first major concert, in Carnegie Hall, New York.  The NBC Symphony, defunct since the retirement of Arturo Toscanini, is reconstituted in this form by its musicians.  The concert is given without conductor.

    27 October 1958 Undine, a ballet by Hans Werner Henze (32) to a scenario by Ashton after de la Motte-Fouqué, is performed for the first time, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.  The composer conducts in the presence of Queen Elizabeth.  See 3 March 1958 and 10 January 1959.

    27 October 1959 Harmonica Concerto by Heitor Villa-Lobos (72) is performed for the first time, in Edison Hall, Jerusalem.

    27 October 1965 Refrain op.21 for orchestra by Henryk Górecki (31) is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    27 October 1967 Widmung for violin by Bruno Maderna (47) is performed for the first time, in Nürtingen.

    27 October 1968 String Trio by Charles Wuorinen (30) is performed for the first time, in the National Gallery, Washington.

    27 October 1971 A funeral in memory of Carl Ruggles takes place in St. James Episcopal Church in Arlington, Vermont.

    27 October 1972 Mikka for violin by Iannis Xenakis (50) is performed for the first time, in the Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris.

    Voyage for orchestra by William Schuman (62) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    27 October 1976 Still for electroacoustic sound by Roger Reynolds (42) is performed for the first time, in Las Vegas.

    27 October 1977 Métamorphoses, grand spectacle audio-visuel pour rayons laser, corticalart, bandes magnétiques, orgue et voix en direct by Pierre Henry (49) is performed for the first time, in Église de la Treille, Lille.

    27 October 1981 During the final reading of the British Nationality Bill in the House of Commons, Conservative member Enoch Powell rises to speak.  As he does, from the Strangers’ Gallery, Cornelius Cardew (45) shouts “this house stinks of racism” and with another man, Hakim Ali, begins showering the chamber with leaflets against the legislation.  The two are bodily removed from the house.  They are detained in a local police station until the House session ends and then released.  The two are banned from the House of Commons for seven years.

    27 October 1983 La trahison orale, a Musikepos über den Teufel, by Mauricio Kagel (51), is performed for the first time, in Salle Gémier, Paris directed by the composer.  See 31 March 1987.

    27 October 1985 Polyphonic etude for piano four hands by György Ligeti (62) is performed for the first time, in the Stockholm Konserthuset, 42 years after it was composed.

    27 October 1987 Monologues of Mary, Queen of Scots for soprano and orchestra by Thea Musgrave (59) to her own words after Elguera is performed for the first time, in Stirling.

    27 October 1989 Suite no.1 from The Confidence Man for orchestra by George Rochberg (71) is performed for the first time, in Nashville.

    Michael Tippett’s (84) opera New Year to his own words is performed for the first time, in Houston.

    27 October 1991 Bildlos/Weglos for seven sopranos and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (39) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Quasi una Fantasia op.64 for string quartet by Henryk Górecki (57) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    27 October 1993 Lyric Concerto for flute and orchestra by William Bolcom (55) is performed for the first time.

    27 October 1996 Psalm 150 for treble voices and optional voice or instruments by Peter Sculthorpe (67) is performed for the first time, in Launceston, Tasmania.

    Devotions, a film with music by Lou Harrison (79), is shown for the first time, at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Festival.

    27 October 1998 Chana’s Story, a cycle for voice and piano by David Del Tredici (61) to words of Bloch, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco the composer at the keyboard.

    27 October 2001 Schools Music Association Grace II for four voices by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) to anonymous 16th century words is performed for the first time, at Lloyds TSB Management Training Center, Solihull.

    27 October 2003 Sphäre um Sphäre for chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (51) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    27 October 2005 Adagio:  Convolutions on a Theme By Mozart for clarinet and computer by Larry Austin (75) is performed for the first time, at Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

    27 October 2006 Das Gehege for soprano and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (54) to words of Strauss is performed for the first time, in the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich.

    27 October 2007 A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close, a ballet by Philip Glass (70) to choreography by Jorma Elo, is performed for the first time, at City Center, New York.

    27 October 2008 Symphony no.5 (Concerto for Orchestra) by Ellen Taafe Zwilich (69) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    27 October 2012 Hans Werner Henze dies in Dresden, aged 86 years, three months, and 26 days.

    28 October

    28 October 1639 Stefano Landi dies in Rome, 52 years, eight months, and two days after his baptism.

    28 October 1775 May-Day, or The Little Gipsy, a musical farce by Thomas Augustine Arne (65) to words of Garrick is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    28 October 1795 Rosalie et Myrza, an opéra-comique by Adrien Boieldieu (19) to his father’s words, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Arts, Rouen.

    28 October 1801 Publication of three string quartets op.18/4-6 and two violin sonatas opp.23&24 by Ludwig van Beethoven (30) is announced.

    28 October 1810 The first recorded performance of Polacca con variazione for violin and orchestra by Nicolò Paganini (28) takes place in the Teatro del Pubblico, Rimini, the composer as soloist.

    28 October 1815 Johannes Simon Mayr (52) sends his most promising pupil, Gaetano Donizetti (17), from Bergamo to Bologna to study with Padre Mattei.  He simultaneously appeals to the Congregazione di Carità of Bergamo to support the boy for two years.

    28 October 1818 Felix Mendelssohn (9) takes part in a concert in Berlin given by the horn player Friedrich Gugel.  It is his first public performance.

    28 October 1827 Lowell Mason (35) conducts a performance of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society for the first time.

    28 October 1830 Hector Berlioz (26) petitions the French Minister of the Interior for “authorization to enjoy in Paris the grant which the government in its munificence accords to laureates of the Academy.”  He includes support from four eminent musicians including Gaspare Spontini (55) and Giacomo Meyerbeer (39).

    28 October 1837 Gaetano Donizetti’s (39) tragedia lirica Roberto Devereux, ossia Il conte di Essex to words of Cammarano after Ancelot is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The composer reports that “it went very, very well indeed.”

    28 October 1838 Giuseppe Verdi (25) resigns as maestro di musica in Busseto.

    In Vienna, Sigismond Thalberg (26) tells Robert Schumann (28), “there is nothing more to be done with the combination of piano and orchestra.”

    28 October 1841 Incidental music to Sophocles’ play Antigone by Felix Mendelssohn (32) is performed for the first time, before King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and invited guests at the Potsdam Court Theatre, including Giacomo Meyerbeer (50) and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (35).  See 13 April 1842.

    28 October 1847 While eating lunch with his wife, Felix Mendelssohn (38) suffers a mild stroke and is brought to bed.  He loses the ability to speak for 15 minutes.

    28 October 1853 Robert Schumann’s (43) article “Neue Bahnen,” extolling the virtues of the unheralded Johannes Brahms (20) appears in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik saying “Brahms is one of the elect.”

    At the Schumann home in Düsseldorf, Joseph Joachim and Clara Schumann (34) perform a violin sonata written by Albert Dietrich (first movement), Johannes Brahms (20) (scherzo) and Robert Schumann (43) (intermezzo and finale).

