January

    PDF | Print | E-mail

    1 January

    1 January 1652 Johann Krieger is baptized in Nuremberg.

    1 January 1753 What Warrior King, an ode by Maurice Greene (56) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1754 Niccolò Jommelli (39) assumes the position of Musikdirektor und Oberkapellmeister to Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg in Stuttgart.

    Hail! Hail! auspicious rising year, an ode by Maurice Greene (57) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1755 As Rome of old, for Halcion Days, an ode by Maurice Greene (58) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1756 The cantata Alles, was ihr tut TWV I:  69 by Georg Philipp Telemann (74) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Hail, Hail Auspicious Day, an ode by William Boyce (44) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1757 The cantata Wiewohl er Gottes Sohn war TWVI:  1648 by Georg Philipp Telemann (75) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    While Britain in Her Monarch Blest, an ode by William Boyce (45) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1758 The cantata Gefährten zum Ewgen TWV I:  590 by Georg Philipp Telemann (76) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Behold the Circle forms, an ode by William Boyce (46) to words of Cibber, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1759 Ye Guardian Powers, an ode by William Boyce (47) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1760 Again the Sun’s Ravishing Sphere, an ode by William Boyce (48) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1761 The cantata Schaue Zion die Stadt TWV 1:1242 by Georg Philipp Telemann (79) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Still Must the Muse, Indignant, Hear, an ode by William Boyce (49) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1762 The cantata Jauchze du Tochter Zion TWV 1:  950 by Georg Philipp Telemann (80) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    God of Slaughter, quit the scene, an ode by William Boyce (50) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1763 At length, th’imperious Lord of War, an ode by William Boyce (51) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1764 The cantata Singet um einander TWV 1: 1347 by Georg Philipp Telemann (83) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (7) performs on the organ before King Louis XV of France in the chapel of the Palace of Versailles.  The Mozart family attends a court dinner.

    Gli stravaganti, ossia La schiava riconosciuta, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (35), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    1 January 1765 Sacred to thee, an ode by William Boyce (53) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1768 Let the Voice of Music Breathe, an ode by William Boyce (56) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1770 Forward Janus, turn thine eyes, an ode by William Boyce (58) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    As a surprise, Count Schafgotsch, Prince-Bishop of Breslau, presents the Cross of the Order of the Golden Spur to his employee, Carl Ditters (30).  The Count used his influence in Rome to get Ditters named a Knight of the Golden Spur.

    1 January 1771 Again returns the circling year, an ode by William Boyce (59) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1772 At length the fleeting Year is o’er, an ode by William Boyce (60) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1773 Wrapt in stole of sable grain, an ode by William Boyce (61) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1774 Pass but a few short fleeting years, an ode by William Boyce (62) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1776 On the white rocks which guard her coast, an ode by William Boyce (64) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1777 Again imperial Winter’s sway, an ode by William Boyce (65) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1778 When rival nations great in arms, an ode by William Boyce (66) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1779 A new contract is signed between Joseph Haydn (46) and Prince Nicolas Esterházy.  This one is far more favorable to the composer than the first in remuneration and wording.  Haydn may now disseminate, perform and publish his music wherever he wishes.  See 1 May 1761.

    William Crotch (3) plays organ before King George III and Queen Charlotte Sophia at Buckingham Palace.

    To arms, to arms ye sons of might, an ode by William Boyce (67) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.  It is Boyce’s last court ode.

    1 January 1780 And dares insulting France pretend, an ode by John Stanley (67) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1781 Ask round the world, from age to age, an ode by John Stanley (68) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1782 Johann Christian Bach dies at his home in Soho, London, aged 46 years, three months and 27 days.  As soon as news of his death gets out, creditors begin to force their way into the room where the body lies.  A devoted student, Mr. Papendiek, and a coachman are only barely able to fend them off.

    O wond’rous power of inborn worth, an ode by John Stanley (69) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    Colinette à la cour, ou La double épreuve, a comédie lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (40) to words of Lourdet de Santerre after Favart, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    1 January 1783 Ye nation, hear th’important tale, an ode by John Stanley (70) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1784 Enough of arms, to happier ends, an ode by John Stanley (71) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1785 The Russian Committee of Theatres terminates the contract of Giovanni Paisiello (44).  His leave of absence ends today.  The composer is presently in Italy.

    Delusive is the poet’s dream, an ode by John Stanley (72) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1786 Dear to Jove, a genial isle, an ode by John Stanley (73) to words of Warton, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1788 Fedra, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (47) to words of Salvioni after Frugoni, is performed for the first time, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    1 January 1791 Joseph Haydn (58) arrives in Great Britain at Dover.

    1 January 1799 Elisca, ou L’amour maternel, a drame lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (57) to words of Favières, is performed for the first time, at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

    1 January 1802 Incidental music to Kotzebue’s play Die Kreuzfahrer by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (49) is performed for the first time, in the Nationaltheater, Berlin.

    1 January 1804 Concerto for trumpet and orchestra by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (25) is performed for the first time, for Prince Esterházy in Vienna.

    1 January 1806 Nicolò Paganini (23) is named second violin in the Court Chamber Orchestra of Lucca.

    1 January 1807 After Joseph Bonaparte gathers all Neapolitan music students into the Santa Maria della Pièta dei Turchini, he turns it into a school exclusively for the study of music.  He renames it the Collegio Reale di Musica.

    1 January 1813 Carl Maria von Weber’s (26) cantata In seiner Ordnung schafft der Herr for solo voices, chorus and orchestra to words of Rochlitz is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    1 January 1815 Lowell Mason (22) enters upon duties as choir director at the Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia.

    1 January 1827 A contract is signed by Gioachino Rossini (34) making him Premier Compositeur du Roi and Inspecteur Général du Chant en France, honorary positions.  This will allow him to give up his duties at the Théâtre-Italien and spend more time composing for the Opéra.

    1 January 1828 L’esule di Roma ossia Il proscritto, a melodramma eroico by Gaetano Donizetti (30) to words of Gilardoni after Marchionni, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The audience grants it an enthusiastic reception.

    1 January 1829 The overture to the opera Fierabras D.796 by Franz Schubert (†0) is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    1 January 1833 Concert Piece op.113 for clarinet, basset horn and piano by Felix Mendelssohn (23) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    1 January 1835 Incidental music to Schmale’s play Beim Antritt des neuen Jahres WWV 36 by Richard Wagner (21) is performed for the first time, in the Magdeburg Stadttheater, conducted by the composer.

    1 January 1837 A setting of Tantum ergo by Giuseppe Verdi (23) is performed for the first time, in San Bartolomeo, Busseto.

    1 January 1838 A setting of Psalm 42 for solo voices, chorus, orchestra and organ by Felix Mendelssohn (28) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    1 January 1839 Robert Schumann (28) discovers the score of Franz Schubert’s (†10) Great C Major Symphony at the home of Schubert’s brother, Ferdinand.  See 21 March 1839.

    1 January 1840 A setting of Psalm 114 for chorus and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn (30) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    1 January 1844 A setting of Psalm 98 for double chorus, orchestra and organ by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, in Berlin along with the first performances of his Wachet Auf for chorus and winds and Herr Gott, du bist unsre Zuflucht for double chorus.

    1 January 1845 The sale by Robert Schumann (34) of the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik to Franz Brendel becomes effective.

    Die Kreuzfahrer, an opera by Louis Spohr (60) to words of L.&M. Spohr after Kotzebue, is performed for the first time, in the Kassel Hoftheater.

    1 January 1846 Concerto for piano and orchestra op.54 by Robert Schumann (35) is performed publicly for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Clara Schumann (26) at the keyboard, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn (36).  Clara is eight months pregnant.  See 4 December 1845.

    1 January 1847 Cantata in onore del Sommo Pontefice Pio Nono for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Gioachino Rossini (54) to words of Marchetti is performed for the first time, in the Senate (Campidoglio), Rome, in honor of Pope Pius IX.  It is largely made up of selections from Rossini’s operas.

    1 January 1856 Incidental music to von Mosenthal’s play Der Goldschmeid von Ulm by Heinrich August Marschner (60) is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Sächsisches Hoftheater, Dresden.  The audience is enthusiastic.

    1 January 1858 Halka, an opera by Stanislaw Moniuszko (29) to words of Wolski, is performed in Warsaw for the first time.  The public response is wild enthusiasm.  See 18 February 1854 and 1 November 1848.

    1 January 1860 Five months after the death of Carl Gotthelf Siegmund Böhme, the Leipzig music publishing house of CF Peters is sold to the Berlin music and book seller Julius Friedländer.

    1 January 1861 Verbum nobile, an opera by Stanislaw Moniuszko (41) to words of Checinski, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    1 January 1863 Two Schmiedelieder from Siegfried by Richard Wagner (49) are performed for the first time, in a concert setting in the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, directed by the composer.

    1 January 1867 Symphony in c minor by Edvard Grieg (23) is performed completely for the first time, in Bergen.  See 4 June 1864.

    God be Merciful Unto Us, an anthem for soloists, chorus and organ by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (56), is performed for the first time, at the wedding of the composer’s friend, George Watson, in Gloucester Cathedral.

    1 January 1869 Cosima von Bülow begins her diary, which she will keep (amounting to over 5,000 pages) until the day before the death of Richard Wagner (55) in 1883.

    1 January 1878 After attempting to see Johannes Brahms (44) in Vienna, but finding him out of town, Antonin Dvorák (36) writes to Brahms and asks that he accept the dedication of his String Quartet op.34.  Brahms will agree.

    1 January 1879 Edvard Grieg (35) meets Johannes Brahms (45) for the first time, in Leipzig.  Brahms gives him a handwritten copy of the first four bars of the second movement of his Violin Concerto.

    Concerto for violin and orchestra op.77 by Johannes Brahms (45) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus by Joseph Joachim conducted by the composer.  The audience receives the work warmly but not enthusiastically.

    Edward Elgar (21) enters upon duties as music director of the County Lunatic Asylum in Powick.  He directs chamber music played by the staff for the edification of the inmates.  The salary is £30 per year with five shillings extra for any new piece he might compose for them.

    1 January 1881 The United States Marine Band makes its first public appearance under its new leader, John Philip Sousa (26), at a reception at the White House.

    1 January 1882 Der lustige Krieg op.397, a march by Johann Strauss (56), is performed for the first time,in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    1 January 1884 Carl Nielsen (18) enters the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen to study violin, but with composition on his mind.

    1 January 1888 At the home of the violinist Adolf Brodsky in Leipzig, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) makes the acquaintance of Johannes Brahms (54).  Mrs. Brodsky will remember, “It would be difficult to find two men more unlike.  Tchaikovsky...had something elegant and refined in his whole bearing and the greatest courtesy of manner.  Brahms with his short, rather square figure and powerful head, was an image of strength and energy; he was an avowed foe to all so-called ‘good manners.’”  Later, Edvard (44) and Nina Grieg arrive.  They have met Brahms before but never Tchaikovsky, although the Russian is an admirer of Grieg’s music.  “It was more like a children’s party than a gathering of great composers.”

    1 January 1890 Nocturne op.19/1 for solo piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    1 January 1891 Antonín Dvorák (49) becomes a professor at the Prague Conservatory.

    1 January 1892 Ritter Pásmán, a comic opera by Johann Strauss (66) to words of Dóczi after Aranyi, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Court Opera.  The audience receives it warmly but the critics are negative.

    Two Little Caprices from op.27 for piano by Arthur Foote (38) are performed for the first time, in Boston by the composer.

    1 January 1894 String Quartet no.12 “American” by Antonín Dvorák (52) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    1 January 1899 Six Waltzes op.22 for piano-four hands by Max Reger (25) are performed for the first time, in Weiden by the composer.

    1 January 1903 King Edward VII of Great Britain is proclaimed Emperor of India in Delhi.  A Flourish of Trumpets by Charles Villiers Stanford (50) is performed for the first time, at the occasion.

    Claude Debussy (40) receives the Cross of a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

    Fenway Court, the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston, is opened.  Music is provided by 50 members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra playing Bach (†152), Mozart (†111), Schubert (†74), and Chausson (†3).

    1 January 1907 Charles Ives (32) begins a general agency called Ives & Co. for Washington Life Insurance Co. of New York.  His assistant is Julian Myrick.

    1 January 1908 Gustav Mahler (47) conducts his first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.  It is Wagner’s (†24) Tristan und Isolde.  It is a triumph with the public and the press.

    Christmas Greeting for two sopranos, male chorus, two violins, and piano op.52 by Edward Elgar (50), to words of his wife, CA Elgar, is performed for the first time, in Hereford Cathedral.

    1 January 1909 The insurance firm of Ives (34) and Myrick is formed as agents of the Mutual Insurance Company.

    1 January 1914 00:05  Five minutes after the expiration of the Bern Convention, when Parsifal was the exclusive property of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the work is produced at the Liceu, Barcelona.  Two productions go on in Prague today, one in Czech beginning at 16:00 and one in German beginning at 17:00.

    1 January 1915 The first issue of The Musical Quarterly is published in New York.

    Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart op.132 for orchestra by Max Reger (41) is performed for the first time, in Wiesbaden the composer conducting.

    1 January 1917 Two Poems for orchestra by Frank Bridge (37) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London, the composer conducting.

    1 January 1920 Music and Letters begins publication in London.

    1 January 1928 The New Years honors list includes a KCVO for Edward Elgar (70).

    1 January 1930 Charles Ives (55), in poor health since his 1918 heart attack, retires from the insurance business on disability.

    1 January 1942 Cello Sonata no.1 by Ross Lee Finney (35) is performed for the first time, in Pratt Memorial Music Hall, Mount Holyoke College, Northampton, Massachusetts.

    1 January 1945 After a harrowing night through which he is watched over by his girlfriend, Iannis Xenakis (22) is captured by the British and taken to the central hospital in Athens where he will eventually undergo three operations to reconstruct his face.

    1 January 1947 Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura begins its operations in Mexico under Director-General Carlos Chávez (47).

    1 January 1949 Michurin, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (42), is shown for the first time.

    1 January 1951 The announcement comes from Buckingham Palace that William Walton (48) is to be made Knight Bachelor.  Later, Walton will write to his father-in-law:  “I should never have accepted the knighthood, only I wanted to make Sue a lady.”

    1 January 1952 The Secret People, a film with music by Roberto Gerhard (55), is released in the United States.

    Music of Changes for piano by John Cage (39) is performed completely for the first time, in the Cherry Lane Theatre, New York.  Also premiered is Morton Feldman’s (25) Intersections 2 for piano.  See 5 July 1951.

    1 January 1953 Toshiro Mayuzumi (25) joins two other Japanese composers in founding the Group of Three to promote contemporary music.

    Kontraste, a ballet by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (34), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR, Hamburg.  See 24 April 1954.

    Suite Hebraïque for viola and orchestra by Ernest Bloch (72) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    1 January 1954 Fantasy for english horn, harp and strings by Walter Piston (60) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    1 January 1955 Structure II for two cellos by Morton Feldman (28) is performed for the first time, in the Charles Egan Gallery, New York.  Also premiered are Feldman’s Extensions 5 for two cellos and Three Pieces for Piano.

    1 January 1957 The Prince of the Pagodas op.57, a ballet by Benjamin Britten (43) to a scenario by Cranko, is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden, conducted by the composer.  It will enjoy a run of 22 performances.

    1 January 1962 William Schuman (51) enters upon duties as President of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York.

    1 January 1964 Incidental music to Williams’ play The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore by Ned Rorem (40) is performed for the first time, in Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York.

    1 January 1966 In his New Year’s address to the nation, King Konstantinos of Greece blames communists for the political unrest in the country.  As a direct result of this speech, the music of Mikis Theodorakis (40) is banned from Greek radio.

    1 January 1971 Music for the television play Litany for Our Time by Ton de Leeuw (44) for soprano, chorus, flute, harp, piano, double bass, percussion, tape, and electronics, is performed for the first time.

    1 January 1991 Harmoonia, a children’s opera by Harrison Birtwistle (57) to words of Browne, is performed for the first time, in Muscatine, Iowa.

    1 January 1992 There for guitar and strings by Jonathan Lloyd (43) is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings.

    1 January 2000 2000 Today:  a World Symphony for the Millennium by Tan Dun (42) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of more than 55 television networks throughout the world.

    1 January 2012 Symphony no.9 by Philip Glass (74) is performed for the first time, in the Brucknerhaus, Linz.

    2 January

    2 January 1758 Adriano in Siria, an opera seria by Rinaldo di Capua (53) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Torre Argentina, Rome.

    2 January 1764 Le sorcier, an opéra comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (37) to words of Poinsinet, is performed for the first time, in the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.  The work enjoys enormous success and the composer is called forth by the cheering crowd.

    2 January 1771 Le finte gemelle, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (42) to words of Petrosellini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    2 January 1772 Missa pro defunctis Archespiscopo by Michael Haydn (34) is performed for the first time, at a funeral mass for Sigismund Christoph von Schrattenbach, Archbishop of Salzburg, by all the court musicians, including Leopold (52) and Wolfgang Amadeus (15) Mozart.

    2 January 1776 La vera costanza, a dramma giocoso by Pasquale Anfossi (48) to words of Puttini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro delle Dame, Rome.

    2 January 1778 Der Holzhauer, oder Die drey Wünsche, a comische Operette by Georg Benda (55) to words of Gotter and von Wulff after Guichard and Castet, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.

    2 January 1781 Il pittore parigino, an intermezzo by Domenico Cimarosa (31) to words of Petrosellini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    2 January 1791 Joseph Haydn (58) and Johann Peter Solomon arrive in London.  In a few days Haydn will write, “My arrival caused a great sensation throughout the whole city.”

    2 January 1793 A benefit concert for Constanze Mozart takes place in Vienna, organized by Baron Gottfried van Swieten.  The performance includes the premiere of Mozart’s (†1) completed Requiem.

    2 January 1802 Das Zauberschloss, a singspiel by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (49) to words of Kotzebue is performed for the first time, at the Nationaltheater, Berlin.

    2 January 1817 The first issue of the Vienna Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung appears.

    2 January 1822 Der Kiffhäuserberg, a romantische Oper by Heinrich August Marschner (26) to words of Kotzebue, is performed for the first time, in Zittau.

    2 January 1833 Il furioso nell’isola di San Domingo, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (35) to words of Ferretti after an anonymous play on the Don Quixote story, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.  It is an immediate success.

    2 January 1835 With today’s issue, the Neue Leipziger Zeitschrift für Musik becomes the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik and Robert Schumann (24) becomes the sole editor. “Our aim ... is simply this: ... to oppose the recent past as an inartistic period ... [and] to prepare for and facilitate the advent of a fresh poetic future.”

    2 January 1837 Mily Alyekseyevich Balakirev is born in Nizhny-Novgorod, first of four children born to Aleksey Konstantinovich Balakirev, a government official and Yelizaveta Ivanovna Yasherova who is descended from the minor nobility.

    2 January 1843 Der fliegende Holländer, a romantische Oper by Richard Wagner (29) to his own words after Heine, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Hoftheater, directed by the composer.  It receives only four performances.

    2 January 1847 Irenen Waltz op.32 by Johann Strauss (21) is performed for the first time, in Ungarisch-Altenburg.

    2 January 1858 A grand “farewell concert” is given for and by Sigismond Thalberg (45) at the Academy of Music, New York.  It includes four separate concerts:  an opera, an orchestral performance, Thalberg and others, and Mozart’s (†66) Requiem.  Thalberg premieres his Variations on Lilly Dale op.74.  It is so successful it will be repeated in two days.

    2 January 1859 Overture on Three Russian Themes by Mily Balakirev is performed for the first time, at St. Petersburg University on the composer’s 22nd birthday.

    2 January 1869 Ivan IV the Terrible op.79 for orchestra by Anton Rubinstein (39) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Nobility, St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer’s brother Nikolay.

    2 January 1891 Following the death of his father, Arnold Schoenberg (16) leaves the Realschule Vienna before completing his studies.

    2 January 1893 So stehn wir, ich und meine Weide op.32/8, a song by Johannes Brahms (59) to words of Hafis, is performed for the first time, in Vienna, 29 years after it was composed.

    Incidental music to Ogilvie’s play Hypatia by Hubert Parry (44) is performed for the first time, in the Haymarket Theatre, London.  See 9 March 1893.

    2 January 1894 The new Peters Music Library opens in Leipzig amidst much fanfare.

    2 January 1905 Michael Kemp Tippett is born in London, second of two children born to Henry William Tippett, a lawyer, and Isabel Clementine Binny Kemp, author and daughter of a civil servant.

    2 January 1907 Frederick S. Converse (35) visits President Eliot of Harvard University and resigns from the faculty effective 1 September.  With all the composing, performing, and publishing, he has no time to teach.

    2 January 1908 The third book of the piano suite Iberia by Isaac Albéniz (47) is performed for the first time, at the house of Mme Polignac, Paris.

    2 January 1909 The second movement of the Suite no.2 for orchestra by Béla Bartók (27) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, conducted by the composer.  It is the only time he conducts professionally.  See 22 November 1909.

    2 January 1931 Sonido 13 for piccolo, horn, guitar, harp, violin, and cello by Julián Carrillo (55) is performed for the first time, in Mexico City.

    2 January 1937 Cantique du Rhône op.155 for mixed voices by Darius Milhaud (44) to words of Claudel, is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    2 January 1943 William Walton’s (40) Spitfire Prelude and Fugue for orchestra is performed for the first time, in Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, under the baton of the composer.

    An orchestral suite from Virgil Thomson’s (46) music to the film The Plow That Broke the Plains is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music conducted by the composer.  See 25 May 1936.

    2 January 1958 Leonard Bernstein (39) gives his first concert as co-Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.

    2 January 1959 Suite no.1 for unaccompanied violin by Ernest Bloch (78) is performed for the first time, in London.

    2 January 1960 Concertino for jazz quartet and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (34) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    Symphony no.4 by Roger Sessions (63), commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the State of Minnesota, is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.

    2 January 1965 The Wasting of Lucrecetzia for tape by Kenneth Gaburo (38) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.

    2 January 1966 The Twelve for chorus and orchestra by William Walton (63) to words of Auden is performed for the first time, in Westminster Abbey, London the composer conducting.  The ceremony marks the 900th anniversary of Westminster Abbey.  See 16 May 1965.

    2 January 2000 Two works are performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London:  Sonance 2000 for brass by Harrison Birtwistle (65), and Jubilate Deo for chorus, brass and organ by Peter Maxwell Davies (65).

    Spiegel und Fluss for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (47) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Nanking! Nanking!, a threnody for pipa and orchestra by Bright Sheng (44) is performed for the first time.

    2 January 2005 Lullay, my child, and weep no more for soprano, chorus, and organ or piano ad lib by Peter Maxwell Davies (70) to an anonymous 15th century text is performed for the first time, at the Chapel Royal, London.

    3 January

    3 January 1761 Niccolò Piccinni’s (32) intermezzo and comedy Le vicende della sorte to words of Petrosellini after Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    Armida, an azione teatrale by Tommaso Traetta (33) to words of Durazzo and Migliavacca after Quinault, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna to celebrate the birthday of Archduchess Isabella.

    3 January 1769 Lo sposo burlato, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (40) to words of Casti, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    3 January 1776 Le due contesse, an intermezzo by Giovanni Paisiello (35) to words of Petrosellini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    3 January 1785 Baldassare Galuppi dies in Venice, aged 78 years, two months and 16 days.  He mortal remains will be buried in the church of San Vitale.

    3 January 1799 Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Salieri (48) to words of Defranceschi after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.  Almost immediately, Ludwig van Beethoven (28) begins writing a set of variation on the duet “La stessa, la stessissima” WoO73.

    3 January 1828 Franz Schubert’s (30) vocal quintet Mondenschein D.875 to words of Schober is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    3 January 1836 Louis Spohr (51) marries Marianne Pfeiffer, the sister of his late friend Carl Pfeiffer, in Kassel.  It is his second marriage, her first.  She is 28.

    3 January 1843 Don Pasquale, a dramma buffo by Gaetano Donizetti (45) to words of Ruffini and the composer after Anelli, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre-Italien, Paris.  The work enjoys a thundering success.

    3 January 1849 Le Caïd, an opéra comique by Ambroise Thomas (37) to words of Sauvage, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    3 January 1877 Prinz Methusalem, an operetta by Johann Strauss (51) to words of Treumann after Dalacour and Wildér, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Carlstheater, conducted by the composer.  The critics are not impressed.

    3 January 1878 George Whitefield Chadwick (23) matriculates at Leipzig Conservatory.

    Anton Bruckner (53) is granted a permanent appointment as court organist, in Vienna.

    3 January 1882 Konchakovna’s arioso from Prince Igor, an opera by Alyeksandr Borodin (48) to his own words after Stasov, is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the City Credit Company, St. Petersburg.

    3 January 1884 String quartet in d minor by Bedrich Smetana (59) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Romanze for cello and piano by George Whitefield Chadwick (29) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    3 January 1892 Two works for cello and piano by Antonín Dvorák (50) are performed for the first time, in Rakovnik:  Silent Woods and Rondo in g minor.

    3 January 1897 Symphony in C by Paul Dukas (31) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    3 January 1903 The Symphony no.7 and the tone poem From the Middle Ages by Alyeksandr Glazunov (37) are performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer.

    3 January 1904 A week after finishing Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini (45) marries Elvira Bonturi Gemignani, his lover of 18 years and mother of his 17-year-old son.  The civil ceremony takes place in Viareggio, the religious in Torre del Lago.

    3 January 1913 An orchestral suite op.45 from Die Brautwahl by Ferruccio Busoni (47) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovensaal, Berlin.  See 13 April 1912.

    3 January 1914 Nadia Boulanger’s (26) collaborator, Raoul Pugno, dies of bronchitis.  She will never be the same composer and her output begins to tail off.

    3 January 1920 Le chant du Nigamon, a symphonic poem by Arthur Honegger (27), is performed publicly for the first time, in the Cirque d’Hiver, Paris.  See 18 April 1918.

    3 January 1932 Final op.77 for cello and orchestra by Florent Schmitt (61) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    The orchestration of the Sonatine française op.60/1-2 by Charles Koechlin (64) are performed for the first time, in Paris, conducted by the composer.

    3 January 1935 A suite from Ethel Smyth’s (76) opera Entente cordiale is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    3 January 1939 Amy Beach (71), Daniel Gregory Mason (65), John Alden Carpenter (62), Wallingford Riegger (53), Aaron Copland (38), Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Efrem Zimbalist, Olin Downes and Alfred Hertz sign a letter urging the United States to lift the arms embargo against the “legitimate Spanish government.”

    Twelve Short Pieces Written in the Twelve-Tone Technique for piano by Ernst Krenek (38) is performed for the first time, by the composer, over the airwaves of NBC originating in Washington.

    3 January 1941 Symphonic Dances op.45 by Sergey Rakhmaninov (67) is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia.

    3 January 1942 The Leningrad Radio Orchestra ceases operations owing to the fact that “too many players are ill, or starving, or dead.”  See 5 April 1942.

    3 January 1946 Concerto for clarinet and orchestra op.230 by Darius Milhaud (53) is performed for the first time, in the Marine Barracks, Washington.  The work was commissioned by Benny Goodman.

    3 January 1948 A Charm of Lullabies op.41, a cycle for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (34) to five different authors, is performed for the first time, at The Hague.

    3 January 1953 On the floor of the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Fred E. Busbey (R-IL) complains about an upcoming performance of Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland (52) as part of festivities surrounding the inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower as President of the United States.  Busbey feels that Copland is too left wing.

    3 January 1960 The Moscow State Symphony becomes the first Soviet orchestra to perform in the United States, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    3 January 1970 Incidental music to the play Way of the Cross after Tolstoy by Alfred Schnittke (35) is performed for the first time, in the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army, Moscow.

    3 January 1980 Epitaph for oboe and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (66) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    3 January 1985 Leontyne Price gives her farewell appearance at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

    Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 by Samuel Adler (56) is performed for the first time.

    3 January 1987 Paean for winds and percussion by Jacob Druckman (58) is performed for the first time, in Jones Hall, Houston.

    3 January 1991 Ave Verum Corpus for chorus by John Harbison (52) is performed for the first time, in Emmanuel Church, Boston.  See 2 June 1991.

    3 January 1992 Incidental music to Chekhov’s play Ivanov by Roger Reynolds (57) is performed for the first time, in Mito, Japan.

    Concerto for clarinet and orchestra by William Bolcom (53) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    4 January

    4 January 1710 Giovanni Battista Pergolesi is born in Iesi, Marche.

    4 January 1786 Oedipe à Colone, a tragédie lyrique by Antonio Sacchini (55) to words of Guillard after Sophocles, is performed for the first time, at Versailles.

    4 January 1817 Canone finito a4 by Giacomo Meyerbeer (25), is performed for the first time, in Rome for Lous Spohr (32).

    4 January 1840 A Leipzig court of appeals dismisses all of Friedrich Wieck’s objections to his daughter’s (20) marriage to Robert Schumann (29) save that Schumann is a heavy drinker.  Wieck must provide proof of this within six weeks.  Shortly, Wieck begins to circulate the official statement about Schumann’s drinking to theatre managers and critics.

    In the densely packed Hungarian National Theatre in Pest, Franz Liszt (28) gives a solo concert in Hungarian national costume.  It is the fourth of seven he will give in Pest.  As in Pressburg (Bratislava) on 18 December, he plays his arrangement of the Rákóczy March as an encore.  Again, the crowd is driven to patriotic frenzy.  While they are still cheering, six Hungarian noblemen appear on stage with a jewel encrusted sabre.  Count Leo Festetics draws the sword, gives a patriotic speech and presents Liszt with the sabre.  Liszt, overcome with emotion responds (in French) with an impromptu patriotic speech of his own, calling on Hungary to seek itself in peaceful pursuits but, “should it be requisite, let our swords quit their scabbards--they are untarnished, and their blows will fall as heavily as heretofore--and let our blood flow even to the last drop for our rights, our king, and our country!”  (Williams, 118)  The response from the crowd is earth shattering.  The audience streams into the street and joining others already there, forms a procession of 5,000 led by Liszt and Festetics to the Count’s home.

    4 January 1842 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (31) resigns as organist at Exeter Cathedral.

    4 January 1846 Ruth, an églogue biblique by César Franck (23) to words of the Bible and Guillemin, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.  The audience is lukewarm, the critics are hostile.  See 30 October 1845.

    4 January 1866 Stabat mater preciosa from Franz Liszt’s unperformed oratorio Christus is performed for the first time, in the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome.  Edvard Grieg (22) is there.  He is not impressed.

    4 January 1877 Es geht ein Wehen op.62/6 for unaccompanied chorus by Johannes Brahms (43) to words of Heyse is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    4 January 1880 Alyeksandr Glazunov (14) begins his studies with Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (35).

    Tábor and Blanik, two tone poems from Ma Vlast by Bedrich Smetana (55), are performed for the first time, in Prague in a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the composer’s first performance.

    4 January 1881 Nikolay Andreyevich Roslavets is born in Dushatin in the Chernihiv Region of Russia (Bryansk, Ukraine), the son of rural peasants.  (This could be 5 January)

    Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms (47) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw) conducted by the composer.

    4 January 1889 Two songs for voice and piano by Johannes Brahms (55) are performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main:  Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer op.105/2, to words of Lingg, and Mädchenlied op.107/5 to words of Heyse.

    4 January 1890 In the issue of Punch dated today, a cartoon appears showing Gilbert and Sullivan (47) as the two gondoliers of their operetta.  The caption reads:  Monarchs of all they Savoy.

    4 January 1895 Divertissement for violin and orchestra op.1 by Charles Martin Loeffler (33) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston conducted by the composer.

    4 January 1896 The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performs for the first time under that name, in Prague.  It has been an opera orchestra heretofore.  Antonín Dvorák (54) conducts the first performance of five of his Biblical Songs op.99.

    Liebe und Ehe op.465, a polka mazur by Johann Strauss (70), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    4 January 1897 Violin Sonata op.34 by Amy Cheney Beach (29) is performed for the first time, in Association Hall, Boston, the composer at the piano.

    4 January 1902 Los Pirineos (Els Pirineus), an opera by Filipe Pedrell (60) to words of Balaguer, is performed for the first time, at the Liceo, Barcelona in Italian as I Pirenei.

    4 January 1905 Tragic Overture by Antonín Dvorák (†0) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    4 January 1914 Edgard Varèse (30) makes his first appearance conducting a major symphony orchestra when he directs a performance of the Czech Philharmonic Society in Prague.  The critics are very positive.

    4 January 1915 Ferruccio Busoni (48) shuts his Berlin apartment and takes his entire family on a concert tour of North America.  He will not return for almost six years.

    4 January 1923 Two chamber works by Francis Poulenc (23) are performed for the first time in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris:  Sonata for clarinet and bassoon and Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone.

    4 January 1924 Ira Gershwin reads in the New York Herald Tribune that his brother George (25) is “at work on a jazz concerto.”  The paper quotes Paul Whiteman.  When George is apprised of this he has a vague recollection of a sketchy conversation on the subject with Whiteman.

    4 January 1925 Après un rêve op.7/1 for voice and orchestra by Gabriel Fauré (†0), to words of Bussine, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de Châtelet, Paris, at least 47 years after it was composed.

    4 January 1927 Nouvelle sonatine op.87/2 for piano by Charles Koechlin (59) is performed for the first time, at the Université Mercereau, Paris.

    4 January 1931 Piano Variations by Aaron Copland (30) is performed for the first time, by the composer in the Art Center, New York.

    4 January 1932 Sonatine for piano by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (26) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    4 January 1933 Piano Sonata no.1 by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (27) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    4 January 1934 Pastorale and Dance for strings and piano by Gian Carlo Menotti (22) is performed for the first time, privately in Vienna conducted by Samuel Barber (23).

    4 January 1937 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar by Darius Milhaud (44) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Atelier, Paris.

    4 January 1942 Piano Concerto by Carlos Chávez (42) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    4 January 1945 Three of the Four Excursions op.20 for piano (I, II, IV) by Samuel Barber (34) are performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.  See 22 December 1948.

    4 January 1946 Concert Music for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (32) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    4 January 1949 Kentuckiana for orchestra by Darius Milhaud (56) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    4 January 1950 William Schuman’s (39) choreographic poem Judith to a scenario by Graham is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    4 January 1952 Serenade for two clarinets, violin, viola, and cello by Bohuslav Martinu (61) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    4 January 1953 String Quartet no.3 by Ernest Bloch (72) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    4 January 1956 Igor Stravinsky (73) is awarded the Sibelius Medal in a ceremony at the Finnish consulate in New York City.

    4 January 1961 Variants, a ballet by Gunther Schuller (35) to a scenario by Ballanchine, is performed for the first time, in City Center, New York the composer conducting.

    4 January 1963 Percussion Concerto by Henry Cowell (65) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    4 January 1964 Concerto-Rhapsody for cello and orchestra by Aram Khachaturian (60) is performed for the first time, in Gorky.

    4 January 1971 “Exhortatio” from Tempus destruendi/Tempus aedificandi for chorus by Luigi Dallapiccola (66) is performed for the first time, in Beit HaHayal Auditorium, Jerusalem.  See 29 August 1971.

    4 January 1974 Stimmen for two voices and instrumental ensemble by Hans Werner Henze (47) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in London the composer conducting.

    4 January 1976 A Wisconsin Symphony for orchestra by Otto Luening (75) is performed for the first time, in Milwaukee.

    4 January 1985 An American Oratorio for tenor, chorus and orchestra by Ned Rorem (61) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.

    4 January 1989 Answer without a Question for three orchestras by Sofia Gubaidulina (57) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    4 January 1990 Vladimir Alexis Ussachevsky dies of a brain tumor in New York, aged 78 years, two months, and one day.

    4 January 2000 Fall and Resurrection for soprano, counter tenor, baritone, and orchestra by John Tavener (55) to words of Mother Thekla is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

    4 January 2001 Motorcity Triptych for orchestra by Michael Daugherty (46) is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    4 January 2005 Wood, Metal, and Skin for percussion and orchestra by Thea Musgrave (76) is performed for the first time, in Usher Hall, Edinburgh.

    5 January

    5 January 1596 Henry Lawes is baptized in Dinton, Wiltshire.

    5 January 1766 Muzio Clementi (13) is hired as an organist in his home parish of San Lorenzo in Damaso, Rome.

    5 January 1768 La notte critica, an opera buffa by Florian Leopold Gassmann (38) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    5 January 1769 Lucile, a comédie mise en musique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (27) to words of Marmontel, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    5 January 1770 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (13) gives his first concert in Italy, at the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona.

    5 January 1771 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (14) is named honorary Kapellmeister of the Verona Accademia Filarmonica.

    5 January 1777 Günther von Schwarzburg, a singspiel by Ignaz Holzbauer (65) to words of Klein, is performed for the first time, in the Mannheim Hoftheater.  It is the first performance in this new building outside the palace.

    5 January 1815 La gioventù di Enrico quinto, an opéra comique by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold (23) to his own words and Landriani’s after Pineux-Duval, is performed for the first time, in Teatro del Fondo, Naples.  It is Hérold’s first work for the stage and is very warmly received.

    5 January 1827 An die untergehende Sonne, a song by Franz Schubert (29) to words of Kosegarten, is published by Diabelli, Vienna as his op.44.

    5 January 1831 Hector Berlioz (27) reaches his home in La Côte-St.-André on his way to Rome.  It is the first time he has been there in two years, during which he won the Prix de Rome, participated in the July Revolution, saw the premiere of Symphonie fantastique, and almost got married.

    5 January 1832 Vincenzo Bellini (30) sets out from Milan on a long journey to Naples and Sicily.  It will become a “triumphal procession” wherever he goes.

    5 January 1833 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (54) petitions his employers in Weimar that he be absolved of the requirement to wear a servant’s uniform.  They will agree, but it will be applicable only when he gives performances outside Weimar.

    5 January 1834 The Gazette musicale appears for the first time, in Paris.  One of its founders is Franz Liszt (22).

    5 January 1845 Kaiser Adolph von Nassau, a grosse Oper by Heinrich August Marschner (49) to words of Rau, is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Sächsisches Hoftheater, Dresden.  The singers were prepared by the Dresden Kapellmeister, Richard Wagner (31).

    5 January 1848 The Dresden Verein für Chorgesang, organized by Robert Schumann (37), meets for the first time.

    5 January 1861 La chanson de Fortunio, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (41) to words of Crémieux and Halévy, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    5 January 1862 Bedrich Smetana’s (37) symphonic poem Richard III is performed for the first time in its orchestrated setting, in Prague.  See 24 April 1860.

    5 January 1864 L’amour chanteur, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (44) to words of Nuitter and L’Epine, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    5 January 1866 The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, an opera by Bedrich Smetana (41) to words of Sabina, is performed for the first time, in the Prague Provisional Theatre, to great success.

    5 January 1868 Parts of Franz Schubert’s (†39) unfinished opera Rüdiger D.791 are performed for the first time, in the Vienna Redoutensaal, 45 years after the music was composed.  Also heard for the first time tonight is Sehnsucht D.656 for male vocal quintet to words of Goethe, 49 years after it was composed.

    5 January 1870 The Liebeslieder waltzes op.52 for vocal quartet and piano-four hands by Johannes Brahms (36) to words of Daumer are performed completely for the first time, in the Kleiner Redoutensaal, Vienna, the composer and Clara Schumann (50) at the piano.  See 6 October 1869, 19 March 1870 and 14 November 1874.

    5 January 1871 On the ramparts at Issy, Corporal Vincent d’Indy (19) narrowly escapes being hit by German shells.

    Frederick Shepherd Converse is born in Newton, Massachusetts, the youngest of seven children born to Edmund Winchester, a successful businessman, and Charlotte Augusta Converse.

    5 January 1875 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34) plays his Piano Concerto no.1 for Nikolay Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory.  In 1878, Tchaikovsky will relate the now-famous scene to his patron, Nadezhda von Meck.  “It turned out that my concerto was altogether unsuitable, to play it was impossible, that passages were so trite, awkward and clumsy that they could not be corrected, that as a composition it was bad, vulgar, that I had stolen this from that place, and this from another, that there were only two or three pages that could stay, while the rest had either to be thrown out or completely rewritten…In a word, a passerby could have thought I was a maniac, an ungifted and unthinking scribbler who had come to a famous musician to pester him with nonsense.”  (Wiley, 89)  See 25 October 1875.

    The new Paris Opéra, designed by Charles Garnier, is inaugurated in the Palais Garnier, 13 years after the laying of the cornerstone.  It is a gala evening.  President Mac-Mahon, the Lord Mayor of London and King Alfonso XII of Spain attend.

    5 January 1878 In response to a question from Nadezhda von Meck about the Kuchka, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) writes from San Remo, “All the Petersburg composers are very talented, but they are all poisoned to the core with the most horrible conceit and a purely amateur confidence in their own superiority above everyone else in the musical world...”

    5 January 1884 Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant, an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (41) to words of Gilbert after Tennyson, is performed for the first time, in the Savoy Theatre, London.  Sullivan, in great muscular pain, receives an injection of morphine just before leaving for the theatre and black coffee to keep him awake.  After the performance, he nearly faints and he is taken home by friends and put to bed.  The operetta is well received and goes on to 246 performances.

    5 January 1888 Henri Herz dies in Paris, on the eve of his 85th birthday.

    5 January 1893 Serenade in E for string orchestra op.25 by Arthur Foote (40) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    5 January 1896 Pepita Jiménez, a lyric comedy by Isaac Albéniz (35) to words of Money-Coutts after Valera, is performed for the first time, in the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona.  The public is enthusiastic, the critics are disappointed.

    5 January 1912 Engelbert Humperdinck (57) suffers a severe stroke in Berlin.  He will recover, but will never use his left hand again.

    5 January 1917 Maurice Ravel’s (41) mother, Marie Delouart Ravel, dies at the age of 76.  From here to the end of his life, his musical output is seriously reduced.

    Settings of Four Slovak Folk Songs for chorus and piano, by Béla Bartók (35), are performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    5 January 1924 George Gershwin (25) speaks to Paul Whiteman by phone and agrees to compose an extended work in a jazz idiom for piano and orchestra.  It will be orchestrated by Ferde Grofe.

    5 January 1925 Violin Concerto no.1 by Ernst Krenek (24) is performed for the first time, in Dessau.

    5 January 1928 Sinfonia concertante for orchestra and piano obbligato by William Walton (25) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  The work is very successful.

    5 January 1930 A suite for clarinet, bassoon, trombone, violin, cello, and piano from the ballet The Kitchen Revue by Bohuslav Martinu (39) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    5 January 1931 Two works for chorus, by Benjamin Britten (17) to anonymous words, are performed for the first time, in St. John’s Church, Lowestoft:  A Hymn to the Virgin and I Saw Three Ships.  The latter will be revised as The Sycamore Tree.

    5 January 1932 Piano Concerto for the Left Hand by Maurice Ravel (56) is performed for the first time, by the one-armed pianist who commissioned it, Paul Wittgenstein, in Vienna.

    Maximilien, an opera by Darius Milhaud (39) to words of Werfel, Hoffman, and Lunel, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    Two arrangements by Henry Cowell (34) of his own dance music are performed for the first time, in New York:  Dance of Work (originally Steel and Stone) and Dance of Sport (originally Competitive Sport).  See 4 February 1931.

    5 January 1936 Samuel Barber (25) sings his Beggar’s Song to words of Davies in its first performance, at the American Academy in Rome.  He finished the song earlier today.

    5 January 1938 Songs of Our Day op.76, nine works for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (46), is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    5 January 1941 Introduction and Rondo alla burlesca op.23/1 for two pianos by Benjamin Britten (27) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    No For an Answer, an opera by Marc Blitzstein (35) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Mecca Temple, New York.

    5 January 1943 Four “portraits” for cello and piano by Virgil Thomson (46) are performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York:  In a Bird Cage:  A Portrait of Lise Deharme, Fanfare for France:  A Portrait of Max Kahn, Tango Lullaby:  A Portrait of Mlle (Flavie) Alvarez de Toledo and Bugles and Birds:  A Portrait of Pablo Picasso.

    5 January 1944 William Grant Still’s (48) orchestral work In memoriam:  The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    5 January 1947 An dem Baum Daphne for chorus by Richard Strauss (82) to words of Gregor, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    5 January 1949 Henry Cowell’s (51) Symphony no.5 is performed for the first time, in Constitution Hall, Washington.

    5 January 1951 Duo for violin and viola no.2 by Bohuslav Martinu (60) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    5 January 1952 West Point Suite for band op.313 by Darius Milhaud (59) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    5 January 1959 While staying briefly with Richard Rodney Bennett in Hamstead, Cornelius Cardew (22) leaves his wife of nine months, Ruth Aaronberg.  In the evening he returns to the WDR in Cologne.

    Two new works of John Cage (46) are performed for the first time, in Rome:  Aria for solo voice, and Fontana Mix for tape.

    5 January 1960 Poems for Tables, Chairs, and Benches by Lamonte Young (24) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at Berkeley.

    5 January 1961 Symphony no.2 by Easley Blackwood (27) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    5 January 1962 Piano Quintet no.2 by Ross Lee Finney (55) is performed for the first time, at UCLA.

    5 January 1967 Reed Phase for soprano saxophone and tape by Steve Reich (30) is performed for the first time, at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.  It is originally titled Saxophone Phase.

    5 January 1970 Roberto Gerhard dies in Cambridge, England of acute pulmonary edema and emphysema, aged 73 years, three months, and eleven days.

    Fivefold Enfoldment for orchestra by Ernst Krenek (69) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovenhalle, Bonn.

    5 January 1971 Sacred Song of Reconciliation for bass-baritone and orchestra by George Rochberg (52) to words of Mizmur l’Piyus, is performed for the first time, in Jerusalem.

    5 January 1973 “...explosante-fixe...” (second realization) for flute, clarinet, trumpet, harp, vibraphone, violin, viola, cello, and electronic instruments by Pierre Boulez (47) is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 17 June 1972.

    5 January 1974 B for Sonata for piano by Betsy Jolas (47) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    5 January 1975 From the Diary of Virginia Woolf for voice and piano by Dominick Argento (47) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.  See 5 May 1975.

    5 January 1977 A revised version of both parts of Arc for piano, orchestra, and electronic sounds by Toru Takemitsu (46) is performed for the first time, in New York, conducted by Pierre Boulez (51).

    5 January 1978 Three Little Pieces op.37 for violin and piano by Henryk Górecki (44) is performed for the first time, in Katowice.

    5 January 1994 Three Songs from the Norse for voice and piano by Arnold Bax (†40) is performed for the first time, privately, at the home of Susan and Aidan Woodcock, Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey.  See 18 January 1994.

    6 January

    6 January 1755 Montezuma, an opera by Karl Heinrich Graun (51) to words of King Friedrich II, translated by Tagliazucchi, is performed for the first time, at the Berlin Opera.

    6 January 1758 The third version of Tito Manlio, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (43), is performed for the first time, in the Ducal Theatre, Stuttgart.

    6 January 1765 A revised version of La clemenza di Tito, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (50) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Ducal Theatre, Ludwigsburg.

    6 January 1766 The second version of Enea nel Lazio, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (51) to words of Verazi, is performed for the first time, in the Ducal Theatre, Ludwigsburg.

    6 January 1771 This is the probable date of the first performance of Don Chisciotte allenozze di Gamace, a divertimento teatrale by Antonio Salieri (20) to words of Boccherini, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.  Emperor Joseph II is in attendance.

    6 January 1776 Franz Joseph Haydn’s (43) new symphony (no.60) is performed, possibly for the first time, between the acts of Regnard’s play Le distrait, at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    6 January 1782 The earthly remains of Johann Christian Bach are laid to rest in St. Pancras’ Churchyard, London.  Neither Carl Friedrich Abel nor Thomas Gainsborough are present.  Only four friends attend, none of them musicians.  The funeral is paid for by the Queen, but she refuses to make good Bach’s debts.  (The graveyard no longer exists.  A tennis court occupies the site.)

    6 January 1791 The Théâtre de Monsieur opens its newly built auditorium in the rue Feydeau, Paris.

    6 January 1803 Heinrich Herz is born in Vienna.  He will be better known under his French name, Henri.

    6 January 1811 Rien de trop ou Les deux paravents, an opéra comique by Adrien Boieldieu (35) to words of Pain, is performed for the first time, in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

    6 January 1813 Wirth und Gast, oder Aus Scherz Ernst, a Lustspiel by Meyer Beer (Giacomo Meyerbeer) (21) to words of Wohlbrück, is performed for the first time, in the Court Theatre, Stuttgart.  The presence of the composer doesn’t help the poor preparations and the opera does not fare well with the audience.

    6 January 1826 Franz Schubert’s (28) Galop und 8 Ecossaises D.735 for orchestra is performed for the first time, in the Saal zu den 7. Churfürsten in Pest.

    6 January 1839 Robert Schumann (28) writes to Raimund Härtel from Vienna, informing him that he has had several meetings with Ferdinand Schubert and has found many unpublished or unknown works of Franz Schubert (†10):  “operas, four grand Masses, four or five symphonies, and much else.”

    6 January 1840 Le drapier, an opéra by Fromental Halévy (40) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.

    6 January 1856 Charles Gounod (37) is named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

    6 January 1863 Piano Sonata no.3 by Johannes Brahms (29) is performed in Vienna by the composer.  The critic Eduard Hanslick remarks, “it belongs to the most inward experiences that recent piano music has to offer.”  In the audience is Richard Wagner (49) who is in Vienna trying to get Tristan und Isolde performed.  Also premiered are Brahms’ songs Jucche! op.6/4 to words of Reinick, Treue Liebe op.7/1 to words of Ferrand, and Parole op.7/2 to words of Eichendorff.

    6 January 1871 Botschaft op.47/1, a song by Johannes Brahms (37) to words of Hafis, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    6 January 1872 Early afternoon.  Alyeksandr Nikolayevich Skryabin is born in Moscow, the only child of aristocratic parents, Nikolay Alyeksandrovich Skryabin, a lawyer, and Lyubov Petrovna Shchetinina, a pianist.  Lyubov Petrovna gives birth on Christmas Day (according to the Russian calendar) after a four-day journey by train from Saratov, a distance of some 725 km.  She is so seriously ill from the cold that she must be carried to the bedroom at the house of her in-laws.

    6 January 1873 Les erinnyes, a tragedie antique by Jules Massenet (30) to words of Leconte de Lisle, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris.

    6 January 1880 A Polonaise in E flat for orchestra by Antonin Dvorák (38) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    The first movement of the Septet op.65 for trumpet, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, and piano by Camille Saint-Saëns (44) is performed for the first time, in Paris, the composer at the keyboard.  See 28 December 1880.

    6 January 1881 Antonín Dvorák’s (39) orchestral work For Prague Students, is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    Menuetto a Scherzo for clarinet and piano by Leos Janácek (26) is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).

    6 January 1882 Kravpik for orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (40) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    In Epiphanis Domini for voice and organ by Pietro Mascagni (18) is performed for the first time, in the Church of Santa Caterina, Livorno.

    Frisch ins Feld op.398, a march by Johann Strauss (56), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    6 January 1883 Nocturne in B major for orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (41) is performed for the first time, in Prague, conducted by the composer.

    Two songs by Gabriel Fauré (37) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris:  Chant d’automne op.5/1 to words of Beaudelaire, and Le Secret op.23/3 to words of Silvestre.

    6 January 1887 Nos. 9, 10, and 15 of the Slavonic Dances op.72 for orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (45) are performed for the first time, in Prague.

    6 January 1888 Three chamber works by Antonín Dvorák (46) are performed for the first time, in Prague:  Quintet for piano and strings op.81, String Quartet no.1 op.2, and String Quartet no.2.  Also premiered are five of the twelve Cypresses for string quartet.

    6 January 1894 “Bid me at least good-bye”, a song by Arthur Sullivan (51) to words of Grundy, is performed for the first time, as part of Grundy’s play An Old Jew in the Garrick Theatre, London.

    6 January 1895 Gartenlaube-Walzer op. 461 by Johann Strauss (69) is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    6 January 1906 Miroirs for piano by Maurice Ravel (30) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.  See 3 February 1907 and 17 May 1919.

    6 January 1907 The Countess’ Portrait, for reciter and orchestra by Jean Sibelius (41) to words of Topelius, is performed for the first time, in Vaasa.

    6 January 1908 Notturno for orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (28) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    6 January 1910 The string quartet Voces intimae op.56 by Jean Sibelius (44) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    6 January 1912 Two songs for voice and piano by John Ireland (32) are performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London:  Hope the Hornblower to words of Newbolt, and Here’s to the Ships! to words of O’Reilly.

    6 January 1918 Sergey Rakhmaninov (44) and his wife arrive in Stockholm from Petrograd.  He has been requested to appear in Stockholm by a Swedish concert manager.  This turns out to be a perfect pretext for fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution.

    6 January 1923 Two puppet plays by Federico García Lorca with incidental music by Manuel de Falla (46) are performed for the first time, at the home of the poet in Granada:  La niña que riega la albahaca y el príncipe preguntón, and Misterio de los reyes magos.

    6 January 1924 Les Biches, a ballet with song by Francis Poulenc for chorus and orchestra to an anonymous text, is performed for the first time, in Monaco on the eve of the composer’s 25th birthday.

    6 January 1927 Concerto for organ and orchestra op.27 by Howard Hanson (30) is performed for the first time, at the Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York directed by the composer.  The work is an arrangement of Hanson’s Concerto for organ, strings, and harp op.22/3.  See 29 August 1943.

    6 January 1930 Four of the Twenty Hungarian Folksongs for voice and piano by Béla Bartók (48) are performed for the first time, in London.

    Things in Themselves for piano op.45 by Sergey Prokofiev (38) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    6 January 1931 The first of the Four Transcriptions from “Emerson” for piano by Charles Ives (56) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of a new auditorium for the New School for Social Research, New York.  See 12 March 1948.

    6 January 1934 The Running Set for orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (61) is performed for the first time, in the Royal Albert Hall, London the composer conducting.

    6 January 1937 Incidental music to Kirshon’s play The Big Day by Aram Khachaturian (33) is performed for the first time, in the Central Theatre of the Red Army, Moscow.

    6 January 1938 Virgil Thomson’s (41) ballet Filling Station, with a scenario by Christensen, is performed for the first time, in the Avery Memorial Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut.  The music is played in piano reduction.  See 18 February 1938.

    6 January 1941 New York License Commissioner Paul Moss, who attended last night’s premiere, bans further staging of No For An Answer by Marc Blitzstein (35) claiming that the building violates several municipal codes.  Under public pressure, Mayor La Guardia will prevail upon Moss to issue a temporary permit.

    6 January 1943 Kotovsky, a film with music by Sergey Prokofiev (51), is released in the USSR.

    Sammy’s Fighting Sons for chorus and orchestra by Roy Harris (44) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    6 January 1945 Francis Poulenc and Benjamin Britten (31) are soloists in Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in Royal Albert Hall, London on the eve of his 46th birthday.  It is the first time the two have met and it is the beginning of a fruitful relationship.

    6 January 1949 Jerome Robbins visits Leonard Bernstein (30) in New York with an idea for a musical based on a modern treatment of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

    6 January 1950 Piano Concerto by Francis Poulenc is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston the composer at the keyboard on the eve of his 51st birthday.

    6 January 1958 Vergilii Aeneis, a sinfonia eroica by Gian Francesco Malipiero (75) to his own words after Virgil (tr. Caro), is staged for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  See 21 June 1946.

    6 January 1964 A Theatre Piece after Sonnet no.47 of Petrarch by Morton Subotnick (30) is performed for the first time, at the San Francisco Tape Music Center.

    6 January 1967 Piano Concerto by Elliott Carter (58) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    Centennial March for concert band by Howard Hanson (70) “dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Admission to the Union of my native state, Nebraska”, is performed for the first time, at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.

    6 January 1977 Aria for oboe and strings by John Corigliano (38) is performed for the first time.

    6 January 1981 Dramatische Szenen aus Orpheus II for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (54) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.

    6 January 1982 String Quintet by George Rochberg (63) is performed for the first time, at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia.

    6 January 1995 Concerto for percussion and orchestra by Joseph Schwantner (51) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.

    6 January 2000 Red Silk Dance for piano and orchestra by Bright Sheng (44) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    6 January 2010 Ave Plena Gracia for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (75) is performed for the first time, at the Chapel Royal, London.

    6 January 2011 Bagatelle:  With Swing for orchestra by Gunther Schuller (85) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.

    6 January 2012 Child of the Manger for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (77) to words of MacDonald and the Bible is performed for the first time, in the Chapel Royal.

    7 January

    7 January 1591 Jacobus de Kerle dies in Prague, aged approximately 60 years.

    7 January 1634 Adam Krieger is born in Driesen, near Frankfurt-an-der-Oder.

    7 January 1756 Idomeneo, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (49), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Argentina, Rome.

    7 January 1764 Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (49) opéra comique La rencontre imprévue to words of Dancourt after Le Sage and d’Orneval is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    7 January 1770 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (13) performs on the two organs in the Carmelite monastery of San Tommaso Becket in Verona.  Leopold (50) writes that “such a mob had assembled at the...church that upon our arrival we scarcely had room to step down from the coach.”  (Gutman, 258)

    7 January 1779 In Munich, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) is introduced to Elisabeth Auguste, wife of the Elector of Bavaria, by Christian Cannabich.  He presents her with a copy of his recently published piano sonatas K.301-306.

    7 January 1784 Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (54) marries a daughter of his employer, M. de Villemagne.

    7 January 1820 Ludwig van Beethoven (49) appeals to the Imperial Royal Court of Appeal of Lower Austria to reverse the decision of the lower court of 17 September 1819.

    7 January 1824 The first issue of the Berliner allgemeine musikalische Zeitung goes on sale.

    7 January 1826 Alahor in Granata, a dramma by Gaetano Donizetti (28) is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Carolino, Palermo.

    7 January 1827 Olivo e Pasquale, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (29) to words of Ferretti after Sografi, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Valle, Rome.  The audience response is frigid.

    7 January 1833 Tänze für den Berliner Künstlerball for orchestra by Otto Nicolai (22) are performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    7 January 1842 The second version of Gioachino Rossini’s (49) Stabat mater is performed publicly for the first time, in the Théâtre-Italien, Paris to an enthusiastic response.

    7 January 1844 Franz Liszt (32) conducts for the first time in Weimar.

    Lowell Mason (52) becomes music director at the Central Church on Winter Street in Boston.

    7 January 1856 Armen-Ball-Polka op.176 by Johann Strauss (30) is performed for the first time, in Schwender’s Collosseum, Vienna.

    7 January 1857 Franz Liszt’s (45) Concerto for piano and orchestra no.2 is performed for the first time, in Weimar, conducted by the composer.

    7 January 1858 A grand festival of Puerto Rican music is held in Ponce, organized by the visiting American, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (28).  A makeshift stage is built at the local inn, over the coffin of a wealthy foreigner who recently died.  While he is performing on the piano (which he had to tune), the stage collapses causing general pandemonium.  Gottschalk survives unhurt.

    7 January 1866 Sérénade op.15 for piano, organ, violin, and viola or cello by Camille Saint-Saëns (30) is performed for the first time time, at the salon of Princesse Mathilde in Paris with the composer at the organ.  Among the listeners is Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (83).

    7 January 1873 At the home of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) in St. Petersburg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) plays the finale of his Second Symphony to members of the kuchka.  They unanimously approve of the work.  It is the closest they will ever come to Tchaikovsky.

    7 January 1881 Schön München, a symphonic waltz by George Whitefield Chadwick (26), is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston.

    7 January 1893 Bourée fantasque for piano by Emanuel Chabrier (51) is performed for the first time.

    7 January 1894 Havanaise op.83 for violin and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (58) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    7 January 1895 Hubert Parry (46) delivers his first speech to the students as the newly-appointed director of the Royal College of Music.

    7 January 1898 Sadko, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (53) to words of Belsky, Stasov, Yastrebtsev, Shtrup, Findeyzen, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.

    Raymonda, a ballet by Alyeksandr Glazunov (32), is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    La mort de Tintagiles op.6 for two violas d’amore and orchestra by Charles Martin Loeffler (36) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston.  The composer plays one solo part.

    7 January 1899 Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc is born near the Elysée Palace in Paris, son of Emile Poulenc who, along with his brothers, owns a firm which manufactures industrial chemicals, and Jenny Royer, daughter of a cabinet maker.

    7 January 1903 L’étranger, an action musicale by Vincent d’Indy (51) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels.  Present is Claude Debussy (40) who hugs the composer at the end of the performance.

    7 January 1904 Arthur Foote (50) premieres his Suite in D op.54 for organ in Boston.

    7 January 1905 An Impromptu for harp op.86 by Gabriel Fauré (59) is performed for the first time.

    7 January 1917 Ulysses Simpson Kay, Jr. is born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Ulysses Simpson Kay, Sr., a barber, former cowboy and jockey, and Elizabeth Davis.

    7 January 1919 Old Grandmother’s Tales for piano op.31 by Sergey Prokofiev (27) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    7 January 1922 The Quatre Poèmes for baritone, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and trumpet by Francis Poulenc to words of Jacob, is performed for the first time, in Paris under the baton of Darius Milhaud (29), on the composer’s 23rd birthday.  The work will be destroyed by Poulenc.

    Sonata for two flutes op.75 by Charles Koechlin (54) is performed for the first time, in Salle des agriculteurs, Paris.

    7 January 1923 Promenades for piano by Francis Poulenc is performed for the first time, in Brussels, on the composer’s 24th birthday.

    7 January 1924 Trois histoires pour enfants for voice and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (41) to anonymous words, are performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    7 January 1925 At the New York home of mutual friends Paul and Zosia Kochansky, Igor Stravinsky (42) and George Gershwin (26) meet for the first time.  Tomorrow, Stravinsky will give his first performances in the United States, conducting the New York Philharmonic.  Stravinsky finds Gershwin “nervously energetic.” (Peyser, 97)

    7 January 1927 Oración del Torero op.34 for orchestra by Joaquín Turina (44) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    7 January 1930 Helen Tamiris and her dance company perform the first known dance to the music of Aaron Copland (29), in New York.  She calls is Sentimental Dance, to the music of Sentimental Melody:  Slow Dance for piano.

    7 January 1937 Love From a Stranger, a film with music by Benjamin Britten (23), is shown for the first time.  It is the only feature-length film for which Britten will compose music.

    The Eternal Road, a dramatic oratorio by Kurt Weill (36) to words of Werfel (tr. Lewisohn), is performed for the first time, in the Manhattan Opera House, New York.  This afternoon, the fire inspector closes the show owing to the many fire law violations in the set.  Mayor LaGuardia is reached by the producer desperately trying to save his show (and his investment).  Upon arriving at the theatre, His Honor finds the city fire inspector completely justified in his action, but in order that the show go on in the evening, LaGuardia stations firemen, with extinguishers at the ready, throughout the hall during the performance.  It is a success, but will eventually lose money.  See 13 June 1999.

    7 January 1938 Oriane et le Prince d’Amour, a ballet by Florent Schmitt (67) to a story of Séran, is staged for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  See 12 February 1937.

    7 January 1940 Violin Concerto by Willem Pijper (45) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    7 January 1941 Music Lovers’ Set of Five for flute, violin, cello, and piano by Henry Cowell (43) is performed for the first time, in the Community Playhouse, San Francisco.

    7 January 1942 Next of Kin, a film with music by William Walton (39), is shown for the first time, privately, in Curzon Theatre, London.

    Statements for Orchestra by Aaron Copland (41) is performed completely for the first time, in New York.  See 9 January 1936.

    7 January 1951 The first of ten weekly episodes of the radio play after Hardy The Mayor of Casterbridge with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (78), is heard over the airwaves of the BBC Home Service.

    7 January 1955 Marian Anderson makes her Metropolitan Opera debut as Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi’s (†53) Un ballo in maschera.  She is the first black lead in the company’s history.

    Symphony no.6 “Fantaisies symphoniques” by Bohuslav Martinu (64) is performed for the first time, in Boston, the celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

    7 January 1956 Three Sacred Songs for female voices and violin by Bohuslav Martinu (65) are performed for the first time, in Policka.  Also premiered is Martinu’s Easter for voice and piano to words of Erben.

    7 January 1958 Incidental music to Williams’ play Suddenly Last Summer by Ned Rorem (34) is performed for the first time, in York Playhouse, New York.

    7 January 1960 Ned Rorem’s (36) Trio for flute, cello, and piano is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    7 January 1961 Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Temple B’nai Jehuda, Kansas City, Missouri.

    7 January 1962 An orchestral suite from the music to the film Five Days, Five Nights by Dmitri Shostakovich (55) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Moscow.  See 23 November 1961.

    7 January 1964 Colin Carhart McPhee dies in Los Angeles, aged 63 years, nine months, and 23 days.

    Serenade for woodwind quintet, strings, harp, and xylophone by Karel Husa (42) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    7 January 1965 Monologe for two pianos by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (46) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR originating in Cologne.

    7 January 1967 Two chamber works by Ernst Krenek (66) are performed for the first time, in Bamberg:  Little Suite op.28 for clarinet and piano, the composer at the keyboard, and Invention for flute and clarinet op.127a.

    Night Train, an electronic music theatre by Robert Ashley (36) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.

    7 January 1973 Scorpius, a ballet by Thea Musgrave (44), is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.  The work is an arrangement of her Chamber Concerto no.1.  See 16 April 1962.

    7 January 1974 Quatuor III, 9 etudes for strings by Betsy Jolas (47) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    7 January 1979 Jersey Hours for voice and three harpsichords by Ulysses Kay to words of Dorr is performed for the first time, in Teaneck, New Jersey on the composer’s 62nd birthday.

    7 January 1990 A Violin Sonata by Krzysztof Penderecki (56) is performed for the first time, in Houston 37 years after it was composed.

    7 January 1994 Quoth the Raven, three pieces for clarinet and piano by Betsy Jolas (67), is performed for the first time, in Chambéry.

    7 January 1999 Une tour de Babel for tape by Pierre Henry (71) is performed for the first time, in Salle Olivier Messiaen of Radio France, Paris.

    7 January 2000 Sunset Strip for chamber orchestra by Michael Daugherty (45) is performed for the first time, in Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul, Minnesota.

    8 January

    8 January 1713 Arcangelo Corelli dies in Rome, aged 59 years, ten months, and 22 days.

    8 January 1753 Attilio Regolo, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (38) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Delle Dame, Rome. 

    8 January 1758 La fausse esclave, an opéra comique by Christoph Willibald Gluck (43) to words after Anseaume and Marcouville, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Burgtheater.

    8 January 1770 Didone abbandonata, an opera seria by Niccolò Piccinni (41) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Argentina, Rome.

    Scipione in Cartagena, an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini (39) to words of Giunti, is performed for the first time, in the Munich Residenz.

    8 January 1788 Axur, Re d’Ormus, an opera tragicomico by Antonio Salieri (37) to words of da Ponte after Beaumarchais, is performed for the first time, at the Burgtheater, Vienna.  The production is to celebrate the marriage of Archduke Franz, nephew of the Emperor, to Princess Elizabeth Wilhelmine of Württemberg.  It is a great success.

    8 January 1792 Lowell Mason is born in Medfield, Massachusetts, the first of five children born to Johnson Mason, co-owner of a dry goods store, and Catherine Hartshorn.

    8 January 1805 Eraldo ed Emma, a dramma eroico per musica by Simon Mayr (41) to words of Rossi, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    8 January 1812 Sigismond Fortuné François Thalberg is born in Pâquis near Geneva, the son of Joseph Thalberg and Fortunée Stein.  It is possible that his parents are presently married to others.

    Gioachino Rossini’s (19) farsa L’inganno felice to words of Foppa after Palomba is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Moisè, Venice.  The work is very successful with critics and public.

    8 January 1829 Samuel Sebastian Wesley (18) is appointed organist at St. Giles, Camberwell.

    8 January 1833 The Boston Academy of Music is organized on the 41st birthday of its inspiration, Lowell Mason.

    8 January 1837 The Gazette Musicale of Paris publishes an article vigorously attacking Sigismund Thalberg, coincidentally on his 25th birthday.  It is inspired and partly written by Franz Liszt (25).

    8 January 1843 Quintet for piano and strings by Robert Schumann (32) is performed for the first time, in a private morning concert in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.  Clara Schumann (23) plays the piano part.  See 9 February 1843.

    8 January 1844 A day after the Berlin premiere of Der fliegende Holländer, Giacomo Meyerbeer (52) hosts a dinner in honor of Richard Wagner (30).

    8 January 1845 Hear My Prayer, a hymn for soprano, chorus and organ by Felix Mendelssohn (35) to words of Bartholemew after the Bible, is performed for the first time, in London.

    8 January 1856 Erhöhte Pulse op.175, a waltz by Johann Strauss (30), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    8 January 1875 A third setting of Heimweh, a song by Johannes Brahms (41) to words of Groth, is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    8 January 1885 A Festmarsch in D for orchestra by Richard Strauss (20) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    8 January 1886 On a visit to the Villa Medici in Rome, Franz Liszt (74) hears a piano duet version of his Faust Symphony played by Paul Vidal and Claude Debussy (23).  Unfortunately, the maestro falls asleep during the performance.

    Five songs by Johannes Brahms (52) are performed for the first time, in Vienna:  Meerfahrt op.96/4, to words of Heine, Nachtigall op.97/1 to words of Reinhold, Dort in den Weiden op.97/4 to traditional words, Komm Bald, op.97/5 to words of Groth, and Trennung op.97/6, to traditional words.

    8 January 1888 Donauweibchen op.427, a waltz by Johann Strauss (62), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    8 January 1889 Claude Debussy (26) becomes a member of the Société Nationale de Musique.

    8 January 1892 A Slavonic Dance for cello and piano op.46/8 by Antonín Dvorák (50) is performed for the first time, in Chrudim.

    8 January 1895 Sonata for clarinet and piano op.120/2 by Johannes Brahms (61) is performed publicly for the first time, in Saal Bösendorfer, Vienna.  See 19 September 1894.

    8 January 1903 Five Sonnets from “The Triumph of Love” op.82 for voice and piano by Charles Villiers Stanford (50) to words of Holmes is performed for the first time, in St. James’ Hall, London, the composer at the piano.

    8 January 1905 The symphonic poem Le Palais hanté by Florent Schmitt (34) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    8 January 1906 Edgard Varèse (22) is one of four men applying for admission to the Paris Conservatoire.  They play fugues of their own composition before a nine-man jury.  They are all accepted.

    8 January 1910 The Symphony in c# minor by Ernst Bloch (29) is performed completely for the first time, in Geneva.  It is very successful.

    8 January 1911 Florent Schmitt’s (40) symphonic poem La tragedie de Salomé is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    8 January 1915 Eine vaterländische Ouvertüre op.140 for orchestra by Max Reger (41) is performed for the first time, in Wiesbaden, the composer conducting.

    8 January 1920 A meeting takes place in an apartment in the rue Gaillard, Paris at the invitation of the apartment’s occupant, Darius Milhaud (27).  It brings together several music critics and six young composers:  Milhaud, Arthur Honegger (27), Francis Poulenc (21), Louis Durey, Georges Auric and Germaine Tailleferre.  They spend the afternoon and evening talking about and listening to the new music.  This sees the first performance of Honegger’s Violin Sonata no.2 played by the composer and his future wife, Andrée Vaurabourg.  See 28 February 1920.

    Al Jolson records Swanee for Columbia Records.  It will be George Gershwin’s (21) first “hit”, selling in the hundreds of thousands.

    8 January 1923 The first wireless transmission of a complete opera is accomplished by the BBC from Covent Garden.  The opera is Mozart’s (†131) Die Zauberflöte.

    8 January 1927 Lyric Suite for string quartet by Alban Berg (41) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  It is a great success.

    8 January 1928 Kammermusik no.7 op.46/2, a concerto for organ and chamber orchestra by Paul Hindemith (32), is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    8 January 1937 String Quartet no. 4 by Arnold Schoenberg (62) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    8 January 1938 Mont Juic for orchestra by Benjamin Britten (24) and Lennox Berkeley is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC National.

    8 January 1940 Violin Concerto by Roger Sessions (43) is performed for the first time, in the Blackstone Theatre, Chicago, funded by the Federal Music Project.  Benjamin Britten (26) attends, but is not impressed.

    8 January 1941 Piano Sonata no.2 op.6 by Vincent Persichetti (25) is performed for the first time, in El Dorado, Kansas by the composer’s future wife, Dorothea Flanagan.

    8 January 1946 Francis Poulenc (47) is named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

    Capriccio (Ofrenda a Pablo Sarasate) for violin by Joaquín Rodrigo (44) is performed for the first time, in Madrid.

    8 January 1952 Karlheinz Stockhausen (23) arrives in Paris from Hamburg.  Here he will work on a commission from Donaueschingen and study with Darius Milhaud (59) and Olivier Messiaen (43).

    8 January 1953 Cello Sonata no.3 by Bohuslav Martinu (62) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    8 January 1959 Thea Musgrave’s (30) Obliques for orchestra is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Scotland.

    8 January 1961 Trio for flute, oboe and piano by Thea Musgrave (32) is performed for the first time, in London.

    8 January 1962 John Tavener (17) begins studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

    Theme and Interludes for youth orchestra by Thea Musgrave (33) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    8 January 1963 Katerina Izmailova, a “rehabilitation” of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, the opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (56) to words of Preys after Leskov, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.  See 26 December 1962.

    Seven Electronic Studies for Two-Channel Tape by Lejaren Hiller (38) and Robert A. Baker is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

    8 January 1966 Hyperion for flute, piccolo, and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (45), consisting of the already performed Dimensioni III and Aria, is performed for the first time, in Rome.

    8 January 1969 Sonata for violin and piano op.134 by Dmitri Shostakovich (62) is performed for the first time, privately before the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow.  See 3 May 1969.

    8 January 1970 Cheap Imitation for piano by John Cage (57) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York to the dance Second Hand by Merce Cunningham.

    8 January 1972 Symphony no.15 op.141 by Dmitri Shostakovich (65) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.  It is a popular and critical success.

    8 January 1975 San Francisco Polyphony for orchestra by György Ligeti (51) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    8 January 1976 The Promises of Darkness for eleven players and slide projections by Roger Reynolds (41) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    8 January 1978 Hymn to Night for soprano, orchestra, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (44) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    8 January 1979 On Tourne, a ballet by Bohuslav Martinu (†19), is performed for the first time, in Brno, 52 years after it was composed.

    8 January 1980 The Amazing Flight, a “mechanical ballet” by Bohuslav Martinu (†20), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Czechoslovak Radio, 53 years after it was composed.  See 25 June 1994.

    8 January 1984 String Quartet no.3 by Alfred Schnittke (49) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    Songs of Innocence and of Experience:  A Musical Illumination of the William Blake Poems for soloists, chorus and orchestra by William Bolcom (45) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    8 January 1985 The three Grandes études op.76 of Valentin Alkan (†96) are performed completely for probably the first time, at the Guildhall School of Music, London, 147 years after they were composed.

    8 January 1986 Concerto for bassoon and orchestra op.63 by Robin Holloway (42) is performed for the first time, in City Hall, Newcastle.

    8 January 1998 Michael Kemp Tippett dies of pneumonia at his West London home, aged 93 years and six days.

    8 January 2000 Sonance Severance 2000 for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (65) is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland.

    9 January

    9 January 1753 Titon et l’Aurore, a pastorale-heroique by Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville (41) to words of de La Marre, de Voisenon and de Lamotte, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  Its success is seen as a victory for the proponents of French opera in the Querelle des Bouffons.

    9 January 1756 I fratelli nemici, an opera by Karl Heinrich Graun (52) to words of King Friedrich II after Racine, translated by Tagliazucchi, is performed for the first time, at the Berlin Opera.

    9 January 1766 La pescatrice, ovvero L’erede riconosciuta, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (37), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Capranica, Rome.

    9 January 1773 La sposa collerica, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (44), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.

    9 January 1802 The Harmonic Society of Philadelphia is founded for the study and performance of sacred music.  Its first president will be Andrew Law (52).

    9 January 1808 Publication of the Razumovsky String Quartets and the Coriolan Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven (37) is announced.

    9 January 1816 Ludwig van Beethoven (45) wins custody of his nephew in opposition to the boy’s mother.  See 28 November 1815.

    9 January 1820 Heinrich August Marschner (24) marries for the second time, to Eugenie Franziska Jaeggi, an accomplished pianist, the daughter of a valet, in Pressburg.

    9 January 1831 A new constitution is announced in Hesse-Kassel.  During the celebrations, Louis Spohr's (46) Jessonda is performed as is a play by Niemeyer.  In the play is a new hymn by Spohr: Hessens Feiergesang for chorus and winds to words of Wolf.

    9 January 1839 Incidental music to Birnbaum’s play Der Matrose by Louis Spohr (54) is performed for the first time, in Kassel.

    John Knowles Paine is born in Portland, Maine, the second of five children born to Jacob Small Paine, a craftsman of umbrellas and musical instruments, also a music publisher and distributor of sheet music and pianos, and Rebecca Beebe Downes

    9 January 1842 Anton Rubinstein (12) gives his first performance in Vienna, playing music of Thalberg (30), JS Bach (†91), Liszt (30) and his own song Zuruf aus der Ferne, to words of Weiden, which he accompanies.

    9 January 1852 Incidental music to Molière’s play Le bourgeois gentilhomme by Charles Gounod (33) is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre-Français, Paris.

    9 January 1872 Le Rouet d’Omphale op.31 for orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (36) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    9 January 1884 Amy Marcy Cheney (16) gives her first public recital, in Chickering Hall, Boston.  The critics are generally positive.

    9 January 1885 Two songs by Johannes Brahms (51) are performed for the first time, in Vienna:  Sapphische Ode op.94/4, to words of Schmidt, and Mädchenlied op.95/6 to Italian words translated by Heyse.

    9 January 1886 The Sonata no.1 for piano and violin op.75 by Camille Saint-Saëns (50) is performed for the first time, in Paris, the composer at the keyboard.

    9 January 1891 Jean Sibelius (25) auditions to be a violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic.  He is encumbered by stage fright and does not receive the position.

    9 January 1893 Morceaux de fantaisie op.3, five piano pieces by Sergey Rakhmaninov (19), are performed together for the first time, in Kharkov by the composer.

    9 January 1904 Estampes for piano by Claude Debussy (41), is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.  The audience requires the pianist, Ricardo Viñes, to encore “Jardin sous la pluie.”

    9 January 1908 Two works for voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (25) are performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg:  Spring to words of Gorodetsky, and Pastorale, a vocalise.

    Results of a competition for an opera by an English composer, offered by Ricordi of Milan, are announced.  The Angelus of Edward Woodall Naylor wins.  Second place goes to Sita by Gustav Holst (33).

    9 January 1909 Maurice Ravel’s (33) piano work Gaspard de la nuit is performed for the first time, at the Salle Erard, Paris.

    9 January 1913 A ballet produced to Gabriel Fauré’s (67) Dolly op.56 is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Arts, Paris.  See 30 April 1898 and 6 December 1906.

    9 January 1914 Incidental music to (Grand Duke Konstantin) Romanov’s play The King of the Jews by Alyeksandr Glazunov (48) is performed for the first time, in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

    9 January 1922 The Four Orchestral Pieces op.12 by Béla Bartók (40) are performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    9 January 1925 Nadia Boulanger (37) gives her first organ recital in the United States in the Wannamaker Auditorium, Philadelphia.  It is the first of 26 recitals she will give through the end of February.

    9 January 1927 Prelude and Scherzo op.11 for string octet by Dmitri Shostakovich (20) is performed for the first time, in Mozart Hall, Stanislavsky Art Theatre, Moscow.

    9 January 1928 Il canto del lavoro for chorus and orchestra by Pietro Mascagni (64) to words of Bovio and Rossoni is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    9 January 1929 A setting of the Stabat mater (tr. Jankowski) for solo voices, chorus. and orchestra by Karol Szymanowski (46) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.  While taking the cure at Edlach in Lower Austria, the composer hears the performance over the radio, perhaps his first encounter with the medium.  He is ecstatic to be able to hear his music from so far away.

    9 January 1931 Three Songs to Poems by Guillaume Apollinaire by Bohuslav Martinu (40) is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    9 January 1934 The Heimwehr publication Österreichische Abendzeitung publishes serious charges against the soon-to-be produced Ernst Krenek (33) opera Karl V and the publishers Universal Edition.

    9 January 1936 The fifth and sixth movements of Statements for orchestra by Aaron Copland (35) are performed for the first time, in an NBC radio broadcast originating in Minneapolis.  See 7 January 1942.

    9 January 1937 Ralph Vaughan Williams’ (64) orchestral work Music for English Folk Dance Society Masque is performed for the first time, in the Royal Albert Hall, London.

    9 January 1939 Movements one and three of Contrasts for violin, clarinet, and piano by Béla Bartók (57) are performed for the first time, in New York by Joseph Szigeti, Benny Goodman, and Endre Petri.  See 4 February 1941.