    Pépito, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (34) to words of Monaux and Battu, is performed for the first time, in the Variétés, Paris.

    28 October 1856 With seven children to support, Clara Schumann (37) gives her first concert after her husband’s death, in Karlsruhe.

    28 October 1872 John Knowles Paine (33) gives the inaugural lecture at the College of Music of Boston University.

    28 October 1873 The Paris Opéra in the Rue Le Peletièr burns down.  The alarm is sounded at 23:25.

    28 October 1875 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) wins a competition for an opera set to a libretto by Yakov Petrovich Polonsky entitled Vakula the Smith based on a story by Gogol.  The sponsors, the St. Petersburg Committee of the Russian Musical Society, finds that Tchaikovsky’s entry is the only one fulfilling their requirements.

    28 October 1877 Nachruf for male chorus and organ by Anton Bruckner (53) to words of Mattig is performed for the first time, for the unveiling of a memorial plaque at St. Florian.  The composer plays the organ.

    28 October 1886 Symphony no.6 by Anton Rubinstein (56) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus, conducted by the composer.

    28 October 1892 Anton Bruckner (68) leaves his position at the Vienna Hofkapelle following a serious illness.

    28 October 1893 Symphony no.6 “Pathetique” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by the composer.  The audience loves the composer, but they are confused by the music.  During the intermission, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) asks Tchaikovsky if there is any program to the work.  Tchaikovsky says there is, but he will not tell him what it is.

    28 October 1896 Howard Hanson is born in Wahoo, Nebraska, the second (and only surviving) child born to Hans Hanson, owner of a hardware store, and Hilma Hanson, an amateur musician.  Both parents are Swedish immigrants.

    28 October 1898 Danza aragonesa, the second of the Deux danses caractéristiques for piano by Enrique Granados (31), is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.

    28 October 1912 Amy Cheney Beach (45) makes her European performing debut in Dresden, accompanying her Violin Sonata.  The audience is appreciative.

    28 October 1913 Anton von Webern (29) completes his “cure” with Vienna psychoanalyst Dr. Alfred Adler, who was treating the composer for anxiety.  Webern writes to Schoenberg (39):  “I feel fine.”

    28 October 1915 Eine Alpensinfonie by Richard Strauss (51) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer conducting.  The critics don’t like it.

    28 October 1925 Canticum fratris solis for voice and orchestra by Charles Martin Loeffler (64) to words of St. Francis in a modern version by Gino Perera, is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington as part of the first Festival of Chamber Music under the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation.  This is the inaugural concert in the new Coolidge Auditorium.

    28 October 1926 A provisional charter for the Juilliard School of Music is granted by the State of New York.  It is a merger of the Juilliard Music Foundation and the Institute of Musical Art.

    Symphony no.3 by Willem Pijper (32) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    Lindaraja for piano-four hands by Claude Debussy (†8) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    28 October 1927 Frank Bridge (48) looks at some compositions by Benjamin Britten (12), whom he met yesterday, in Norwich.  He agrees to take on Britten as a pupil starting next year.

    28 October 1932 Duo Concertant for violin and piano by Igor Stravinsky (50) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Berlin Radio.  The violin part is played by Samuel Dushkin, while the composer performs at the keyboard.

    28 October 1935 Kaintuck for piano and orchestra by Ernst Krenek (35) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.  The premiere is heard on two pianos.

    28 October 1941 Overture for a Drama for orchestra by Ross Lee Finney (34) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    28 October 1942 Capriccio, an opera by Richard Strauss (78), to words of Krauss and the composer, is performed for the first time, at the Munich Staatsoper.  It is a hit with press and public.

    28 October 1943 Two works by Bohuslav Martinu (52) are performed for the first time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Republic of Czechoslovakia.  Symphony no.2 is premiered in Cleveland, while Memorial to Lidice for orchestra, is premiered in New York.

    Fire and Ice for male chorus and band by Henry Cowell (46) to words of Frost is performed for the first time, in Constitution Hall, Washington.

    28 October 1944 A Legend for orchestra by Arnold Bax (60) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC Home Service, originating in The Guildhall, Cambridge.

    28 October 1948 A filmed version of One Touch of Venus with music by Kurt Weill (48) is shown for the first time, in New York.

    28 October 1949 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Windsor by Witold Lutoslawski (36) is performed for the first time, in Teatr Polski, Warsaw.

    28 October 1950 String Quartet no.4 by William Schuman (40) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress in Washington.

    28 October 1951 Incidental music to Adam de la Halle’s play Le jeu de Robin et Marion by Darius Milhaud (59) is performed for the first time, in the Hessiches Staats-Theater, Wiesbaden.

    28 October 1952 The first public “concert” of tape-recorder music in the United States takes place at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.  It is given by the Columbia University electronic music group and includes premieres of Sonic Contours for tape by Vladimir Ussachevsky (41) and three works for flute on tape by Otto Luening:  Fantasy in Space, Invention in Twelve Tones, and Low Speed.  The flutist in all three Luening pieces is the composer. The performance is broadcast by radio stations WNYC New York and WGBH Boston.  A Tanglewood student named Luciano Berio (27) is present and is fascinated.  Also premiered is Eight Studies and a Fantasy for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon by Elliott Carter (43).

    28 October 1953 Incidental music to Iakobson’s play The Angel-Protector from Nebraska by Aram Khachaturian (50) is performed for the first time, in the Moscow Art Theatre.

    28 October 1955 Canti di Liberazione for chorus and orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (51) to words of Castellio, the Bible, and St. Augustine is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    Incidental music to Hellman’s (after Anouilh) play The Lark by Leonard Bernstein (37) is performed for the first time, in the Plymouth Theatre, Boston.

    28 October 1959 Love Propitiated, a revision of Panifilo and Lauretta, an opera by Carlos Chávez (60) to words of Kallman after Boccaccio, is performed for the first time, in Mexico City.  See 9 May 1957, 21 May 1963 and 26 July 1968.

    28 October 1960 Carré no.10 for four orchestras and four choruses by Karlheinz Stockhausen (32) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR, originating in Hamburg.  Mauricio Kagel (28) and the composer are among the conductors.  The audience is loudly divergent in opinion.

    28 October 1963 Piano Concerto no.2 by Leon Kirchner (44) is performed for the first time, in Seattle, the composer conducting.

    28 October 1965 Lions, a symphonic poem by Ned Rorem (42), is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    28 October 1968 The Politics of Harmony, an opera by Charles Wuorinen (30) to words of Monaco, is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre, Columbia University directed by the composer.

    28 October 1969 Portrait of a Conductor, a film with music by Krzysztof Penderecki (36), is shown for the first time, in Paris.

    String Quartet by Stefan Wolpe (67) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    28 October 1971 Three works by Toru Takemitsu (41) are performed for the first time, in Paris:  Eucalypts II for flute, oboe, and harp, Munari by Munari for percussion solo, and Stanza II for tape and harp.

    28 October 1972 Musique de théâtre for band op.334b by Darius Milhaud (80) is performed for the first time, in Drancy.

    28 October 1973 Bassoon Variations for bassoon, harp, and timpani by Charles Wuorinen (35) is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre, Harvard University.

    28 October 1982 Recollections for woodwind quintet and piano by Karel Husa (61) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    28 October 1985 Dialogue de l’ombre double for clarinet and electronic sound generators by Pierre Boulez (60) is performed for the first time, in Florence.  See 3 November 1995.

    28 October 1986 On Freedom's Ground:  An American Cantata for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by William Schuman (76) to words of Wilbur, composed for the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    28 October 1987 Concerto for organ and orchestra by Karel Husa (66) is performed by for the first time, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, conducted by the composer.  It was commissioned by Case Western Reserve University to commemorate the centennial of the Michelson-Morley experiment.  Edward Morley was an accomplished amateur organist.  See 12 July 1887.

    28 October 1988 A revised version of Elegy for Young Lovers, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (62) to words of Auden and Kallman, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  See 20 May 1961.

    A suite from the ballet The Trojan Women by Karel Husa (67) is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, conducted by the composer.  See 28 March 1981.

    28 October 1989 The fifth of the Nonsense Madrigals for six solo voices by György Ligeti (66) is performed for the first time, in London.  In this performance, the five madrigals are interspersed with movements from La messe de Notre Dame.  See 25 September 1988 and 27 November 1993.

    28 October 1995 Karel Husa (74) is awarded the State Medal of Merit by President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic.

    28 October 2000 Frage for female chorus and eight players by Wolfgang Rihm (48) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    28 October 2011 Shadows for piano and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (72) is performed for the first time, in Talbot Hall of Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana.

    29 October

    29 October 1675 Andreas Hammerschmidt dies in Zittau aged approximately 64 years.

    29 October 1754 Daphnis et Alcimadure, a pastorale languedocienne by Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville (42) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.  The work is well received and will open at the Paris Opéra 5 January 1755.

    29 October 1766 Il buon marito, an intermezzo by Georg Benda (44) to words of Galletti, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.

    29 October 1787 Giovanni Paisiello (47) is appointed maestro della real camera for the Neapolitan court.

    Il dissoluto punito, ossia Il Don Giovanni, an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (31) to words of da Ponte, is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Prague.  It is an enormous success.  Among the audience in Giacomo Casanova.  Mozart wrote the overture last night and the orchestra plays it at sight.

    29 October 1792 In Bonn, Count Ferdinand Waldstein writes in Ludwig van Beethoven’s (21) farewell book, “You are now going to Vienna in fulfillment of your long frustrated wishes.  Mozart’s Genius is still mourning and lamenting the death of its pupil.  She found a refuge in the inexhaustible Haydn, but no occupation; through him she still wishes to be united with someone else.  Through uninterrupted diligence you will receive:  Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands.”

    29 October 1795 Die Befreyten Gwelfen, an opera by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (55), is performed for the first time, in the Herzogliches Hoftheater, Oels.

    29 October 1796 Die schöne Herbsttag, a dialogue by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (56) to words after Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Herzogliches Hoftheater, Oels.

    29 October 1813 Nicolò Paganini (31) performs for the first time in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.  He presents the first performance of his Le streghe, variations on a theme from Süssmayr’s Il noce di Benevento.

    29 October 1817 L’Accoglienza J.221, a cantata by Carl Maria von Weber (30), is performed for the first time, in Dresden to celebrate the wedding of Princess Maria Carolina of Saxony to the Grand Duke of Tuscany.  Since the wedding has been postponed several times, the court music director has been required to postpone his own wedding several times.

    29 October 1839 Frédéric Chopin (29) and Ignaz Moscheles provide the entertainment for the French royal family and their guest, United States Minister Lewis Cass.

    29 October 1855 Paimpol et Périnette, a saynète lyrique by Jacques Offenbach (36) to words of de Forges, is performed for the first time, by the Bouffes-Parisiens at Salle Marigny, Paris.

    Two gavottes for piano WoO 3 posth. by Johannes Brahms (22) are performed for the first time, in Göttingen, by Clara Schumann (36).

    29 October 1869 A setting of Locus iste for chorus by Anton Bruckner (45) is performed for the first time, in the Votivkapelle of the Neuer Dom, Linz.

    29 October 1873 02:30  The roof of the Paris Opéra collapses.  By 04:00 the fire is brought under control.

    29 October 1877 Minnelied op.71/5, a song for voice and piano by Johannes Brahms (44) to words of Hölty, is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    29 October 1878 String Quartet no.1 op.27 by Edvard Grieg (35) is performed for the first time, in the concert hall of the Cologne Conservatory.  The composer is present, participating in other sections of the program.  It is a great success.

    29 October 1879 Eight piano pieces op.76 by Johannes Brahms (46) are performed completely for the first time, in Berlin.  See 22 October 1879.

    29 October 1882 The Devil’s Wall, a comic-romantic opera by Bedrich Smetana (58) to words of Krásnohorská, is performed for the first time, in the New Czech Theatre, Prague.

    29 October 1891 Russian Rhapsody for two pianos by Sergey Rakhmaninov (18) is performed for the first time, the composer at one keyboard.

    29 October 1907 Gustav Mahler (47) arrives in Helsinki for a brief visit during which he will conduct one concert.

    A Pagan Poem for orchestra with piano, english horn and three trumpets obbligato op.14 by Charles Martin Loeffler (46) is performed for the first time, privately at Fenway Court, Boston.  See 22 November 1907.

    29 October 1908 A Cantata for the Anniversary of Copenhagen University op.24 by Carl Nielsen (43) to words of Møller, for soprano, tenor, and bass soloists, male chorus, and orchestra, is performed for the first time, at the university.

    29 October 1918 Sergey Prokofiev (27) makes his first concert appearance in the United States, almost unnoticed, at the Brooklyn Museum.

    29 October 1920 The Garden of Fand, a symphonic poem by Arnold Bax (36), is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    29 October 1921 Albert Roussel’s (52) symphonic poem Pour une fête de printemps op.22 is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    29 October 1926 John Ireland (47) resigns his post as organist and choirmaster at St. Luke’s, Chelsea.

    29 October 1927 Incidental music to Strindberg’s play Gustav III by Kurt Weill (27) is performed for the first time, in the Theater in der Königgrätzerstrasse, Berlin.

    29 October 1929 Black and Tan, a film with music by Duke Ellington (30), is released in the United States.  Ellington and his orchestra appear in the film.

    29 October 1931 Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still (36) is performed for the first time, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (35).  This work secures Still’s fame for the rest of his life.