    9 January 1941 Reel no.2 for small orchestra by Henry Cowell (43) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.

    9 January 1943 Psalm 64 and Isaiah Chapter 35 for voice and piano by Stefan Wolpe (40) is performed for the first time, at the home of Josef Wagner, New York.

    9 January 1945 Experiences I for two pianos by John Cage (32) is performed for the first time, at the Hunter College Playhouse, New York.

    Long Live Louis and Sidney Homer for chorus by Samuel Barber (34) is performed for the first time, in Winter Park, Florida.

    9 January 1946 Children’s Hour for orchestra by Roy Harris (47) is performed for the first time, in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.

    9 January 1947 Almost two months after his death in Argentina, the earthly remains of Manuel de Falla are interred in the crypt of the Cathedral of Cádiz amidst a large funeral attended by ministers of state and Spain’s musical elite.  Pope Pius XII calls Falla a “favorite son of the Church” and allows the burial in the cathedral. 

    Street Scene, a broadway opera by Kurt Weill (46) to words of Rice and Hughes, opens in New York.  To the astonishment of the producers, the work is a popular and critical success.  See 16 December 1946.

    Symphony no.2 by Roger Sessions (50) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    9 January 1948 Symphony no.3 by Walter Piston (53) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    9 January 1953 Piano Concerto no.4 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (65) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh, the composer conducting.

    9 January 1956 Fantasias op.3 for clarinet in A and piano by Alexander Goehr (23) is performed for the first time, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.

    9 January 1957 A Womb with a View for trombone, percussion, piano, and violin by Peter Maxwell Davies (22) is performed for the first time, as incidental music to a lecture by Dr. CEB Richard of the Department of Gynecology of Manchester University in the Large Anatomy Theatre of the medical school.  The composer directs from the keyboard.

    9 January 1964 The Masque of Angels, an opera by Dominick Argento (36) to words of Olon-Scrymgeour, is performed for the first time, in Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis.  It is a hit with public and press.

    9 January 1965 Divertimento for orchestra by Roger Sessions (68) is performed for the first time, in Honolulu.

    9 January 1967 Hymn to the Night for orchestra by Robert Ward (49) is performed for the first time, in Mobile Municipal Theatre, Alabama.

    Roddy for two-track tape by Robert Erickson (49) is performed for the first time, at Mills College, Oakland.

    9 January 1968 La Morte ha fatto l’uovo, a film with music by Bruno Maderna (47), is released in Italy.

    9 January 1969 Delusion of the Fury:  a Ritual of Dream and Delusion for actors, chorus, dancers, large ensemble of original instruments, and small hand instruments by Harry Partch (67) to his own words after traditional words is performed for the first time, at UCLA.  Public and press are ecstatic.

    9 January 1973 Eugene Ormandy informs Vincent Persichetti (57) that the piece he has composed for the presidential inauguration, A Lincoln Address, will not be performed.

    9 January 1976 Phaedra, a melodrama for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by George Rochberg (57) to words of Gene Rochberg after Lowell, is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Auditorium, Syracuse, New York.

    9 January 1978 Amour no.44, five pieces for clarinet by Karlheinz Stockhausen (49), is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    9 January 1983 William Schuman’s (72) choral cycle Perceptions to words of Whitman is performed for the first time, in Greenwich, Connecticut.

    9 January 1986 Concerto for viola and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (51) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    9 January 1987 Silver Ladders for orchestra by Joan Tower (48) is performed for the first time, in Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis.

    9 January 1997 Seven Gates of Jerusalem for solo voices, narrator, three choruses, and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (63) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, in Jerusalem.

    9 June 2012 Symphony no.9 by Peter Maxwell Davies (77) is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

    10 January

    10 January 1753 King Louis XV issues an edict which orders the opera company of Eutachio Bambini out of Paris.  They have been the champions of Italian opera in the Querelle des Bouffons.  Both Bambini and the Opéra will ignore the order.

    10 January 1760 Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg is born in Sachsenflur, near Mergentheim, son of a personal servant to Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg.

    10 January 1761 The Way to Keep Him, a play Murphy, with music by Thomas Augustine Arne (50) is performed for the first time, at the Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    10 January 1765 Il barone di Torrefonte, an intermezzo by Niccolò Piccinni (36), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Capranica, Rome.

    10 January 1770 Le donne letterate, a commedia per musica by Antonio Salieri (19) to words of G. Boccherini, is performed for the first time, at the Vienna Burgtheater.  It is his first opera.

    10 January 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dates the score to his String Quartet K.464.

    10 January 1786 Funeral Music for A. Schulte by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (71) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    10 January 1797 Lisbeth, a drame lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (55) to words of de Favières after de Florian, is performed for the first time, at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

    10 January 1823 Jan Václav Vorísek (31), a clerk in the maritime division of the Imperial War Deparment in Vienna, is appointed assistant court organist.

    10 January 1826 Franz Schubert (28) attends a party at the Vienna home of Franz von Schober.  Eduard von Bauernfeld has invited the poet Johann Gabriel Seidl in an effort to rejoin Schubert with Seidl.  Within a few weeks Schubert will compose the first of eleven songs he will write to Seidl’s words.

    10 January 1828 Gute Nacht, the first in Franz Schubert’s (30) song cycle Die Winterreise D.911 to words of Müller, is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    10 January 1829 La fiancée, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (46) to words of Scribe after Mason and Brucker, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    10 January 1833 Die erste Walpurgisnacht, a cantata for chorus and orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn (23) to words of Goethe, is performed publicly for the first time, in Berlin.  The press is mixed.  See 11 October 1832.

    10 January 1835 The overture to Richard Wagner’s (21) romantic opera Die FeenWWV 32 is performed for the first time, in Magdeburg, conducted by the composer.  See 12 December 1833 and 29 June 1888.

    10 January 1839 Notre-Dame des orages, a cantata for two voices and piano by César Franck (16) to words of the Comte de Pastoret, is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.

    10 January 1852 Windsor-Klänge op.104, a waltz by Johann Strauss (26), is performed for the first time, in the Palais Coburg, Vienna.

    10 January 1853 Jules Massenet (10) is examined once again for entrance to the Paris Conservatoire.  He plays a Beethoven (†25) sonata and is admitted to a piano class.  See 9 October 1851.

    10 January 1857 Louis Moreau Gottschalk (27) gives his first and only concert with the New York Philharmonic.  He performs the first movement of Adolf von Henselt’s (42) Concerto in f minor op.16.  The critics are not kind.

    10 January 1864 In a weakened condition because of a fever, Stephen Foster (37) collapses in his hotel room in the Bowery, New York and hits his head on a wash basin.  The accident also opens a gash in his neck.  He is taken to Bellevue Hospital where his neck is stitched.

    10 January 1866 Ode to Joy, a cantata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) to words of Schiller (tr. Axakov, et. al.), is performed for the first time, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (36), as part of the graduation exercise from St. Petersburg Conservatory.  Unable to face public scrutiny, the composer is absent.

    10 January 1872 The Praise of Music for double chorus by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (61) to words of Oliphant, is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.  It was composed at the request of the conductor, Charles Gounod (53).

    10 January 1875 Scènes dramatiques d’après Shakespeare, the third suite for orchestra by Jules Massenet (32), is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.

    10 January 1882 Kuß-Walzer op.400 by Johann Strauss (56) is performed for the first time, in the Hofburg, Vienna.

    10 January 1883 Gustav Mahler (22) receives a telegram in Vienna announcing his appointment as Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater in Olmütz (Olomouc).

    10 January 1885 Impromptus nos.2&3 opp.31&34 for piano by Gabriel Fauré (39) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris, Camille Saint-Saëns (49) at the piano.

    10 January 1886 The Te Deum of Anton Bruckner (61) is performed for the first time with orchestra, in Vienna to great applause.  See 2 May 1885.

    10 January 1890 Lancelot und Elaine, a symphonic poem after Tennyson by Edward MacDowell (29), is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    10 January 1893 Fürstin Ninetta, an operetta by Johann Strauss (67) to words of Wittmann and Bauer, is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    10 January 1896 Johannes Brahms (62) conducts his two piano concertos in Berlin.  It is the last time he will conduct.

    Sonatina for violin and piano op.100 by Antonín Dvorák (54) is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).

    10 January 1900 Two orchestral pieces, a Cossack Dance and a Serbian Kolo-round dance, both by Leos Janácek (45) are performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).

    10 January 1905 Two Songs op.17 for voice and piano by Frederick S. Converse (34) to words of Rossetti and Tennyson, are performed for the first time, in Boston.

    10 January 1907 An orchestral suite from the incidental music to Jeanne d’Arc by Frederick S. Converse (36) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.

    10 January 1919 In solidarity with his colleagues in France, Charles Villiers Stanford (66) resigns his membership in the Royal Academy of Arts, Berlin.

    10 January 1920 Poèmes juifs op.34, a cycle for voice and piano by Darius Milhaud (27), is performed for the first time, in Paris, the composer at the keyboard.

    10 January 1921 Two Songs op.5 by Zoltán Kodály (38) to words of Berzsenyi and Ady, are performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    Authorities in Zion City, Illinois ban jazz in public places.

    10 January 1922 Two works for voice and piano by Aaron Copland (21) are performed for the first time, in the Salle des agriculteurs, Paris, the composer at the piano:  Old Poem, to anonymous Chinese words (tr. Waley), and Pastorale to anonymous Kafiristan words (tr. Matthews).

    Quatre poèmes de Paul Claudel pour baryton op.26 for voice and piano by Darius Milhaud (29) is performed completely for the first time, in Paris.

    10 January 1923 Sonata for viola and piano op.25/4 by Paul Hindemith (27) is performed for the first time, in Elberfeld-Barmen.  The soloist is the composer.

    10 January 1925 While Béla Bartók (42) is in Prague to perform some of his works, he meets Leos Janácek (70) for the first time.  They spend a good part of the evening discussing Slovak folksongs.

    10 January 1926 A new Military March and an arrangement of the opera music for the film Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss (61) are performed for the first time, in the Dresden Opera House, conducted by the composer.  Unfortunately, the film is a flop.

    10 January 1928 Theatre Overture by Zoltán Kodály (45) is performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    Rosalie, a musical comedy with a book by Bolton and McGuire, lyrics by Wodehouse and Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (29) is performed for the first time in New York, at the New Amsterdam Theatre.  It includes the song How Long Has This Been Going On. The play will see 335 performances.  See 8 December 1927.

    10 January 1930 Austria, for male chorus and orchestra by Richard Strauss (65) to words of Wildgans, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    10 January 1931 Vincent d’Indy (79) is elevated to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor.

    Three Places in New England by Charles Ives (56) is performed publicly for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  The composer is in attendance.  During a performance of Carl Ruggles’ (54) Men and Mountains Ives tells a hissing audience member to “...stand up and use your ears like a man...” 

    10 January 1934 Phantasm for piano and orchestra by Frank Bridge (54) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    10 January 1941 Afternoon.  Frank Bridge dies of a heart attack in Eastbourne, aged 61 years, ten months, and 15 days.  The ashes of his mortal remains will be buried in Friston churchyard.

    10 January 1948 Andrey Zhdanov, First Secretary of the Leningrad Communist Party, convenes a meeting of musicians at the Party Central Committee in Moscow.  He launches an all-out assault on “formalists”, Sergey Prokofiev (56), Aram Khachaturian (44), Dmitri Shostakovich (41) (all three of whom are present) and others.  Their music is likened to a dentist’s drill.  They are accused of elitism, and of abandoning “true” Soviet forms.

    10 January 1951 Incidental music to Leach’s play The Wooden Bird by Harry Partch (49) and Ben Johnston (24) is performed for the first time, in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The music was recorded last 8 November by Partch and Johnston for this performance.

    10 January 1952 Harpsichord Sonata no.1 by Vincent Persichetti (36) is performed for the first time, at Shippensburg State College, Pennsylvania.

    10 January 1953 String Quartet no.1 by George Rochberg (34) is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre, New York.  The composer also premieres his Twelve Bagatelles for piano.  He arrives just before his part of the program, having traveled from Passaic, New Jersey in a blinding snowstorm.

    10 January 1954 Music for Piano 2 by John Cage (41) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    10 January 1955 Aria and Tarantelle for cello and piano by Robert Ward (37) is performed for the first time, in the Textile Museum, Washington.

    10 January 1959 Trois pas des Tritons, an orchestral excerpt from Hans Werner Henze’s (32) opera Undine, is performed separately for the first time, in Rome.  See 3 March 1958 and 27 October 1958.

    10 January 1960 Movements for piano and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (77) is performed for the first time, at Town Hall, New York, under the baton of the composer.  On the same program is the premiere of Stravinsky’s Tres sacrae cantiones, an arrangement for chorus of three sacred works by Carlo Gesualdo (†346).

    10 January 1962 Air and Scherzo for alto saxophone and piano by Henry Cowell (64) is performed completely for the first time, at Southwestern Louisiana University in Lafayette.  See 14 August 1961.

    10 January 1964 Figures-Doubles-Prismes for orchestra by Pierre Boulez (38), an expansion of his Doubles, is performed for the first time, in Strasbourg the composer conducting.  See 16 March 1958.

    10 January 1966 William Walton (63) undergoes an operation at the London Clinic for a suspected case of lung cancer.

    String Trio by Ralph Shapey (44) is performed for the first time, at the Textile Museum, Washington.

    10 January 1968 Jazz Band Piece by Gustav Holst (†33) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 36 years after it was composed.

    10 January 1969 The sentence of 15 years for Isang Yun (51) for espionage is reduced to ten years by the South Korean government.  He will be released next month.

    Symphony no.9 “Le fosse ardeatine” by William Schuman (58) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  The work was inspired by a visit to the monument to the victims of 24 March 1944 in Rome.

    10 January 1978 Sonata for cello and piano by Lejaren Hiller (53) is performed for the first time, in Rome, 23 years after it was composed.

    10 January 1979 XXV Opera Snatches for trumpet by William Schuman (68) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    10 January 1982 Incidental music to Higgins’ play Stacked Deck by Pauline Oliveros (49) is performed for the first time, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

    10 January 1985 Malven for voice and piano by Richard Strauss (†35) is performed for the first time, in New York 37 years after it was composed.

    Riverrun for piano and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (54) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    10 January 1986 A chamber version of The Desert Music by Steve Reich (49) to words of Williams, is performed for the first time, in Richmond, Virginia.  See 17 March 1984.

    10 January 1987 Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman no.1 for brass and percussion by Joan Tower (48) is performed for the first time, in Jones Hall, Houston.

    10 January 1988 Lowry-Lieder, a cycle for voice and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (35) to words of Wolf Wondratschek, is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    10 January 1990 Interlude for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (76) is performed for the first time, in Munich conducted by the composer.  Also premiered is Lutoslawski’s orchestration of Partita for violin and orchestra, also conducted by the composer.  See 18 January 1985.

    New Year Suite for orchestra by Michael Tippett (85) is performed for the first time, in the Flint Center, San Francisco.

    10 January 1993 Dreaming for orchestra and tape by Roger Reynolds (58) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    10 January 1997 Clarinet Concerto by Elliott Carter (88) is performed for the first time, in Le Châtelet, Paris, conducted by Pierre Boulez (71).

    10 January 2002 The Shadow of Night for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (67) is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland.

    10 January 2009 Symphony no.4 “Los Angeles” by Arvo Pärt (73) is performed for the first time, in Disney Hall, Los Angeles.

    11 January

    11 January 1763 Alcide, a festa teatrale by Franz Joseph Haydn (30) to words of Migliavacca, is performed for the first time, in celebrations surrounding the wedding of Anton, son of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, in Eisenstadt.  Also performed as part of the celebrations is Haydn’s cantata Vivan gl’illustri sposi.

    11 January 1769 Niccolò Piccinni’s (40) opera buffa L’innocenza riconosciuta, is performed for the first time, in Senigallia.

    11 January 1773 Le bon fils, an opéra-comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (46) to words of Devaux (pseud. of Abbé Lemonnier), is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.  It is originally performed as Antoine Masson but the title will be changed in the printed libretto.

    11 January 1783 Mia speranza adorata…Ah, non sai qual pena, K.416, a concert aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (26) to words of Sertor, is performed for the first time, in Vienna, three days after it was composed.

    11 January 1787 Wolfgang Amadeus (30) and Constanze Mozart arrive in Prague and are given a royal reception by the artistic establishment.

    11 January 1788 Andromeda, an opera seria by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (35) to words of de’ Filistri da Caramondani, is performed for the first time, in the newly renovated Königliches Theater, Berlin before King Friedrich Wilhelm II.

    11 January 1790 L’armonia, a cantata by Pasquale Anfossi (62) to words of Butturini, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Benedetto, Venice.

    11 January 1801 14:00  Domenico Cimarosa dies in Venice, aged 51 years, 25 days.  The cause of death is probably stomach cancer, although rumor has it that he was poisoned by agents of Queen Maria Carolina of Naples.  See 5 April 1801.

    11 January 1819 A hearing is held in the Magistrat (commoners’ court) in Vienna concerning the guardianship of Karl van Beethoven.  The court will rule that his uncle, Ludwig van Beethoven (48) should no longer be his guardian and the boy must be placed in the care of his mother until another guardian can be found.

    Ein Mädchen ging die Wies’ entlang, a lied by Carl Maria von Weber (32), is performed for the first time, as part of Der Abend am Waldbrunnen, a play by Kind, in the Dresden Hoftheater.

    11 January 1827 An schwager Kronos D.369, a song by Franz Schubert (29) to words of Goethe, is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    11 January 1840 Franz Liszt (28) gives a concert in Pest to raise money for the foundation of a national music conservatory.  Instead of his usual place at the keyboard, he conducts publicly for the first time.

    11 January 1850 At a concert in Paris, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (20) plays his new mazurka Fatma for the first time in public.

    11 January 1851 Neujahrslied op.144 for chorus and orchestra by Robert Schumann (40) to words of Rückert is performed for the first time, in Düsseldorf.

    11 January 1860 Kammerball-Polka op.230 by Johann Strauss (34) is performed for the first time, in the Hofburg, Vienna.

    11 January 1862 Monsieur et Madame Denis, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (42) to words of Laurencin (pseud. of Chapelle) and Delaporte, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    11 January 1864 La fiancée du Roi de Garbe, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (82) to words of Scribe and Saint-Georges, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.  In the audience is an increasingly infirm Giacomo Meyerbeer (72).

    Neckereien op.31/2 for vocal quartet by Johannes Brahms (30) to anonymous words is performed for the first time, in Vienna conducted by the composer.

    11 January 1869 18 years after its first publication, Richard Wagner (55) sends out from Tribschen a slightly amended Das Judenthum in Musik for republication.  It will not be received well.

    11 January 1879 Two songs for voice and piano by Gabriel Fauré (33) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris:  Après un rêve op.7/1 to anonymous words translated by Bussine, and Sylvie op.6/3 to words of de Choudens.

    11 January 1881 String Quartet no.1 by Alyeksandr Borodin (47) is performed for the first time.

    11 January 1895 Sonata for clarinet and piano op.120/1 by Johannes Brahms (61) is performed publicly for the first time, in Saal Bösendorfer, Vienna.  See 19 September 1894.

    11 January 1902 Claude Debussy’s (39) Pour le piano is performed for the first time, at the Salle Erard, Paris.

    11 January 1904 String Quintet no.1 op.85 by Charles Villiers Stanford (51) is performed for the first time, in St. James’ Hall, London.

    11 January 1908 Librettist Jules Bois and Vincent d’Indy (56) engage in a duel with pistols in the Parc-des-Princes, Paris.  Two shots are fired but no one is hurt.  d’Indy has decided not to proceed with an opera written by Bois, Phèdre et Hippolyte.  This is followed by acrimonious accusations in public periodicals by the two antagonists.  They decide to satisfy their honor in this anacronistic and illegal manner.  Afterwards, d’Indy goes to a rehearsal.

    Quatre Poèmes for voice and piano op.8 by Albert Roussel (38), to words of Régnier, is performed for the first time, at the Salle Erard, Paris, the composer at the keyboard.

    11 January 1913 Camille Saint-Saëns (77) receives the Grande Croix of the French Legion of Honor.

    11 January 1919 Eventyr, a ballad for orchestra by Frederick Delius (56), is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    11 January 1925 Symphony for Organ and Orchestra by Aaron Copland (24) is performed for the first time, in New York.  The composer’s teacher, Nadia Boulanger (37), is at the organ.  The public is impressed along with most of the critics, but conductor Walter Damrosch is quoted as saying, “If a gifted young man can write a symphony like this at 23, within five years he will be ready to commit murder.”

    11 January 1928 A recording is made of Kurt Weill’s (27) Tango Angèle to be used in his opera Der Zar lässt sich photographieren.  It is the first recording of any music by Kurt Weill and will be released to the public next month.

    Horace victorieux, a ballet by Arthur Honegger (35) to a story by Fauconnet after Livius, is staged for the first time, in the Essen Stadttheater.   See 31 October 1921.

    11 January 1930 The first concert performance of Boléro by Maurice Ravel (54) takes place in Paris, the composer conducting.  See 22 November 1928.

    Piano Trio op.98 by Vincent d’Indy (78) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    11 January 1931 Kérob-shal op.67, a cycle for voice and orchestra by Florent Schmitt (60), is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    11 January 1940 Sergey Prokofiev’s (48) ballet Romeo and Juliet is performed in the Soviet Union for the first time, in the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad.  Due to the war with Finland, the city is in blackout.

    The Great American Goof, a ballet by Henry Brant (26), is performed for the first time, in New York.

    11 January 1941 Ecuba, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (58) to his own words after Euripedes, is performed for the first time, in Rome.  It uses music from his incidental music to the play.

    11 January 1942 Henry Cowell’s (44) Suite for piano and string orchestra is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    11 January 1943 New Spalicek, a cycle for voice and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (52), is performed for the first time, in New York.

    11 January 1946 Paul Hindemith (50) becomes a citizen of the United States.

    11 January 1950 Orchestral excerpts from Hugo Weisgall’s (37) ballet Outpost are performed for the first time, in Baltimore conducted by the composer.

    11 January 1951 Arcadian Songs and Dances from “Louisiana Story” for orchestra by Virgil Thomson (54) is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

    11 January 1952 Suite for violin, piano, and small orchestra by Lou Harrison (34) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    11 January 1967 The Severn Bridge Variations for orchestra are performed for the first time, in Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.  Variations were composed on the Welsh tune Braint to celebrate the opening of the new Severn Bridge connecting England and Wales.  Each of the six variations is by a different British composer, the last being by Michael Tippett (62).

    11 January 1971 A Song to the Lute in Musicke for soprano and piano by Charles Wuorinen (32) to words attributed to Edwards, is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre, Columbia University.

    11 January 1974 Two choral works by Frederick Delius (†39) are performed for the first time, in St. John’s, Smith Square, London:  Durch den Wald to words of von Schreck, and Sonnenscheinlied to words of Bjørnsen, over 85 years after they were composed.  See 10 June 1992.

    11 January 1976 A Birthday Hansel op.92 for voice and harp by Benjamin Britten (62) to words of Burns is performed for the first time, in Schloss Elmau, Upper Bavaria.  This is the last recital ever given by Pears and Britten.  See 19 March 1976.

    11 January 1978 Amazon I for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Joan Tower (39) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    11 January 1980 Tournaments:  Overture for orchestra by John Corigliano (41) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    11 January 1983 Cello Concerto no.2 by Krzysztof Penderecki (49) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    11 January 1988 Niobe for oboe and tape by Thea Musgrave (59) is performed for the first time, in London.

    11 January 1990 Symphony no.5 by William Bolcom (51) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    11 January 1992 The Flute of Interior Time for baritone and piano by John Harbison (53) to words of Kabir (tr. Bly) is performed for the first time, in the Shauspielhaus, Berlin.

    11 January 1993 Concerto for flute and chamber orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (59) is performed for the first time, in Lausanne.

    11 January 1994 Concerto grosso no.6 for violin, piano, and string orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (59) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    11 January 1997 Venus and Adonis, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (70) to words of Treichel, is performed for the first time, at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich.

    11 January 2003 Passionen eines Lebens, a film about Sofia Gubaidulina (71), is shown for the first time, over ZDF/ARTE television in Germany.

    12 January

    12 January 1674 Reinhard Keiser is baptized in Teuchern.

    Giacomo Carissimi dies in Rome, aged 68 years, eight months, and 25 days.

    12 January 1756 Georg Christoph Wagenseil (40) presents himself to request royal permission to publish his instrumental music in France.  It will be granted for a period of ten years and made retroactive to this date.

    12 January 1774 A second version of Alessandro nelle Indie, an opera seria by Niccolò Piccinni (45) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples to celebrate the birthday of King Ferdinando IV.  It is a big success with press and public.

    12 January 1785 Antigono, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (44) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples, to celebrate the birthday of King Ferdinando IV.  In the wake of this success, Paisiello will approach the King for a regular stipend.

    12 January 1787 Pirro, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (46) to words of de Gamerra is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    Castore e Polluce, a tragedia lirica by Georg Joseph Vogler (37) to his own words after Frugoni, is performed for the first time, at the Hoftheater, Munich.

    12 January 1788 Ifigenia in Aulide, an opera seria by Luigi Cherubini (27) to words of Moretti, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Regio, Turin.

    12 January 1790 Having been removed from the Tuileries Palace by the presence of the royal family, the Théâtre de Monsieur gives its first performance in the much smaller, and more remote, Foire Saint-Germain.

    12 January 1793 Ercole al Termedante, an opera seria by Niccolò Piccinni (64) is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    12 January 1794 Elvira, a tragedia per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (53) to words of Calzabigi, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    12 January 1799 The Wiener Zeitung announces publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (28) three violin sonatas op.12.

    12 January 1801 A requiem mass in honor of Domenico Cimarosa takes place in Chiesa di Sant’Angelo, Venice after which his mortal remains are laid to rest in the church.  The music is provided free by the Venetian musicians.  (Since the demolition of the church in 1837, the exact burial place is unknown.

    12 January 1804 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (25) signs a contract to serve as Konzertmeister to Prince Nikolas Esterházy at Eisenstadt.

    12 January 1813 Carl Maria von Weber (26) arrives in Prague from Leipzig to find that he is offered the post of Director of the Opera.  He will eventually sign a three-year contract with unlimited powers.

    12 January 1816 Giunone, a cantata for the birthday of King Ferdinando IV of Naples by Gioachino Rossini (23), is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    12 January 1817 Teatro San Carlo in Naples reopens eleven months after having burned to the ground.  The inaugural work is the premiere of Simon Mayr’s (53) melodramma allegorico Il sogno di Partenope to words of Lampredi, composed for the birthday of King Ferdinando I.

    12 January 1824 In Paris, Hector Berlioz (20) takes the oral examination at the Faculty of Sciences and passes, giving him the degree of Bachelier ès sciences physiques and qualifying him for advanced study in medicine.  The degree will be awarded tomorrow.

    12 January 1826 Rastlose Liebe D.138, a song by Franz Schubert (28) to words of Goethe, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Musikverein.

    12 January 1829 Il paria, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (31) to words of Gilardoni after Delavigne, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    12 January 1832 Fausta, a melodramma by Gaetano Donizetti (34) to words of Gilardoni and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The work scores a major success.

    12 January 1836 After the sixth performance of Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti (38), Rainer, Archduke of Austria, the Austrian governor of Lombardy bans the work owing to profanity and other abominations contained therein.

    12 January 1864 Morgenblätter op.279, a waltz by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    12 January 1871 The request of Johann Strauss, Jr. (45) to be released from his position as Hofballmusik-Direktor is granted by Emperor Franz Joseph.  The grounds of the request are ill health, but he probably wants to devote himself more to stage composition.  Strauss is awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph.

    12 January 1879 Kennst du mich? op.381, a waltz by Johann Strauss (53), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    Abendregen op.70/4, a song by Johannes Brahms (45) to words of Keller, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    12 January 1882 Drei Stücke für Pianoforte und Violoncell op.1 by Arthur Foote (28) are performed for the first time, in Boston, the composer at the keyboard.

    12 January 1883 Thalia, an overture by George Whitefield Chadwick (28), is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston, directed by the composer.

    12 January 1884 Madrigal op.35 for vocal quartet and piano by Gabriel Fauré (38) to words of Silvestre, is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.  Also premiered are two excerpts from César Franck’s (51) unperformed opera Hulda, played on piano.

    12 January 1885 Engelbert Humperdinck (30) meets Richard Strauss (20) at a rehearsal for Strauss’ Symphony in f minor.

    12 January 1894 The String Quintet “American” op.97 by Antonín Dvorák (52) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    12 January 1895 Incidental music to Comyns Carr’s play King Arthur by Arthur Sullivan (52) is performed for the first time, in the Lyceum Theatre, London conducted by the composer.  The critics are mixed.

    12 January 1896 Anton Bruckner (71) attends a performance of his music for the last time, in Vienna.  He is carried into the hall to hear his own Te Deum, Das Liebesmahl der Apostel by Richard Wagner (†12) and Richard Strauss’ (31) Till Eulenspiegel.

    12 January 1907 Histoires naturelles, a song cycle by Maurice Ravel (31) to words of Renard, is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris, the composer at the keyboard.  During the performance, some in the audience find it necessary to express their displeasure by emitting animal noises.  The same program sees the first performance of Impromptu no.4 op.91 and Barcarolle no.8 op.96 for piano by Gabriel Fauré (61).

    12 January 1916 Puss in Boots, a children’s opera-fairy tale by Cesar Cui (80) to words of Pol and Dolomanova after Perrault, is staged with human beings for the first time, in the State Theatre, Tbilisi.  It was performed in 1915 with marionettes.

    12 January 1918 Zoltán Kodály’s (35) orchestral work Old Hungarian Soldier’s Song is performed for the first time, in Vienna along with the premiere of Five Slovak Folksongs for male chorus and three of the Eight Hungarian Folksongs for voice and piano by Béla Bartók (36).

    12 January 1919 Czech Rhapsody, a cantata for baritone, chorus, orchestra, and organ by Bohuslav Martinu (28) to words of Jirasek, is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    12 January 1926 Morton Feldman is born in New York.

    12 January 1927 Salvatore Martirano is born in Yonkers, New York, the son of Alexander Martirano and Mary Mazullo.

    Musique religieuse op.113 by Jean Sibelius (61) for the Freemasons is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.

    12 January 1928 Benjamin Britten (14) begins composition lessons with Frank Bridge (48) at Bridge’s home in London.

    Serenade for three horns and string orchestra by Otto Luening (27) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    12 January 1929 Il re, a novella by Umberto Giordano (61) to words of Forzano, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    Maurice Ravel’s (54) orchestral work La Valse is staged as a ballet for the first time, in the Théâtre de Monte Carlo, as a try out for the Paris premiere on 23 May.  See 12 December 1920.

    12 January 1931 In an unusual political outburst, Sergey Rakhmaninov (57), together with two other Russian expatriates, writes an open letter to the New York Times attacking suggestions that certain achievements have been made by the Soviet regime.

    12 January 1932 An arrangement of Modest Musorgsky’s (†50) opera Sorochintsy Fair, completed and orchestrated by Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    12 January 1934 Fantastic Dance for orchestra by Frederick Delius (71) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  Presently bedridden in his home in France, Delius is able to hear the concert on the radio.  Also premiered is Legend for piano and orchestra by John Ireland (54).

    Sacred Service (Avodath hakodesh) for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ernest Bloch (53), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Turin.

    Madame Bovary, a film with music by Darius Milhaud (41), is shown for the first time, in the Ciné Opéra, Paris.

    12 January 1941 Ancient Desert Drone for orchestra by Henry Cowell (43) is performed for the first time, in South Bend, Indiana.

    12 January 1942 Pawnee Horses for piano by Arthur Farwell (69) is performed for the first time, in New York, 37 years after it was composed.

    12 January 1943 An orchestral suite from Virgil Thomson’s (46) music to the film The River is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

    12 January 1947 The Rope for solo dancer and piano by Ulysses Kay (30) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.

    12 January 1949 Sonatas and Interludes for piano by John Cage (36) is performed for the first time at an important venue, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.  Parts of this were performed as early as 1946.  See 6 April 1948.

    American Pipers for orchestra by Henry Cowell (51) is performed for the first time, in New Orleans.

    12 January 1950 Mondi celesti e infernali, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (67) to his own words after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of RAI.  See 2 February 1961.

    12 January 1952 Concerto for cello and orchestra no.1 by Bohuslav Martinu (61) is performed for the first time, in The Hague.

    12 January 1956 William Walton’s opera Troilus and Cressida opens in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.  It is a fiasco and receives whistles, boos, and a hostile press.

    Incidental music for Shakespeare’s play King Lear by Otto Luening (55) and Vladimir Ussachevsky (44) is performed for the first time, in New York City Center in a production by Orson Welles.  It is a disaster.

    12 January 1957 Winter Music for 1-20 pianists by John Cage (44) is performed for the first time, by the composer and David Tudor, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York.  The work is dedicated to Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.

    12 January 1958 Die Jakobsleiter, an oratorio by Arnold Schoenberg (†6), is performed for the first time, in Hamburg 36 years after it was originally composed.

    12 January 1963 Terminus I for electronic sound generators by Gottfried Michael Koenig (36) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    12 January 1964 Concerto grosso for flute, oboe, clarinet, cello, harp, and string orchestra by Henry Cowell (66), is performed for the first time, in Miami Beach, Florida.

    12 January 1968 Shao Yang Yin for harpsichord by Isang Yun (50) is performed for the first time, in Freiburg.

    12 January 1969 String Quartet no.3 by Antonín Dvorák (†64) is performed for the first time, in Prague, 100 years after it was composed.

    Three Pieces from Arden Must Die op.21a for winds, harp and percussion by Alexander Goehr (36) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio.  See 5 March 1967 and 16 January 1969.

    12 January 1973 Moira Musik in C for orchestra by Werner Egk (71) is performed for the first time, in Nuremberg.

    Night Music for violin and piano by Ned Rorem (49) is performed for the first time, in the Library of Congress, Washington.

    12 January 1975 Elegiac Songs for mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra by John Harbison (36) to words of Emily Dickinson is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    12 January 1979 Second Sonata for violin and piano by William Bolcom (40) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington, the composer at the keyboard.

    12 January 1981 Fünfte Abgesangsszene for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (28) is performed for the first time, in Kiel.

    Beast 708 for computer generated tape or flute, clarinet, two horns, two trombones, vibraphone, piano, violin, and double bass by Charles Wuorinen (42) in memory of Arnold Schoenberg (†29), is performed for the first time, at the Arnold Schoenberg Institute of UCLA conducted by the composer.  (The UCLA libraries have no record of this event.)

    12 January 1984 Mann Duo for violin and viola by Ralph Shapey (62) is performed for the first time, in Kaufman Auditorium of the 92nd Street Y, New York.

    12 January 1989 The Struggle Between the Realistic and Formalistic Trends in Music, a “pedagogical cantata” for four basses, chorus, and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (†13), is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington approximately 41 years after it was completed.

    12 January 1990 Salome Dances for Peace for string quartet by Terry Riley (54) is performed for the first time, in the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.

    12 January 1991 Paraphrasen über Dostojewsky, for actor and eleven instruments by Hans Werner Henze (64) to words of Bachmann, is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    12 January 1996 Rogues and Lovers for band by Samuel Adler (67) is performed for the first time, in Tampa, Florida.

    12 January 2004 Abraham, a motet for chorus and brass by John Harbison (65) to words of Genesis, is performed for the first time, at the Vatican.

    Jean-René Gehan, Cultural Counselor for France, presents Ned Rorem (80) with the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters at the French consulate in New York.

    12 January 2007 The Triptych Nadeyka by Sofia Gubaidulina (75), consisting of The Lyre of Orpheus for violin, percussion, and strings, The Deceitful Face of Hope and Despair for flute and orchestra, and Feast During a Plague for orchestra, is performed completely for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    12 January 2012 Symphony no.6 by John Harbison (73) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    13 January

    13 January 1683 Christoph Graupner is born in Kirchberg, Saxony.

    13 January 1759 Melite riconosciuto, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (52) to words of Roccaforte, is performed for the first time, in Teatro delle Dame, Rome.

    13 January 1767 Thésée, a tragédie by Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville (53) to words of Quinault, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  See 7 November 1765.

    13 January 1775 La finta giardiniera K.196, an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (18) to words possibly by Petrosellini, is performed for the first time, in the Munich Assembly Rooms in the presence of Elector Maximilian III.  It is warmly received.

    13 January 1786 Ehre sey unserm Heiland! for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (50) is performed for the first time.

    13 January 1787 A tanto amore, an aria for a production of Domenico Cimarosa’s (37) Giannina e Bernardone by Luigi Cherubini (26) is performed for the first time, in London.

    13 January 1790 Pierre le Grand, a comédie mêlée de chants by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (48) to words of Bouilly after Voltaire, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    13 January 1795 Il mondo alla rovescia, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Salieri (44) to words of Mazzolà, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.  It is the first opera by Salieri to be produced in over five years.  It is a failure.

    13 January 1803 Ma tante Aurore, ou Le roman impromptu, an opéra comique by Adrien Boieldieu (27) to words of Longchamps, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    13 January 1817 Carl Maria von Weber (30) arrives in Dresden from Berlin to take up his position as Kapellmeister.

    13 January 1825 Die Forelle, a song by Franz Schubert (27) to words of Schubart, is published by Diabelli, Vienna as his op.32.  See 9 December 1820.

    13 January 1833 Clara Wieck (13) plays her Caprices en forme de valse pour le piano op.2 for the first time, in a private concert given in her father’s house.  She also plays what might be the first performance of any solo piano music by Robert Schumann (22), two of the op.3 studies after Paganini (50).  See 27 January 1835.

    13 January 1837 Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (32) is appointed Kapellmeister of the Court Chapel Choir by Tsar Nikolay I in St. Petersburg.

    13 January 1850 Sophien-Quadrille op.75 by Johann Strauss (24) is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal.

    13 January 1854 Incidental music to Romulus, a comédie by Dumas, Feuillet and Bocage, by Jacques Offenbach (34) is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Française.

    13 January 1860 Breitkopf and Härtel complete the publishing of Richard Wagner’s (46) Tristan und Isolde.

    13 January 1862 Scenes from Goethe’s Faust for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Robert Schumann (†5) to words of Goethe is performed completely for the first time, in Cologne.  See 29 August 1862.

    13 January 1864 Stephen Collins Foster dies in Bellevue Hospital, New York City aged 37 years, six months and nine days.  Although he suffered wounds on 10 January, the exact cause of his death is not known.

    13 January 1873 The Maid of Pskov, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) to words of the composer after Mey, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    13 January 1876 Arthur Sullivan (33) writes to the Duke of Edinburgh accepting the position of principal of the National Training School for music.

    13 January 1879 La marocaine, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (59) to words of Ferrier and Halévy, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    13 January 1880 Modest Musorgsky (40) is forced to leave government service, but friends guarantee him a monthly stipend provided he finish Khovanshchina.

    13 January 1882 Richard Wagner (69) completes the full score of Parsifal, in Palermo.

    13 January 1883 Franz Liszt (71) departs Venice, where he has spent two months with Richard (69) and Cosima Wagner, for Budapest.  It is the last time the two men will see each other.

    13 January 1896 “Legend”, the first of Two Episodes op.2 for orchestra by Henry F. Gilbert (27), is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.  It is the first public performance of an orchestral work by Gilbert.  See 3 December 1896.

    13 January 1899 The first movement of the Symphony in d minor by Frederick Shepherd Converse (28) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  It is well received by audience and critics.

    13 January 1902 Rehearsals for Claude Debussy’s (39) opera Pelléas et Mélisande begin in Paris.  They will continue nearly every day but Sundays until the premiere.  The poet, Maurice Maeterlinck disassociates himself with the production after Mary Garden is chosen to be Mélisande.

    13 January 1903 String Quartet op.13 by Hans Pfitzner (33) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  The work is dedicated to Alma Mahler.

    13 January 1904 Kossuth, a symphonic poem by Béla Bartók (22), is performed for the first time, in Budapest.  Some members of the orchestra refuse to perform the work as the eighth section parodies the Austrian national anthem.  Nevertheless, the piece is a smashing success.

    13 January 1910 The first radio broadcast of opera is made from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.  Enrico Caruso sings arias by Pietro Mascagni (46) and Ruggero Leoncavallo (52).

    13 January 1921 Three works by Ferruccio Busoni (54) are performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Berlin, conducted by the composer:  Altoums Warnung, an appendix to the Turandot Suite, Divertimento for flute and orchestra op.52, and Tanzwalzer op.53 for orchestra.