    Theme and 13 Variations for orchestra by Ernst Krenek (31) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    Rhapsody op.5 for orchestra by Wallingford Riegger (46) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    29 October 1932 Der Schmied von Gent, a grosse Zauberoper by Franz Schreker (54) to his own words after de Coster, is performed for the first time, at the Städtische Oper, Berlin.  “The whole of Berlin’s literary and musical world was gathered together, politics and business sent their representatives, the nation, state, and city were represented by their highest dignitaries, and nearly all the opera directors of the German-speaking world were present.”  The production receives enthusiastic applause but when Schreker appears, he is met with a torrent of whistles and catcalls.

    29 October 1935 Jeanne d’Arc au bucher, a stage oratorio by Arthur Honegger (46) to words of Claudel, is performed for the first time, privately in Ida Rubinstein’s house in Paris.  See 12 May 1938.

    29 October 1936 Sergey Prokofiev’s (45) Russian Overture op.72 is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    29 October 1937 The River, a film with music by Virgil Thomson (40), is shown for the first time, in the Strand Theatre, New Orleans.  It was commissioned by the Resettlement Administration.  See 2 January 1943.

    29 October 1940 Béla Bartók (59) and his wife arrive in New York from Europe.

    29 October 1943 Paul Hindemith’s (47) ballet overture Amor and Psyche is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    The orchestral setting of Commando March by Samuel Barber (33) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  See 23 May 1943.

    29 October 1944 Partita for violin, viola, and organ by Walter Piston (50) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    29 October 1946 The Vagabonds, a ballet to Mai-Dun and the Concertino pastorale by John Ireland (67), is performed for the first time, in Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London.

    29 October 1949 Ollantay op.17 for orchestra by Alberto Ginastera (33) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.

    Dreimal Tausend Jahre op.50a for chorus by Arnold Schoenberg (75) to words of Runes, is performed for the first time, in Fylkingen.

    29 October 1950 Quartet for piano and strings by Aaron Copland (49) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    29 October 1951 Set of Two for violin and piano strings by Henry Cowell (54) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    29 October 1955 Violin Concerto no.1 by Dmitri Shostakovich (49) is performed for the first time, at the Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall, with David Oistrakh as soloist.  It is a smashing success and the last movement is repeated.

    29 October 1956 Candide, a comic operetta by Leonard Bernstein (38) to words of Hellman, Wilbur, La Touche, Parker, and the composer after Voltaire, is performed for the first time, in the Colonial Theatre, Boston.  See 1 December 1956 and 20 December 1973.

    29 October 1959 Suite for flute and orchestra op.129 by Florent Schmitt (†1) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 October 1966 Four works for voice and piano by Anton Webern (†21) are performed for the first time at the Third International Webern Festival, Buffalo, New York:  Four Stefan George Songs (1909), Vorfühling II to words of Avenarius (1900), Wehmut, also to Avenarius (1901), and Hochsommernacht to words of Greif (1904).

    String Quartet no.10 by David Diamond (51) is performed for the first time, at American University, Washington.

    Music for Indiana for orchestra by Darius Milhaud (74), commissioned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the State of Indiana, is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    29 October 1967 The first of the Five Fantasies for organ by Ross Lee Finney (60) is performed for the first time, in the First Unitarian Church, San Francisco.

    Symphony no.8 op.106 by Vincent Persichetti (52) is performed for the first time, in Berea, Ohio.

    29 October 1969 Nature’s Concord for trumpet and piano by Charles Wuorinen (31) is performed for the first time, in the studios of Irish State Radio.

    29 October 1971 Winter for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (41) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 October 1973 Ernst Krenek’s (73) music to his own television play Flaschenpost vom Paradies, oder Der englische Ausflug is performed for the first time, over Österreichische Rundfunk, originating in Vienna.  See 8 March 1974.

    29 October 1976 Six Etudes for piano by George Perle (61) are performed for the first time, in Boston.

    29 October 1978 In Sweet Music for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, and harp by William Schuman (68) to words of Shakespeare is performed for the first time, in New York.

    29 October 1979 Percussion Duo for mallet instruments and piano by Charles Wuorinen (41) is performed for the first time, at the Center for New Music, University of Iowa, Iowa City.

    29 October 1983 Aether for violin and piano by Roger Reynolds (49) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    29 October 1986 Symphony in A by Ben Johnston (60) is performed for the first time, in the First United Methodist Church of Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

    29 October 1987 The Light for orchestra by Philip Glass (50) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    29 October 1988 Kein Firmament for 14 players by Wolfgang Rihm (36) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    Fearful Symmetries by John Adams (41) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York, conducted by the composer.

    29 October 1993 The Prelude no.1 and Section A of the Universe Symphony by Charles Ives (†39) edited by Porter, are performed for the first time, in Montfort Concert Hall, Greeley, Colorado.  Also premiered is the original version of movements one and three from Three Places in New England. See 28 January 1994 and 6 June 1996.

    29 October 1994 On the Underground Set no.2 (The Strange and the Exotic) for chorus by Thea Musgrave (66) to words of Herrick, Morgan, and anonymous is performed for the first time, in Ithaca, New York.

    29 October 1995 A Bird Came Down the Walk for viola and piano by Toru Takemitsu (65) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Agraphon for soprano, timpani, and strings by John Tavener (51) to words of Sikelianos (tr. Keeley and Sherrard) is performed for the first time, in Athens Concert Hall.

    29 October 1996 Opposites Attract (Portrait of Virgil Thomson) for piano by David Del Tredici (59) is performed for the first time, at the New School, New York by the composer to celebrate the centennial of Virgil Thomson (†7).

    29 October 2000 Mottetti di Montale for mezzo-soprano and strings by John Harbison (61) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  See 4 August 1981.

    Ghosts of Pangea, a fantasy of cultures meeting for orchestra by Michael Colgrass (68) is performed for the first time, at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

    29 October 2003 Four Colors for clarinet and piano by Ned Rorem (80) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    29 October 2009 Overture:  St. Francis of Assisi for orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (75) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow City Hall.

    29 October 2011 Der Mahler träumt for solo voice and chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Rihm (59) to words of Beckman is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

    29 October 2013 How Like a Winter for mezzo-soprano, double bass, and piano by Ned Rorem (90) to words of Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

    30 October

    30 October 1522 Jean Mouton dies in St. Quentin, aged at least 63 years.

    30 October 1753 Daphnis et Eglé, a pastorale-heroïque by Jean-Philippe Rameau (70) to words of Collé, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    30 October 1754 When glory with refulgent wings, an ode by Maurice Greene (58) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time, in honor of the birthday of King George II.

    30 October 1755 Pierian sisters hail the morn, an ode for the birthday of King George II by William Boyce (44) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.  Boyce is called upon to compose this year’s birthday ode because Maurice Greene (59) is too ill.

    30 October 1756 An ode for the birthday of King George II by William Boyce (45), When Ceasar’s Natal Day to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    30 October 1757 Rejoice, ye Britons, hail the day!, an ode by William Boyce (46) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time, to celebrate the birthday of King George II.

    30 October 1758 The publication of six symphonies op.4 by Johann Stamitz (†1) (F-3, D-4, cm-1, Eb-4, gm-1, Eb-5a) is advertised in Annonces, Paris.

    William Boyce’s (47) ode When Othbert left th’Italian plain, to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time, in honor of the birthday of King George II.

    30 October 1759 William Boyce’s (48) ode Begin the Song to words of Whitehead is performed for the first time, in honor of the birthday of King George II.  This is the last birthday ode written to honor this king.

    30 October 1769 Georg Christoph Wagenseil (54) relinquishes his position of Hofklaviermeister at the Austrian court due to physical disability.

    30 October 1773 Zémire et Mélide, an opéra comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (47) to words of Fenouillot de Falbaire, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    30 October 1783 La caravane du Caire, an opéra-ballet by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (42) to words of Morel de Chédeville, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.

    30 October 1796 Der Dorfbarbier, a singspiel by Johann Baptist Schenk (42) to words of Weidmann, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    30 October 1808 Te Deum and Jubilate for chorus and organ by Samuel Wesley (42) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

    30 October 1822 Franz Schubert (25) dates the score to the two movements of the Symphony no.8 “Unfinished”.

    30 October 1829 Goethe hears Nicolò Paganini (47) play in Weimar with an orchestra conducted by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (50).  “In relation to this pillar of flame and cloud I had no base for what is known as enjoyment...All I heard was something akin to a meteor, and then was unable to account for it.  All the same it is strange to hear people--especially women--talking about it.  With no hesitation they say out loud what are effectively confessions.”

    30 October 1830 Hector Berlioz (26) receives his laurel wreath of the Prix de Rome.  The performance of his winning cantata, La mort de Sardanaple, is less than successful.  The percussion players miss the loud crashes towards the end and the composer throws the score into the orchestra, knocking over a music stand.  He is restrained.

    30 October 1837 Scene at the Monastery by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (33) to words of Kukolnik is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    30 October 1839 Verleih’ uns Frieden for chorus and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn (30) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    30 October 1840 Josias von Bunsen, advisor to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, recommends to the king that Felix Mendelssohn (31) be called upon to help make Berlin the cultural center of Germany.  He desires a musical educational institution, appropriate sacred music, and encouragement of old and new oratorios.

    30 October 1845 In a concert organized by the father of the composer, the églogue biblique Ruth for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by César Franck (22) to words of the Bible and Guillemin is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.  Present at the invitation of the elder Franck are Gaspare Spontini (70), Giacomo Meyerbeer (54), Fromental Halévy (46), Adolphe Adam (42) Franz Liszt (34) and Ignaz Moscheles.  The composers are mildly laudatory except for Liszt who is effusively so.

    30 October 1849 A funeral for Frédéric Chopin takes place in the Madeleine attended by 3,000 people.  A special dispensation is received from the Archbishop to allow women to sing in the Madeleine in order that Mozart’s (†57) Requiem may be performed.  There is no elegy.  Pallbearers include Giacomo Meyerbeer (58) and Eugène Delacroix.  Chopin’s heart has been removed and transported in a funeral urn to the Church of the Holy Cross, Warsaw, while the rest of his mortal remains are laid to rest in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris before 4,000 people who walk the five kilometers from the church.

    30 October 1859 Franz Liszt (48) is admitted to the Austrian nobility as Franz, Ritter von Liszt.  On the same day, his setting of the 137th Psalm for alto, violin, and keyboard is performed for the first time, in Weimar.

    30 October 1861 Richard Wagner (48) suggests to the publisher Schott, the idea of “a grand comic opera” called Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

    30 October 1862 The Théâtre-Lyrique opens its new home, on the Place de Châtelet, Paris.

    30 October 1866 In memoriam, an overture by Arthur Sullivan (24), is performed for the first time, in Norwich.  It is in memory of his father, who died five weeks ago.

    30 October 1876 String Quartet no.3 by Johannes Brahms (43) is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Singakademie.

    30 October 1877 La belle dame sans merci, a song for voice and piano by Charles Villiers Stanford (25) to words of Keats, is performed for the first time, at Cambridge.

    30 October 1880 The Capture of Kars, a march by Modest Musorgsky (41), is performed for the first time, by the Russian Musical Society, St. Petersburg.

    Belle Lurette, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (†0) to words of Blum, Blau and Toché, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris.  The work was completed by Leo Delibes.

    30 October 1881 Serenade for strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41) is performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg.  See 3 December 1880.

    30 October 1882 A Trio for piano and strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (42) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow.  See 23 March 1882.

    30 October 1886 Beim Abschied op.95/3, a song by Johannes Brahms (53) to words of Halm, is performed for the first time, in Hermannstadt.

    30 October 1894 Richard Strauss (30) is appointed conductor of the Musical Academy concerts in Munich.

    30 October 1896 Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf, a cantata by Edward Elgar (39) to words of Longfellow and Acworth, is performed for the first time, in Hanley conducted by the composer.  The work is a critical and popular triumph.

    Symphony “Gaelic” op.32 by Amy Cheney Beach (29) is performed for the first time, in an open rehearsal in Boston.  The official premiere takes place tomorrow.  The audience and critics are ecstatic.

    30 October 1902 Anton von Webern (18) is initiated into the Academic Richard Wagner Society in Vienna.

    30 October 1905 A daughter, Claude-Emma (Chou-chou), is born to Claude Debussy (43) and his mistress, with whom he is living, Emma (Moyse) Bardac.  See 20 January 1908.

    30 October 1906 Versailles, a song by Nadia Boulanger (19) to words of Samain, is performed for the first time, in the Salon d’autonne of the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris.  The composer performs the piano part.

    30 October 1908 The Piano Sonata no.1 of Sergey Rakhmaninov (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    30 October 1913 Prelude op.67/1 for piano by Alyeksandr Skryabin (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

    Eine Ballettsuite op.130 for orchestra by Max Reger (40) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw).

    30 October 1918 Five songs for voice and piano by Frank Bridge (39) are performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London:  Adoration to words of Keats, Come to me in my dreams to words of Arnold, Mantle of blue to words of Colum, So early in the morning, to words of Stephens, and Where she lies asleep to words of ME Coleridge.

    30 October 1920 An Interlude for orchestra from the unperformed opera La Mort de Sainte Alméenne by Arthur Honegger (28) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    30 October 1923 Irish Rhapsody no.6 for violin and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (71) is performed for possibly the first time, in York.

    30 October 1924 The cantata Die Seranaden op.35 by Paul Hindemith (28) to the words of several Romantic poets, is performed for the first time over the airwaves of Radio Frankfurt.

    Benjamin Britten (10) attends his first orchestral concert, at the Norwich Festival.  He will recall that he is “knocked sideways” by The Sea by Frank Bridge (45).

    30 October 1925 Quartet in One Movement op.23 for string quartet by Howard Hanson (29) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington on the last day of the inaugural Festival of Chamber Music in the Coolidge Auditorium.