    13 January 1924 Octandre for seven winds and one stringed instrument by Edgard Varèse (40) is performed for the first time, at an International Composers’ Guild concert in the Vanderbilt Theatre, New York.  Also premiered is Vox clamans in derserto, three songs for voice and chamber ensemble by Carl Ruggles (49):  Parting at Morning to words of Browning, Son of Mine to words of Meltzer, and A Clear Midnight to words of Whitman.

    13 January 1926 Sonata no.2 for clarinet and piano op.86 by Charles Koechlin (58) is performed for the first time, in Salle Pleyel, Paris.

    13 January 1930 Lux Aeterna for viola and string quartet op.24 by Howard Hanson (33) is performed for the first time, in New York.  The premiere is on cello and piano.

    13 January 1934 La favola del figlio cambiato, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (51) to words of Pirandello, is performed for the first time, in the Brunswick Landestheater.

    13 January 1935 We who sing have walked in glory op.140 for chorus and organ by Amy Cheney Beach (67) to words of Bridgman is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Roy Harris’ (36) When Johnny Comes Marching Home Overture is performed for the first time, in Cyrus Northrup Memorial Auditorium, Minneapolis.  See 15 February 1942.

    13 January 1938 Maurice Martenot receives a patent for his microtonal keyboard designed to be a part of his Ondes Martenot.

    13 January 1942 Columbus:  Bericht und Bildnis, an opera by Werner Egk (40) to his own words, is staged for the first time, in Städtische Bühnen, Frankfurt.  See 13 July 1933.

    13 January 1943 Two works by William Schuman (32) are performed for the first time, at an all-Schuman concert in Town Hall, New York:  Concerto for piano and small orchestra and Holiday Song for chorus to words of Taggard.

    13 January 1944 The orchestral arrangement of Circus Polka by Igor Stravinsky (61) is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University.  On the same program is the premiere of the composer’s Four Norwegian Moods for orchestra.  Both works are conducted by the composer.

    13 January 1945 Symphony no.5 op.100 by Sergey Prokofiev (53) is performed for the first time, in Moscow, under the baton of the composer.  This is Prokofiev’s last performing appearance.  The performance is delayed when large guns are fired in tribute to the Red Army offensive in Poland.

    13 January 1948 Two courts having ruled that his marriage to Lina Llubera had no legal standing in the USSR, Sergey Prokofiev (56) marries Mariya (Mira) Cecilya Abramovna Mendelson, his companion since 1941.

    13 January 1949 The first complete performance of Liriche greche for solo voice and instruments by Luigi Dallapiccola (44) takes place in Rome.  See 10 November 1944, 24 June 1946 and 7 July 1947.

    13 January 1954 Domaine musical, founded by Pierre Boulez (28) to present contemporary music, gives its first performance, at the Théâtre du Petit-Marigny in Paris. Polifonica, Monodia, Ritmica by Luigi Nono (29) is performed for the first time.

    13 January 1958 Improvisation sur Mallarmé I for soprano and seven instruments and Improvisation sur Mallarmé II for soprano and nine instruments by Pierre Boulez (32) are performed for the first time, in Hamburg.  Also premiered is La terra e la compagna for soprano, tenor, chorus, and chamber orchestra by Luigi Nono (33) to words of Pavese.  See 20 October 1962.

    13 January 1961 Music for brass quintet by Gunther Schuller (35) is performed for the first time at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    13 January 1963 Dance in Praise, for chorus and orchestra by Virgil Thomson (66) to the text Gaudeamus Igitur (tr. Symonds) in both Latin and English, is performed for the first time, at Goucher College, Baltimore.

    13 January 1964 Three new songs are performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York:  Préparatif à la mort en allégorie maritime by Darius Milhaud (71), My Crow Pluto for voice and piano by Virgil Thomson (67) to words of Moore, and For Poulenc by Ned Rorem (40) to words of O’Hara.

    Piano Variations by Charles Wuorinen (25) is performed for the first time, at Columbia University the composer at the keyboard.

    13 January 1965 String Trio in B flat by Michael Tippett (60) is performed for the first time, in London, 33 years after it was composed.

    13 January 1966 Eclogue, Encomium, and Evocation for female chorus, piano, harp, and percussion by Leslie Bassett (42) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti.

    13 January 1969 Five Pieces for Orchestra (1913) by Anton Webern (†23) is performed completely for the first time, in Cologne.  See 14 April 1967.

    Purcell:  Fantasia and Two Pavans for flute, clarinet, harpsichord (or out of tune upright piano), violin, cello, and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (34) is performed for the first time, in the BBC Concert Hall, London the composer conducting.

    13 January 1970 Sub tuam protectionem for piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (35) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.

    Eight Lessons for Keyboards by Harrison Birtwistle (35) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London.

    13 January 1975 A Fantasy About Purcell’s Fantasia Upon One Note for brass quintet by Elliott Carter (66) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.

    13 January 1978 Introïts and Canons for nine players by Richard Wernick (43) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Midsummer Nocturne for piano by Aaron Copland (77) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    13 January 1979 Jubilatio for four percussionists by Sofia Gubaidulina (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    13 January 1981 Apparition-elegiac songs & vocalises, a cycle for soprano and amplified piano by George Crumb (51) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.

    13 January 1984 Part of Frederick Delius’ (†49) incomplete tone poem Hiawatha is performed for the first time, over Norwegian television as part of the film From the High Solitudes, 96 years after it was composed.

    13 January 1987 Symphony with Chaconne op.48 for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (54) is performed for the first time, in Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

    13 January 1988 Two songs for voice and piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (86) to words of Calderón are performed for the first time, in Centro Cultural de la Villa, Madrid:  Arbol and ¿Por qué te llamaré?

    13 January 1989 Mazurca en do menor for piano by Manuel de Falla (†42) is performed for the first time, in Madrid 90 years after it was composed.  Also premiered is Falla’s Serenata for piano composed in 1901.

    13 January 1990 A Soedjatmoko Set for chorus, solo voice, and Javanese gamelan by Lou Harrison (72) is performed for the first time, at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon.

    13 January 1998 Will you answer if I call? for harpsichord and ten players by Roger Reynolds (63) is performed for the first time, in Järvenpää, Finland.

    13 January 2001 The first three movements of a Cantata for counter-tenor and chamber orchestra by Alfred Schnittke (†2) to words of Brant, Brueghel, and Böhme, is performed for the first time, in London.

    13 January 2004 Seven Tableaux Vivants Depicting the Angel of History as Melancolia for chamber ensemble by Brian Ferneyhough (60) is performed for the first time, at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

    13 January 2012 When Adam Fell/Durch Adams Fall for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (79) is performed for the first time, in Barbican Hall, London.

    14 January

    14 January 1676 Francesco Cavalli dies in Venice, aged 73 years and eleven months.

    14 January 1683 Gottfried Silbermann is born in Kleinbobritzsch.

    14 January 1758 Ipermestra, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (51) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Regio Ducal, Milan.

    14 January 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dates the score to his String Quartet K.465.

    14 January 1786 Pursuant to the restructuring of freemasonry, the lodge “Zur Neugekrönten Hoffnung” is opened in Vienna.  One of its members, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) has written two lieder for the occasion:  Zerfliesset heut’, geliebte Brüder K.483 and Ihr unsre neuen Leiter K.484, both to words of von Schloissnig.

    14 January 1803 The ballet Daphnis et Pandrose, including music by Dalvimare, Devienne, Duvernoy, Gluck, Haydn, Himmel, R. Kreutzer, Martini, Méhul, Miller and Winter, to a scenario by Gardel, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    14 January 1817 Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny dies in Paris, aged 87 years, two months and 28 days.

    14 January 1819 Grand Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach approves a contract with Johann Nepomuk Hummel (40) appointing him as Kapellmeister.

    14 January 1822 Louis Spohr (37) arrives in Kassel to take up his position as Hofkapellmeister.

    14 January 1828 The first part of Franz Schubert’s (30) Die Winterreise D.911 is published by Haslinger.

    14 January 1836 After forbidding his daughter Clara (16) to have any contact with Robert Schumann (25), Friedrich Wieck carries her off to Dresden to forget about him.

    14 January 1838 Early morning.  Not long after a performance of Mozart’s (†46) Don Giovanni, the Salle Favart and all the assets of its resident company, the Théâtre-Italien, burn to the ground.  The Italian director Carlo Severini dies when he jumps from the burning building.

    14 January 1856 Juristen-Ball-Tänze op.177, a waltz by Johann Strauss (30), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    14 January 1858 In an effort to cool the atmosphere between himself and the Wesendoncks over the ménage a trois, Richard Wagner (44) leaves Zürich for Paris.

    On the same day that an attempt is made on the life of Emperor Napoleon III, Giuseppe Verdi (44) arrives in Naples with an opera about killing a king.  See January 28, 1858.

    14 January 1859 Hans von Bülow conducts Die Ideale by Franz Liszt (47) at the Berlin Singakademie.  At the conclusion, hisses are heard.  Bülow leaves, then returns and announces to the audience “I request that the hissers leave the hall, since it is not customary to hiss here.”  Silence fills the hall.  He then continues with the concert.

    14 January 1860 The following Imperial decree is published in the Bulletin des Lois:  “M. Offenbach, Jacques, composer of music, director of the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, born on 20 June 1819, in Cologne (Prussia), living in Paris, is admitted to enjoyment of the rights of a French citizen in conformity with Article 2 of the Law of 3 December 1849.”

    14 January 1862 La Demoiselle de Nanterre, a vaudeville by Jacques Offenbach (42) to words of Grangé and Lambert-Thiboust, is performed for the first time, in the Palais-Royal, Paris.

    14 January 1866 The National Conservatory of Mexico is founded by Augustín Caballero with the support of Emperor Maximilian.

    14 January 1867 As a result of the work of Edvard Grieg (23) and Otto Winter-Hjelm, the Norwegian Academy of Music opens in Christiania (Oslo).

    14 January 1871 Sonata for cello and piano no.1 op.38 by Johannes Brahms (37) is performed for the first time, in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig.

    14 January 1873 Having been given the choice between a knighthood and a Civil List pension by Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Gladstone, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (62) accepts the pension, for his contributions to English Cathedral music.

    14 January 1882 The day after Richard Wagner (68) writes the last note of Parsifal in Palermo, he is visited by a young artist named Pierre-August Renoir.  The two have a pleasant chat and agree that tomorrow, Renoir will paint a portrait of Wagner.

    Le Ruisseau op.22 for female chorus and piano by Gabriel Fauré (36) to anonymous words is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    14 January 1883 Gustav Mahler (22) conducts his first rehearsal with the opera in Olmütz.  He is met with hostility from all sides but calmly demands that everyone follow his instructions.  They do.

    14 January 1888 While on a concert tour in Lübeck, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) learns that Tsar Alyeksandr III has granted him a state pension of 3,000 rubles per year for life.

    14 January 1889 Two works by Charles Villiers Stanford (36) are performed for the first time, in Berlin:  Suite op.32 for violin and orchestra, and the Symphony no.4, both conducted by the composer.  The violin solo in the Suite is played by the dedicatee, Joseph Joachim.

    14 January 1890 Tsar Alyeksandr III attends the dress rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s (49) The Sleeping Beauty in St. Petersburg.  He tells the composer, “Very nice.”

    14 January 1893 Erik Satie (26) meets Suzanne Valadon in Paris.  She is a famous model for many of the leading painters in the city.  In the evening, Satie proposes marriage.  “She had too many things on her mind to get married; so we never brought up the subject again.”  She will move in with him and they engage in a tumultuous affair.  “...she has a tender little belch which is often inspiring.”  See 20 June 1893.

    14 January 1899 Briséïs, ou Les amants de Corinthe, an unfinished drame lyrique by Emmanuel Chabrier (†4) to words of Mendès and Mikhaël after Goethe, is staged for the first time, in the Royal Opera House, Berlin, conducted by Richard Strauss (34).  See 31 January 1897.

    14 January 1900 Das irdische Leben and Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen, from the song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn, words by Brentano and von Arnim, music by Gustav Mahler (39), are performed for the first time, in Vienna at a concert of Mahler lieder conducted by the composer.

    Tosca, a melodramma with words by Illica and Giacosa after Sardou and music by Giacomo Puccini (41) is performed for the first time, before a glittering audience in Teatro Costanzi, Rome.  The composer is called eight times.  But the critics are mixed and generally negative.

    14 January 1907 The first public Telharmonium concerts are given at Telharmonic Hall at Broadway and 39th Street, New York.  Public response is mixed but generally positive.

    14 January 1910 Arnold Schoenberg’s (35) Das Buch der hängenden Gärten op.15, to words of Stefan George, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  Also on the program is the premiere of Schoenberg’s Three Piano Pieces op.11, the fourth of his Four Songs op.2 to words of Schlaf, and excerpts from the unfinished Gurre-Lieder in a reduction for two pianos-eight hands which Schoenberg entrusted to Anton von Webern (26).  The success of these excerpts prompts Schoenberg to finish the work.

    14 January 1911 New works by Claude Debussy (48) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris:  Le Promenoir des deux amants, for solo voice and piano to words of Lhermite, and three of the Préludes, Book I (Les collines d’Anacapri, La fille aux cheveux de lin, La sérénade interrompue).

    14 January 1914 Three new works are heard at a concert of the Société Indépendante in Salle Erard, Paris.  They are Three Japanese Lyrics for solo voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (31) to words translated by Brandta, Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé for solo voice and chamber ensemble by Maurice Ravel (38) and Erik Satie’s (47) piano work Chapitres tournés en tous sens.

    Incidental music to Rivollet’s play Jérusalem by Jules Massenet (†1) is performed for the first time, in Monaco.

    14 January 1915 The Seven Popular Spanish Songs of Manuel de Falla (38) are performed for the first time, in Teatro Ateneo, Madrid the composer at the piano.

    14 January 1916 The Critic or An Opera Rehearsed, an opera by Charles Villiers Stanford (63) to words of James after Sheridan, is performed for the first time, in the Shaftesbury Theatre, London.  The press is generally positive and it is given eleven performances.

    14 January 1923 Guardando la Santa Teresa del Bernini for orchestra by Pietro Mascagni (59) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Augusteo, Rome.

    14 January 1930 Three scenes from The Nose, an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (23) to words of Zamyatin, Ionin, Preys, and the composer after Gogol, are performed for the first time, before a “try-out” audience of factory workers in Leningrad.  The response is very positive.  See 18 January 1930.

    Prelude on ‘Song 13’ by Orlando Gibbons for piano by Ralph Vaughan Williams (57) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    The second version of Strike Up the Band, an operetta with a book by Ryskind, after Kaufman, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (31), is performed for the first time in New York, in the Times Square Theatre.  It will see 191 performances.  At a reception afterward, Gershwin meets Sergey Prokofiev (38) for a second time.  See 5 September 1927 and 25 December 1929.

    El fuego nuevo-Ballet Azteca for female chorus and orchestra by Carlos Chávez (30) to his own scenario, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in the Teatro Arbeu, Mexico City, the composer conducting.

    14 January 1932 Piano Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel (56) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris under the baton of the composer.

    14 January 1934 Variations on I Got Rhythm, for piano and orchestra by George Gershwin (35), is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston the composer at the keyboard.

    14 January 1937 A divorce between Arthur Farwell (64) and Gertrude Everts Brice is finalized.

    14 January 1940 Charles Ives’ (65) Fourth Violin Sonata “Children’s Day at the Camp Meeting” is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York 24 years after it was composed.

    Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra op.105 by Frederick S. Converse (69) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    14 January 1945 An orchestral suite from the ballet Fancy Free by Leonard Bernstein (26) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh conducted by the composer.  See 18 April 1944.

    14 January 1949 13:00  Joaquín Turina dies in Madrid of bronchial pneumonia, aged 66 years, one month, and five days.

    Le Docteur Fabricius op.202, a symphonic poem by Charles Koechlin (81), is performed for the first time, in Brussels.

    14 January 1950 Down in the Valley, an opera by Kurt Weill (49) to words of Sundgaard, is broadcast over the airwaves of NBC television.  Although only 40 minutes long, it is still the first opera to be televised.  See 15 July 1948.

    14 January 1951 Concerto for two violins and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (60) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.

    14 January 1953 Symphony no.7 “Sinfonia antarctica” by Ralph Vaughan Williams (80) is performed for the first time, at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester.

    14 January 1955 Two works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (67) are performed for the first time, in Philadelphia, the composer conducting:  Symphony no.8 and Concerto for harp and orchestra.

    14 January 1956 Idyll of Theocritus for soprano and orchestra by Roger Sessions (59) to words translated by Trevelyan, is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    14 January 1960 Incidental music to Newton’s theatre piece Cuthbert Bound by Lejaren Hiller (36) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

    14 January 1964 Voyage Four for orchestra by Henry Brant (50) is performed for the first time, in New Haven.  The spatial environment requires three conductors.

    14 January 1966 Jewish Chronicle for voices and orchestra by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (†2), Hans Werner Henze (39), Boris Blacher, Paul Dessau, and Rudolf Wagner-Régeney is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    14 January 1969 Asterism for piano and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (38) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    14 January 1970 90 guests assemble at the Park Avenue apartment of Leonard Bernstein (51) for cocktails and a meeting with leading members of the revolutionary Black Panther Party.  Bernstein and his guests, all wealthy socialites, trade questions and some differences of opinion with the Panthers.  Over $10,000 is raised for a defense fund for 21 Black Panthers currently on trial for plotting to kill policemen and bomb New York department stores, police precinct houses, and the New York Botanical Garden.

    Improvisations on an Impromptu by Benjamin Britten for orchestra by William Walton (67) is performed for the first time, at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco.

    14 January 1973 Speculum Speculi for flute, oboe, bass clarinet, percussion, piano, and double bass by Charles Wuorinen (34) is performed for the first time, in Chester Fritz Auditorium, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

    14 January 1983 Rain Tree Sketch for piano by Toru Takemitsu (52) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall.

    14 January 1985 Piano Sonata no.4 by Michael Tippett (80) is performed for the first time, in the Japan-America Theatre, Los Angeles.

    14 January 1990 Symphony no.5 for chamber ensemble by Jonathan Lloyd (41) is performed for the first time, in Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham.

    Dance Suite for brass quintet by Leonard Bernstein (71) is performed for the first time in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.

    14 January 1991 A revised version of Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber, a ballet by Hans Werner Henze (64), is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in London.  Also premiered is the Agnus Dei from his unperformed Requiem for piano and strings.  See 24 February 1993.

    14 January 1992 Kolchis for percussion, harp, piano, cello, and double bass by Wolfgang Rihm (39) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    14 January 1993 Suite for Four Haisho (Japanese panpipes) with percussion and narrator by Lou Harrison (75) to his own words is performed for the first time.

    14 January 1994 Fantasy for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (54) is performed for the first time, in Long Beach, California.

    14 January 1999 The orchestration of Pierre Boulez’ (73) Notations VII is performed for the first time, in Chicago.

    14 January 2007 Theologoumenon for orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (68) is performed for the first time, in Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York.

    14 January 2009 Quartettino 1 for string quartet by Robin Holloway (65) is performed for the first time, in the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge.

    14 January 2011 A Sea of Dreams did Breathe on Me…, a cycle for three voices, chorus and orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (77) to words of various writers, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    15 January

    15 January 1765 Bey Beerdigung der Schw. August Erdmuth v. Tschirsky in Gnadenfrey for female voices and strings by Johannes Herbst (29) is performed for the first time.

    15 January 1775 After receiving the Last Rites of the Roman Catholic Church and a special papal blessing with plenary indulgence, Giovanni Battista Sammartini dies in Milan, aged approximately 74 years.

    15 January 1781 On the eve of his 53rd birthday, Niccolò Piccinni writes to Antoine Jean Amelot de Chaillou, a minister of King Louis XVI.  He asks Amelot to outlaw any praise or criticism of his upcoming opera, Iphigénie en Tauride, until it receives twelve performances.  He also asks for a gag on any comparison between his opera and Gluck’s (66) of the same name.  Piccinni informs Amelot that there is a plan to perform his work and Gluck’s at the Opéra on successive nights.  He asks that this be forbidden.  Amelot favors the request but his committee thinks that fueling the rivalry will be lucrative for the Opéra.  They deny his request.

    15 January 1783 Publication of the Piano Concertos K.413-415 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (26) is advertised in the Wiener Zeitung.

    15 January 1785 The six string quartets K.387, 421, 428, 458, 464 and 465 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dedicated to Franz Joseph Haydn (52) are performed for the dedicatee in Mozart’s Vienna home.  Mozart finished K.465 just yesterday.  (Some sources say only 387, 421, and 458 are performed today)  See 12 February 1785.

    15 January 1791 Because of the political situation in France, Ignaz Pleyel (33) loses his position of organist at the Strasbourg Cathedral.

    15 January 1798 Avviso ai maritati, a dramma giocosa by Johann Simon Mayr (34) to words of Gonella, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    15 January 1812 Johannes Herbst dies in Salem, North Carolina aged 76 years, five months and 23 days.

    15 January 1821 The publication of Fantaisie with Variations on Au Clair de la lune op.48 by Muzio Clementi (68) is entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.

    15 January 1827 Maria Szymanowska (37) performs before 1,200 people in the National Theatre, Warsaw.  It is likely that Fryderyk Chopin (16) is in the audience.

    15 January 1847 Trio for piano and strings op.17 by Clara Schumann (27) is performed for the first time, in Vienna, the composer at the keyboard.

    15 January 1850 Richard Wagner (36) begins guest conducting the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft, Zürich with a performance of the Symphony no.7 of Beethoven (†22).

    15 January 1857 Les trois baisers du diable, an operetta by Jacques Offenbach (37) to words of Mestépès, is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    15 January 1858 Le médecin malgré lui, an opéra comique by Charles Gounod (39) to words of Barbier and Carré after Moliére, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre-Lyrique, Paris in celebration of Moliére’s birthday.  “My work was very well received,” the composer writes to Georges Bizet (19).

    15 January 1861 The first two of the Twelve Songs and Romances op.44 for unaccompanied chorus by Johannes Brahms (27) are performed for the first time, in Hamburg:  Der Holdseligen sonder Wank, to words of Voss, and Von allen Bergen nieder, to words of Eichendorff.  Brahms’ Songs for female chorus, two horns and harp op.17 are performed completely for the first time.  This is part of a joint concert by Brahms, Joseph Joachim and Clara Schumann (41) which includes Beethoven’s (†33) Kreutzer Sonata and Robert Schumann’s (†4) Variations for two pianos op.46.

    Dividenden op.252, a waltz by Johann Strauss (35), is performed for the first time, in the Dianabad-saal, Vienna.

    15 January 1868 Anton Bruckner (43) becomes director of Liedertafel “Frohsinn” in Linz for the second time.

    15 January 1870 Freuet euch des Lebens! op.340, a waltz by Johann Strauss (44), is performed for the first time, at the opening of the Musikverein Building, Vienna.

    15 January 1872 Le Roi Carotte, an opéra-bouffe-féerie by Jacques Offenbach (52) to words of Sardou after Hoffmann, is performed for the first time, at the Gaité, Paris.  It is a big success.

    15 January 1874 Wie froh und frisch op.33/14, a song by Johannes Brahms (40) to words of Tieck, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    15 January 1880 Vladimir Stasov writes to Mily Balakirev (43) in St. Petersburg, “[Musorgsky (40) is] falling apart; since 1 January (OS) he’s been without a job and without any means of support!!!  Now he’ll start drinking even harder!  Won’t you do something for him, and quickly, if possible?  Time won’t wait.”

    15 January 1881 At a meeting of the Brno Beseda (choral society) committee, their director, Leos Janácek (26) hears complaints that he programs too much of his own music, to the detriment of other works.  He calls this a lie and promptly resigns.

    15 January 1882 Pierre-August Renoir paints a portrait sketch of Richard Wagner (68) in Palermo.  It takes him 35 minutes.  Upon viewing the completed work, the composer remarks, “I look like a Protestant minister.”  The painter agrees.

    Two polkas françaises by Johann Strauss (56) are performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna:  Was sich liebt, neckt sich op.399, and Violetta op.404.

    15 January 1888 In Leipzig, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) makes the acquaintance of Ferruccio Busoni (21) and local conductor Gustav Mahler (27).  Tchaikovsky finds Busoni “extraordinarily gifted.”  He makes no comment about Mahler.

    15 January 1890 The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) to a scenario by Petipa and Vsevolozhsky after Perrault, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.  The audience is positive, but not wildly enthusiastic.

    Incidental music to Munch’s play En aften paa Giske by Carl Nielsen (24) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    The motet Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein op.110/3 by Johannes Brahms (56) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.  See 13 March 1890.

    15 January 1891 Träumen und Wachen for tenor and male chorus by Anton Bruckner (66) to words of Grillparzer is performed for the first time, in Vienna conducted by the composer during celebrations at the University of Vienna to mark the centennial of the poet.  On the same day, he receives official notification from the Vienna Conservatory of his resignation and thanks for his 22 years of service.  The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde also informs him that it has elected him an honorary member.

    15 January 1893 Neue Pizzicato-Polka op.449 by Johann Strauss (67) is performed in a concert setting for the first time, in Etablissement Dreher.  It was first heard five days ago as part of Fürstin Ninetta.

    The last two of the Three Pieces for oboe and piano by Arthur Foote (39) are performed for the first time, at the St. Botolph Club, Boston.  See 13 April 1893.

    15 January 1895 Suite in e minor for piano and violin op.41 by Horatio Parker (31) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    15 January 1896 Alyeksandr Skryabin (24) makes his European debut at the Salle Erard, Paris.  He plays the premiere of his Deux Impromptus à la Mazur, Prelude op.16/5, Prelude op.17/5, Allegro de concert op.18, and nos. 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, and 14 of the 24 Preludes op.11.

    Violin Sonata no.1 op.9 by Carl Nielsen (30) is performed for the first time, in the Concert Palace, Copenhagen.  Critics find it too avant-garde.

    15 January 1910 Maia, a dramma lirico by Ruggero Leoncavallo (52) to words of Nessi after Choudens, is performed for the first time, at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, conducted by Pietro Mascagni (46).

    The song The Kings Way, by Edward Elgar (52) to words of his wife, CA Elgar, is performed for the first time, at the Alexandra Palace, London.

    15 January 1918 Six Poèmes for voice and piano by Arthur Honegger (25) to words of Apollinaire, is given its first complete performance, at the Théâtre du Vieux Colombier, Paris.  See 11 July 1916.

    15 January 1924 The Hochzeitspräludium by Richard Strauss (59) for two harmoniums is performed for the first time, in Vienna at the wedding of his son Franz to Alice Grab.

    An orchestral suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (32) ballet Tale of the Buffoon op.21b is performed for the first time, in Brussels.  See 17 May 1921.

    Piano Concerto no.2 by Colin McPhee (23) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.

    15 January 1926 Arthur Honegger (33) writes the following note:  In case of accident or sudden death, I declare that I am the father of Claire Croiza’s child.  A.Honegger.  Claire Croiza is a vocalist and actress and not the woman he is presently in a relationship with.

    Incidental music to Maeterlinck’s (tr. Horgan) play Sister Beatrice by Otto Luening (25) is performed for the first time, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.

    15 January 1931 The open letter sent 12 January by Sergey Rakhmaninov (57), Ivan Ostromislensky and Count Ilya Tolstoy appears in the New York Times.  “At no time, and in no country, has there ever existed a government responsible for so many cruelties, wholesale murders, and common law crimes in general as those perpetrated by the Bolsheviki.”

    15 January 1932 Cinco Danzas Gitanas op.55 for piano by Joaquín Turina (49) are performed for the first time, in the Teatro de la Comedia de Madrid.

    15 January 1934 Symphony no.5 by Arnold Bax (50) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    15 January 1939 Piano Trio op.150 by Amy Cheney Beach (71) is performed for the first time, at the MacDowell Club in New York the composer at the keyboard.

    15 January 1941 With an out of tune piano with atrocious touch, Olivier Messiaen (32) (wearing a Czech uniform and wooden shoes) and three fellow prisoners (Étienne Pasquier, Henri Akoka, and Jean Le Boulaire) perform the world premiere of his Quatuor pour la fin du temps in Stalag 8-A near Görlitz, Silesia.  He wrote the quartet for the four instruments and musicians that he had available:  clarinet, violin, cello and piano.  Of the audience of 5,000 prisoners the composer will say:  “Never have I been heard with as much attention and understanding.”

    15 January 1943 The ninth of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare for France by Virgil Thomson (46), is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.  See 5 January 1943.

    15 January 1944 The day after Igor Stravinsky (61) conducted a concert in Boston which included his arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner, he is informed in his dressing room by a police official of a Massachusetts law forbidding tampering with national property.  The police patriotically remove the offending music from the stands and confiscate it.

    15 January 1951 Parvula corona musicalis for string trio by Ernst Krenek (50) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Italiana orginating in Rome.

    15 January 1953 Tancredi, suite for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (26), is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    15 January 1955 From Jewish Folk Poetry, a cycle for three solo voices and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (48) is performed publicly for the first time, in Glinka Concert Hall, Leningrad the composer at the keyboard.  See 25 September 1948 and 19 February 1964.

    15 January 1958 Vanessa, an opera by Samuel Barber (47) to words of Menotti (46), is performed for the first time, in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  It is a thunderous success and will win Barber the Pulitzer Prize.

    Symphony no.2 “Pastorale” by Colin McPhee (57) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    15 January 1960 Spectra for orchestra by Gunther Schuller (34) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.  It was performed privately yesterday in Carnegie Hall.

    15 January 1961 Consort from Instruments and Voices for electronic tape by Charles Wuorinen (22) is performed for the first time, in Kaufman Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, New York.

    15 January 1969 Votre Faust, a fantaisie variable genre opéra by Henri Pousseur (39) to words of Buton, is performed for the first time, in Piccola Scala, Milan.  See 17 March 1968.

    15 January 1970 String Quartet no.8 by Peter Sculthorpe (40) is performed publicly for the first time, at Sussex University, Brighton, Great Britain.

    15 January 1974 Abzählreime, a song cycle for voice and piano by Sofia Gubaidulina (42) to words of Satunovsky, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    15 January 1975 Canticle V “The Death of St. Narcissus” op.89 for solo voice and harp by Benjamin Britten (61) to words of Eliot is performed for the first time, at Schloss Elmau, Upper Bavaria.

    15 January 1976 Tashi for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (37) is performed for the first time, in Colorado State College, Colorado Springs.  See 13 October 1976.

    15 January 1978 Six Russian Folksongs for soprano, piccolo, bassoon, trumpet, domra, two violins, and cello by John Tavener (33) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    Composition for piano four-hands by Arthur Berger (65) is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston the composer playing one part.

    15 January 1982 Waiting for Gozo for woodwind quintet, trumpet, trombone, string quartet, and double bass by Jonathan Lloyd (33) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    15 January 1983 Piano Sonata:  Reflections of a Dark Light by Richard Wernick is performed for the first time, in Hirshhorn Museum, Washington on the eve of the composer’s 49th birthday.

    Trio for violin, viola, and cello by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (43) is performed for the first time.

    15 January 1984 Mm 51, a film with music by Mauricio Kagel (52), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Schweizer Fernsehen.

    15 January 1987 Formazioni for orchestra by Luciano Berio (61) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam.

    15 January 1988 Narcissus for flute with digital delay by Thea Musgrave (59) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London.

    15 January 1993 The Story of Harriet Tubman, a narrated music drama by Thea Musgrave (64) to her own words, is performed for the first time, in Mobile, Alabama.

    15 January 1994 The Dream of Valentino, an opera by Dominick Argento (66) to words of Nolte, is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    15 January 2004 Micomicón for orchestra by Elliott Carter (95) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    Sonata for solo violin by Donald Martino (72) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    15 January 2011 Will Sound More for 20 players by Wolfgang Rihm (58) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt.

    16 January

    16 January 1728 Niccolò Piccinni is born in Bari.

    16 January 1754 Chacun à son tour, a pantomime by Ignaz Holzbauer (42) to a story of d’Inzeo, is performed for the first time, in the Mannheim Hoftheater.

    16 January 1771 Annibale in Torino, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (30) to words of Durandi, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Regio, Turin.  Two visiting Germans named Leopold (51) and Wolfgang Amadeus (14) Mozart are in the audience.

    16 January 1773 William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is produced in German for the first time, at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.

    16 January 1775 Evening.  The earthly remains of Giovanni Battista Sammartini are laid to rest in the Church of San Alessandro, Milan.

    16 January 1782 Three weeks after their famous duel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (25) writes to his father (62) about Muzio Clementi (29).  “He is an excellent cembalo player, that is all.  He has great facility with his right hand.  Apart from this, he has not a farthing’s worth of taste or feeling; he is a mere mechanicus.”

    16 January 1791 The announcement of Johann Peter Salomon’s upcoming subscription concerts with Franz Joseph Haydn (58) appears in several London newspapers.

    16 January 1792 Cécile et Ermancé, ou Les deux couvents, an opéra-comique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (50) to words of Rouget de Lille and Desprès, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    16 January 1797 Telemaco nell’Isola di Calipso, a dramma per musica by Johann Simon Mayr (33) to words of Sografi, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    16 January 1800 Les deux journées, ou Le porteur d’eau, a comédie lyrique by Luigi Cherubini (39) to words of Bouilly, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.  It is an enormous success with press and public.

    16 January 1802 I misteri eleusini, a dramma per musica by Simon Mayr (38) to words of Bernardoni, is performed for the first time, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    16 January 1806 Georg Joseph Vogler’s (56) Castor und Pollux, directed by the composer, is performed in Munich to celebrate the wedding of Napoléon’s adopted son Eugene to August Amalia, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria.

    16 January 1817 Carl Maria von Weber (30) learns that he has not been appointed Kapellmeister in Dresden after all but music director, an inferior position.  He immediately resigns.  King Friedrich August I of Saxony thereupon rules that Weber may have the higher position.

    16 January 1839 Gesang am Grabe by Richard Wagner (25) to words of von Brackel is performed for the first time, in the Jakobi-Kirchhof, Riga.

    16 January 1843 La part du diable, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (60) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    16 January 1850 Frohsinns Spenden op.73, a waltz by Johann Strauss (24), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal.

    16 January 1869 Symphony no.1 by Alyeksandr Borodin (35) is performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Mily Balakirev (32).  The first movement elicits a cold response, the second receives an encore and the rest creates a sensation.  The composer is repeatedly called on stage.  See 7 March 1868.

    16 January 1881 Rapsodia cubana for piano by Isaac Albéniz (20) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Avellandeda, Havana by the composer.

    16 January 1888 The five finished movements of the Requiem op.48 for chorus, boy soprano, harp, timpani, organ, solo violin, and strings by Gabriel Fauré (42) are performed for the first time, in the Madeleine, during a mass for M. Joseph Le Soufaché conducted by the composer.  See 28January 1892, 21 January 1893 and 12 July 1900.

    Holiday Quickstep for piccolo, two cornets, two violins and piano by Charles Ives (13) is performed for the first time, in Taylor’s Opera House, Danbury, Connecticut by the theatre orchestra directed by the composer’s father.

    16 January 1907 Poèmes d’automne for voice and orchestra by Ernst Bloch (26) is performed for the first time, in Geneva directed by the composer.

    16 January 1910 In a memorable evening in Carnegie Hall, New York, Sergey Rakhmaninov (36) gives the third performance of his Piano Concerto no.3, with the New York Philharmonic under its new music director, Gustav Mahler (49).

    16 January 1911 Through the efforts of Maurice Ravel (35), Erik Satie (44) is given his first important hearing at a concert of the Société Musicale Indépendente.  Ravel premieres the Sarabande no.2 from 1887 and the Gymnopédie no.3 from 1888.  Also premiered is the Rhapsody no.1 for clarinet and orchestra by Claude Debussy (48).  The concert proves a great success.

    16 January 1916 Fantasie WoO.18 for two pianos by Alyeksandr Skryabin (†0) is performed for the first time, in Moscow, 27 years after it was composed.

    Two Songs for chorus and orchestra op.144 by Max Reger (42) are performed for the first time, in Heidelberg.

    16 January 1918 Two songs for voice and violin by Gustav Holst (43) op.35/3&4, I Sing of a Maiden and My Leman is So True, both to anonymous words, are performed for the first time, at Morley College, London.

    16 January 1920 On a country visit to the home of Ferdinand Hérold, Maurice Ravel (44) learns that he is to be awarded Chevalier in the Legion of Honor by reading it in a newspaper.

    Henri Collet publishes his article “Un livre de Rimsky et un livre de Cocteau--Les Cinqs Russes, les Six Français et Erik Satie (53),” in Comoedia.  This begins the history of that unlikely combination of six French composers called “Les Six”:  Arthur Honegger (27), Darius Milhaud (27), Germaine Tailleferre, Louis Durey, Francis Poulenc (20) and Georges Auric.

    Romanian Folk Dances for piano by Béla Bartók (38) is performed for the first time, in Cluj.

    16 January 1927 Fonctionnaire M.C. XII:  Inaction en musique by Florent Schmitt (56) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    16 January 1928 Anton Webern’s (44) String Trio op.20 is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Panathenäenzug for piano-left hand and orchestra by Richard Strauss (63) is performed for the first time, in Berlin by Paul Wittgenstein.

    16 January 1934 Richard Wernick is born in Boston.

    16 January 1935 Nerone, an opera by Pietro Mascagni (71) to words of Targioni-Tozzetti after Cossa, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro alla Scala, Milan under the baton of the composer.

    16 January 1936 Oration, concerto elegiaco for cello and orchestra by Frank Bridge (56) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC the composer conducting.

    16 January 1938 Béla Bartók’s (56) Sonata for two pianos and percussion is performed for the first time, in Basel.  The piano parts are played by the composer and his wife, Ditta Pásztory, in her performing debut.

    16 January 1942 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Macbeth by William Walton (39) is performed for the first time, in the Manchester Opera House.

    Diversions on a Theme op.21 for piano-left hand and orchestra by Benjamin Britten (28) is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.  Paul Wittgenstein is the soloist.

    16 January 1943 Brian Ferneyhough is born in Coventry.

    Four Dances (What So Proudly We Hail) for tenor, prepared piano, and percussion by John Cage (30) is performed for the first time, at the Central High School of Needle Trades in New York.

    16 January 1947 The Loves of Joanna Godden, a film with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (74), is shown for the first time, in London.

    16 January 1953 String Quartet no.6 by Ernst Krenek (52) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.

    As part of the inaugural celebrations for Dwight Eisenhower, Aaron Copland’s (52) Lincoln Portrait is to be performed in a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington.  Today it is announced that through the efforts of Congressman Fred E. Busbey (R-IL) the performance is cancelled because of the composer’s alleged association with “subversive” political organizations.  In a statement released to the press, Copland says “My ‘politics’--tainted or untainted’--are certain to die with me, but my music, I am foolish enough to imagine, might just possibly outlive the Republican party.”

    16 January 1957 Wind Quintet no.1 by Charles Wuorinen (18) is performed for the first time, possibly in New York.

    16 January 1961 Labyrinth #3 for percussion by Lou Harrison (43) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, 20 years after it was composed.

    16 January 1962 La cité nouvelle, rêve d’avenir op.170, a symphonic poem by Charles Koechlin (†11), is performed for the first time, in Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    16 January 1964 The first two movements of Symphony by Stefan Wolpe (61) are performed for the first time, by the New York Philharmonic.  See 29 April 1965.

    16 January 1969 Three Pieces from Arden Must Die op.21a for winds, harp, and percussion by Alexander Goehr (36) is performed for the first time before a live audience, in Royal Festival Hall, London.  See 5 March 1967 and 12 January 1969.

    Relata II for orchestra by Milton Babbitt (52) is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, New York under the baton of Leonard Bernstein (50).

    16 January 1970 Music in Fifths for small ensemble by Philip Glass (32) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    16 January 1972 Lux Aeterna for soprano, bass flute, recorder, sitar, and two percussionists (all masked) by George Crumb (42) is performed for the first time, in Richmond, Virginia.

    16 January 1975 Instruments 1 for alto flute/piccolo, oboe/english horn, trombone, percussion, and celesta by Morton Feldman (49) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR originating in Cologne.

    16 January 1976 Fantasia for cello and orchestra by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) is performed for the first time, in a broadcast over RAI originating in Turin.

    16 January 1978 Concerto for symphony orchestra and jazz band with three sopranos and tape by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) to words of Fet is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    16 January 1979 Concerto for contrabassoon and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (53) is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center in Washington.  On the same program is the premiere of the Symphony no.36 for flute and orchestra by Alan Hovhaness (67).