    30 October 1926 The unfinished incidental music to Shakespeare’s play King Lear by Claude Debussy (†8) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre-Mogador, Paris.

    30 October 1928 The Celestial Railroad for piano by Charles Ives (54) is performed for the first time, at the Institute of History and Art in Albany, New York.

    30 October 1929 Two works for voice and piano by William Walton (27) are performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London:  The Winds to words of Swinburne, and Tritons to words of Drummond.  Also premiered is a Piano Quartet by Walton.  (The Winds was probably performed in the early 1920s.  The Piano Quartet could have been performed already.)

    30 October 1934 Clara (Reisenberg) Rockmore makes her debut as the first Theremin virtuoso in Town Hall, New York.  It is a great critical success.

    30 October 1935 The Composers’ Forum Laboratory, a branch of the Federal Music Project, opens in New York with a concert of music by Roy Harris (37).  Among the advisory committee for the Laboratory are Aaron Copland (34) and Edgard Varèse (51).

    Trio for violin, cello, and piano by Walter Piston (41) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    30 October 1936 Dismal Swamp, a symphonic poem by William Grant Still (41), is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York conducted by Howard Hanson (40).

    30 October 1940 String Quartet no.10 by Darius Milhaud (48) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.  He is awarded the Coolidge Medal.

    American Creed for orchestra by Roy Harris (42) is performed for the first time, in Orchestral Hall, Chicago.

    30 October 1942 Sonata for violin and piano by Roy Harris (44) is performed for the first time, in Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington.  He is awarded the Coolidge Medal by the library.

    The fourth of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare to the Forces of Our Latin-American Allies by Henry Cowell (45), is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    30 October 1944 Three new ballets are performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington to celebrate the 80th birthday of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge:  Jeux de printemps (six excerpts for chamber orchestra) op.243 by Darius Milhaud (52), Hérodiade, an orchestral recitation after Mallarmé by Paul Hindemith (48), and Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland (43) to a scenario by Graham.  See 7 May 1945, 4 October 1945, and 11 December 1945.

    Sonatina for flute and clarinet by Ernst Krenek (44) is performed for the first time, in Buenos Aires.  The work is an arrangement of his Sonatina for flute and viola.  See 22 October 1945.

    30 October 1945 Trio for violin, viola, and cello by Heitor Villa-Lobos (58) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    30 October 1946 Cello Concerto by Aram Khachaturian (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.  It is generally successful.

    30 October 1947 Symphony no.3 “Hymnus Ambrosianus” by Darius Milhaud (55) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    30 October 1948 An orchestral suite from music for the film The Red Pony by Aaron Copland (47) is performed for the first time, in Houston.  See 8 March 1949.

    30 October 1949 Divertimento for strings by Karel Husa (28) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Kurt Weill’s (49) musical tragedy Lost in the Stars, to words of Anderson after Paton, is performed for the first time, in the Music Box Theatre, New York.  The work, on the tragedy of apartheid, is received enthusiastically by both audience and critics and will receive 273 performances.

    30 October 1950 Luigi Dallapiccola’s (46) sacra rappresentazione Job, to his own words after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Eliseo, Rome.

    Romancillo (Por mayo era, por mayo) for voice and piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (48) to anonymous words is performed for the first time, in Teatro de la Comedia, Madrid.

    30 October 1952 Carl Orff’s (57) musical play Ein Sommernachtstraum is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.  See 12 March 1964.

    30 October 1953 Hermit Songs, a cycle for voice and piano by Samuel Barber (43) to anonymous medieval Irish texts, is performed for the first time, in Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, Washington the composer at the keyboard.

    30 October 1954 Two new works for orchestra are performed for the first time, in Louisville:  Euphony by Robert Ward (37), and A Carol on Twelfth Night by William Bergsma (33).

    30 October 1956 Michael Tippett’s (51) Piano Concerto is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Birmingham.

    30 October 1957 Symphony no.11 “1905” by Dmitri Shostakovich (51) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.  The work was performed in a two-piano reduction in Leningrad on 17 September.

    Incidental music for Settings for Whitman for speaker and piano by Ned Rorem (34) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  Also premiered is Robert Ward’s (40) Three Pieces for Narrator and Piano Based on Poems from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats to words of Eliot.

    Chromatic Fantasy for cello by Ross Lee Finney (50) is performed for the first time, in the Corcoran Gallery, Washington.

    30 October 1959 Symphony no.2 by Roberto Gerhard (63) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    String Quintet by Ross Lee Finney (52) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    30 October 1963 Sept haïkaï for piano, 13 winds, six percussionists and eight violins by Olivier Messiaen (54) is performed for the first time, at the Odéon, Paris by Pierre Boulez (38) and Yvonne Loriod.

    30 October 1964 Parole di San Paolo for mezzo-soprano and eleven instruments by Luigi Dallapiccola (60) is performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington the composer conducting.

    Tonight is the first night of LaMonte Young’s (29) The Tortoise Droning Selected Pitches from the Holy Numbers for the Two Black Tigers, the Green Tiger, and the Hermit.  The entire work will be presented over the weekends 30 October-1 November and 20-22 November 1964.

    30 October 1967 Daypiece from The Tiger’s Mind by Cornelius Cardew (31) is performed for the first time, in London.  See 12 December 1967.

    30 October 1970 Sicut umbra for mezzo-soprano and twelve instruments by Luigi Dallapiccola (66) to words of Juan Ramón Jiménez is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    30 October 1973 In an Autumn Garden for gagaku instruments by Toru Takemitsu (43) is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Tokyo.  It will be incorporated into a much larger work with the same name.  See 28 September 1979.

    String Quartet no.14 op.142 by Dmitri Shostakovich (67) is performed for the first time, privately at the USSR Composers’ Club, Moscow.  See 12 November 1973.

    30 October 1979 Output for tape by Gottfried Michael Koenig (53) is performed for the first time, in Essen-Werden.

    Lied ohne Namen for two bassoons by Igor Stravinsky (†8) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 61 years after it was composed.

    The Nantucket Songs for voice and piano by Ned Rorem (56) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington the composer at the keyboard.

    30 October 1981 Divertimento for electronic valve instrument, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, string orchestra, and tape by Vladimir Ussachevsky (70) is performed for the first time, in Brooklyn, conducted by Lukas Foss (59).

    30 October 1983 Oedipus der Tyrann, oder Der Vater vertreibt seinen Sohn und schickt die Tochter in die Küche, a musical play by Hans Werner Henze (57), von Böse, Holt, and Lang to words of Hollmüller, is performed for the first time, in Kindberg.

    30 October 1987 Unbenannt II for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (35) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.

    30 October 1988 Chamber Concerto (Remembrances) by TJ Anderson (60) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    30 October 1989 Continuo for orchestra by Luciano Berio (64) is performed for the first time, in London conducted by the composer.

    Organbook I by Ned Rorem (66) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    30 October 1990 Violin and String Quartet by Morton Feldman (†3) is performed for the first time, in the Musikhochschule, Cologne.

    30 October 1994 Three Choruses by Alfred Schnittke (59) to words from the Russian Orthodox prayer book are performed for the first time, in Stockholm.

    Dinosaur Annex for violin, vibraphone, and marimba/glockenspiel by Ralph Shapey (73) is performed for the first time, in First and Second Church, Boston.

    Songs of Sadness, a cycle for baritone, clarinet, cello, and guitar by Ned Rorem (71) to words of Strand, Merrill, Hopkins, and Burns, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    30 October 1995 Watershed III for percussion, chamber orchestra, and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (61) is performed for the first time, in the Loeb Center, New York.

    30 October 1996 Strathclyde Concerto no.10:  Concerto for Orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (62) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow conducted by the composer.

    30 October 1998 Two works by Mikis Theodorakis (73) are performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Munich conducted by the composer:  Rhapsody for cello and orchestra and Concerto for guitar and orchestra.

    Für Celia affettuoso for six voices by Betsy Jolas (72) to her own words is performed for the first time, in la Cité des Arts, Paris.

    Tales (Tails) of the Signifying Monkey for orchestra by Anthony Davis (47) is performed for the first time, in Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.

    30 October 2002 Two Studies for Large Orchestra by Stefan Wolpe (†30) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    30 October 2005 Tan Dun (48) is awarded the Musikpreis der Stadt Duisburg.

    30 October 2008 Teletalks for two pianos by Betsy Jolas (82) is performed for the first time, at Harvard University.

    31 October

    31 October 1744 Leonardo Leo dies in Naples, aged 50 years, two months and 26 days.

    31 October 1768 19:00  Francesco Maria Veracini dies in Florence, aged 78 years, eight months and 30 days.

    Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (54) gives his first subscription concert in Hamburg.

    31 October 1777 At the Mannheim court, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) goes to hear a rehearsal of Messiah directed by Vice-Kapellmeister Georg Joseph Vogler (28).  Vogler, however, directs his own music for more than an hour.  Mozart gives up and leaves.

    31 October 1789 Several arias and a chorus by Luigi Cherubini (29) are performed for the first time, in a production of Giovanni Paisiello’s (49) La molinarella, in the Théâtre de Monsieur, Paris.

    31 October 1826 Muzio Clementi’s (74) complete Gradus ad Parnassum appears for the first time, simultaneously in Paris, Leipzig and London.

    31 October 1828 In the first sign that he is gravely ill, Franz Schubert (31) is nauseated by fish he is served at a tavern.  From this point until his death he will eat almost nothing.

    31 October 1831 La marquise de Brinvilliers, a drame lyrique by Luigi Cherubini (71), Adrien Boieldieu (55), Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (49), Ferdinand Hérold (40) Henri-Montan Berton, Ferdinando Paer, Désiré-Alexandre Batton, Felice Blangini, and Michele Carafa, to words of Scribe and Castil-Blaze, is performed for the first time, at Théâtre Ventadour, Paris.

    31 October 1841 Six numbers of the revised Stabat mater by Gioachino Rossini (49) are performed in the salon of Henri Herz (38) in Paris, the press in attendance.  See 7 January 1842.

    31 October 1842 Franz Liszt (31) accepts the title of Kapellmeister in Weimar with a contract clearly delineating the provinces of Kapellmeister and the director of the court theatre.  It will be made public on 2 November.

    31 October 1866 La vie parisiènne, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (47) to words of Meilhac and Halevy, is performed for the first time, at the Palais-Royal, Paris.  It is a resounding triumph.

    Steinway Hall opens in New York.  It will be a center of the city’s music scene until it closes in 1890.

    31 October 1867 Mily Balakirev (30) conducts his first concert as director of the Russian Musical Society in St. Petersburg.

    31 October 1869 Variations de concert sur l’hymne portugais for piano and orchestra by Louis Moreau Gottschalk (40), composed to honor King Luis I of Portugal and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.

    31 October 1872 Mondnacht WoO21, a song by Johannes Brahms (39) to words of Eichendorff, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    31 October 1874 The faculty of philosophy at the University of Vienna vote against the request of Anton Bruckner (51) that a teaching position in music theory be created for him.  See 18 April 1874.

    Madame l’archiduc, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (55) to words of Halévy and Millaud, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    31 October 1875 Concerto for piano and orchestra no.5 op.44 by Camille Saint-Saëns (40) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris, the composer at the keyboard.

    Lamento, pour orchestre, suite à l’occasion de la mort de G. Bizet by Jules Massenet (33) is performed for the first time.

    31 October 1877 Edward MacDowell (16) wins a scholarship and is admitted as a regular student at the Paris Conservatoire.

    Two songs by Johannes Brahms (44) are performed for the first time, in Berlin:  Verzagen op.72/4, to words of Lemcke, and Des Liebsten Schwur op.69/4 to traditional words.

    31 October 1888 The eleven Zigeunerlieder op.103 for vocal quartet and piano by Johannes Brahms (55) to traditional Hungarian words translated by Conrat are performed for the first time, in the Singakademiesaal, Berlin.  Also premiered is Brahms’ song for voice and piano, Salamander op.107/2, to words of Lemcke.

    31 October 1891 L’amico Fritz, a commedia lirica by Pietro Mascagni (27) to words of Suardon after Erckmann and Chatrian, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Costanzi, Rome.  It is a triumph, receiving over 30 curtain calls.

    31 October 1893 Today is the date of the alleged “court of honor” organized by Nikolay Jacoby, to “try” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53).  A letter from Prince Stenbock-Fermor has been handed to the Procurator of the Appeals Court to be given to the Tsar accusing Tchaikovsky of homosexual acts with his nephew.  The “court” includes Jacoby and six other former students of the School of Jurisprudence who decide that their fellow alumnus must kill himself to avoid bringing dishonor on the school and all its alumni.  According to the story, Tchaikovsky agrees.

    31 October 1896 One day after the premiere of her Gaelic Symphony in Boston, George Whitefield Chadwick (41) writes to Amy Cheney Beach (29) praising her work.  The symphony, said Chadwick, is good enough to make her “one of the boys”, referring to the artistic members of the Tavern Club.  Beach is excluded from the club because of her sex.

    31 October 1899 Two works for orchestra by Enrique Granados (32) are performed for the first time, in Barcelona:  Marcha de los vencidos and Suite on Gallician Themes.

    31 October 1901 Piece for organ op.59/2 by Max Reger (28) is performed for the first time, in Zwickau.

    Come, gentle night, a song by Edward Elgar (44) to words of Bingham, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.

    31 October 1905 The Institute of Musical Art (Juilliard School) is formally opened in a ceremony in New York.  Among the speakers is the President of Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson.