    16 January 1980 Cantares for guitars and string quartet by Peter Sculthorpe (50) is performed for the first time, at the Seymour Center, Sydney.

    16 January 1982 Canzone for cello and orchestra by Werner Egk (80) is performed for the first time, in the Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, conducted by the composer.

    Quadrilateral for piano and tape by Lejaren Hiller (57) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    16 January 1983 Szenario for strings and tape by Mauricio Kagel (51) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Chatelet, Paris conducted by the composer.

    He Hath Entered the Heaven for nine trebles by John Tavener (38) is performed for the first time, at Oxford.

    16 January 1985 Sketches, a ballet by Alfred Schnittke (50) to a story by Petrov after Gogol, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.

    Quasi hoquetus for viola, bassoon, and piano by Sofia Gubaidulina (53) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    Rhapsody for violin and orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (46) is performed for the first time, in Davis Symphony Hall, San Francisco.

    16 January 1994 Communion Words for chorus by John Harbison (55) is performed for the first time, in Emmanuel Church, Boston.

    16 January 1995 The Cry of Anubis for tuba and orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (60) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    16 January 1997 Impromptu for flute, violin and strings by Sofia Gubaidulina (65) is performed for the first time, in the Cologne Philharmonie.

    16 January 1998 On the Balance of Things for oboe, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, trumpet, percussion, violin, cello, and electronic sound generators by Roger Reynolds (63) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    16 January 2000 The Digital Wonder Watch (An Advertisement) for voice and piano by William Bolcom (61) to words of Swenson is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    16 January 2004 Brentano-Phantasie, a cycle for voice and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (51) to words of Brentano, is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt.

    16 January 2005 Über-Schrift for two pianos by Wolfgang Rihm (52) is performed for the first time, in the Konzerthaus, Neuer Saal, Vienna.

    La’i for orchestra by Bright Sheng (49) is performed for the first time, in Dortmund.

    16 January 2008 Saxophone Quintet by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (68) is performed for the first time, in Leo Rich Theatre, Tucson, Arizona.

    17 January

    17 January 1712 John Stanley is born in London.

    17 January 1734 François-Joseph Gossec is born in Vergnies.

    17 January 1751 Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni dies in Venice, aged 79 years, seven months, and nine days.

    17 January 1773 Exsultate, jubilate K.165, a solo motet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (16), is performed for the first time, in the Church of the Theatines, Milan.  It was composed for Venanzio Rauzzini, primo uomo in the Milan opera.

    17 January 1779 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) is named to the position of court organist by the Archbishop of Salzburg.

    Das Grab des Mufti, oder Die zwey Geizigen, a comsiche Oper by Johann Adam Hiller (50) to words of Maissner after de Falbaire, is performed for the first time, at Theater am Rannstädter Thore, Leipzig.

    17 January 1785 An article appearing in The Gazeteer and New Daily Advertiser, London, laments the fact that Joseph Haydn (52), the “Shakepeare of Music”, is “doomed” to reside in Austria and suggests that the best thing for him would be to be kidnapped and brought to England.

    17 January 1787 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (30) produces his Le nozze di Figaro in Prague to great success.

    17 January 1794 Il servo padrone ossia L’amor perfetto, a comedy by Niccolò Piccinni (66) to words of Mazzolà, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Samuele, Venice.

    17 January 1797 André-Ernest-Modest Grétry’s (55) opéra Anacréon chez Polycrate to words of Guy is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    17 January 1801 Seven days after his death, Domenico Cimarosa’s dramma tragico per musica Artemisia to words of Jamejo (pseud. of Colloredo), is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  It was left unfinished at his death.

    17 January 1827 Lucretia, an opera by Heinrich August Marschner (31) to words of Eckschlager, is performed for the first time, in the Danzig (Gdansk) Danzigertheater.

    14 January 1838 Early morning.  Not long after a performance of Mozart’s (†46) Don Giovanni, the Salle Favart and all the assets of its resident company, the Théâtre-Italien, burn to the ground.  The Italian director Carlo Severini dies when he jumps from the burning building.

    17 January 1853 Phönix-Schwingen op.125, a waltz by Johann Strauss (27), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.  Also premiered is Strauss’ Freuden-Gruß-Polka op.127.

    17 January 1860 Jules Massenet (17) enters the harmony class of Napoléon-Henri Reber at the Paris Conservatoire.

    17 January 1862 Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 op.17 by Camille Saint-Saëns (26) is performed for the first time, in Salle Pleyel, Paris, the composer at the keyboard.

    After reporting to the American Embassy in Havana, formally renouncing his allegiance to his home state of Louisiana and declaring his fidelity to the United States, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (32) boards ship for New York.

    17 January 1864 The train carrying the body of Stephen Foster from New York to Pittsburgh derails between Lewistown and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  Two cars end up in the Juniata River but Foster’s body is not affected.

    A Caprice for organ by John Knowles Paine (25) is performed for the first time, by the composer in the Boston Music Hall.

    17 January 1866 Flugschriften op.300, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Hofburg, Vienna.

    17 January 1869 05:00  Alyeksandr Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky dies of an aneurism in St. Petersburg, aged 55 years, eleven months and three days.

    17 January 1873 Richard Wagner (59) reads Götterdämmerung before a glittering assembly of potential subscribers gathered in the home of Count von Schleinitz in Berlin.  “I cannot judge the impression the reading made, but I believe it was considerable.”  (C.Wagner, 164)

    17 January 1874 At the request of Lyudmila Shestakova, sister of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (†16), who is fearful of the emotional state of Mily Balakirev (37), Glinka’s piano is removed from Balakirev’s home to safe keeping in the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

    17 January 1877 Matin Song op.29/1 by John Knowles Paine (38) to words of Taylor is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University.  It will become his most popular song.

    17 January 1880 César Franck’s (57) Quintet for piano and strings in f minor is performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris.  After the performance, the composer rises to dedicate the work to the pianist, Camille Saint-Saëns (44) but Saint-Saëns, who dislikes the piece, stomps off the stage.

    17 January 1892 Rapsodie bretonne op.7bis for orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (56) is performed for the first time, at the Cirque des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    17 January 1899 Le Temps publishes a petition from the Comité de l’Appel à Union favoring moderation and reconciliation in the Dreyfus affair.  Among others, it is signed by Claude Debussy (36) and Gustave Charpentier (38).

    17 January 1901 Le Maschere, a commedia lirica e giocosa with words by Illica and music by Pietro Mascagni (37) is premiered simultaneously at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, Teatro Costanzi, Rome, Teatro Regio, Turin, Teatro La Fenice, Venice, and Teatro Filarmonico, Verona.  Except for Rome, where the composer conducts, the evening is a disaster.  The critics are mixed but the public is not.

    17 January 1903 Skizze for piano by Edward Elgar (45) is performed for the first time, in Ridgefield, Hertsfordshire by the composer.

    17 January 1913 Suffering from depression and exhaustion, Anton von Webern (29) requests sick leave from his post as conductor in Stettin (Szczecin).  He will spend a month at Semmering, near Vienna, to effect a cure.

    Rhapsodie variée for piano and orchestra by Nadia Boulanger (25) is performed for the first time, at the Deutscher Lyceum Club, Berlin.

    17 January 1916 The Hebridean Symphony by Granville Bantock (47) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    17 January 1917 The Original Dixieland Jazz Band opens at Reisenweber’s Restaurant at 58th Street and 8th Avenue, New York.

    17 January 1920 Maurice Ravel (44) refuses his nomination as a Chevalier in the Legion of Honor.

    17 January 1922 Edgard Varèse (37) marries Louise McCutcheon Norton, a translator and philology student, in a civil ceremony in New York’s City Hall.

    Premier Menuet for piano by Erik Satie (55) is performed for the first time, in Salle de La Ville l’Evêque, Paris.

    17 January 1924 Charlie Rutlage, a song by Charles Ives (49) to words of O’Malley, is performed for the first time, in New Orleans.

    17 January 1925 Joueurs de flûte op.27 for flute and piano by Albert Roussel (55) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, Paris.

    17 January 1929 Kleine Suite for chamber orchestra by Franz Schreker (50) is performed for the first time, in a nationwide broadcast over German radio.

    17 January 1930 Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen, a cycle of 20 songs for voice and piano by Ernst Krenek (29) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Salle des Landes Konservatoriums, Leipzig.

    17 January 1932 Suite for oboe and piano by Walter Piston (37) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    17 January 1933 Works by Dmitri Shostakovich (26) are performed for the first time, in the Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall:  The first eight of the 24 Preludes op.34 for piano, performed by the composer, Passacagli for organ, and an orchestral suite from his ballet The Bolt.  See 8 April 1931 and 24 May 1933.

    17 January 1934 Most Vienna newspapers announce that the production of Ernst Krenek’s (33) opera Karl V has been cancelled.

    17 January 1940 Cavalcade d’amour, a film with music by Arthur Honegger (48), is shown for the first time, in Paris.

    17 January 1942 Song of the West, a ballet by Roy Harris (43), is performed completely for the first time, in Humphrey-Weidman Studio Theatre, New York.  See 8 November 1940.

    17 January 1943 Concerto for two pianos by David Diamond (27) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    17 January 1944 Sonata for violin and piano by Aaron Copland (43) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, the composer at the keyboard.

    17 January 1946 Nadia Boulanger (58) disembarks in La Pallice after five years of exile in the United States.  She was recently appointed to the faculty of the Paris Conservatoire.

    17 January 1948 Fantasia for string orchestra by Peter Mennin (24) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    17 January 1950 An orchestral suite from Virgil Thomson’s (53) opera The Mother of Us All is performed for the first time, in the Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, Tennessee the composer conducting.

    17 January 1951 Projection 2 for flute, trumpet, violin, cello, and piano by Morton Feldman (25) is performed for the first time, in Millbrook, New York.  Also premiered is Sixteen Dances for flute, trumpet, percussion, violin, cello, and piano by John Cage (38).

    17 January 1955 Short Pieces for string quartet or string orchestra by Ernst Krenek (54) is performed for the first time, in the Basel Konservatoriumssaal.

    17 January 1957 A car driven by Susanna Walton, with her husband William (54) in the passenger seat, collides with a cement truck north of Rome.  His hip is broken.  She breaks several ribs and an ankle.  They will be hospitalized in Rome for three months.

    String Quartet by Dominick Argento (29) is performed for the first time, in a student performance at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.

    17 January 1959 Juno, a musical play with book by Stein after O’Casey and music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein (53), is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Washington.  Critics are generally disappointed.  See 9 March 1959.

    17 January 1962 Symphony no.8 by Roy Harris (63), commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco Orchestra, is performed for the first time, in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco.

    17 January 1963 Capriccio for tuba and chamber orchestra by Gunther Schuller (37) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, conducted by the composer.

    17 January 1966 Hymn, fuguing and holiday by Ross Lee Finney (59) is performed for the first time, in Miami.

    17 January 1969 Waves for indeterminate instrumentation by Lukas Foss (46) is performed for the first time, at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York.

    Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn for band by Norman Dello Joio (55) is performed for the first time, at Michigan State University.  See 3 June 1969.

    17 January 1980 Symphony no.9 by Roger Sessions (83) is performed for the first time, in Syracuse, New York.

    17 January 1982 Corale for violin, two horns, and strings by Luciano Berio (56) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.

    17 January 1985 Episode cinquième for cello by Betsy Jolas (58) is performed for the first time, in Salle Gaveau, Paris.

    17 January 1986 Album de Lilian op.139 for voice, flute, and piano by Charles Koechlin (†35) is performed completely for the first time, in the Concert Hall of the Boston University School of Music, 52 years after it was composed.  The suite is a commentary on the films of Lilian Harvey.  See 13 June 1934 and 27 January 1936.

    Concerto for violin and orchestra by Richard Wernick (52) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    17 January 1987 Quintet for flute and strings by Isang Yun (69) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France, originating in Paris.

    Psalm I for soprano, oboe, and piano by Ralph Shapey (65) is performed for the first time, at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

    17 January 1988 Zeitgeist (Six Tableaux for Two Amplified Pianos, Book I) by George Crumb (58) is performed for the first time, in Duisberg.

    17 January 1989 A revised version of Livre pour cordes by Pierre Boulez (63) is performed for the first time, in London the composer conducting.  See 1 December 1968.

    String Quartet no.8 by Wolfgang Rihm (36) is performed for the first time, in Milan.

    17 January 1991 Concerto for oboe and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (51) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    17 January 1993 Chamber Symphony for 15 instruments by John Adams (45) is performed for the first time, in The Hague, conducted by the composer.

    17 January 1997 Six Celebratory Inventions for piano by George Perle (81) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    Sonata Profondo for piano by Ralph Shapey (75) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.

    17 January 2002 Buttons and Bows or Superparticular Variations for cello and accordion by Charles Wuorinen (63) is performed for the first time, in Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, New York.

    17 January 2004 Two works for chorus to words from the Liber Usualis by Peter Maxwell Davies (69) are performed for the first time, at Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset:  Dum Complerentur and Veni Sancte Spiritus.

    17 January 2007 Concrete, an opera by Robert Ashley (76) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    17 January 2008 Silver Halo for flute quartet by Joseph Schwantner (64) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, New York.

    17 January 2011 Psalm 110 for chorus by Ned Rorem (87) is performed for the first time, in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York.

    18 January

    18 January 1570 Joan Pau Pujol is baptized at Mataró, near Barcelona.

    18 January 1761 Li tre amanti ridicoli, a dramma giocoso by Baldassare Galuppi (54) to words of his son Antonio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Moisè, Venice.

    18 January 1765 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (8) dedicates six sonatas for keyboard and violin (K.10-15) to British Queen Charlotte, in London.

    18 January 1766 Le garde-chasse et le braconnier, an opéra comique by Johann Schobert (31), is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre-Italien, Paris.

    18 January 1775 Berthe, an opéra by François-André Danican-Philidor (48), François-Joseph Gossec (41) and others to words of de Pleinchesne, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels.  Danican-Philidor sends the overture from Paris today and it will not arrive until January 24, but the opera will probably not be repeated.

    A solemn mass in memory of Giovanni Battista Sammartini is sung by musicians of the Milan Cathedral and others.  Several Sammartini symphonies are played.

    18 January 1791 During a court fete at St. James’ Ballroom to celebrate the birthday of Queen Charlotte, Joseph Haydn (58) is recognized by the royal family.  The Prince of Wales bows to him, thus securing a place for Haydn with the British aristocracy.

    18 January 1835 Tsezar Antonovich Kyui (Cui) is born in Vilna (Vilnius), the son of a French father, a member of Napoleon’s army who stayed in Russia who now teaches French in the gymnasium, and a Lithuanian mother, Julia Gucewicz.

    18 January 1841 Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier is born at Ambert, Puy-de-Dôme, 90 km west of Lyon, only child of Jean Chabrier, a lawyer, and Marie-Anne-Evelina Durozay, daughter of a well-to-do family.

    18 January 1844 Bedrich Smetana (19) is appointed the resident piano teacher to the family of Count Leopold Thun in Prague.

    Caterina Cornaro, a tragedia lirica by Gaetano Donizetti (46) to words of Sacchèro after Saint-Georges, is performed for the first time, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples.  The audience reaction is hostile and the work receives only six performances.

    18 January 1853 Solon-Sprüche op.128, a waltz by Johann Strauss (27), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    18 January 1864 Juristen-Ball op.280, a polka by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    18 January 1866 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) arrives in Moscow to take up his position at the Conservatory.

    18 January 1872 Fantasio, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (52) to words of de Musset, is performed for the first time, at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

    18 January 1877 With the death of his brother Fred, bachelor Arthur Sullivan (34) becomes the breadwinner for Fred’s widow and seven children.

    Wie soll ich die Freude op.33/6, a song by Johannes Brahms (43) to words of Tieck, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig, the composer at the keyboard.

    18 January 1878 Johannes Brahms (44) begins a tour of mostly the Netherlands with a performance of the First Symphony in Hamburg.  His song Alte Liebe op.72/1 to words of Candidus, is performed for the first time.

    18 January 1889 Ständchen op.14/7, a song by Johannes Brahms (55) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, 31 years after it was composed.

    18 January 1890 Two songs by Johannes Brahms (56) are performed for the first time, in Vienna:  Der Überläufer op.48/2, and Der Jäger op.95/4 to words of Halm.

    18 January 1893 Mass in D by Ethel Smyth (34) is performed for the first time, in Albert Hall, London.

    18 January 1902 Funeral March op.42/2 by Edward Elgar (44) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    18 January 1906 The tenth song in the cycle Des knaben Wunderhorn (Lob des hohen Verstandes) by Gustav Mahler (45) to words of Brentano and Arnim, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Gesang der Verklärten op.71 for chorus and orchestra by Max Reger (32) is performed for the first time, in Aachen.

    Symphony no.6 “In memoriam GF Watts” by Charles Villiers Stanford (53) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    18 January 1907 After an Atlantic crossing slowed by fog and rough seas, Giacomo Puccini (48) arrives in New York two hours before the Metropolitan Opera production of his Manon Lescaut.  He enters the theatre in the middle of the first act.  When the composer is acknowledged at intermission, the audience stands and cheers for ten minutes.

    18 January 1908 Brigg Fair, an orchestral work by Frederick Delius (45), is performed for the first time, in Liverpool.

    18 January 1911 Sonata for cello and piano op.116 by Max Reger (37) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    18 January 1913 Albert Roussel’s (43) Sonatine op.16 for piano is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.

    18 January 1922 Eight Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs op.20 by Béla Bartók (40) is performed completely for the first time, in Budapest.  See 27 February 1921.

    18 January 1924 Two settings of Tantum ergo (D.461, D.730) by Franz Schubert (†95) are performed for the first time, at Aula der Universität, Berlin, 108 and 103 years respectively after they were composed.

    18 January 1925 Si ich traurig bin op.4/4 for voice and piano by Anton Webern (41) to words of George is performed for the first time, in New York.

    18 January 1927 Sergey Prokofiev (35) returns to the USSR for a concert tour of three months.  It is his first return to his native country since 1918.

    Romantic Overture for chamber orchestra by Arnold Bax (43) is performed for the first time, in New Chenil Galleries, King’s Road, London.

    18 January 1930 The Nose, an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (23) to words of Zamyatin, Ionin, Preys, and the composer, after Gogol, is performed for the first time, in the Malyi Theatre, Leningrad.  The audience is positive, the critics are not, perhaps for political reasons.  See 25 November 1928, 16 June 1929, and 14 January 1930

    The National Broadcasting Company begins a series of syndicated programs featuring the Theremin.  In the opening episode, the inventor, Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (33), plays music of Rakhmaninov (56), Brahms (†33) and Chopin (†78).

    18 January 1934 Sonata for violin and piano (1932) by Frank Bridge (54) is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    18 January 1938 Paul Hindemith’s (42) Organ Sonatas nos. 1 and 2 are performed for the first time, at the West London Synagogue.

    18 January 1939 A Stolen Life, a film with music by William Walton (36), is shown for the first time, in the Plaza Theatre, London.

    18 January 1940 Two songs by Charles Ives (65) are performed for the first time, in Danbury, Connecticut:  He is There! and In the Alley, both to his own words.

    18 January 1943 Piano Sonata no.7 op.83 by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Home of Unions, Moscow.  It is one of his greatest successes.

    18 January 1944 Three songs by Charles Ives (69) are performed for the first time, in the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts:  A Farewell to Land to words of Byron, Tolerance to words of Kipling, and Song for Harvest Season to words of Phillimore.

    18 January 1945 Ivan the Terrible, a film with music by Sergey Prokofiev (53), is shown for the first time.

    18 January 1946 Etudes and Polkas for piano by Bohuslav Martinu (55) is performed for the first time, in Canegie Hall, New York.

    18 January 1950 Werner Egk (48) is named Professor of Composition and Director of the Hochschule für Musik in West Berlin.

    18 January 1952 Imaginary Landscape no.5 for any 42 recordings, “the score to be realized as a magnetic tape”, by John Cage (39), is performed for the first time, in the Hunter College Playhouse, New York for the dance Portrait of a Lady. It was composed six days ago in the space of 18 hours.  Morton Feldman’s (26) piano work Nature Pieces is premiered for the dance Changing Woman.

    Gian Carlo Menotti’s (40) symphonic poem Apocalypse is performed completely for the first time, in Philadelphia.  See 9 October 1951.

    18 January 1956 The French government creates Société de Radio-diffusion de la France d’Outre-Mer (Soraform) to improve radio in French colonies.  Its first Chairman in Pierre Schaeffer (45).

    Strict Songs for chamber orchestra and male chorus by Lou Harrison (38) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Louisville.  See 20 November 1992.

    18 January 1958 Leonard Bernstein (39) and the New York Philharmonic give the first of 53 Young People’s Concerts over the airwaves of CBS television.  This one is entitled What does Music Mean?

    18 January 1960 Variationen über ein karibisches Thema for orchestra by Werner Egk (58) is performed for the first time, in Freiburg, conducted by the composer.

    18 January 1962 Igor Stravinsky (79) and his wife are guests of President and Mrs. Kennedy at the White House along with a small group of artists, including Leonard Bernstein (43).

    18 January 1963 Symphony no.9 by Roy Harris (64) is performed for the first time, in the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

    18 January 1970 During the intermission of a performance of My Fair Lady in the Moscow Operetta Theatre, a young Belgian named Viktor van Brantegen handcuffs himself to a balcony railing, shouts support for political dissidents and throws hundreds of leaflets into the audience.  The leaflets call on Dmitry Shostakovich (63) to support the release of Major General Pyotr Grigoryevich Grigorenko, a dissident declared insane by the Soviet government, and other dissidents.

    18 January 1973 In a performance of Steve Reich’s (36) Four Organs at Carnegie Hall, New York, members of the audience become restive, annoyed, complaining, and in some cases are moved to action.  According to one story, a woman walks to the front, bangs her head on the stage and cries, “all right--I’ll confess!”

    18 January 1974 Klavierstück 5 1/2 and Klavierstück 6 1/2 by Karlheinz Stockhausen (45) are performed for the first time, in Cologne, 20 years after they were composed.

    Serenata op.42 for baritone, cello, and nine instruments by Alberto Ginastera (57) to words of Neruda is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York conducted by the composer.

    18 January 1976 Four Instruments for piano, violin, viola, and cello by Morton Feldman (50) is performed for the first time, in the New York Jewish Museum.

    18 January 1977 Telephones and Birds for three performers by John Cage (64) is performed for the first time, in the Minskoff Theatre, New York to a dance by Merce Cunningham.

    18 January 1979 Reflections of Emily for treble voices, piano, harp, and percussion by Peter Mennin (55) to words of Dickinson is performed for the first time, in New York.

    18 January 1980 Arvo Pärt (44), his wife and two sons, exit visas in hand, board a train in Tallinn making for Vienna.

    18 January 1981 Suite for twelve trombones by Vladimir Ussachevsky (69) is performed for the first time, at the Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore.

    18 January 1982 Ascent into the Air from The Double Life of Amphibians Part 1 for two cellos, clarinet, bass clarinet, trombone, bass trombone, percussion, two pianos, and computer by Morton Subotnick (48) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    18 January 1984 Erster Doppelgesang for viola, cello, and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (31) is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden.

    18 January 1985 Partita for violin and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (71) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  See 10 January 1990.

    18 January 1987 Oracle II for soprano, oboe, and piano by Richard Wernick (53) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.

    18 January 1989 He Will Make It for cello by Jonathan Lloyd (40) is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield, Great Britain.

    18 January 1992 “Nordosten” and “Nordwesten” from the cycle Die Stücke der Windrose for small orchestra by Mauricio Kagel (60) are performed for the first time, in Cologne directed by the composer.

    John Cage’s (79) installation Roaratorio opens at the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein.

    18 January 1994 Three Songs from the Norse for voice and piano by Arnold Bax (†40) is performed publicly for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.  See 5 January 1994.

    18 January 1995 A second setting of Ins Offene... for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (42) is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands.  See 22 September 1990.

    18 January 1997 Molto Adagio for orchestra by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time.

    18 January 2000 Gestures for images and computer generated sounds by Morton Subotnick (66) is performed for the first time, in The Knitting Factory, New York.

    18 January 2004 Spirit Songs for cello and piano by TJ Anderson (75) is performed for the first time, in Durham, North Carolina.

    18 January 2008 Figment III for double bass by Elliott Carter (99) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    18 January 2009 String Quartet no.11 by Wolfgang Rihm (56) is performed for the first time, in Essen.

    19 January

    19 January 1576 Hans Sachs dies in Nuremberg, aged 82 years, two months, and 14 days.

    19 January 1764 The Arcadian Nuptials, a masque by Thomas Augustine Arne (53), is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden, London.

    19 January 1768 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (11) and his family are received at the Viennese court by Maria Theresia and her son, the new Emperor Joseph II.

    19 January 1773 Il Cid, an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini (42) to words of Bottarelli after Corneille, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.

    19 January 1787 Two days after a triumphant performance of Le nozze di Figaro in Prague, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (30) gives the first performance of his Symphony K.504 “Prague.”  Like the opera, it is very successful.

    19 January 1791 A new French law declaring the “liberty of the theatres,” essentially abolishing censorship, is given royal assent.  It also requires all theatres to have written permission of authors to perform their works.

    19 January 1794 Joseph Haydn (61) departs Vienna for his second journey to London in a traveling coach loaned by Baron van Swieten.  With the departure of Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven (23) seeks instruction from Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (57).

    19 January 1799 An overture to Kelly’s play Feudal Times by Jan Ladislav Dussek (38) is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    19 January 1822 The first detailed review of a song by Franz Schubert (24) appears in the Vienna Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung.

    19 January 1832 Giacomo Meyerbeer (40) is created a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by King Louis Philippe.

    19 January 1833 Ferdinand Hérold dies of tuberculosis in Paris, aged 41 years, eleven months and 22 days.

    19 January 1840 Clara Wieck (20) plays a concert in Berlin in a state of nervous exhaustion due to the court case with her father.  “...my limbs were so weak that I could not lift my hand.”  She fortifies herself with champagne and actually blacks out a few times during the performance.  Nobody notices.

    19 January 1845 Hector Berlioz’ (41) overture Le corsaire is performed for the first time, at the Cirque Olympique, Paris directed by the composer.  It is performed under the name La tour de Nice.

    19 January 1850 Lava-Ströme op.74, a waltz by Johann Strauss (24), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    19 January 1853 Il Trovatore, a dramma by Giuseppe Verdi (39) to words of Cammarano and Bardare after Garcia Gutiérrez, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Apollo, Rome directed by the composer.  The work is extremely successful with the audience who demand that the fourth act be repeated.

    19 January 1856 Béranger à l’Académie, a poésie by Houssaye with music by Jacques Offenbach (36), is performed for the first time, at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris.

    19 January 1858 Vibrationen op.204, a waltz by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    19 January 1863 Leitartikel op.273, a waltz by Johann Strauss (37), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    19 January 1864 Vergnügungszug op.281, a polka by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    19 January 1865 Edvard Grieg’s (21) Symphony in c minor is performed completely for the first time, in Bergen.  See 4 June 1864.

    19 January 1868 Stadt und Land op.322, a polka mazurka by Johann Strauss (42), is performed for the first time, in the Gartenbau, Vienna.

    19 January 1870 Sehnsucht op.49/3, a song by Johannes Brahms (36) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    19 January 1873 Concerto for cello and orchestra no.1 op.33 by Camille Saint-Saëns (37) is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.

    19 January 1878 Au Bord de l’eau op.8/1 for voice and piano by Gabriel Fauré (32) to words of Sully-Prudhomme is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    19 January 1884 Manon, an opéra comique by Jules Massenet (41) to words of Meilhac and Gille after Prévost, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.  The work elicits great enthusiasm.

    19 January 1889 Two works for two voices and orchestra by César Franck (66) to words of Daudet are performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris:  Aux petits enfants and La Vierge à la Crèche.  Also premiered is the third of the Trois romances sans paroles op.17 for piano by Gabriel Fauré (43).  See 25 February 1881.

    19 January 1892 Gustav Mahler (31) conducts a performance of Yevgeny Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) in Hamburg before an audience which includes the composer.  Tchaikovsky writes to his nephew, “The conductor here is not the usual ilk, but a man of genius who would give his life to conduct the premiere.”

    19 January 1893 The Magic Opal, a comic opera by Isaac Albéniz (32) to words of Law, is performed for the first time, at the Lyric Theatre, London.

    19 January 1894 This is the last day for Frederick S. Converse (23) at his job in a Boston banking firm.  He has decided to pursue music as a career.

    19 January 1895 One movement of a Concerto for piano and orchestra no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†1), also called Allegro de concert or Konzertstück, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    19 January 1904 Three Love Songs op.14 for voice and piano by Frederick S. Converse (33) to words of Meredith, Shelley, and Keats, are performed for the first time, in Boston.

    19 January 1905 Historiettes au crepuscule for voice and piano by Ernst Bloch (24) is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    19 January 1907 Béla Bartók (25) enters upon duties as professor of piano at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

    19 January 1910 The National Institute of Arts and Letters is incorporated by the United States Congress.

    The fantasia comica medioevale Malbruk, by Ruggero Leoncavallo (52) to words of Nessi after Boccaccio, is performed for the first time, at the Teatro Nazionale, Rome.

    19 January 1918 Cello Sonata no.1 op.109 by Gabriel Fauré (72) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    The first two movements of the Violin Sonata no.1 by Arthur Honegger (25) are performed for the first time, at the Panthéon, Paris.  See 19 March 1918.

    March of the Finnish Jaeger Batallion op.91/1 for male chorus and brass septet by Jean Sibelius (52) to words of Nurmio is given its first public performance, in Helsinki.

    19 January 1919 At a social gathering in New York, Charles T. Griffes (34) meets Darius Milhaud (26) who is on his way from Brazil to France.  The two hit it off and agree to meet again in a few days.

    19 January 1929 Sonata for flute and harp by Arnold Bax (45) is performed for the first time, privately, in Ipswich Central Library.  See 28 January 1929.

    19 January 1930 Leben des Orest, a grand opera by Ernst Krenek (29) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in the Neues Theater, Leipzig.

    Theatre Piece op.19, a dance by Wallingford Riegger (44) to a scenario by Humphrey, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    19 January 1932 The Rhythmicon is demonstrated for the first time, at the New School for Social Research in New York.  The instrument is a result of the collaboration of Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (35) and Henry Cowell (34).

    19 January 1933 Joaquín Rodrigo (31) marries Victoria Kamhi, a professional pianist and daughter of a Turkish drug manufacturer, in Valencia.

    19 January 1935 A suite from Arthur Honegger’s (42) film score Les misérables is performed for the first time, in the Salle Rameau, Paris.

    19 January 1937 Kurt Weill (36) and Lotte Lenya remarry in a civil ceremony in North Castle, New York.

    Trio for clarinet, violin, and piano op.157b by Darius Milhaud (44) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    19 January 1941 Valley Town, a documentary film with music by Marc Blitzstein (35), is shown for the first time, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

    19 January 1945 Festive Overture for orchestra by William Grant Still (49) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    19 January 1949 Carlos Chávez (49) resigns his post as director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de México, a post he has held for over 20 years.

    In Geneva, Wilhelm Furtwängler withdraws as guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after a threatened boycott by eminent soloists and conductors who accuse him of collaboration with the Nazis.

    19 January 1953 Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein (34) to words of Comden and Green after Fields and Chodorov, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, New Haven.  See 25 February 1953.

    19 January 1958 Triptych for violin, viola, and percussion by Charles Wuorinen (19) is performed for the first time, in Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd St. Y, New York.

    19 January 1961 Basler Massarbeit for two pianos by Ernst Krenek (60) is performed for the first time, in Basel, the composer at the keyboard.

    Fanfare I for the inauguration of John Kennedy by Leonard Bernstein (42) is performed for the first time, at an inaugural gala at the National Armory in Washington conducted by the composer.

    19 January 1962 Bara for orchestra by Isang Yun (44) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    19 January 1964 Time Span II for orchestra by George Rochberg (45) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.

    19 January 1966 The Vision of St. Augustine, a cantata for baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Michael Tippett (61) to words of the saint and the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London the composer conducting.

    Stele per Diotima for violin and orchestra by Bruno Maderna (45) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NDR.

    19 January 1968 Second Sacred Concert for soloists, choruses and players by Duke Ellington (68) is performed for the first time, in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York.  It is a disaster.

    Excercises of a Late Hour for orchestra by Ernst Krenek (67) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego the composer conducting.

    19 January 1970 Orison for organ and tape by Jacob Druckman (41) is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York.

    O the Chimneys, a cycle for mezzo-soprano, clarinet/bass clarinet, cello, piano, percussion, and tape by Shulamit Ran (20) to words of Nelly Sachs, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

    19 January 1971 Ut re mi for piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (36) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.

    19 January 1973 Leonard Bernstein (54) conducts a Concert for Peace in the National Cathedral, Washington to protest tomorrow’s second inauguration of Richard Nixon.

    19 January 1975 Tubes I for 1-5 trombones by Ross Lee Finney (68) is performed for the first time, at Towson State College, Maryland.

    19 January 1976 The Dreamers, a ballet by Dmitri Shostakovich (†0), is performed for the first time, at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre, Moscow.

    Little Brass Music for trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    19 January 1981 John Cage (68) participates in the first live performance of his Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegan’s Wake at IRCAM in Paris.

    Piano Sonata no.3 by Lejaren Hiller (56) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo, 31 years after it was composed.

    19 January 1983 Rain Spell for flute, clarinet, harp, piano, and vibraphone by Toru Takemitsu (52) is performed for the first time, in Yokohama.

    Tres evocaciones (Homenaje a Joaquín Turina) for piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (81) is performed for the first time, in Seville to celebrate the centennial of Turina’s (†34) birth.

    19 January 1984 The CIVIL warS:  “A Tree is Best Measured When it is Down”, a music theatre piece by Philip Glass (46) and Robert Wilson to words of Niscemi from Seneca and others, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    19 January 1985 Te Deum for three choirs, piano, strings, and tape by Arvo Pärt (49) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    Horizon for orchestra by Samuel Barber (†3) is performed for the first time, in Merrick, New York, approximately 40 years after it was composed.

    19 January 1986 Concerto for piano and orchestra by Milton Babbitt (69) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Raleigh Divertimento for wind quintet by Robert Ward (68) is performed for the first time, in Steward Theatre of North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

    19 January 1989 Symphony no.1 by Jonathan Lloyd (40) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham, Great Britain.

    19 January 1990 The Strathclyde Concerto no.3 for horn, trumpet, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (55) is performed for the first time, in City Halls, Glasgow conducted by the composer.

    Concerto for piano three hands for two pianos and chamber orchestra by Gunther Schuller (64) is performed for the first time, in Springfield, Illinois.

    19 January 1992 Am Horizont for violin, cello, and accordion by Wolfgang Rihm (39) is performed for the first time, in Cologne to celebrate the 60th birthday of Mauricio Kagel.  Also premiered is Five2 for english horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, and timpani by John Cage (79).

    19 January 1994 Violin Concerto by John Adams (46) is performed for the first time, in the Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul.

    19 January 1995 Symphony no.2 for soprano and orchestra by Richard Wernick (61) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    19 January 2003 Duo for cello and piano by Richard Wernick (69) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    19 January 2012 String Quartet no.13 by Wolfgang Rihm (59) is performed for the first time, at Cité del la Musque, Paris.

    Chestnuts for four solo voices and piano by William Bolcom (73) to words of Tennyson, Bridges, Stevenson, and Longfellow is performed for the first time, in Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York.

    20 January

    20 January 1586 Johann Hermann Schein is born in Grünhain (Annaberg-Bucholz) near Annaberg.

    20 January 1754 A second version of Alessandro nelle Indie, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (47) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    20 January 1760 Il natale di Achille, an azione drammatica by Nicola Logroscino (61) to words of Baldanza, is performed for the first time, in Palermo.

    20 January 1762 Two works by Johann Christian Bach (26) are performed for the first time, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples to honor the birthday of King Carlos III of Spain:  the opera Alessandro nell’Indie to words after Metastasio, and the Cantata a 3 voci per festiggiare il felicissimo giorno natalizio di sua Maesta cattolica, to words possibly by Passeri.

    20 January 1765 Il tempo dell’onore, a componimento drammatico by Nicola Bonifacio Logroscino (66) to words of Baldanza, is performed for the first time, in Palermo.

    20 January 1768 Two works by Giovanni Paisiello (27) are performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples:  the dramma per musica Olimpia, to words of Trabucco, and the cantata L’Ebone, to words of Mattei.

    20 January 1770 A new home for the Paris Opéra opens at the Palais Royal with a revival of Zoroastre by Jean-Philippe Rameau (†5).

    Leopold (50) and Wolfgang Amadeus (13) Mozart witness a production of La Clemenza di Tito by Johann Adolf Hasse (70) in Cremona.

    20 January 1774 22:00  Florian Leopold Gassmann dies in Vienna, aged 44 years, eight months and 15 days.  He is succeeded as Austrian court composer and conductor of the Italian opera by his young protege, Antonio Salieri (23).

    20 January 1786 Olimpiade, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (45) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at Teatro San Carlo, Naples.

    20 January 1797 Joseph Haydn (64) receives a letter from the Tonkünstler-Societät, Vienna, signed by Antonio Salieri (46) and Paul Wranitzky, apologizing for the way they treated him in 1779.  They grant him free admission to all their concerts for life.  See 4 February 1779.

    20 January 1802 Joseph Bonaparte grants an annual pension of 3,000 francs to Luigi Boccherini (58).

    20 January 1828 The Fantasy in C D.934 for violin and piano by Franz Schubert (30) is performed for the first time, in the County Hall, Vienna.  The response is mixed and, programmed at the end of a long noon concert, many in the audience have left.

    20 January 1845 In the middle of an ongoing bout with depression, Robert Schumann (34) begins wearing an amulet to ward off evil spirits.  Coincidentally, he is working on his Scenes from Goethe’s Faust.

    20 January 1848 A fifth child, Ludwig, is born to Clara (28) and Robert (37) Schumann.

    20 January 1850 Anton Rubinstein (20) conducts for the first time when he directs the premieres of his own Symphony no.1 and the overture to his unperformed opera Dmitry Donskoy, in St. Petersburg.

    20 January 1851 Die vornehmen Dilettanten, oder Die Opernprobe, a komische Oper by Albert Lortzing (49) to his own words after Poisson (tr.Jünger), is performed for the first time, in the Stadttheater, Frankfurt-am-Main.

    20 January 1855 Ernest Amédée Chausson is born in Paris, the fourth of six children born to Prosper Chausson, a wealthy building contractor, and Stéphanie-Marcelline Levraux (or Levrault), daughter of a notary.

    20 January 1856 Sarabande in b minor for piano solo WoO 5/2 by Johannes Brahms (22) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    20 January 1857 Paroxysmen op.189, a waltz by Johann Strauss (31), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    20 January 1865 Trio no.1 for piano and strings op.18 by Camille Saint-Saëns (29) is performed for the first time, in Salle Pleyel, Paris, the composer at the piano.

    20 January 1871 Don Quixote op.87 for orchestra by Anton Rubinstein (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    20 January 1876 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) and his brother Modest view a performance of Carmen by Georges Bizet (†0) in Paris.  Modest will later write, “Rarely have I seen my brother so deeply moved by a performance in the theatre.”

    20 January 1880 Two rhapsodies for piano op.79 by Johannes Brahms (46) are performed for the first time, in Krefeld, by the composer.

    20 January 1884 The first of Hugo Wolf’s (23) critical reviews appears in the Wiener Salonblatt.  They will continue virtually every Sunday for the next three years.

    So ängstlich sind wir nicht! op.413, a polka-schnell by Johann Strauss (58) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    20 January 1885 Edward Elgar (27) signs a contract in London with Schott for the publication of his Romance for violin and piano.  Elgar gives them the copyright for one schilling and twenty free copies.  It is his first work to be published.

    20 January 1888 Die drei Pintos, a comic opera by Carl Maria von Weber (†61), completed by Gustav Mahler (27) to words of Hell after Seidel, is performed for the first time, in the Neues Stadttheater, Leipzig, 67 years after it was composed.  It is extremely successful and gains Mahler more widespread acclaim than he has ever had before.

    20 January 1890 Rhapsodie orientale op.29 by Alyeksandr Glazunov (24) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by the composer.  It is not well received.

    20 January 1894 Richard Strauss (29) visits his mentor Hans von Bülow for the last time, in Hamburg.  Already quite ill, von Bülow is about to travel to Cairo.

    Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. is born in Rockland, Maine, the second of four children born to Walter Hamor Piston, a bookkeeper, and Leona Stover from a family of seamen.

    Poems of Vilhelm Krag, a cycle for voice and piano op.60 by Edvard Grieg (50), is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    20 January 1895 Ruggero Leoncavallo (37) marries Marie Rose Jean (Berthe) Rambaud at the City Hall of Milan.  Her background is very sketchy.  It is unclear whether Rambaud is her maiden name.  (Leoncavallo will claim that he married in 1888 in Paris.)

    20 January 1897 Several songs for voice and piano or orchestra by Charles Koechlin (29) are performed for the first time, in Paris:  Rondels op.1 to words of Banville and Charles d’Orleans is performed completely for the first time, along with La Paix op.8/7 to words of Banville, and Les clairs de lune op.9 to words of Leconte de Lisle.  See 30 April 1896.

    20 January 1901 Two songs for voice and orchestra by Charles Koechlin (33) are performed for the first time, in Paris:  La prière du mort op.17/2 to words of Heredia, and Epiphanie op.17/3 to words of Leconte de Lisle.

    20 January 1905 Night and Day op.11 for piano and orchestra by Frederick S. Converse (34) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    20 January 1908 After living together for three-and-a-half years and producing a child, Claude Debussy (45) and Emma Moyse Bardac marry in the Mairie of the 16th arrondissement, Paris.  She is the former wife of banker Sigismond Bardac, and the mother of two.

    20 January 1911 Ethel Smyth’s (52) feminist anthem March of the Women, to words of Hamilton, is performed for the first time, at a ceremony for released suffragette prisoners.

    20 January 1916 Incidental music to Giffin’s play Red Silence by Henry Cowell (18) is performed for the first time, in Hotel St. Francis, San Francisco.

    20 January 1917 Sergey Rakhmaninov (43) conducts in Russia for the last time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.

    20 January 1918 Verdun:  Solemn March and Heroic Epilogue for orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (65) is performed for the first time, in London.

    20 January 1922 Skating Rink, a ballet by Arthur Honegger (29) to a scenario by Canudo, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    Krazy Kat, a jazz pantomime by John Alden Carpenter (45), is staged for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  See 23 December 1922.

    Word Songs, a song cycle by Karol Szymanowski (39) to words of Tuwim, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    20 January 1924 String Quartet no.3 op.72 by Charles Koechlin (56) is performed for the first time, in Mulhouse.

    20 January 1927 Arnold Schoenberg (52) is elected to the Senate of the Prussian Academy of Arts.  This automatically gives him Prussian citizenship.

    20 January 1930 Tres viejos aires de danza for orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (28) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Principal, Valencia.

    20 January 1931 Dalla mia terro for voice, chorus, and orchestra by Luigi Dallapiccola (26) to words of folk poetry is performed for the first time, in Palazzo di Parte Guelfa, Florence.

    Heitor Villa-Lobos (43) and several well-known Brazilian musicians begin the Excursão Artística Villa-Lobos, 54 concerts in São Paulo State, designed to bring serious music to the people.

    20 January 1932 Some of the 44 Duos for two violins by Béla Bartók (50) are performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    20 January 1933 Violin Sonata no.2 by Bohuslav Martinu (42) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Pardon My English, a musical comedy with a book by Fields, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin (34), is performed for the first time in New York, in the Majestic Theatre.  It is a failure, receiving only 46 performances.  See 2 December 1932.

    20 January 1935 Lucie Rosen makes her official debut as Theremin virtuoso in a recital in Town Hall, New York.  The instrument malfunctions at one point and the inventor, Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (39) comes on stage to fix it.

    20 January 1938 Nikolay Sergeyevich Zhilyaev, critic, musicologist, professor at Moscow Conservatory, is executed as part of the Stalinist terror.

    Volochayevka Days, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (31), is shown for the first time.

    20 January 1939 The “official” premiere of Piano Sonata no.2 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860” by Charles Ives (64) takes place in Town Hall, New York.  The critics are generally tepid or negative.  See 21 June 1938 and 28 November 1938.

    20 January 1940 Joan von Zarissa, a dramatic dance-poem by Werner Egk (38) to his own story, is performed for the first time, in the Berlin Staatsoper, directed by the composer.

    Incidental music to Rice’s play Two on an Island by Kurt Weill (39) is performed for the first time, in the Broadhurst Theatre, New York.

    20 January 1941 String Quartet no.6 by Béla Bartók (59) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    20 January 1944 Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber for orchestra by Paul Hindemith (48) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    20 January 1945 About this day, Sergey Prokofiev (53) blacks out and falls in his Moscow apartment.  The black out is due to untreated high blood pressure.  He injures his back and head and is confined to bed by doctors.

    Overture for orchestra by Karel Husa (23) is performed for the first time, in Prague, conducted by the composer.

    20 January 1949 William Walton (46) is married again in the Church of San Martín de Tours, Buenos Aires.  The couple sails for Britain.

    The Guests, a ballet by Marc Blitzstein (43) to his own story, orchestrated by Henry Brant (35), is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 28 January 1948.

    20 January 1951 ¡Un home, San Antonio! for voice and piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (49) to words of Rosalía de Castro is performed for the first time, in Orense.

    20 January 1952 Arthur George Farwell dies in Lexington Hospital, New York after a short illness, aged 79 years, eight months, and 28 days.

    Harmonium op.50, a cycle for voice and piano by Vincent Persichetti (36) to words of Stevens, is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

    20 January 1956 Elegy op.44 for orchestra by Howard Hanson (59) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    20 January 1959 The American Scene for orchestra by William Grant Still (63) is performed for the first time, in University Auditorium, Tucson.

    20 January 1960 Entité for tape by Pierre Henry (32) is performed for the first time, at the Galerie internationale d’art contemporain in Paris.

    20 January 1961 The Museu Villa-Lobos (†3) opens in Rio de Janeiro.

    Gloria for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Francis Poulenc (62) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    20 January 1962 Antifone for eleven instruments by Hans Werner Henze (35) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    20 January 1963 The Music Educators National Conference announces in Washington a six-year, $1,380,000 grant by the Ford Foundation to stimulate the creative aspects of music in US public schools.  It will be directed by a committee chaired by Norman Dello Joio (49).

    20 January 1964 Brigade of Death, a radio play by Smoter after Weliczker, with music by Krzysztof Penderecki (30), is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

    20 January 1966 Concerto for Orchestra “Gala Music” by Gunther Schuller (40) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago conducted by the composer.

    20 January 1969 Two chamber works by György Ligeti (45) are performed for the first time, in Malmö, Sweden:  Six Bagatelles for wind quintet (arranged from Musica ricercata), and Ten Pieces for wind quintet.  See 18 November 1969.

    20 January 1970 Rappresentazione e festa di Carnasciale e della Quaresima, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (87) to his own words after a 16th century Florentine text, is staged for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  Also premiered is Malipiero’s Don Tartufo Bacchettone to his own words after Molière and Gigli.  See 20 April 1962.

    20 January 1973 A Black November Turkey for chorus by John Corigliano (34) to words of Wilbur is performed for the first time, in San Antonio, Texas.

    20 January 1977 Il ritorno degli snovidenia for cello and 30 instruments by Luciano Berio (51) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    20 January 1979 The String Quartets 4, 5, and 6 by George Rochberg (60) are performed for the first time, at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

    21 Variations for piano by Ralph Shapey (57) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    20 January 1980 Arvo Pärt (44) and his family arrive in Vienna from Tallinn and are met at the train station by a representative of Universal Edition who, through the efforts of Alfred Schnittke (45), gave them assistance in finding residence in Vienna.

    20 January 1986 New York Counterpoint for clarinet and tape by Steve Reich (49) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.  See 21 June 1987.

    20 January 1987 Concerto for violin and orchestra no.2 by Isang Yun (69) is performed completely for the first time, in Stuttgart.  This sees the premiere of the third movement entitled Adagio und Finale.  See 8 July 1983 and 30 March 1984.

    Two chamber works by Peter Maxwell Davies (52) are performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer:  Dowland:  Farewell-A Fancye for alto flute, bass clarinet, viola, cello, piano, and marimba, and Winterfold for mezzo-soprano, alto flute, bass clarinet, guitar, piano, viola, cello, and percussion to words of Brown.  This is the farewell concert of The Fires of London, organized in May of 1967 as the Pierrot Players by Davies and Harrison Birtwistle (52).

    20 January 1989 Towards the Center for amplified flute, clarinet, violin, cello, electronic keyboard, and percussion with five hyperinstrument electronics by Tod Machover (35) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Space, New York.

    Symphony no.1 by Richard Wernick (55) is performed for the first time, in the Masonic Temple, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

    Charles Wuorinen’s (50) opera The W. of Babylon to words of Bruce is performed completely for the first time, in a concert setting in Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.  See 14 March 1975.

    20 January 1994 String Quartet no.4 with tape by Sofia Gubaidulina (62) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    20 January 1995 Simón Bolivar, an opera by Thea Musgrave (66) to her own words, is performed for the first time, in Norfolk, Virginia.

    Media/Medium Suite for amplified cello and Yamaha Disklavier and tape by Tod Machover (40) is performed for the first time, in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SanFrancisco.

    20 January 1998 Mundus Canis for guitar and percussion by George Crumb (68) is performed for the first time, in Cannes.  The composer plays the percussion part.

    20 January 2001 Hamburg Concerto for horn and orchestra by György Ligeti (77) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    20 January 2005 Über die Linie VI for alto flute, violin, and cello by Wolfgang Rihm (52) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    Symphony no.7 “A Toltec Symphony” for chorus and orchestra by Philip Glass (67) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.

    20 January 2006 Tribute to Cavafy for narrator, chorus, and percussion by John Tavener (61) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

    20 January 2011 They Were There, a film by Erroll Morris with music by Philip Glass (73), is released in the United States on the internet.

    21 January

    21 January 1756 William Boyce (44) provides music for animating the statue in Florizel and Perdita, or The Winter’s Tale, a comedy by Garrick after Shakespeare, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    21 January 1758 Alessandro nelle Indie, an opera seria by Niccolò Piccinni (30) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.

    21 January 1765 Singgedichte bey der Durchreise der kaiserlichen...Majestäten, a cantata by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (28) to words of Schuster, is performed for the first time, in Melk to celebrate an overnight visit by Archduke Joseph II.

    21 January 1777 Germondo, an opera seria by Tommaso Traetta (49) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.  Traetta finds it tough going in London due to the great popularity of Antonio Sacchini (46).

    21 January 1786 Luigi Boccherini (42) is appointed chamber composer to Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.

    21 January 1817 A setting of the Requiem by Luigi Cherubini (56) is performed for the first time, at St. Denis, Paris for the anniversary of the death of Louis XVI.

    21 January 1841 Owing to the new popularity of Baroque music, Felix Mendelssohn (31) directs an ambitious program of music by JS Bach (†90) and Handel (†81) in Leipzig.  Mendelssohn himself plays Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Handel’s Theme and Variations on “The Harmonious Blacksmith.”

    La guitarrero, an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy (41) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    21 January 1845 Pope Gregory XVI appoints Gaspare Spontini (70) as Count of San Andrea.

    21 January 1848 Marie Eugène Henri Duparc is born in Paris, the son of Louis-Charles Duparc, director of the Western Railway, and Frédérique Amélie de Gaité, daughter of a noble family from Lorraine.

    21 January 1851 Gustav Albert Lortzing dies of a stroke in Berlin, aged 49 years, two months and 29 days.

    21 January 1854 Phantasie op.131 for violin and orchestra by Robert Schumann (43) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.  Joseph Joachim is the soloist.

    21 January 1855 The Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, opened in 1819, burns down. See 24 March 1856.

    21 January 1856 Sans-Souci-Polka op.178 by Johann Strauss (30) is performed for the first time, in Schwender’s Collosseum, Vienna.

    21 January 1857 Demi-Fortune op.186, a polka française by Johann Strauss (31), is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    21 January 1860 A package arrives at the Paris home of Hector Berlioz (56) with a note.  “Dear Berlioz, I am delighted to be able to offer you the first copy of my Tristan.  Accept it and keep it out of friendship for me.  Richard Wagner (46).”  The score is inscribed, “To the dear and great author of Romeo and Juliet, from the grateful author of Tristan und Isolde.”

    21 January 1864 After a funeral service in Trinity Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, the mortal remains of Stephen Foster are laid to rest in Allegheny Cemetery, Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh).

    21 January 1865 Les deux reines de France, a play by Ernest Legouvé with incidental music by Charles Gounod (46), is forbidden to be staged in France by the censors because of the current conflict between Emperor Napoléon III and Pope Pius IX.  See 27 November 1872.

    21 January 1877 O schöner Mai, op.375, a waltz by Johann Strauss (51), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    21 January 1880 May Night, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (35) to his own words after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    21 January 1881 Camille Saint-Saëns (45) is elected to fill the seat vacated by the death of Henri Reber at the French Institute.

    21 January 1886 Franz Liszt (74) departs Rome for Budapest.  It is the last time he will see the city.

    21 January 1888 One scene from Ernest Chausson’s (33) drame lyrique Hélène is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    21 January 1891 Sonata for cello and piano op.1 by Hans Pfitzner (21) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    21 January 1893 The second version of the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré (47) is performed for the first time, in the Madeleine, Paris.  See 16 January 1888, 28 January 1892, and 12 July 1900.

    21 January 1895 Edvard Grieg (51) is appointed Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav by King Oscar II.

    String Quartet op.38 by Horatio Parker (31) is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    21 January 1899 La Vega, the first of a projected suite for piano called The Alhambra by Isaac Albéniz (38), is performed for the first time, at the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    21 January 1900 The prelude to the third act of Johann Strauss’ (†0) unperformed ballet Aschenbrödel is heard for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    21 January 1901 About 10:30, Giuseppe Verdi (87) loses consciousness in his room at the Grand Hotel, Milan.  He shows signs of a cerebral hemorrhage, paralyzing his right side.

    21 January 1904 Her Foster Daughter, an opera by Leos Janácek (49) known outside Czechoslovakia as Jenufa, with words adapted by the composer after Preissová, is performed for the first time, at the National Theatre, Brünn (Brno).  It is dedicated to the memory of his daughter Olga who died during its composition.  The opera is a critical success and a popular triumph.  The composer is called to the stage after each act and the librettist acknowledges applause from her box.  Janácek is carried on the shoulders of the singers to a victory party.  See 23 April 1903 and 26 February 1903.

    Frederick Delius’ (41) tone poem Lebenstanz, a reworking of his earlier work La Ronde se déroule, is performed for the first time, in Düsseldorf.

    21 January 1908 The Chambered Nautilus op.66 for solo voices, female chorus, and orchestra by Amy Cheney Beach (40) to words of Holmes is performed for the first time, in New York.

    21 January 1911 Phantasy in f sharp minor for piano quartet by Frank Bridge (31) is performed for the first time, in Steinway Hall, London.

    21 January 1914 Edward Elgar’s (56) Carissima, for small orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Hayes, Middlesex, at a recording session of the Gramophone Company.  It is Elgar’s first encounter with recording.  See 15 February 1914.

    21 January 1917 Elegia Eroica for orchestra by Alfredo Casella (33) is performed for the first time, in Rome.  The work is intended to honor the members of the allied forces.  The audience is extremely hostile and drowns out the last movement.  The press is scathing, one critic suggesting that the composer be deported.

    21 January 1918 The Philharmonic Society of New York bans works by living German composers.

    21 January 1920 Der Schatzgräber, an opera by Franz Schreker (41) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.  Dedicated to the City of Frankfurt and its opera house, the work is an overwhelming success.

    21 January 1924 Sweet Little Devil, a musical comedy with book by Mandel and Schwab, lyrics by DeSylva and seven new songs by George Gershwin (25), is performed for the first time in New York, in the Astor Theatre.  It will receive 120 performances.  See 20 December 1923.

    21 January 1927 Albert Roussel’s (57) Suite for Orchestra op.33 is performed for the first time, in Boston.

    21 January 1930 Symphony no.3 “First of May” for chorus and orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich (23) to words of Kirsanov, is performed for the first time, in the Moscow-Narva House of Culture, Leningrad.

    Aubade, a “choreographic concerto” for piano and 18 instruments by Francis Poulenc (31), is staged for the first time, in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris the composer at the piano.  See 18 June 1929 and 1 December 1929.

    21 January 1934 Incidental music to Claudel’s play L’annonce faite à Marie by Darius Milhaud (41) is performed for the first time, in the Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels.

    Cinq motets op.60 for chorus and organ by Florent Schmitt (63) are performed for the first time, in Paris.

    21 January 1936 Catfish Row, an orchestral suite from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (37), is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

    21 January 1937 Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by Béla Bartók (55) is performed for the first time, in Basel.  It is a great success, the audience requiring the last movement to be repeated.

    Ernest Bloch’s (56) symphonic poem A Voice in the Wilderness is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    21 January 1939 Double Trio for strings by Ralph Vaughan Williams (66) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.  See 20 March 1938.

    Lawrence Gilman publishes a review of last night’s concert in the New York Herald Tribune.  He calls Charles Ives (64) “probably the most original and extraordinary of American composers”, and his Concord Sonata, “the greatest music composed by an American.”

    21 January 1943 1941 op.90 for orchestra by Sergey Prokofiev (51) is performed for the first time, in Sverdlovsk.

    Béla Bartók (61) gives his last public performance, in the United States premiere of his Concerto for two pianos, percussion, and orchestra with his wife and the New York Philharmonic under Fritz Reiner.

    21 January 1945 A Book of Music for two prepared pianos by John Cage (32) is performed for the first time, at the New School for Social Research in New York.

    21 January 1946 Incidental music to MacNeice’s (after Browning) radio play The Dark Tower by Benjamin Britten (32) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC Home Service.

    Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free for orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (27) is performed for the first time, in New York conducted by the composer.  See 18 April 1944.

    21 January 1947 Two works commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Basel Chamber Orchestra are performed for the first time, in Basel:  Symphony no.4 by Arthur Honegger (54) and Toccata e due Canzoni by Bohuslav Martinu (56).

    Concerto for two pianos and orchestra by Roy Harris (48) is performed for the first time, in Denver.

    21 January 1950 The Fall of Berlin, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (43), is shown for the first time.  See 10 June 1950.

    21 January 1951 Duke Ellington (51) and His Orchestra play a benefit concert at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  They perform his Harlem for the first time.

    21 January 1952 Canticle II “Abraham and Isaac” op.51 for alto, tenor, and piano by Benjamin Britten (38) to an anonymous medieval play, is performed for the first time, in Albert Hall, Nottingham the composer at the piano.

    Francis Poulenc (53) and Pierre Bernac begin their third North American tour with a performance at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington.

    Melodies passagères, a cycle for voice and piano by Samuel Barber (41) to words of Rilke, is performed completely for the first time, in Washington.

    21 January 1960 La Bocca della Veritá for oboe and piano by George Rochberg (41) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    21 January 1962 Concerto in Slendro for violin, two tack-pianos, celesta, and percussion by Lou Harrison (44) is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz, California.

    21 January 1964 Marc Blitzstein (58) befriends three waterfront men in Fort-de-France, Martinique.  They make a tour of several bars.  Luring him into an alley, they beat him savagely and take most of his clothes and all of his money.

    21 January 1968 A “Broadway for Peace” concert takes place at Philharmonic Hall, New York to raise money for the Congressional Peace Campaign Committee.  So Pretty for voice and piano by Leonard Bernstein (49), to words of Comden and Green, is performed for the first time the composer at the keyboard accompanying Barbra Streisand.

    21 January 1969 Two Images for the Computer Piece, a film with music by Vladimir Ussachevsky (57), is shown for the first time, at the Whitney Museum, New York.

    21 January 1972 Paragraph 5 of The Great Learning, for a large number of untrained musicians making gestures, performing actions, speaking, chanting, and playing a wide range of instruments, plus, optionally, ten solo singers singing “Ode Machines”, by Cornelius Cardew (35) to words of Confucius, (tr. Pound), is performed for the first time, in the Cecil Sharp House, London.

    21 January 1976 Folksong for orchestra by Lukas Foss (53) is performed for the first time, in Lyric Theatre, Baltimore.

    21 January 1977 Double Vision for woodwind quintet, brass quintet, and piano by Shulamit Ran (27) is performed for the first time, at the University of Chicago.

    21 January 1982 The inquest into the death of Cornelius Cardew (†0) is reopened.  After six witnesses, the finding is once again an accidental death.

    21 January 1989 Already It is Dusk op.62 for string quartet by Henryk Górecki (55) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.

    21 January 1990 Soundshape for ceramics, voice, and movement by Tan Dun (32) is performed for the first time, at the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

    21 January 1991 Bug Mudra for two guitars, electronic percussion, conducting dataglove, and interactive computer electronics by Tod Machover (37) is performed for the first time, in Bunkamura Theatre, Tokyo directed by the composer.

    21 January 1992 The Duenna, an opera by Roberto Gerhard (†22) to words of Hassall and the composer after Sheridan, is staged for the first time, in a concert setting in Teatro Lirico Nacional, Madrid 45 years after it was composed.  See 23 February 1949.

    The Spacious Firmament op.69 for chorus and orchestra by Robin Holloway (48) to words of Dryden, Blake and Tennyson is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

    21 January 2007 Lullaby for two violins and piano by Ned Rorem (83) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, New York.

    21 January 2008 Ballade for piano by William Bolcom (69) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Hall, New York.

    21 January 2011 James Whittaker’s film Rebirth with music by Philip Glass (73) is shown for the first time, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

    22 January

    22 January 1754 Don Falcone, an intermezzo by Niccolò Jommelli (39) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Rossi, Bologna.

    22 January 1757 Ezio, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (50) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Regio Ducal, Milan.

    22 January 1766 Symphony K.22 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (10) is probably performed for the first time, in a concert by the Mozart family at The Hague.

    22 January 1770 La nouvelle école des femmes, an opéra-comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (43) to words of Mouslier de Moissy, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris.

    22 January 1788 Ignaz Pleyel (30) marries Franziska Gabrielle Ignatia Lefebvre, daughter of the tapissier Stephen Laurence Lefebvre.

    22 January 1803 Ludwig van Beethoven (32) places an announcement in the Wiener Zeitung denouncing the publishing firm of Artaria and Mollo.  They published his String Quartet op.29 in Vienna after Beethoven’s authorized publication by Breitkopf and Härtel in Leipzig.  Artaria received the manuscript from the dedicatee, Count Moritz von Fries.  See 14 February 1803.

    22 January 1818 Leise weht es, a romanze for voice and guitar by Carl Maria von Weber (31) is performed for the first time, as part of Das Nachtlager von Granada, a play by Kind, in the Dresden Hoftheater.

    22 January 1833 A vote taken by the Berlin Singakademie elects Karl Rungenhagen director by 148-88 over a reluctant Felix Mendelssohn (23).  Presumably Mendelssohn’s age and ethnic origin are held against him.

    22 January 1837 Robert Schumann (26) visits Felix Mendelssohn (27) in Leipzig.  Mendelssohn plays through his new Preludes and Fugues op.35.  This inspires Schumann to investigate further the music of JS Bach (†86).

    22 January 1839 Frédéric Chopin (28) finally receives shipment of his piano on Mallorca after it took three weeks and a great deal of money to clear customs.  He may now complete revision of his Preludes op.28.

    22 January 1845 Die jungen Wiener op.7, a waltz by Johann Strauss (19), is performed for the first time, in Dommayer’s Casino, Heitzing.  Also premiered is his Elfen-Quadrille op.16.

    22 January 1857 The Sonata in b minor for piano by Franz Liszt (45) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, by Hans von Bülow.  The public is very appreciative.  The critics hate it.  This is the first time a Bechstein grand piano has been heard in public.

    22 January 1859 Piano Concerto no.1 by Johannes Brahms (25) is performed publicly for the first time, in the Royal Theatre, Hannover, the composer at the piano, Joseph Joachim conducting.  The public and critical reaction is polite but confused.

    22 January 1861 Thermen op.245, a waltz by Johann Strauss (35), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    22 January 1870 Recitatives and choruses for Daniel-François-Esprit Auber’s (87) Le domino noir by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.

    22 January 1875 A Violin Sonata in a minor by Antonin Dvorák (33) is performed completely for the first time, in Prague.  See 19 March 1874.

    22 January 1878 Mädchenfluch op.69/9, a song by Johannes Brahms (44) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, in Bremen.

    22 January 1881 Poème d’un jour op.21, a song for voice and piano by Gabriel Fauré (35) to words of Grandmougin, is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    22 January 1883 Overture on Greek Themes op.3 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Glazunov (17) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (53).

    22 January 1887 Ruddygore, or The Witch’s Curse,  an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (44) to words of Gilbert, is performed for the first time, at the Savoy Theatre, London.  The work is well-received by the audience, but some hisses are heard.  Although generally positive, critics find fault with the plot, the set, and to some extent, the music.  It will see 288 performances.

    Quartet for piano and strings no.2 op.45 by Gabriel Fauré (41) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris the composer at the keyboard.

    22 January 1888 The third version of Anton Bruckner’s (63) Symphony no.4 is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  It is an astounding success.  See 20 February 1881 and 12 December 1909.

    22 January 1890 In the Münchener Allgemeine Zeitung, an article by Joseph Schalk appears entitled “Neue Lieder, neues Leben.”  This will spread the name of Hugo Wolf (29) beyond Vienna for the first time and give him an international fame.

    22 January 1891 A setting of Tantum ergo op.55 for tenor, chorus, harp, and organ by Gabriel Fauré (45) is performed for the first time, in St. Gervais.

    22 January 1892 String Quartet no.1 op.44 by Charles Villiers Stanford (39) is performed for the first time, in Newcastle upon Tyne.

    22 January 1893 Ninetta-Walzer op.445 by Johann Strauss (67) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    22 January 1894 Symphony no.4 by Alyeksandr Glazunov (28) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Nobility, St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49).

    Piano Pieces op.118/3, 5 and op.119/2, 4, 1 or 3 by Johannes Brahms (60) are performed for the first time, in St. James’ Hall, London.  See 7 March 1894.

    Le filibustier, a comédie lyrique by Cesar Cui (59) to words of Richepin, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    22 January 1898 Andante op.75 for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré (52) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    22 January 1900 Sergey Rakhmaninov (26) and Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin visit the home of Tolstoy.  They perform some songs including Fate.  The writer responds by asking the point of the music.  “Beethoven is nonsense.  So too is Pushkin and Lermontov.”  He calls Apukhtin’s poem Fate “abominable.”

    22 January 1908 Two Romances op.6 for voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (25) to words of Gorodetsky are performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg.  See 25 December 1907.

    In a concert to honor the memory of Edvard Grieg (†0) in Copenhagen, the composer’s slow movement of his unfinished Piano Trio is performed for the first time.  It has been 30 years since it was composed.  Also premiered are the two completed movements of his String Quartet no.2, composed in 1891.

    22 January 1910 Edward Elgar’s (52) choral work They Are At Rest, to words of Newman, is performed for the first time, at the Royal Mausoleum on the ninth anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria.

    Fireworks op.4 for orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (27) is performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg.   See 17 June 1908.

    22 January 1920 Morning Song for cello and piano by Frank Bridge (40) is performed for the first time, at the Royal College of Music.

    22 January 1923 Leslie Raymond Bassett is born in Hanford, California, first of four children (two surviving infancy) born to  Archibald Leslie Bassett and Vera Vesta Starr.

    22 January 1925 Stundenbuch op.13, a song cycle for voice and orchestra by Kurt Weill (24) to words of Rilke, is performed for the first time, in Philharmonic Hall, Berlin.

    22 January 1927 Spanisches Fest, a revision of Der Geburtstag der Infantin, a pantomime by Franz Schreker (48) to his own story after Wilde, is performed for the first time, in Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin.

    Scarlattiana op.44 for piano and orchestra by Alfredo Casella (43) after Domenico Scarlatti (†169) is performed for the first time, in New York, the composer at the keyboard.

    22 January 1930 Le Banquet eucharistique for orchestra by Olivier Messiaen (21) is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.  It is identified in the program as Le Banquet céleste.

    After three weeks as a seaman aboard an oil tanker, Harry Partch (28) is discharged from service.

    22 January 1933 Partita for orchestra with solo soprano by Luigi Dallapiccola (28) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Comunale, Florence.

    22 January 1934 Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (27) to words of Preys after Leskov, is performed for the first time, at the Malyi Opera Theatre, Leningrad.  It will be performed again in two days in Moscow.  The opera is a resounding success with audiences and critics.

    22 January 1936 Trauermusik for viola and strings by Paul Hindemith (40) is performed for the first time, in London the composer as soloist.  The work was written yesterday in response to the death of King George V.

    Musica per tre pianoforti by Luigi Dallapiccola (31) is performed for the first time, in Geneva.

    22 January 1942 Incidental music to Pogodin’s play The Kremlin Chimes by Aram Khachaturian (38) is performed for the first time, in Saratov.

    William Schuman’s (31) Symphony no.4 is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    22 January 1943 The tenth of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, A Fanfare for Freedom by Morton Gould, is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    22 January 1944 Kleine Suite for violin and piano by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (25) is performed for the first time, in Cologne, the composer at the keyboard.

    22 January 1945 A review of yesterday’s concert of music by John Cage (32) by Virgil Thomson (48) appears in the New York Herald Tribune.  Thomson is effusive in his praise, calling Cage a genius.  “His work represents...not only the most advanced methods now in use anywhere, but original expression of the very highest poetic quality.”

    22 January 1950 Solstice, a dance for flute, oboe, two cellos, bass, tack-piano, and celesta by Lou Harrison (32), is performed for the first time, in Hunter Playhouse, New York.

    22 January 1956 Sofia Gubaidulina (24) marries Mark Alyeksandrovich Liando, a geologist, in Moscow.

    22 January 1957 Suite for bass and piano by Otto Luening (56) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    22 January 1964 03:00-04:00  Marc Blitzstein is found by police seriously injured from a beating in an alley in Fort-de-France, Martinique and brought to the local hospital.  He is treated and appears lucid, the doctor diagnosing only superficial injuries.  His condition worsens through the day and around 20:00, Marc Samuel Blitzstein dies of his injuries, aged 58 years, ten months, and 20 days.

    22 January 1967 Notes in the Silence for chorus and piano by Leslie Bassett to words of Hammarskjöld is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the composer’s 44th birthday.

    Childhood Memories of Ocean Moods for two violins, viola, cello, bass, and piano by Roy Harris (68) is performed for the first time, in the auditorium of Laguna Beach High School, California.

    22 January 1975 Harmonia for orchestra by Isang Yun (57) is performed for the first time, in Herford.

    22 January 1977 Elemental Procedures for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Morton Feldman (51) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR originating in Cologne.

    Southern Echoes for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (63) is performed for the first time, in Savannah.

    22 January 1982 Three Hallucinations for orchestra by John Corigliano (43), taken from his score to the film Altered States, is performed for the first time, in Syracuse, New York.

    A Prayer for horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and timpani by Shulamit Ran (32) is performed for the first time, at the University of Chicago.

    22 January 1989 Peer Gynt, a ballet by Alfred Schnittke (54) to a story by Neumeier after Ibsen, is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    For Violin Solo II by Leon Kirchner (69) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.

    22 January 1990 String Quartet no.3 by Richard Wernick (56) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    22 January 1994 Song for Athene for chorus by John Tavener (49) to words of Shakespeare and the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in St. Giles Cripplegate, London.

    22 January 1998 Evidence of Things Not Seen, a song cycle for four voices and piano by Ned Rorem (74) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, New York.  It was commissioned by the New York Festival of Song and the Library of Congress.

    22 January 1999 La Primavera de Sottoripa for soprano and chamber ensemble by John Harbison (60) is performed for the first time, in Eugene, Oregon.

    Postcards for chamber orchestra by Bright Sheng (43) is performed for the first time, in Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul.

    22 January 2002 Aria/Ariadne, a “Szenarie” for soprano and chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (49) to words of Nietzsche, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    22 January 2004 Stanze for baritone, three male choruses and orchestra by Luciano Berio (†0) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Mogador, Paris.

    22 January 2005 Concertino for B flat clarinet and orchestra by Donald Martino (73) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.

    22 January 2008 Figment IV for viola by Elliott Carter (99) is performed for the first time, in Cité de la Musique, Paris.

    23 January

    23 January 1548 Bernardo Pisano dies in Rome, aged 57 years, three months, and eleven days.

    23 January 1752 Muzio Clementi is born in Rome.

    23 January 1765 The first of the Bach-Abel subscription concerts takes place at Carlisle House, London.  The performers are Johann Christian Bach (29) and Karl Friedrich Abel. They become known as the “Soho Subscription Concerts” and are enormously successful.

    23 January 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) travels without his mother from Mannheim to Kirchheimbolanden in the company of Fridolin Weber and his daughter Aloysia.  They will spend several days at the court of Princess Caroline van Nassau-Weilburg where Aloysia sings and Mozart plays.

    23 January 1781 Iphigénie en Tauride, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (53) to words of du Congé Dubreuil, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  The less than successful fate of the opera is sealed at the second performance when the prima donna, Marie-Josephine Laguerre, arrives at the theatre drunk.  At the suggestion of King Louis XVI she is confined in Fort L’Evéque for her crimes against opera.  After two days in prison, and the intercession of the composer, Laguerre will resume her place on stage.

    Mitridate, an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini (50) to words of Zeno, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.

    23 January 1804 Tsar Alyeksandr I appoints Adrien Boieldieu (28) to a position comparable to Kapellmeister, at the Imperial court.

    23 January 1827 François-Adrien Boieldieu (51) marries his second wife, Jeanne Philis-Bertin, an opera singer, in Jarcy.  They have been living together for several years.  Luigi Cherubini (66) is a witness.

    23 January 1829 One day after he is appointed to the Academy of Fine Arts, the painter Wilhelm Hensel asks Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn for the hand of their daughter, Fanny (23).  Abraham agrees willingly and enthusiastically.  Lea is too shocked to respond.

    23 January 1836 Actéon, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (53) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at Théâtre de la Bourse, Paris.

    23 January 1837 John Field dies in Moscow, aged 54 years and approximately six months.  Although he suffered from alcoholism and rectal cancer over the last ten years, the cause of death is pneumonia.

    23 January 1855 A second version of the Overture to Faust WWV 59 by Richard Wagner (41) is performed for the first time, in the Casino Zürich conducted by the composer.  See 22 July 1844.

    The waltz Panacea-Klänge op.161 and the Souvenir-Polka op.162 by Johann Strauss (29), are performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    23 January 1860 Modest Musorgsky’s (20) Scherzo in B flat for orchestra is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by Anton Rubinstein (30).  It is the first performance of a Musorgsky orchestral work.

    23 January 1867 The Triumph of Bacchus, an opera-ballet by Alyeksandr Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky (53) to a story after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.  See 1 April 1846.

    23 January 1874 In Dresden, Henrik Ibsen writes to Edvard Grieg (30).  He has decided to turn his dramatic poem Peer Gynt into a stage work and he wants Grieg to write incidental music for it.  The composer will readily accept.

    23 January 1875 Symphony no.4 “Dramatic” by Anton Rubinstein (45) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer.

    23 January 1876 Two works by Leos Janácek (21) are performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno):  True Love for male chorus to traditional Moravian words conducted by the composer, and If You Don’t Want Me, What is Left? for voice and piano to words of Celakovsky, the composer at the keyboard.

    23 January 1878 Antonín Dvorák (36) writes to Johannes Brahms (44) asking if he may dedicate his String Quartet op.34 to him.  Brahms will agree, with some suggestions for improvement.

    23 January 1881 Yevgeny Onyegin, lyric scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) to words of Shilovsky and the composer after Pushkin, is performed by professionals for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow by students of Moscow Conservatory.  See 29 March 1879.

    Spitzentuch-Quadrille op.392 by Johann Strauss (55) is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.

    Une nuit à Lisbonne op.63, a barcarolle for orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (45) is performed for the first time, at the Cirque d’hiver, Paris.

    23 January 1883 Spannung op.84/5, a song by Johannes Brahms (49) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    23 January 1886 Two works for solo piano by Gabriel Fauré (40) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris:  Mazurka op.32 and Nocturne no.3 op.33/3.

    23 January 1888 Quintet for piano and strings by George Whitefield Chadwick (33) is performed for the first time, in Union Hall, Boston.

    23 January 1891 The Symphonic Prologue “Francesca da Rimini” op.24 by Arthur Foote (37) is performed for the first time, in Boston conducted by the composer.

    23 January 1892 The Polyeucte Overture by Paul Dukas (26) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    23 January 1894 Mass in G op.46 for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (41) is performed publicly for the first time, in London.  See 26 May 1893.

    An arrangement of Stephen Foster’s (†29) song Old Folks at Home for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (52) is performed for the first time, in the Madison Square Garden Concert Hall, New York.

    23 January 1896 Suite no.2 “Indian” for orchestra by Edward MacDowell (35) is performed for the first time, in the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  The composer also appears as soloist in his Piano Concerto in d minor.  In the audience are President Seth Low, Professor John W. Burgess and Bishop Henry Potter, all of Columbia University.  They have just received a grant of $150,000 to be used for music instruction.  After speaking with MacDowell, the three decide that the money would be used for a professorship and that MacDowell should be that professor.

    23 January 1897 Königskinder, a melodrama by Engelbert Humperdinck (42) to words of Rosmer (pseud. of Bernstein-Porges), is performed for the first time, in the Munich Court Theatre.  It is an enormous success.

    Three Lieder op.27 by Ernest Chausson (42) to words of Mauclair, are performed for the first time.

    23 January 1902 Elégie, for cello and orchestra by Gabriel Fauré (56), is performed for the first time, in Monaco.  See 21 June 1880 and 15 December 1883.

    An Aria for strings and organ by Ottorino Respighi (22) is performed for the first time, in Bologna.

    23 January 1903 Piano Quartet in c minor by Frank Bridge (23) is performed for the first time, at the Royal College of Music, London, the composer playing the viola part.

    23 January 1904 The Intermezzo for string quartet by Anton Bruckner (†7) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    23 January 1906 Alyeksandr Skryabin (34), in Bogliasco, Italy, writes to his wife, in Moscow, for the last time.  He is living with Tatyana Fyodorovna Schloezer, his lover and soon-to-be common law wife, mother of his newly born daughter.

    23 January 1907 The day after the American premiere of Richard Strauss' (42) Salome at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, an emergency meeting of the house's board takes place, called by JP Morgan.  After the meeting, the three further (already sold out) performances of the opera are cancelled.  See 20 January 1907.

    Four Preludes op.33 for piano by Alyeksandr Skryabin (35) are performed for the first time, in New York, by the composer.

    23 January 1908 18:30  Edward Alexander MacDowell dies in New York of paresis (Dementia Paralytica) aged 47 years, one month, and five days.  His mortal remains will be buried in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

    23 January 1909 Distraught by incessant charges that she is having an affair with Giacomo Puccini (50), brought by Sra. Elvira Puccini, Doria Manfredi, their servant, ingests poison.  The dose is not immediately fatal but renders her seriously ill.  See 28 January 1909.

    Night Ride and Sunrise, a tone poem by Jean Sibelius (43), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.  The critics are not kind, although Alyeksandr Glazunov (43) tells the composer he likes it.

    23 January 1926 On the night before the premiere of Carl Ruggles’ (49) Portals, the parts are found to be missing.  Ruggles, Henry Cowell (28), and Charles Seeger spend the entire night copying out new parts.

    23 January 1930 All but one of the 29 Short Preludes for organ op.51 by Carl Nielsen (64) are performed for the first time, in the Skovshoved Church.  See 19 March 1930.

    23 January 1932 Belkis, regina di Saba, a ballet by Ottorino Respighi (52) to a scenario by Guastalla, is performed for the first time, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

    23 January 1933 Piano Concerto no.2 by Béla Bartók (51) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main the composer at the piano.  This is Bartók’s last appearance in Germany.

    23 January 1934 La fiamma, a melodramma by Ottorino Respighi (54) to words of Guastalla after Wiers-Jenssen, is performed for the first time, in Rome.

    Duet for viola and cello by Paul Hindemith (38) is performed for the first time, in London.

    23 January 1936 Sinfonia India by Carlos Chávez (36) is performed for the first time, in New York over the airwaves of the CBS radio network.  The composer conducts.

    23 January 1938 Icaro, a ballet by David Diamond (22) to a scenario after de Bosis, is performed for the first time, in Kauffman Auditorium, New York.

    23 January 1939 Chants de terre et de ciel, a cycle for soprano and piano by Olivier Messiaen (30) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Paris, the composer at the piano.  It is listed in the program as Prismes:  Six poèmes d’Olivier Messiaen.