    Dreamland, a song by Ralph Vaughan Williams (33) to words of C. Rossetti, is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    31 October 1906 Ariane, an opéra by Jules Massenet (64) to words of Mendès, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  The critics are strongly divided.

    31 October 1907 A wordless Pastorale for soprano and piano by Igor Stravinsky (25) is performed for the first time, to the Rimsky-Korsakov (63) circle in St. Petersburg.

    31 October 1913 The second movement of the Symphony in f “Study Symphony” by Anton Bruckner (†17) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  See 18 March 1923 and 12 October 1924.

    31 October 1915 Marche militaire for piano by Enrique Granados (48) is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.

    31 October 1918 Cello Sonata by Frederick Delius (56) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    31 October 1921 Horace victorieux, a ballet by Arthur Honegger (29) to a story by Fauconnet after Livius, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Lausanne.  The audience is not impressed.  See 28 December 1927.

    31 October 1922 Romanian Christmas Carols for piano by Béla Bartók (41) is performed for the first time, in Cluj.

    31 October 1924 Kammermusik no.2 op.36/1 for piano and orchestra by Paul Hindemith (28) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    31 October 1926 The Sleep Music of the Dagna for piano and strings by Henry Cowell (29) is performed for the first time, in the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco.

    31 October 1932 Piano Concerto no.5 op.55 by Sergey Prokofiev (41) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer at the keyboard.

    31 October 1933 Having been suspended from his publishing contract with the German company Universal Edition, Kurt Weill (33) signs a new contract with Heugel in Paris.

    Arnold Schoenberg (59) and his family arrive in the United States at the port of New York, never to return to Germany.  His employment at the Prussian Academy is officially ended as of this date.

    31 October 1938 Five Sixteenth-Century Poems for voice and piano by John Ireland (59) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    31 October 1944 Sebastian, a ballet by Gian Carlo Menotti (33) to his own story, is performed for the first time, in the International Theatre, New York.

    31 October 1947 Toccata for Percussion Instruments by Carlos Chávez (48) is performed for the first time, in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City.

    31 October 1949 Incidental music to Duncan’s play Stratton by Benjamin Britten (35) is performed for the first time, at the Theatre Royal, Brighton.

    Regina, an opera by Marc Blitzstein (44) to words of Hellman and the composer, is performed for the first time in New York, in the Forty-Sixth Street Theatre.

    31 October 1952 Suite from Das Gelb und das Grün for instrumental ensemble by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (34) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    31 October 1958 Trio Concertante for oboe, violin, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (20) is performed for the first time, in Sloan Hall at the Emma Willard School, Troy, New York.

    31 October 1964 Sinfonia “Don Rodrigo” for soprano and orchestra by Alberto Ginastera (48) to words of Casona is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    Four new chamber works are performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge:  Amaryllis Variations for string trio by William Schuman (54), String Septet by Darius Milhaud (72), Four Psalms by Howard Hanson (68) and String Sextet by Walter Piston (70).

    31 October 1966 Salve Regina:  John Bull for 14 players by Charles Wuorinen (28) is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre, Columbia University, New York, directed by the composer.

    The Owl and the Pussycat for voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (84) to words of Lear, is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    Hallo for electronically modified piano, two tape delay systems, violins, voice, actor, light projections, and dancers by Pauline Oliveros (34) is performed for the first time, at Mills College, Oakland.

    31 October 1967 Per Bastiana Tai-Yang Cheng (L’oriente è rosso) for three instrumental groups and tape by Luigi Nono (43) is performed for the first time, in Massey Hall, Toronto.

    31 October 1968 L’Apocalypse de Jean by Pierre Henry (40) is performed for the first time in the Théatre de la Musique, Paris.

    Paradigm for percussionist, conductor, electric guitar or electric sitar, three instruments (high, middle and low), and electronics by Lukas Foss (46) is performed for the first time, at Hunter College, New York.

    31 October 1969 Trio for violin, cello, and piano by Darius Milhaud (77) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    Tableaux for soprano, two actors, male chorus, and twelve players by George Rochberg (51) to words by Paul Rochberg, is performed for the first time, at the University of Washington, Seattle.  Also premiered is the concert version of Rochberg’s music for The Alchemist.  See 13 October 1968.

    Lingua II:  Maledetto for seven virtuoso speakers by Kenneth Gaburo (43) is performed for the first time, in San Diego directed by the composer.

    31 October 1970 Ancient Voices of Children for soprano, treble, oboe, mandolin, harp, electric piano, and percussion by George Crumb (41) to words of Garcia Lorca is performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington.  The work receives a standing, cheering ovation from the listeners assembled.  Also on the program is the premiere of the String Quartet no.4 of Milton Babbitt (54) and Sappho for mezzo-soprano, harp, piano, guitar, and percussion by R. Murray Schafer (36).

    31 October 1971 Two Meditations from Mass, orchestral excerpts by Leonard Bernstein (53), are performed for the first time, in Austin, Texas.  See 8 September 1971.

    31 October 1977 “Der Jahreslauf” no.47, a scene from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (49) opera Dienstag aus Licht, is performed for the first time, in the Tokyo National Theatre.

    31 October 1979 An autobiography by Dmitri Shostakovich (†4) called Testimony is published in the West.  Smuggled out of the Soviet Union, its veracity is (and still is) a matter of fierce debate.

    31 October 1982 The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.37 by Conlon Nancarrow (70) takes place in Graz.

    31 October 1983 Oboe Quartet by Ralph Shapey (62) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Hall, New York, 31 years after it was composed.  Also premiered is his String Quartet no.1, 37 years after it was composed.

    31 October 1984 Fantasia and Dance in memoriam Max Pollikoff for violin by Otto Luening (84) is performed for the first time, at Bennington College, Vermont.

    31 October 1985 String Symphony by Ned Rorem (62) is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.

    Wayang VI for piano duet by Anthony Davis (34) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

    31 October 1990 Ultralight for band by Samuel Adler (62) is performed for the first time.

    31 October 1992 McTeague, an opera by William Bolcom (54) to words of Weinstein and Altman, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    Dream Tracks for violin, clarinet, and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (63) is performed for the first time, in San Diego, California.

    31 October 1997 Fanfare for the Free Man for three oboes and three bassoons by John Harbison (58) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    31 October 1998 Sofia Gubaidulina (67) is awarded the Praemium Imperiale in ceremonies in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

    31 October 2000 Vier Male for clarinet in A by Wolfgang Rihm (48) is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.

    31 October 2001 DC Fanfare for band by John Corigliano (63) is performed for the first time, in Austin, Texas.  Also premiered is Corigliano’s Tarantella for band.

    31 October 2004 Haroun and the Sea of Stories, an opera by Charles Wuorinen (66) to words of Fenton after Rushdie, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    31 October 2009 viola:piano for the two instruments in the title by Kevin Volans (60) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    ©2004-2014 Paul Scharfenberger

    10 September 2014

    Last Updated (Wednesday, 10 September 2014 05:46)

     

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