    23 January 1941 Lady in the Dark, a musical play with a book by Hart, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by Kurt Weill (40), opens in New York, at the Alvin Theatre.  It is a smash and will see 467 performances.  See 30 December 1940.

    23 January 1942 Concerto da camera for violin, strings, piano, and timpani by Bohuslav Martinu (51) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    23 January 1943 At a glittering charity event for Russian war relief at Carnegie Hall, which is attended by Eleanor Roosevelt and Leopold Stokowski, Black, Brown, and Beige by Duke Ellington (43) is performed for the first time.  The composer calls it “a tone parallel to the history of the American Negro.”  The audience is disappointed, the critics savage the work.  This is the first appearance of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

    23 January 1944 United Music for orchestra by Henry Cowell (46) is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Detroit.

    Processional (Funeral March) op.36 for band by Wallingford Riegger (58) is performed for the first time, in West Point, New York.  See 3 July 1945.

    23 January 1946 La hija de Cólquide, a ballet by Carlos Chávez (46) to a scenario by Graham, is performed for the first time, in the Plymouth Theatre, New York.

    Songs of Separation for voice and piano by William Grant Still (50) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Delaware, Ohio.

    23 January 1947 Concerto for cello and orchestra by Alyeksandr Vasilyevich Mosolov (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    23 January 1948 Symphony no.4 by David Diamond (32) is performed for the first time, in Boston Leonard Bernstein (29) conducting.

    23 January 1949 The Perilous Chapel a dance by Lou Harrison (31) is performed for the first time, at the Hunter Playhouse, New York.

    23 January 1950 Tre episodi dal Balletto “Marsia” for piano by Luigi Dallapiccola (45) is performed for the first time, in Turin.  See 9 September 1948.

    23 January 1954 Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano, violin, viola, and cello by Igor Stravinsky (71) is performed for the first time, at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC, conducted by the composer.

    Alvorado na Floresta Tropical, an overture by Heitor Villa-Lobos (66), is performed for the first time, in Louisville.

    23 January 1958 Mosaics by Howard Hanson (61), commissioned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    23 January 1964 Loyang for eleven players by Isang Yun (46) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    Symphony no.7 “Variation Symphony” by Peter Mennin (40) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.

    After announcing the death of Marc Blitzstein to a stunned New York Philharmonic audience, Leonard Bernstein (45) dedicates their performance of the Eroica Symphony to him.  Eric Salzman will write in the New York Herald-Tribune, “It was an incredible, agonized unbearable reading which, with its bursts of nervous energy, and wild relentless drive, left detail, clarity, accuracy and indeed everything but anguished, frenetic intensity far, far behind.”

    23 January 1966 Masquerade for Band op.102 by Vincent Persichetti (50) is performed for the first time, in Berea, Ohio the composer conducting.

    23 January 1967 Lieder von einer Insel for chamber chorus, trombone, two cellos, bass, organ, and percussion by Hans Werner Henze (40) to words of Bachmann, is performed for the first time, in Selb.

    23 January 1972 Canon for 3:  in memoriam Igor Stravinsky (†0) for three equal instruments by Elliott Carter (63) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    23 January 1973 Con voce for three mute players by Mauricio Kagel (41) is performed for the first time, in the Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

    String Quartet no.3 by Elliott Carter (64) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.  See 7 May 1973.

    23 January 1977 Only Now, and Again for winds, percussion, and piano by Roger Reynolds (42) is performed for the first time, in a “pre-performance” in De Kalb, Illinois.  See 6 May 1977.

    23 January 1981 Samuel Barber dies in his New York home of multiple myeloma (cancer of the lymphatic system), aged 70 years, ten months, and 14 days.

    23 January 1982 Minuet and Trio for six performers by Lejaren Hiller (57) is performed for the first time, in Antwerp.

    23 January 1984 Double Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra by Ralph Shapey (62) is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York, the composer conducting.

    23 January 1985 Moving Into Aquarius for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (56) and Richard Rodney Bennett is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London to celebrate the 80th birthday of Michael Tippett.

    23 January 1987 Handmade Proverbs--Four Pop Songs for six male voices by Toru Takemitsu (56) to words of Takiguchi (tr. Lyons) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.

    23 January 1988 Small Town Music for band by Ross Lee Finney (81) is performed for the first time, in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

    String Triptych for string orchestra by Ulysses Kay (71) is performed for the first time, in Osage Beach, Missouri.

    23 January 1999 Voices from the Ancient World for three flutes and percussion by Thea Musgrave (70) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.

    Three Women for soprano and orchestra by Thea Musgrave (70) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    23 January 2002 Astralis for chorus, cello, and two timpani by Wolfgang Rihm (49) to words of Novalis, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    23 January 2004 Dialogues for piano and chamber orchestra by Elliott Carter (95) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    23 January 2009 George Perle dies at his home in New York, aged 93 years, eight years, and 17 days.

    24 January

    24 January 1757 Verhängnis, dein Wüten entkräftet die Armen, a cantata by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (46) for a memorial service for Sophia Dorothea of Prussia, is performed for the first time, in Halle.

    24 January 1760 The Desert Island, a play by Murphy after Metastasio, with music by Thomas Augustine Arne (49), is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.

    24 January 1761 Leopold Mozart (41) inscribes on a copy of a scherzo by Georg Christoph Wagenseil (45) that his son Wolfgang learned to play this music three days before his fifth birthday.

    24 January 1765 Il Parnaso confuso, an azione teatrale by Christoph Willibald Gluck (50) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, during the festivities surrounding the wedding of Crown Prince Joseph to Bavarian princess Maria Josepha.  The production is directed from the harpsichord by Leopold, the second son of Emperor Franz I (himself later Emperor Leopold II).

    24 January 1774 Das Opfer der Nymphen, a prologue by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (26) to words of Ramler, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    24 January 1786 La bergère de qualité, a comédie by Giuseppe Cambini (39) to words of Montalembert, is performed for the first time, at Hôtel de Montalembert, Paris.

    24 January 1787 Democrito coretto, an opera giocosa by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (47) to words of Brunati after Regnard, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    24 January 1788 Gustav Adolph och Ebba Brahe, a lyric drama by Georg Joseph Vogler (38) to words of Kellgren after Gustavus III, is performed for the first time, in the Royal Opera, Stockholm.

    24 January 1813 Thirty of London’s most eminent musicians, including Muzio Clementi (61), join to form the Philharmonic Society.

    24 January 1818 The Wiener Zeitung announces the publication of the first music of Franz Schubert (20) to appear in print, the song Erlafsee D.586.  It is part of a large collection.

    24 January 1828 Franz Schubert’s (30) Ständchen D.921 for alto, female chorus and piano to words of Grillparzer is performed publicly for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.  See 11 August 1827.

    24 January 1830 Law student Robert Schumann (19) gives a very successful performance of Moscheles’ Alexander Variations in Heidelberg.  Despite the public approval, he will descend into depression for the next few months.

    24 January 1831 Gaetano Donizetti’s (33) Cantata for the Wedding of Ferdinand of Austria is performed for the first time, in Milan.

    24 January 1835 I puritani, a melodramma serio by Vincenzo Bellini (33) to words of Pepoli after Ancelot and Xavier, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre-Italien, Paris.  Gioachino Rossini (42), who is present, reports that the work is “a brilliant success.”  The composer will write that by the end of the duet (Il rival salvar tu dei) “the French had all gone crazy.”

    24 January 1845 A requiem mass is said for the memory of Nicolò Paganini (†4) in Chiesa della Steccata, Parma.  Until recently, the Church refused the remains of Paganini a Christian burial due to the composer’s refusal to receive the last sacrament.

    24 January 1846 Jux-Polka op.17 by Johann Strauss (20) is performed for the first time, at the Goldener Strauß, Vienna.

    24 January 1851 Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini dies at Maiolati of a heart ailment, aged 76 years, two months and ten days.  His mortal remains will be buried in the Church of Santo Stefano in Maiolati, later to be transferred to the Church of San Giovanni, as was the composer’s wish.

    The mortal remains of Albert Lortzing are laid to rest in Berlin.  Among those paying respects is Giacomo Meyerbeer (59).

    24 January 1860 Lebenswecker op.232, a waltz by Johann Strauss (34), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    24 January 1864 Jules Massenet (21) arrives in Rome for his Prix de Rome stay.

    24 January 1865 Feuilleton Waltz op.293 by Johann Strauss (39) is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    24 January 1866 Bürgerweisen op.306, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    24 January 1874 Suite de valses for orchestra by Henri Duparc (26) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.

    24 January 1875 Danse macabre op.40, a symphonic poem by Camille Saint-Saëns (39) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.  The composer’s mother faints from the amount of boos and whistles.

    24 January 1878 Anton Bruckner (53) is named a full member of the Vienna Hofkapelle, a salaried position.

    24 January 1885 On the advice of Richard Strauss (20), Engelbert Humperdinck (30) meets the wealthy industrialist Alfred Krupp.  Krupp hires him as a pianist at the Villa Hügel where he will stay until 1 August.

    Orchestral Suite no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.  Conducted by Hans von Bülow, it is extremely successful.

    Prélude, Choral et Fugue for piano by César Franck (62) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris.

    24 January 1886 Suite española for piano by Isaac Albéniz (25) is performed for the first time, in Salón Romero, Madrid by the composer.

    24 January 1887 Anton Rubinstein (57) enters upon duties as Director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, for the second time.

    24 January 1898 After a slight remission in his mental collapse, Hugo Wolf (37) is discharged from the asylum of Dr. Wilhelm Svetlin in Vienna.

    Göttin der Vernunft op.476, a quadrille by Johann Strauss (72), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    24 January 1901 Giuseppe Verdi (87), now in a coma, receives the last rights of the Roman Catholic Church.  Straw is laid on the street outside Verdi’s room so that traffic noises will not disturb him.

    24 January 1906 Igor Stravinsky (23) marries Yekaterina Gavrilova Nosenko at Novaya Derevnya, near St. Petersburg.  The ceremony is small and quiet due to the imperial prohibition against the marriage of first cousins.

    Sergey Rakhmaninov (32) conducts premieres of two of his operas at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow:  The Miserly Knight op.24 to words of Pushkin and Francesca da Rimini op.25 to words of Modest Tchaikovsky after Dante.

    24 January 1910 Edward Elgar’s (52) Song Cycle op.59 to words of Parker for voice and orchestra is performed for the first time, at Queen’s Hall, London.  The performance is so successful that the audience requires Oh Soft was the Song to be repeated.

    24 January 1913 Norman Dello Joio is born in New York, the only child of Casimiro Dello Joio, an organist and Italian immigrant, and Antoinette Garramone.

    24 January 1914 Canossa, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (31) to words of Benco, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Costanzi, Rome.

    24 January 1915 Sinfonia drammatica for orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (35) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Augusteo, Rome.

    24 January 1918 Sonatina no.4 in diem Nativitatis Christi MCMXVII, for piano by Ferruccio Busoni (53) is performed for the first time, in the Zürich Tonhalle.

    24 January 1919 Leon Kirchner is born in Brooklyn, New York.

    24 January 1920 Karol Szymanowski (37) gives his first concert in Warsaw since fleeing his home in Ukraine.  The response is not favorable.

    24 January 1921 Three new works are performed for the first time, in the Salle des agriculteurs, Paris:  Homenaje for guitar by Manuel de Falla (44) and L’accueil des muses for piano by Albert Roussel (51), both in honor of Claude Debussy (†2), and Premier menuet for piano by Erik Satie (54).  The Falla piece is played on harp-lute.  See 8 March 1921.

    24 January 1922 Symphony no.5 by Carl Nielsen (56) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen, conducted by the composer.

    Des Todes Tod for voice and orchestra by Paul Hindemith (26) to words of Reinacher is performed for the first time, privately, in Berlin.  See 7 March 1922.

    Façade, for reciter and six players by William Walton (19) to words of Sitwell, is performed for the first time, privately, at the Sitwells’ house in Chelsea, the composer conducting.  See 12 June 1923.

    24 January 1923 That American Boy of Mine, a song by George Gershwin (24) to words of Caesar, is performed for the first time, as part of the musical comedy The Dancing Girl at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York.

    24 January 1924 On Wenlock Edge, a song cycle by Ralph Vaughan Williams (51) to words of Houseman, is performed for the first time in its setting for voice and orchestra, in Queen’s Hall, London the composer conducting.  See 15 November 1909.

    24 January 1925 Chanson de Ronsard for voice, flute and string quartet by Arthur Honegger (32) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  See 15 May 1924.

    24 January 1926 Suite no.2 from Albert Roussel’s (56) opera-ballet Padmâvati is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.

    Levee Land for soprano, two violins, woodwinds, tenor banjo, piano, and percussion by William Grant Still (30) is performed for the first time, at an International Composers' Guild concert in Aeolian Hall, New York.  Also premiered is Portals for strings by Carl Ruggles (49).  The audience, which includes George Gershwin (27), requires Portals to be repeated but the critics are mixed.

    24 January 1928 In a private demonstration in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, New York, organized by Walter Damrosch, Edsel Ford, Fritz Kreisler, and others, Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (31) performs upon his new electronic musical instrument before invited guests including Sergey Rakhmaninov (54), Arturo Toscanini, and Joseph Szigeti.

    24 January 1930 Blues for piano by Bohuslav Martinu (39) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    24 January 1931 Tristesse au jardin for voice and orchestra by Florent Schmitt (60) is performed for the first time, in Paris 23 years after it was composed.

    Sonata for violin and piano by Virgil Thomson (34) is performed for the first time, in the Salle des Conferences du Parthénon, Paris the composer at the keyboard.

    24 January 1932 Transylvanian Dances for orchestra by Béla Bartók (50) is performed for the first time, in Budapest.  Also premiered are four movements from Bartók’s Hungarian Sketches for orchestra.  See 26 November 1934.

    24 January 1934 Two vocal works by Ernst Krenek (33) are performed for the first time, in Winterthur, the composer at the keyboard:  Das Schweigin for solo voice and piano to words of Eberhard Friedrich Freiherr von Gemminger, and Währed der Trennung for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and piano to words of Fleming.

    24 January 1935 Incidental music to Kennedy’s play One Day of Spring by Samuel Barber (24) is performed for the first time, in Winter Park, Florida.

    24 January 1936 Deux mélodies op.55 for voice and piano by Albert Roussel (66) to words of Ville is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    24 January 1943 Sonatina for violin and piano by Ulysses Kay (26) is performed for the first time, in New York, Leonard Bernstein (24) at the piano.

    24 January 1944 After Richard Strauss (79) refuses to take evacuees into his Garmisch home (saying “no one had to die on my account”), Hitler orders that his porter’s lodge be seized.  Strauss is forbidden to travel to Switzerland for his annual cure and the Führer further orders that “leading party personalities who have hitherto had personal contacts with Dr. Richard Strauss are to cease to do so in any way.”  However, his works are not banned.

    Pandora, a ballet by Roberto Gerhard (47) to a scenario by Jooss, is performed for the first time, in Cambridge, England in a version for two pianos and percussion.

    Six Sonatas for cembalo by Lou Harrison (26) are performed completely for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    24 January 1945 Ernst Krenek (44) becomes an American citizen in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    24 January 1946 Igor Stravinsky’s (63) Symphony in Three Movements is performed for the first time, in New York conducted by the composer.

    24 January 1947 Hebrew Melodies for cello by George Perle (31) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    24 January 1948 Eight sonatas and four interludes from Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano by John Cage (35) are performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre of Columbia University.  The program is moderated by Virgil Thomson (51).

    24 January 1953 Fünf Orchesterlieder nach Ansichkartentexten von Peter Altenberg by Alban Berg (†17) are performed completely for the first time, in Rome.  See 31 March 1913.

    24 January 1954 Mass to St. Anthony for chorus, trumpet, harp, and strings by Lou Harrison (36) is performed for the first time, in Carl Fischer Hall, New York.

    24 January 1957 Quintet for wind instruments by Walter Piston (63) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.

    24 January 1958 Two works are performed for the first time, in Basel:  Ernst Krenek’s (57) orchestral work Kette, Kreis und Spiegel, and Bohuslav Martinu’s (67) cantata The Epic of Gilgamesh to ancient Babylonian words.

    24 January 1959 Moskva, Cheryomushki, an operetta by Dmitri Shostakovich (52) to words of Mass and Chervinsky, is performed for the first time, at the Moscow Operetta Theatre.  There was an open dress rehearsal on 20 January.  Critics find the music generally good, the libretto generally bad.

    24 January 1962 Discourse for flute, clarinet, piano, and cello by Ralph Shapey (40) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    Duke Ellington (62) plays his first solo concert as pianist, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

    24 January 1964 Percussion Quartet by Joan Tower (25) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.

    24 January 1967 New works are performed for the first time, at the University of Chicago to mark the school’s 75th anniversary:  Music for the Magic Theatre for 15 instrumentalists by George Rochberg (48), Inflexions for 14 players by Mario Davidovsky (32), Un voyage de Cythère for soprano and ten instruments by Easley Blackwood (33), and Partita for violin and 13 players by Ralph Shapey (45).

    24 January 1968 The Whale, a dramatic cantata for mezzo-soprano, baritone, narrators, six actors, children’s chorus, chorus, orchestra, organ, electronic organ, and tape by John Tavener (23) to words of the Collins Encyclopedia and the Bible is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.  The composer plays the electronic organ part.  It is an unqualified popular and critical success.

    24 January 1970 As part of a celebration of the 70th birthday of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy, Variations on Happy Birthday by several composers is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.  Among those contributing variations are Aaron Copland (69) and Samuel Barber (59).  President Nixon awards conductor Eugene Ormandy the Medal of Freedom.

    24 January 1971 I/O:  a Ritual for 23 Performers by Roger Reynolds (36) to words of Fuller, is performed for the first time, in Pasadena, California.

    Duo for flute, double bass, and tape by Ernst Krenek (70) is performed for the first time, at the College of the Desert, Palm Desert, California.

    24 January 1973 String Quartet no.6 by Lejaren Hiller (48) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    24 January 1978 Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum for 14 players by Harrison Birtwistle (43) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer.

    Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals by Alberto Ginastera (61) is performed for the first time in the version for orchestra, in Washington.  See 14 June 1976.

    24 January 1980 Three Colloquies for horn and orchestra by William Schuman (69) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    24 January 1981 Concerto for violin by John Harbison (42) is performed for the first time, in Emmanuel Church, Boston.

    24 January 1985 Requiem for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Andrew Imbrie (63) to words of the Latin requiem, Blake, Herbert, and Donne, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    24 January 1988 Four Songs of Autumn for soprano and string quartet by Harrison Birtwistle (53) to various Japanese poems is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    Cinque piccoli concerti e ritornelli for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (61) is performed for the first time, in London.

    24 January 1991 Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 by George Perle (75) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.

    24 January 1994 Into the Radiant Boundaries of Light for viola and guitar by Samuel Adler (65) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.

    24 January 1997 Ekphrasis for orchestra by Luciano Berio (71) is performed for the first time, in Las Palmas, Canary Islands directed by the composer.

    24 January 1998 ...and beyond, a cantata for chorus and chamber orchestra by Jonathan Lloyd (49) to Hindu texts, is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    24 January 1999 Duos op.66, one for violin and viola and one for two violins by Alexander Goehr (66) are performed for the first time, in the Wiener Saal, Mozarteum, Salzburg.

    25 January

    25 January 1459 Paul Hofhaimer is born in Radstadt.

    25 January 1765 Il trionfo d’amore, an azione teatrale by Florian Leopold Gassmann (35) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

    25 January 1776 Tommaso Traetta’s (48) opera seria La Merope to words of Zeno is performed for the first time, in Teatro Ducale, Milan.

    25 January 1782 Armida abbandonata, an opera seria by Luigi Cherubini (21) to words of Vituri after Durandi, De Rogatis and Tasso, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Pergola, Florence.

    25 January 1785 Panurge dans l’île des lanternes, a comédie lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (43) to words of Morel de Chédeville after Parfaict, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    25 January 1791 Tired of the constant quarrelling at the Italian opera company in Vienna, Emperor Leopold II sacks Lorenzo da Ponte and the theatre director Count Orsini-Rosenberg.  The music director, Antonio Salieri (40), has resigned before he can be dismissed.

    25 January 1792 A Vienna Masonic lodge announces the publication of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (†0) Kleine Freimaurer-Kantate K.623 “to assist his distressed widow and orphans.”

    25 January 1800 A setting of Veni sancte spiritus by Antonio Salieri (49) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    25 January 1815 Ludwig van Beethoven (44) plays the piano at a concert to celebrate the birthday of the Tsarina at the Congress of Vienna.  He accompanies the vocalist Franz Wild before a glittering royal audience.  It is his last public performance as pianist.

    25 January 1817 La cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo, a dramma giocoso by Gioachino Rossini (24) to words of Ferretti after Perrault, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Valle, Rome.  The evening is a disaster owing to the inability of the singers to comprehend the music.

    25 January 1821 Erlkönig, a song by Franz Schubert (23) to words of Goethe, is performed for the first time in a public hall, the Musikverein, Vienna.

    25 January 1823 Ludwig van Beethoven (52) accepts a commission from Prince Galitsin for “one, two, or three new quartets.”

    Leicester, ou Le château di Kenilworth, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (40) to words of Scribe and Melesville after Scott, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris

    25 January 1827 Nachthelle D.892 for tenor, male chorus and piano by Franz Schubert (29) is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna.

    25 January 1835 Hector Berlioz (31) begins his duties as concert critic at the Journal des Débats, a post he will hold for the next 28 years.

    25 January 1841 Tarantella for reciter, chorus and orchestra by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (36) to words of Myatlov is performed for the first time, in the Alyeksandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    25 January 1846 The Revue Indépendente of Paris begins a serialization of the novel Nélida by Daniel Stern.  The author is actually Marie d’Agoult and the novel is a satire on her relationship with Franz Liszt (34).

    25 January 1852 Giacomo Meyerbeer (60), in Berlin, receives a letter from Caroline von Weber, widow of Carl Maria von Weber (†25), threatening court action if he does not pay the 2,000 thalers indemnity he owes her.  He has not completed Weber’s Die drei Pintos by the agreed deadline.  He resolves to travel to Dresden to settle the matter personally.

    Austin, a grosse romantische Oper by Heinrich August Marschner (56) to words of Wohlbrück-Marschner, is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    25 January 1853 Aesculap-Polka op.130 by Johann Strauss (27) is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    25 January 1856 A final examination for post of cathedral organist in Linz is won by Anton Bruckner (31).  It is his first professional musical appointment.  See 13 November 1855.

    25 January 1858 L’Enfantillage op.202, a polka française by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    25 January 1859 Hell und Voll op.216, a waltz by Johann Strauss (33), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    25 January 1860 Richard Wagner (46) conducts the first of three concerts of his music in Paris.  Attending today at the Théâtre-Italien are Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (77), Hector Berlioz (56), Valentin Alkan (46), and Charles Gounod (41).  The audience is enthusiastic but the press is merciless.  Heard tonight for the first time is the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde with the concert ending composed by Wagner.  Alkan leaves at intermission, later saying “Wagner is not music; it’s a sickness.”  See 12 March 1859.

    25 January 1866 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) delivers his first lecture, in somewhat halting fashion, at the Russian Musical Society.  Its successor, the Moscow Conservatory, will not officially open until September.

    25 January 1874 After three rejections, King Ludwig II writes to Wagner that he will help finance the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.  He will approve a loan of 100,000 taler.

    Piccolomini, a concert overture by Vincent d’Indy (22), an organ student of César Franck (51) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    25 January 1875 Demon, a fantastic opera by Anton Rubinstein (45) to words of Viskovatov and Maykov after Lermontov, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinskiy Theatre, St. Petersburg.

    25 January 1885 La Saugefleurie, an orchestral work by Vincent d’Indy (33) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  It is possible that Claude Debussy (22) has delayed his departure for Rome to hear this premiere.

    25 January 1888 A String Quartet in F by Carl Nielsen (22) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen, the composer playing one of the violin parts.  Even though he has had works publicly performed already, Nielsen will later consider this his debut as a composer.

    Dein blaues Auge hält so still op.59/8, a song by Johannes Brahms (54) to words of Groth, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    25 January 1892 Incidental music to Bouchor’s play La légende de Sainte-Cécile by Ernest Chausson (37) is performed for the first time, in the Petit Théâtre des Marionettes, Paris.

    25 January 1902 Symphony no.2 by Alyeksandr Skryabin (30) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    25 January 1904 Béla Bartók’s (22) Violin Sonata in e minor is performed completely for the first time, in Budapest.  The composer plays the accompaniment.  See 8 June 1903.

    Ballade carnavalesque for flute, oboe, E-flat saxophone, bassoon, and piano by Charles Martin Loeffler (42) is performed for the first time, in Potter Hall, Boston.

    25 January 1905 Arnold Schoenberg’s (30) symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande is performed for the first time, under the composer’s direction, in Vienna.  Although many leave during the performance, one interested listener, Gustav Mahler (44), stays until the end.

    25 January 1906 The Serenade for nine winds and strings op.95 by Charles Villiers Stanford (53) is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    25 January 1909 Is My Team Ploughing?, a song by Ralph Vaughan Williams (36) to words of Houseman, is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    Elektra op.58, an opera by Richard Strauss (44) to words of Hofmannsthal, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Court Opera.  The audience is confused, the press hostile.

    25 January 1913 Witold Roman Lutoslawski is born in Warsaw, youngest of four children born to Józef Lutoslawski, an amateur pianist who manages his family’s estates, and Maria Olszewska, a physician and daughter of a mathematician.

    25 January 1915 Two Songs and La lune blanche, both for solo voice and orchestra by Frederick Delius (52) to words of Verlaine, are performed for the first time, at Grafton Galleries.

    To Thee! America for chorus and orchestra by Henry F. Gilbert (46) to words of Manly is performed for the first time, in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

    Madame Sans-Gêne, an opera by Umberto Giordano (47) to words of Simoni after Sardou and Moreau, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

    25 January 1922 Acht Lieder nach verschiedenen Dichten op.18 by Paul Hindemith (26) are performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    25 January 1924 Frauentanz, sieben Gedichte des Mittelalters op.10 for voice and orchestra by Kurt Weill (23) is performed for the first time, in the Saal der Singakademie, Berlin.

    25 January 1927 The completed Concerto for flute and orchestra by Carl Nielsen (61) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.  See 21 October 1926.

    25 January 1930 Le chasseur perdu en forêt, a song for voice and orchestra by Arthur Honegger (37) to words of Fort, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

    25 January 1936 Florent Schmitt (65) is elected to the French Institute to fill the chair vacated by the death of Paul Dukas (†0).  Igor Stravinsky (53) receives no more than five out of 32 votes on any of the five ballots.

    25 January 1937 Incidental music to Obey’s play Le trompeure Seville by Darius Milhaud (44) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Port Saint-Martin, Paris.

    Ivan Alyeksandrovich Vyshnegradsky (43) gives the first concert dedicated entirely to his music, in Paris.

    25 January 1938 An article signed by Dmitri Shostakovich (31) appears in Evening Moscow called “My Creative Answer.”  Here is the first mention that his Symphony no.5 is “a constructive creative answer of a Soviet artist to just criticism.”

    25 January 1942 Henry Cowell’s (44) Little Concerto for piano and band, an arrangement of movements 3-5 of the composer’s Suite for Piano and Strings, is performed for the first time, in West Point, New York the composer at the keyboard.

    25 January 1945 Four Choral Patterns from The New Yorker (later renamed The Choral New Yorker), for solo voices, chorus, and piano by Irving Fine (30), to words of four different poets, is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre of Harvard University.

    Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play The Tempest by David Diamond (29) is performed for the first time, in the Alvin Theatre, New York.

    25 January 1946 Metamorphosen “In memoriam” for 23 strings by Richard Strauss (81) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.

    25 January 1948 Symphony no.2 by Robert Ward (30) is performed for the first time, in Constitution Hall, Washington.

    25 January 1952 Paul Hindemith’s (56) symphony Die Harmonie der Welt, commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Kammerorchester of Basel, is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    25 January 1953 Il figliuol prodigo, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (70) to his own words after Castellano Castellani, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of RAI.  See 14 May 1957.

    The Golden Harp for boys chorus by Henry Cowell (55) is performed for the first time, at Ames Methodist Church, Baltimore.

    25 January 1957 A Cello Concerto by William Walton (54) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.

    25 January 1962 Bold Island Suite by Howard Hanson (65) is performed for the first time, in Severence Hall, Cleveland.

    25 January 1963 Symphony no.8 by Karl Amadeus Hartmann (57) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR originating in Cologne.

    25 January 1966 Pousse Cafe, a musical by Duke Ellington (66) to words of Barer, is performed for the first time, in Toronto.  See 16 March 1966.

    25 January 1968 The Oxen for female chorus and piano by Benjamin Britten (54) to words of Hardy is performed for the first time.

    25 January 1970 Choreographic Prelude for flute, piano, strings, and orchestra by William Grant Still (74) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles County Museum.

    25 January 1971 Two works are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Brussels Radio:  Invitation à L’Utopie for speaker, two female voices, chorus, and instruments by Henri Pousseur (41), and Concerto for Eleven op.32 for eleven players by Alexander Goehr (38) conducted by the composer.

    25 January 1972 Eight Tone Poems for Two Violas by Otto Luening (71) is performed for the first time, in Albany, New York.

    25 January 1973 A Lincoln Address op.124 for narrator and orchestra by Vincent Persichetti (57) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    25 January 1975 Excerpts from Etudes Australes for piano by John Cage (62) are performed for the first time, in New York.  See 25 April 1982.

    25 January 1981 Three for Six for violin/viola, cello, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, and piano by Ralph Shapey (59) is performed for the first time, in the Harvey M. Meyerhoff Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklandville, Maryland.

    25 January 1983 The first two movements of Birthday Music for John for flute, viola, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (48) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.  See 13 October 1983.

    25 January 1986 Piano Concerto by Marc Blitzstein (†22) is performed for the first time in its orchestral version, in Cooper Union, New York conducted by Lukas Foss (63).  See 25 April 1936.

    25 January 1987 Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux for piano by Olivier Messiaen (78) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.

    Concerto no.2 for violin and computer by John Melby (45) is performed for the first time, in Louisville, Kentucky.

    25 January 1988 A revised version of Le visage nuptial for soprano, alto, female chorus, and orchestra by Pierre Boulez (62) to words of Char is performed, incompletely, for the first time, in London conducted by the composer.  See 16 November 1989.

    25 January 1989 The second and third of the three Pierrot Songs for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Leslie Bassett (66) to words of Giraud (tr. Hartleben), are performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.  See 7 November 1988.

    Tenth String Quartet by William Bolcom (50) is performed for the first time, at Stanford University.

    25 January 1991 Ora pro nobis for flute and guitar by George Rochberg (72) is performed for the first time, in Zanesville, Ohio.

    25 January 1992 Simple Stories for voices and instruments by William Bolcom (53) to words of Hall is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    25 January 1993 Sonata-Aria for cello and piano by George Rochberg (74) is performed for the first time, at Rice University, Houston, Texas.

    25 January 1997 As One Who Has Slept for chorus by John Tavener (52) to words from the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in Winchester Cathedral.

    25 January 2001 Dove, Star-Folded for string trio by Peter Maxwell Davies (66) is performed for the first time, at the memorial service for Sir Steven Runciman at St. Columba’s Church, London.

    25 January 2003 Carnet de Venise for tape by Pierre Henry (75) is  performed for the first time, in Nantes.

    25 January 2004 New Morning for the World for narrator and chamber orchestra by Joseph Schwantner (60), to words of Martin Luther King, Jr., is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre of Harvard University.

    25 January 2008 Elliott for string quartet by Roger Reynolds (73) in honor of Elliott Carter (99) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Christes Crosse (Morley) and Ave Maria (Josquin) by Charles Wuorinen (69), both for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, are performed for the first time, in Portland, Oregon.

    25 January 2009 Time Regained, a fantasy for piano and orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (70), is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    26 January

    26 January 1765 Adriano in Siria, an opera by Johann Christian Bach (29) to words after Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London, in the presence of King George and Queen Charlotte.

    Madama l’umorista, a dramma giocoso by Giovanni Paisiello (24) to words after Palomba, is performed for the first time.

    26 January 1771 A second version of Niccolò Jommelli’s (56) opera seria Achille in Sciro, to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro della Dame, Rome.

    26 January 1789 Protesilao, an opera seria by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (36) to words of Sertor, is performed for the first time, in the Königliches Theater, Berlin.

    The Théâtre de Monsieur begins operatic performances in the Salle des Machines of the Tuileries Palace, Paris.  It is founded by Comte Louis de Provence, brother of the king, who wants his own company equal to the royal theatres.  It will expire on 12 April 1801.

    26 January 1790 Cosi fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K.588, an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to words of da Ponte, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Burgtheater on the eve of the composer’s 34th birthday.  It is a hit.  Among the audience is Franz Joseph Haydn (57).

    26 January 1796 La Lodoiska, a dramma per musica by Johann Simon Mayr (32) to words of Gonella, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

    26 January 1798 Christian Gottlob Neefe dies in Dessau, aged 49 years, eleven months and 21 days.

    26 January 1821 This date marks the first recorded instance of a Schubertiad.  14 friends gather in the Vienna rooms of Franz von Schober.  The drinking and merry-making go on until 03:00.

    26 January 1853 Satanella-Quadrille op.123 and Satanella-Polka op.124 by Johann Strauss (27) are performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    26 January 1857 Psyché, an opéra comique by Ambroise Thomas (45) to words of Berbier and Carré, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

    26 January 1858 Die Extravaganten op.205, a waltz by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    26 January 1862 Jacques Offenbach (42) writes to the Duc de Morney that he is giving up management of the Bouffes-Parisiens.

    26 January 1864 Gut bürgerlich op.282, a polka française by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    26 January 1869 Illustrationen op.331, a waltz by Johann Strauss (43), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    26 January 1871 Giulio Ricordi writes to Giuseppe Verdi (57) that he recently met with Arrigo Boito (28).  He reports that Boito would be thrilled to write the libretto to a projected Nerone to be composed by Verdi.  Verdi never writes the opera but this is the beginning of a working relationship between the two.

    26 January 1876 The Symphony no.1 in c minor op.23 by John Knowles Paine (37) is performed for the first time, at Music Hall, Boston.  It is a great success, with each movement applauded.

    26 January 1877 Le Docteur OX, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (57) to words of Mortier and Gille after Verne, is performed for the first time, at the Variétés, Paris.

    26 January 1884 String Quartet in E by Ethel Smyth (25) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

    26 January 1885 Variations and Fugue on the Prelude in c minor op.28/20 by Frédéric Chopin for piano by Ferruccio Busoni (18) is performed for the first time, in Vienna by the composer.

    26 January 1888 The Wreck of the Hesperus op.17 for chorus and orchestra by Arthur Foote (34) to words of Longfellow is performed for the first time, in Boston to piano accompaniment.  See 27 March 1890.

    26 January 1889 Gustav Mahler (28) conducts the first performance of Das Rheingold in Hungarian at the Budapest Opera.  Shortly after the music begins a fire starts in the prompter’s box.  Mahler is forced to stop the music as firemen douse the flames.  30 minutes later the performance resumes.  At the end the audience is ecstatic, both with Mahler and the production.

    Meine Lieder op.106/4, a song for voice and piano by Johannes Brahms (55) to words of Frey, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    26 January 1890 Crisantemi for string quartet by Giacomo Puccini (31) is performed for the first time, at the Milan Conservatory.  The audience is so delighted they require the repetition of the entire work.

    26 January 1892 The Royal English Opera House of Richard D’Oyly Carte is forced to close due to dwindling receipts after only one year of operation.

    26 January 1907 The first five of the Six Songs op.3 by Arnold Schoenberg (32) are performed for the first time, in the Ehrbaarsaal, Vienna.  Also premiered is the third of his Four Songs op.2 to words of Dehmel.  Also performed are six of the Eight Songs op.6.  See 26 March 1919 and 28 April 1915.

    26 January 1909 Phantasie-Trio for violin, cello, and piano by John Ireland (29) is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.

    26 January 1911 Der Rosenkavalier op.59, a Komödie für Musik by Richard Strauss (46) to words of Hofmannsthal, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Court Opera.  The production is a great success.  This year alone, there will be 50 performances in Dresden and 37 in Vienna.  Special trains are run to handle the number of people desirous of seeing the opera.

    Two Poems of Verlaine for voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (28) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    26 January 1912 Ormazd, a symphonic poem by Frederick S. Converse (41) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    26 January 1913 Gigues by Claude Debussy (50) is performed for the first time, in Paris as part of the first complete performance of Images for orchestra.  See 20 February 1910 and 2 March 1910.

    26 January 1917 Ave Atque Vale for orchestra by Frederick S. Converse (46) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.

    26 January 1918 Le vaisseau op.28/4 for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (50) to words of Haraucourt is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    26 January 1920 Overture on Hebrew Themes op.34 for piano, clarinet and string quartet by Sergey Prokofiev (28) is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 30 November 1934.

    26 January 1922 Symphony no.3 “Pastoral” by Ralph Vaughan Williams (49) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    26 January 1929 String Sextet op.92 by Vincent d’Indy (77) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Suite for two pianos by Arthur Honegger (36), adapted from his incidental music to L’Impératrice aux rochers, is performed for the first time, in Detroit by the composer and his wife, Andrée “Vaura” Vaurabourg.

    26 January 1936 Dmitri Shostakovich (29) is ordered by the director of the Bolshoy Theatre to attend a performance of his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in Moscow.  Present this evening are Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Anastas Mikoyan and Andrey Zhdanov.  He is not called to their box after the performance.

    Nothing is Here for Tears for chorus and piano by Ralph Vaughan Williams (63) to words of Milton, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.

    The first New York run of Porgy and Bess closes.  Its authors, DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin (37), and Ira Gershwin lose their investment.  However, this will be more than made up by royalties from the songs.

    26 January 1943 Igor Stravinsky (60) Darius Milhaud (50) and their wives attend a performance of a ballet to Arnold Schoenberg’s (68) Verklärte Nacht called Pillar of Fire conducted by the composer in San Francisco.  The two are impressed but do not make any attempt to see Schoenberg afterwards.

    26 January 1945 Elegy for viola or violin by Igor Stravinsky (62) is performed for the first time, in the Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington.

    26 January 1946 Three Pieces for String Orchestra by Arthur Berger (33) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  See 17 October 1985.

    26 January 1947 Trio for violin, viola, and cello by Lou Harrison (29) is performed for the first time, at the New School for Social Research, New York.

    26 January 1948 Two Children’s Songs for voice and piano by Witold Lutoslawski (35) to words of Tuwim is performed for the first time, in Kraków.  Also premiered are Lutslawski’s Six Children’s Songs for voice and piano, performed completely for the first time.  See 20 October 1947.

    26 January 1950 Morton Feldman (24) meets John Cage (37) for the first time, in the lobby of Carnegie Hall after a performance of Anton Webern’s (†4) Symphony.

    26 January 1957 Dialogues des Carmélites, an opera by Francis Poulenc (58) to words of Bernanos, is performed for the first time, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, in Italian.  The critics are ecstatic.  See 21 June 1957.

    The symphonic setting of the Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein (38) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall directed by the composer.

    26 January 1958 Be Merry All that be Present for chorus and organ by Charles Wuorinen (19) to anonymous words is performed for the first time, in the Church of the Transfiguration, New York.

    26 January 1961 Set of Four for harpsichord or piano by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Hertz Hall of the University of California at Berkeley.

    26 January 1962 Symphony no.7 by David Diamond (46) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.

    26 January 1964 The Fifth Continent for speaker, chamber orchestra, and recorded sound by Peter Sculthorpe (34) to words of Lawrence is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

    26 January 1967 Partita for violin and 13 players by Ralph Shapey (45) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago.

    26 January 1968 Fanfare for St. Louis by Gunther Schuller (42) is performed for the first time, at the inaugural concert of the new Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis.

    26 January 1975 String Quartet and Orchestra for string quartet and orchestra by Morton Feldman (49) is performed for the first time, in Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo.

    26 January 1978 The title music for the BBC television Shakespeare series, composed by William Walton (75), is performed for the first time, in a recording session in London.  See 3 December 1978.

    Percussion Symphony by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed completely for the first time, at Somerset County College, Somerville, New Jersey the composer conducting.  See 19 May 1977.  On the same program is the premiere of Wuorinen’s Six Songs for two voices for counter-tenor, tenor, oboe, bassoon, two horns, violin, and cello to words of Britton.

    26 January 1979 Serenade for Guitar with Optional Percussion by Lou Harrison (61) is performed for the first time, in Schenectady, New York.

    26 January 1980 Crow’s Nest (The Tuning Meditation), installation with film and dance by Pauline Oliveros (47), is performed for the first time, in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

    26 January 1981 After a funeral service in the First Presbyterian Church, the mortal remains of Samuel Barber are laid to rest in Oaklands Cemetery, West Chester, Pennsylvania.

    26 January 1982 Symphonic Fantasia no.3 for orchestra by Otto Luening (81) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    26 January 1986 Fantasia Concertante for viola, cello, and orchestra by William Bolcom (47) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Rounds for flute, violin, and viola by R. Murray Schafer (52) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.  The name will be changed to Buskers.

    26 January 1987 Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux for piano by Olivier Messiaen (78) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.  Also premiered is Jalons for chamber ensemble by Iannis Xenakis (64), conducted by Pierre Boulez (61).

    26 January 1988 Child of Australia for speaker, soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Peter Sculthorpe (58) to words of Keneally, is performed for the first time, in the Sydney Opera House to celebrate the bicentennial of European settlement in Australia.

    26 January 1990 Peter Sculthorpe (60) is made an officer of the Order of Australia.

    Duplicates for two pianos and orchestra by Mel Powell (66) is performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.  Powell will win the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for music for this work.  See 12 April 1990.

    26 January 1991 Duets for chamber orchestra by Joan Tower (52) are performed for the first time, in Los Angeles.

    26 January 1992 Intermezzo for dulcimer and keyboards by Ralph Shapey (70) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall of the University of Chicago.  Also premiered is Shapey’s Centennial Celebration for four vocal soloists and twelve players.

    26 January 1993 Kenneth Louis Gaburo dies of bone cancer at his home in Iowa City, Iowa, aged 66 years, six months, and 21 days.

    Soli for percussion solo by Ralph Shapey (71) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.

    26 January 1994 Lejaren Arthur Hiller dies of Alzheimer’s Disease in Niagara Lutheran Nursing Home in Buffalo, aged 69 years, eleven months, and three days.

    26 January 1996 Etude 15 from Györgi Ligeti’s (72) Etudes for piano Book III is performed for the first time, in The Hague.

    26 January 1997 Fourth Sonata for violin and piano by William Bolcom (58) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan the composer at the keyboard.

    26 January 2003 Piano Trio:  Voyage to a Fair Isle by Peter Maxwell Davies (68) is performed for the first time, in the Kongsberg Kirke, Kongsberg, Norway.

    26 January 2006 Il sogno di Leporello for orchestra by Henri Pousseur (76) is performed for the first time, in Freiburg.

    26 January 2008 Mariel for cello and orchestra by Osvaldo Golijov (47), to words of Goethe, Rückert, and von Collin, is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    26 January 2012 Ten Sinfonias for orchestra by Hans Abrahamsen (59) is performed for the first time, in Reykjavik.

    27 January

    27 January 1629 Hieronymous Praetorius dies in Hamburg, aged 68 years, five months, and 17 days.

    27 January 1732 Bartolomeo Cristofori dies in Florence, aged 76 years, eight months, and 23 days.

    27 January 1753 A London newspaper reports that George Frideric Handel (67) has “quite lost his sight.”

    A second version of Demofoonte, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (38) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, Ducal Palace, Milan.  See 11 February 1764 and 4 November 1770.

    27 January 1756 20:00  Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart is born in Salzburg, the seventh and last child of Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (36), violinist and composer to the Archbishop of Salzburg, and Maria Anna Pertl, daughter of the deputy prefect of St. Gilgen (now deceased).  Only two of the children survive infancy.

    27 January 1766 Niccolò Piccinni’s (38) intermezzo La baronessa di Montecupo is performed for the first time, in Teatro Capranica, Rome.

    27 January 1775 Ariadne auf Naxos, a duodrama by Georg Benda (52) to words of Brandes after von Gerstenberg, is performed for the first time in Gotha.  It is Benda’s first stage work in German and it finds great success.

    27 January 1778 Roland, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (50) to words of Marmontel after Quinault, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It is Piccinni’s first French opera.  The rehearsals were so horrendous that Piccinni has made plans to leave for Naples tomorrow.  As it turns out, the performance, attended by Queen Marie Antoinette, is a success.  Reviews are generally positive.

    27 January 1793 Le triomphe de la République, ou le camp de Grandpré, a divertissement-lyrique by François-Joseph Gossec (59) to words of Chénier, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.  It glorifies the French victory at the Battle of Valmy, 20 September.

    27 January 1802 Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg dies of a heart attack in Stuttgart, aged 42 years and 17 days.

    27 January 1813 Il signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo, a farsa giocosa by Gioachino Rossini (20) to words of Foppa after de Chazet and Ourry, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Moisè, Venice.

    27 January 1817 Les rosières, an opéra comique by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold to words of Théaulon de Lambert, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris on the eve of the composer’s 26th birthday.  It is very successful.

    27 January 1820 Le bergère châtelaine, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (37) to words of Planard, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.

    27 January 1821 Lalla Rukh, a festspiel by Gaspare Spontini (46) to words of Spiker after Moore, is performed for the first time, in the Royal Palace, Berlin.

    27 January 1835 Clara Wieck (15) plays her Caprices en forme de valse pour le piano op.2 publicly for the first time, in Hannover.  See 13 January 1833.

    27 January 1837 A funeral service for John Field is held in the Reformed Church, Moscow.  His earthly remains are laid to rest in Yedensky Cemetery outside Moscow, attended by a large crowd.

    27 January 1839 Jacques Offenbach (19) gives his first public concert (along with eleven others), in the music rooms of Pape’s instrument shop, Paris.

    27 January 1840 Charles Gounod (21) arrives in Rome for his Prix de Rome year.

    27 January 1847 Architecten-Ball-Tänze op.36, a waltz by Johann Strauss (21), is performed for the first time, in the Goldener Strauß, Vienna.

    27 January 1849 La battaglia di Legnano, a tragedia lirica by Giuseppe Verdi (35) to words of Cammarano after Méry, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Argentina, Rome, directed by the composer.  It is a patriotic event with the audience festooned with flags, pins and patriotic slogans.  The opera so fits the fervor of the crowd that they require the entire last act to be repeated.

    27 January 1852 Giacomo Meyerbeer (60) travels to Dresden and meets with Max von Weber, son of Carl Maria von Weber (†25), to settle the Die drei Pintos dispute.  He ends up paying them 4,000 thalers for the indemnity and lost royalties, and returns the unfinished opera to them.  They part on friendly terms.

    27 January 1857 Controversen op.191, a waltz by Johann Strauss (31), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    27 January 1858 Georges Bizet (19) reaches Rome to take up residence for his Prix de Rome year.

    Hellenen-Polka op.203 by Johann Strauss (32) is performed for the first time, in the Palais Sina, Vienna.

    27 January 1859 Johannes Brahms (25) plays his first piano concerto for the second time, before a full house in Leipzig.  At the conclusion, three people applaud.  Many hisses are heard.

    27 January 1866 Zaide, a singspiel by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (†74) to words of Schachtner after Sebastiani, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt, on the 110th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

    27 January 1872 Two songs by Johannes Brahms (38) are performed for the first time, in Vienna:  Blinde Kuh op.58/1 to Italian words translated by Kopisch, and Während des Regens op.58/2 to words of Kopisch.

    27 January 1877 Violin Sonata no.1 op.13 by Gariel Fauré (31) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris, the composer at the keyboard.  On the same program is the premiere of an impromptu for piano by Emanuel Chabrier (36), performed by Camille Saint-Saëns (41).  The sonata is an instant hit and brings Fauré to fame.  “The success of the Sonata this evening exceeded all my hopes!!!”

    27 January 1878 The Cunning Peasant, a comic opera by Antonin Dvorák (36) to words of Vesely, is performed for the first time, in the Prague Provisional Theatre.

    27 January 1881 Souvenez-vous, Vierge Marie:  Prière de St. Bernard for solo voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ by Jules Massenet (38) to words of Boyer is performed for the first time.

    27 January 1884 Papacoda-Polka op.412 by Johann Strauss (58) is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.

    27 January 1885 The six Songs and Romances op.93a for unaccompanied chorus by Johannes Brahms (51) to words of Anonymous, Arnim, Rückert and Goethe are performed completely for the first time, in Krefeld.  See 9 December 1884.

    Against his will, Claude Debussy (22) leaves for his sojourn at the Villa Medici in Rome, required of all Prix de Rome winners.

    27 January 1887 King Umberto I of Italy confers on Giuseppe Verdi (73) the Great Cross of the Order of SS Maurizio e Lazzaro.

    Biblis, a scène religieuse for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Jules Massenet (44) to words of Boyer is performed for the first time, in Paris the composer conducting.

    27 January 1898 Song for the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám op.40 for solo voice and piano or orchestra by Arthur Foote (44) is performed for the first time, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the accompaniment of a piano.

    27 January 1900 The Neue Bach Gesellschaft if formed to promote the music of JS Bach (†149) and produce performing editions.

    Deux épigrammes de Clément Marot by Maurice Ravel (24) for solo voice and piano is performed for the first time, at the Salle Erard, Paris.  The composer performs the piano part.

    A string quartet by Ernest Chausson (†0), finished by Vincent d’Indy (48), is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.  Also premiered is Chausson’s song La Chanson bien douce from Deux poèmes de Verlaine op.34 and Dans la forêt du charme et de l’enchantement for voice and piano to words of Moréas from op.36.

    27 January 1901 02:50  Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi dies in Milan at the age of 87 years, three months, and 18 days.

    27 January 1905 On the fourth anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi, a setting of the Requiem by Giacomo Puccini (46) is performed for the first time, at the Casa di Riposo, Milan.

    27 January 1906 Hiver-Printemps, a symphonic diptych by Ernest Bloch (25), is performed for the first time, under the baton of the composer in Geneva.

    Leos Janácek’s (51) Piano Sonata ‘1 October 1905’ “Street Scene” is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).  It was written in memory of a Czech worker killed in a clash between German and Czech citizens of Brno.  During the final rehearsal the composer snatched the music from pianist Ludmilla Tuckova and burned the third movement on the spot.  Tonight, only the first and second movements are performed.  After a second, private performance, Janácek will throw the two other movements into the Vltava.  Ms. Tuckova has copies, however, and the sonata will be published, with the composer’s blessing, in 1924.

    27 January 1912 La Escena Andaluza op.7 for viola, piano, and string quartet by Joaquin Turina (29) is performed for the first time, in Salle Erard, Paris.

    27 January 1913 The American Maid, an operetta by John Philip Sousa (58) to words of Liebling, is performed for the first time, at the Schubert Theatre in Rochester, New York.

    27 January 1915 Flammes sombres op.73/2 for piano by Alyeksandr Skryabin (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

    27 January 1917 Poème for cello and piano by Charles Martin Loeffler (55) is performed for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, New York.

    27 January 1918 The first part of Pause del silenzio for orchestra by Gian Francesco Malipiero (35) is performed for the first time, in Teatro Augusteo, Rome.

    27 January 1919 After four years internment in Germany, Ernest MacMillan (25) arrives in St. John, New Brunswick from Europe.

    27 January 1922 Von deutscher Seele op.28, a cantata by Hans Pfitzner (52) to words of Eichendorff, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    27 January 1927 Dmitri Shostakovich (20) plays in the Chopin competition in Warsaw.  Of 31 contestants, he makes the final round of eight, but will receive only honorable mention.  He writes his mother that he was clandestinely informed that he was left out of the medals because of nationalism on the part of the Polish judges.

    27 January 1935 The Youth of Maxim, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (28), is shown for the first time, in Moscow.

    27 January 1936 Tout va bien op.139/9 for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (68) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Paris, the composer at the keyboard.  See 17 January 1986.

    27 January 1938 The first program in the radio feature Lines on the Map entitled “Communication by Land” with music by Benjamin Britten (25), is broadcast for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC.

    27 January 1947 Concerto in D for string orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (64) is performed for the first time, in Basel.

    27 January 1950 Französische Suite nach Rameau for orchestra by Werner Egk (48) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    27 January 1951 Serenade no.6 op.44 for trombone, viola, and cello by Vincent Persichetti (35) is performed for the first time, in Groton, Massachusetts.

    27 January 1955 The Midsummer Marriage, an opera by Michael Tippett (50) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden.

    27 January 1956 Suite op.133 for trumpet and orchestra by Florent Schmitt (85) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    Another Sleep, a cycle for voice and piano by Ned Rorem (32) to words of Green, is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    27 January 1958 Harp Sonata by Ernst Krenek (57) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    27 January 1960 Two Books of Study for Pianists by Cornelius Cardew (23) are performed for the first time, at Conway Hall in London.

    27 January 1965 Six Simple Songs for voice and piano by Bohuslav Martinu (†5) is performed for the first time, in Prague, 48 years after it was composed.

    Brass Quintet by Ralph Shapey (43) is performed for the first time, in Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York.  Also premiered is Numbers for flute, horn, trombone, tuba, percussion, piano, violin, cello, and double bass by Morton Feldman (39).

    Three works by Steve Reich (28) are performed for the first time at the San Francisco Tape Music Center:  It’s Gonna Rain for tape, Music for Two or More Pianos or Piano and Tape, and Livelihood for tape.

    27 January 1967 Nach Bach, Fantasy for harpsichord or piano by George Rochberg (48) is performed for the first time, in Annenberg Auditorium of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

    String Quartet no.3 by Leon Kirchner (48) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.  See 1 May 1967.

    27 January 1968 After five months in prison, Mikis Theodorakis (42) is freed by the Greek military government.  They promise to lift the ban on his music if he agrees to refrain from any political activity.  He does not agree.

    27 January 1974 No Progress Without Struggle, a cycle for solo voice and chamber ensemble by Frederic Rzewski (35) to words of Douglass, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    27 January 1979 Concerto for violin and orchestra no.3 by Alfred Schnittke (44) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    27 January 1980 String Quartet no.7 with baritone by George Rochberg (61) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

    27 January 1983 The Wanderer for accordion orchestra by Pauline Oliveros (50) is performed for the first time, in the Marymount Manhattan Theatre, New York.

    27 January 1985 Toccata for cello by Ben Johnston (58) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.

    27 January 1986 Sine nomine I for five brass instruments by Wolfgang Rihm (33) is performed for the first time, in Cannes.

    27 January 1994 Quartet for percussion by Alfred Schnittke (59) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    Tolerance for orchestra by Jonathan Lloyd (45) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.

    Concerto for english horn and orchestra by Ned Rorem (70) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York.  It was commissioned for the 150th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

    K’vakarat for cantor and string quartet by Osvaldo Golijov (33) is performed for the first time, in Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio.  Also premiered is Golijov’s Av Horachamin for cantor and electric string quartet.

    27 January 2003 Triptych for violin and piano by George Perle (87) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    27 January 2005 Tekyah for Klezmer clarinet, accordion with sound processing, three trumpets, three horns, two trombones (also doubling on shofars), and four additional shofars by Osvaldo Golijov (44) is performed for the first time, in a European Union television broadcast.

    27 January 2006 Fremdes Licht for soprano, violin, clarinet, and chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (53) to words of Brentano is performed for the first time, in the Kongresshalle, Augsburg.

    Diamond in the Rough for violin, viola, and percussion by Michael Daugherty (51) is performed for the first time, in Cullen Theatre, Houston.

    Roving Mars, a film with music by Philip Glass (68), is released in the United States and Canada.

    27 January 2008 Madrigal for chorus by John Harbison (69) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    27 January 2010 A suite for two pianos and orchestra from the music to Osvaldo Golijov’s (49) La pasión según San Marcos is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    27 January 2011 Towards the Blue for clarinet and eight players by Thea Musgrave (82) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    Snow for soprano, oboe d’amore, and bass viola da gamba by Thea Musgrave (82) to words of Rosenberg is performed for the first time, in Walthamstow, London.

    28 January

    28 January 1777 Nitteti, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (36) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Russian court, St. Petersburg.  It is Paisiello’s first effort in Russia and is well received.

    28 January 1791 Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold is born in Paris, son of François-Joseph Hérold, a pianist, composer and teacher.

    28 January 1803 The French Republic formally establishes the Grand Prix de Rome in Musical Composition.  The annual winners will receive a stipend for four years, the first two to be spent at the Villa Medici, Rome the third in Germany or Austria, the fourth in Rome or Paris.  They will be expected to compose various works during this time.  Illustrious composers who will win the Prix de Rome include Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Debussy, Schmitt and Ibert.

    28 January 1806 Les deux aveugles de Tolède, an opéra comique by Étienne Nicolas Méhul (42) to words of Marsollier des Vivetières after The Thousand and One Nights, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.  It receives 20 performances in Paris but is more successful elsewhere.

    28 January 1814 Elena, a dramma eroicomico per musica by Johann Simon Mayr (50) to words of Tottola, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Fiorentini, Naples.

    28 January 1816 The Septet op.74 for piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello and bass by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (37) is performed for the first time, in Vienna

    28 January 1822 Zoraida di Granata, a melodramma eroico by Gaetano Donizetti (24) to words of Merelli, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Argentina, Rome, to some success.

    28 January 1828 A three-member commission in Naples appointed by King Francesco I refuses to allow the performance of a mass by Vincenzo Bellini (26) because it is composed in a “theatrical manner.”

    At the last Schubertiad in the Spaun house, a party to celebrate Josef von Spaun’s engagement, the Piano Trio D.929 by Franz Schubert (30) is performed, possibly for the first time.  See 26 December 1827.

    28 January 1830 Fra Diavolo, ou L’hôtelliere de Terracine, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at Théâtre de Ventadour, Paris on the eve of the composer’s 48th birthday.

    28 January 1837 Today marks the first of four concerts given by Franz Liszt (25) in Paris “to make known the works of the grande école of the piano, too often disfigured by incompetent executants.”  This presumably refers to Sigismund Thalberg (25).  The four performances will be a critical triumph.

    28 January 1839 La gipsy, a ballet by Ambroise Thomas (27), François Benoist, and Marco Aurelio Marliani, to a scenario by Saint-Georges after Cervantes, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.

    28 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) arrives in Leipzig and immediately goes to the Gewandhaus where Felix Mendelssohn (33) is rehearsing for the premiere of the revised version of Die erste Walpugisnacht.  They have not seen each other since Rome, 1830.

    28 January 1846 After a consultation of doctors arranged by Andrea Donizetti (the composer’s nephew) in Paris, they find Gaetano Donizetti (48) suffering from “cerebro-spinal degeneration of syphilitic origin,” and they recommend that he be placed in an institution.

    Serben-Quadrille op.14 by Johann Strauss (20) is performed for the first time, at the Goldene Birne, Vienna.

    28 January 1855 The first performance of Hector Berlioz’ (51) cantata in honor of Napoléon III, Le Dix Décembre, scheduled for the Théâtre-Italien, is cancelled owing to concerns about the war in the Crimea.

    28 January 1856 Abschieds-Rufe op.179, a waltz by Johann Strauss (30), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    28 January 1861 Wahlstimmen op.250, a waltz by Johann Strauss (35), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    28 January 1862 Die ersten Curen op.261, a waltz by Johann Strauss (36), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    28 January 1866 Wiener Bonbons op.307, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    28 January 1873 Der Gang zum Liebchen op.48/1, a song by Johannes Brahms (39) to traditional words, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    28 January 1875 Julián Antonio Carrillo Trujillo is born in Ahualulco, San Luis Potosí, the last of 19 children born to Nabor Carrillo and Antonia Trujillo, Indian farmers.

    28 January 1876 Sérénade mélancolique for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.

    28 January 1877 La Jeunesse d’Hercule op.50, a symphonic poem by Camille Saint-Saëns (41), is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    28 January 1885 Two works by Johannes Brahms (51) are performed for the first time, in Krefeld:  O schöne Nacht op.92/1 for vocal quartet to words of Daumer, and Tafellied op.93b for chorus and piano.

    28 January 1886 Zigeunerbaron-Quadrille op.422 by Johann Strauss (60) is performed for the first time, in the Hofburg, Vienna.

    28 January 1888 String Quartet in d minor by Ferruccio Busoni (21) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.  The reviews are not positive.  One member of the audience, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47), finds it original but laments what he sees as Busoni’s desire to be German.  He thinks that he is ashamed of being Italian.

    28 January 1892 The Libera me from the second version of Gabriel Fauré’s (46) setting of the Requiem is performed for the first time, in the church of St.-Gervais.  See 16 January 1888, 21 January 1893 and 12 July 1900.

    28 January 1898 Maurice Ravel (22) enters the composition class of Gabriel Fauré (52).

    28 January 1906 Cantique de Jean Racine op.11 for mixed chorus and orchestra by Gabriel Fauré (60) is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.  See 4 August 1866.

    28 January 1909 Doria Manfredi, servant to Giacomo (50) and Elvira Puccini, dies after having ingested poison on 23 January.  She was distraught over charges of a liaison between herself and the composer brought by Sra. Puccini.  An autopsy reveals that the charges were unfounded.  See 1 February 1909.

    28 January 1911 Arnold Bax (27) marries Elsa Luisa (Elsita) Sobrino.  Her father is a concert pianist, her mother an operatic soprano.

    The Suite in f# minor op.14 for piano by Albert Roussel (41) is performed for the first time, at the Salle Pleyel, Paris.

    Christmas Day for chorus and orchestra by Gustav Holst (36) is performed for the first time, at Morley College, London.

    28 January 1915 Maurice Ravel’s (39) Trio for piano, violin and cello is performed for the first time, at the Salle Gaveau, Paris Alfredo Casella (31) at the keyboard.

    Le Jardin clos op.106, a song cycle by Gabriel Fauré (69) to words of van Lerberghe, is performed for the first time, in Paris.  The composition of this work was interrupted when the composer, sojourning in Germany on 3 August 1914, suddenly found himself in enemy territory.

    28 January 1916 The Boatswain’s Mate, a comedy by Ethel Smyth (57) to her own words after Jacobs, is performed for the first time, in the Shaftesbury Theatre, London.  See 26 August 1915.

    Goyescas, an opera by Enrique Granados (48) to words of Periquet y Zuaznabar, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.  The work receives an enthusiastic reception, “ecstatic applause” and Granados is praised by the critics.  But Goyescas receives only five performances in New York and will be dropped.  The libretto is faulted.

    28 January 1919 Nocturne and Scherzo for flute and string quartet by Arthur Foote (65) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.  See 13 April 1923.

    28 January 1926 Kurt Weill (25) marries Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer, a dancer and actress from Vienna who goes by the stage name Lotte Lenja, in a civil ceremony in Charlottenburg, Berlin.  No relatives of either of them are present.

    28 January 1927 Aaron Copland’s (26) Piano Concerto is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston, the composer at the keyboard.  One audience member, a Harvard student named Elliott Carter (18), goes backstage after the concert and introduces himself to Copland.

    28 January 1929 Sonata for flute and harp by Arnold Bax (45) is performed publicly for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.  See 19 January 1929.

    28 January 1930 Préludes for piano by Olivier Messiaen (21) are performed for the first time, privately in Paris by the composer.  See 1 March 1930.

    28 January 1936 An article appears in the Communist Party daily Pravda entitled “Muddle instead of music.”  It is a scathing denunciation of Dmitri Shostakovich (29), his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, and Soviet composers in general.  “From the first moment, the listener is shocked by a deliberately dissonant, confused stream of sound.  Fragments of melody, embryonic phrases appear--only to disappear again in the din, the grinding, the screaming of petty-bourgeois invocations...The music quacks, growls and suffocates itself.  All this could end very badly.  The danger of this trend to Soviet music is clear.”  The lack of signature indicates that the article probably originates with Stalin.

    28 January 1938 Mollenard, a film with music by Darius Milhaud (45), is shown for the first time, in Ciné Normandie, Paris.

    The Goldwyn Follies, a film with music by George Gershwin (†0) to words of Ira Gershwin, is shown for the first time, in Miami.  Some songs were completed by Vernon Duke after the death of Gershwin during filming.

    28 January 1941 Quiet City by Aaron Copland (40), arranged for english horn, trumpet, and strings from his incidental music to Shaw’s play of the same name, is performed for the first time, in New York.  See 27 February 1939.

    28 January 1944 John Kenneth Tavener is born in Wembly Park, the first of two children born to Kenneth Tavener, a surveyor and organist currently a member of the Royal Engineers, and Muriel Brown, daughter of a dentist.

    Symphony no.1 “Jeremiah” for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (25), to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh under the baton of the composer.

    28 January 1948 A piano suite from Marc Blitzstein’s (42) unperformed ballet The Guests is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland by the composer.  See 20 January 1949.

    28 January 1954 Pages from a Mother’s Diary for orchestra by William Grant Still (58) is performed for the first time, in Montgomery Theatre, Santa Clara, California.  See 30 March 1957.

    28 January 1955 Canticle III “Still Falls the Rain--The Raids, 1940--Night and Dawn” for solo voice, horn, and piano by Benjamin Britten (41) to words of Edith Sitwell, is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London by Peter Pears, Denis Brain, and the composer.

    28 January 1958 Nonet by Roberto Gerhard (61) is performed for the first time, in London.

    28 January 1959 Marc Blitzstein (53) is elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

    28 January 1963 Hans Werner Henze (36) delivers a public lecture in the Kongreßhalle, Berlin.  He will always consider it one of the most important statements of his beliefs as an artist.

    28 January 1972 Fusain for piccolo and bass flute (one player) by Betsy Jolas (45) is performed for the first time, in the Maison de Culture, Rennes.

    Treemonisha, an opera by Scott Joplin (†54) to his own words, is staged for the first time, at the Memorial Arts Center in Atlanta.  It was given a concert performance in 1915 but was a complete failure.

    28 January 1976 Phlegra for eleven instruments by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

    28 January 1982 Parable XXIII op.150 for violin, cello, and piano by Vincent Persichetti (66) is performed for the first time, in New York the composer at the piano.

    28 January 1983 Nocturne for alto flute by Peter Maxwell Davies (48) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    28 January 1984 Tenebrae super Gesualdo for soprano and seven players by Peter Maxwell Davies (49) is performed for the first time, in St. James’, Picadilly, London.

    Préludes-Fanfares-Interludes-Sonneries for winds and percussion by Betsy Jolas (57) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France.

    28 January 1985 Symphony no.59 by Alan Hovhaness (73) is performed for the first time, in Bellevue, Washington.

    28 January 1987 Into Darkness for chamber ensemble by Kevin Volans (37) is performed for the first time, in Purcell Room, London.

    28 January 1988 Atardecer for piano-four hands by Joaquín Rodrigo (86) is performed for the first time, in Aula de Cultura, Aranjuez.

    Death of Moses for chorus and organ by Ned Rorem (64) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.

    28 January 1990 Flute Concerto by Joan Tower (51) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.

    Two Sides Of The ‘Same’ Room, a sound work by Max Neuhaus (50), is inaugurated at the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas.  It will exist until 22 April.

    28 January 1993 Concerto for piano and orchestra no.2 by George Perle (77) is performed for the first time, in Columbus, Ohio.

    28 January 1994 The first complete performance of the Universe Symphony by Charles Ives (†39), in a realization by Larry Austin (63), takes place in Cincinnati.  See 29 October 1993 and 6 June 1996.

    28 January 1995 Études aperçues for vibraphone and five cowbells by Betsy Jolas (68) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France.  See 26 March 1992.

    Duets for orchestra by Joan Tower (56) is performed for the first time, in Ambassador Auditorium, Los Angeles.

    28 January 1996 Air for solo flute by Toru Takemitsu (65) is performed live for the first time, in Katolisch Kirch Oberwill, Switzerland.

    28 January 2000 Lamenting With Ariadne for chamber ensemble by Thea Musgrave (71) is performed for the first time, in Birmingham.

    Triple Quartet by Steve Reich (63) is performed by all live musicians (three string quartets) for the first time, in the Juilliard Theatre, New York.  See 22 May 1999.

    Prayer for the Souls of Canada for chorus and orchestra by John Tavener is performed for the first time, in Winnipeg on his 56th birthday.

    28 January 2001 The Great Procession for orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (62) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    28 January 2007 Grave for string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (54) is performed for the first time, in the Konzerthaus, Mozartsaal Wien.

    28 January 2012 violin:piano and cello:piano (a walk in the gardens of solitude) by Kevin Volans (62) are performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    29 January

    29 January 1688 Carlo Pallavicino dies in Dresden, aged approximately 48 years.

    29 January 1715 Georg Christoph Wagenseil is born in Vienna.

    29 January 1767 The Fairy Favor, a masque by Johann Christian Bach (31) to words of Hull, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London, in honor of the four-year-old Prince of Wales.

    29 January 1770 Die Jagd, a comische Oper by Johann Adam Hiller (41) to words of Weisse after Collé, is performed for the first time, in the Kleines Schloss, Weimar.  It is very successful.

    29 January 1772 La fiera di Venezia, a commedia per musica by Antonio Salieri (21) to words of Giovanni Gastone Boccherini, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.  It is a great success.

    29 January 1774 Perseo, an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini (43) to words of Bottarelli after Aureli, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.

    29 January 1781 Idomeneo, rè di Creta K.366, a dramma per musica by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (25) to words of Varesco after Danchet, is performed for the first time, at the Residenz, Munich.  It is very successful.  Leopold Mozart (61) and Nannerl are in attendance.

    29 January 1782 Daniel-François-Esprit Auber is born in Caen, the son of Jean-Baptiste Daniel Auber, a royal hunt officer.

    29 January 1803 Ercole in Lidia, a dramma per musica by Simon Mayr (39) to words of de Gamerra, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.

    29 January 1827 Astolphe et Joconde, a ballet by Ferdinand Hérold (36) to a scenario by Aumer, is performed for the first time, in the Paris Opéra.

    29 January 1836 Das Schloss am Aetna, a grosse romantische Oper by Heinrich August Marschner (40) to words of Klingemann, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig Stadttheater.  A bad performance produces a collossal flop.

    29 January 1850 On the advice of Franz Liszt (38), Richard Wagner (36) leaves Switzerland for Paris.

    29 January 1855 Leopolderstädter Polka op.168 by Johann Strauss (29) is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    29 January 1856 Libellen op.180, a waltz by Johann Strauss (30), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    29 January 1861 Camelien-Polka op.248 by Johann Strauss (35) is performed for the first time, in the Dianabadsaal, Vienna.

    29 January 1862 Fritz (Frederick) Theodor Albert Delius is born in Bradford, England, fourth of 14 children born to Julius Friedrich Wilhelm Delius, a wool merchant, and Elise Krönig, a descendant of Swedish royalty.

    Concurrenzen op.267, a waltz by Johann Strauss (36), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    29 January 1866 Par force! op.308, a polka schnell by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    29 January 1869 The first revision of Bedrich Smetana’s (44) comic opera The Bartered Bride to words of Sabina is performed for the first time, in the Provisional Theatre, Prague.

    29 January 1873 Les braconniers, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (53) to words of Chivot and Duru, is performed for the first time, at the Variétès, Paris.

    29 January 1881 Two songs for voice and piano by Gabriel Fauré (35) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris:  Nell op.18/1 to words of de Lisle, and Automne op.18/3 to words of Silvestre.

    29 January 1883 Rasch in der That op.409, a polka schnell by Johann Strauss (57), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    29 January 1884 Richard D’Oyly Carte visits Arthur Sullivan (41) at Sullivan’s London home.  Sullivan informs Carte that he will not write any more operas for the Savoy Theatre.

    29 January 1892 A Pastoral Prelude for orchestra by George Whitefield Chadwick (37) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston.

    29 January 1894 Tabasco, a burlesque opera by George Whitefield Chadwick (39) to words of Barnet, is performed for the first time, in the Tremont Theatre, Boston.

    29 January 1895 Across the World op.20, a villanelle for voice and piano by Amy Beach (27) to words of Thomas, is performed for the first time, in New York.

    29 January 1899 Chanson perpétuelle op.37 for voice and orchestra by Ernest Chausson (44) to words of Cros is performed for the first time, in Le Havre, in the presence of the composer.

    29 January 1901 The Divertissement espagnol for saxophone and orchestra, by Charles Martin Loeffler is performed for the first time, in Chickering Hall, Boston on the eve of the composer’s 40th birthday.

    29 January 1903 The Clarinet Concerto by Charles Villiers Stanford (50) is performed for the first time, in Bournemouth.  The composer conducts with his injured left arm in a sling.

    29 January 1904 Ferruccio Busoni (37) gives a recital at the White House before President and Mrs. Roosevelt.  It is only the second time that a performer has been given an entire evening.  (Paderewski was the first)

    29 January 1905 A night devoted to Mahler (44) lieder with orchestra in the Kleiner Musiksaal of the Musikverein, Vienna sees several premieres, including two from Des knaben Wunderhorn (Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt,  and Lied des Verfolgten im Turm) to words of Brentano and Arnim; the entire Kindertotenlieder cycle, to words of Rückert; four other Rückert Lieder (Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder, Ich atmet’einen Linden Duft, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen and Um Mitternacht) and two lieder from Des knaben Wunderhorn not part of the song cycle (Revelge and Der Tamboursg’sell).  The composer conducts all these works.  It is a tremendous success.  Attending is a young member of the Schoenberg circle, Anton von Webern (21).  He is very impressed.

    29 January 1912 Ma mère l’oye, a ballet by Maurice Ravel (36) to his own scenario, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Arts, Paris.  See 20 April 1910.

    Mon rêve familier for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (44) to words of Verlaine is performed for the first time, in Salle Pleyel, Paris, the composer at the piano.

    29 January 1914 Three of the Six Songs op.8 for solo voice and orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg (39), are performed for the first time, in Prague.

    29 January 1915 Several works by Heitor Villa-Lobos (27) are performed for the first time, in the Teatro Dona Eugênia, Nova Friburgo, 100 km northeast of Rio de Janeiro.  They include a Trio for flute, cello, and piano, Pequena Sonata op.20 for cello and piano, Farrapos op.47, Danças caractaristicas africanas no.1 for piano, Ibericárabe op.40 for piano, and Capriccio op.49 for violin or cello and piano.  The performers are the composer as cellist, his wife Lucília, piano and Agenor Bens, flute.

    29 January 1916 A suite from Sergey Prokofiev’s (24) unperformed ballet Ala i Lolli, called the Scythian Suite op.20, is performed for the first time, in Petrograd, the composer conducting.  One audience member, Alyeksandr Glazunov (50), finds the music so distasteful that he storms out of the hall.  The composer remarks, “The price of rotten eggs has gone up in St. Petersburg.”

    Une voix dans le désert op.77 for reciter and orchestra by Edward Elgar (58) to words of Cammaerts, is performed for the first time, in Shaftesbury Theatre, London.

    29 January 1918 Cinq Chansons de Bilitis op.39 for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (50) to words of Louÿs is performed completely for the first time, in Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, Paris.  See 14 March 1899.

    29 January 1922 La sensitiva for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (42) to words of Shelley is performed for the first time, in Prague.

    L’espérance op.49/1 for organ and orchestra by Charles Koechlin (54) is performed for the first time, in Salle Gaveau, Paris by Nadia Boulanger (34).

    29 January 1924 Luigi Nono is born in Venice, the son of Mario Nono, an engineer, and Maria Manetti.  Both are amateur musicians.

    29 January 1927 O Lacrymosa op.48, three songs for voice and piano by Ernst Krenek (26) to words of Rilke, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.  The same work is also heard in a setting for solo voice, two flutes, two clarinets, two bassoons, and harp.

    At the International Referendum Concert of the Franco-American Music Society in Town Hall, New York, the first two movements of Charles Ives' (52) Symphony no.4 are heard for the first time, causing a riot in the audience.  One member of that audience, Darius Milhaud (34), there to hear his own work performed, is much taken with Ives' music and decides to have lunch with him.  George Gershwin (28) is also there but his attempts to contact Ives go unanswered.  This marks the first time that the music of Charles Ives is seriously considered by important critics.  See 10 May 1933 and 26 April 1965.

    29 January 1932 Sonata op.61 for guitar by Joaquín Turina (49) is performed for the first time, in Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome.

    The Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra by George Gershwin (33) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston the composer at the keyboard.  The press is positive, the public ecstatic.  It was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  See 28 October 1929 and 26 June 1931.

    29 January 1935 L’Ascension, Quatre Méditations symphoniques for organ by Olivier Messiaen (26) is performed for the first time, in the church of Saint-Antoine-des-Quinze-Vingts, Paris by the composer.  See 9 February 1935.

    29 January 1936 Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (45) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 January 1938 Florent Schmitt’s (67) Suite sans esprit de suite, for orchestra is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 January 1940 Four of the Seven Pieces from Mikrokosmos for two pianos by Béla Bartók (58) are performed for the first time, in Budapest.

    29 January 1943 The eleventh of 18 patriotic fanfares for brass and percussion commissioned by Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Fanfare for Airmen by Leo Sowerby, is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.

    29 January 1945 Adagio pour orgue op.201 by Charles Koechlin (77) is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    29 January 1946 Incidental music for Clifford Bax’ play Golden Eagle by Arnold Bax (62) is performed for the first time, in Westminster Theatre, London.

    29 January 1948 The Quest for orchestra by Roy Harris (49) is performed for the first time, in Murat Theatre, Indianapolis.

    29 January 1952 Epigraph for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (39) is performed for the first time, in Denver.

    29 January 1954 De profundis for chorus by Arnold Schoenberg (†2) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.

    29 January 1962 Sete vezes for voice and orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos (†2) to words of Vasconcellos is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.  See 2 June 1960.

    29 January 1966 Variations for Orchestra (The Mask of Night) for soprano and orchestra by Dominick Argento (38) to words of Shakespeare is performed for the first time, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

    29 January 1967 The CBS Playhouse signature tune composed by Aaron Copland (66) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the network.

    29 January 1969 Hallelujah for voices by Mauricio Kagel (37) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.

    29 January 1970 In Praise of Shahn for orchestra by William Schuman (59) is performed for the first time, in New York directed by Leonard Bernstein (51).  The work is warmly received.

    29 January 1971 Das Floss der “Medusa”, an oratorio volgare e militare for soprano, baritone, speaker, chorus, boys’ chorus, and orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (44) to words of Schnabel, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  See 9 December 1968.

    To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation by Pauline Oliveros (38) is performed for the first time, in a setting for orchestra, in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.  See 7 October 1970.

    29 January 1972 Cortège for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†18) is performed for the first time, in St. John’s, Smith Square, 47 years after it was composed.

    29 January 1975 ...from behind the unreasoning mask for trombone, percussion, assistant, and four-track tape by Roger Reynolds (40) is performed for the first time, in Las Vegas.  The assistant is the composer.

    29 January 1976 Concertmasters, a concerto for three violins and orchestra by Michael Colgrass (43), is performed for the first time, in Detroit.

    29 January 1978 Songs of Inanna and Dumuzi for alto and piano by Ned Rorem (54) is performed for the first time, in Van Pelt Auditorium of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

    29 January 1980 Novelette for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (67) is performed for the first time, in Washington.

    29 January 1982 Concerto for clarinet and orchestra by Isang Yun (64) is performed for the first time, in Munich.

    Piano Sonata no.2 op.53 by Alberto Ginastera (65) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    29 January 1983 Traumformel no.51 2/3, a version of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (54) Klavierstück XIII for basset horn, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.  See 19 November 1981 and 10 June 1982.

    29 January 1985 Charles Wuorinen (46) is appointed composer-in-residence with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

    29 January 1988 Sinfonietta I for chamber orchestra by George Perle (72) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    29 January 1992 Delight of the Muses, a ballet by Charles Wuorinen (53), is staged for the first time, at the New York State Theatre in Lincoln Center, the composer conducting.

    29 January 2000 Da un Diario Italiano for two choruses by Luigi Nono (†9) is performed for the first time, in Cologne, 36 years after it was composed.

    29 January 2002 Nine Episodes for Four Players for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Ned Rorem (78) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Hall, New York.

    29 January 2009 String Quartet by John Adams (61) is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School, New York.

    29 January 2010 Sea Orpheus for piano, flute, violin, and strings by Peter Maxwell Davies (75) is performed for the first time, in the Modlin Center, University of Richmond, Virginia.

    29 January 2011 Milton Byron Babbitt dies in Princeton, New Jersey aged 94 years, eight months, and 19 days.

    30 January

    30 January 1697 Johann Joachim Quantz is born in Oberscheden, Hanover.

    30 January 1764 Louis-Balthasar de la Chevardière announces in Paris what is probably the first publication of any music by Franz Joseph Haydn (31):  the String Quartets op.1/1-4.

    30 January 1765 Christoph Willibald Gluck’s (50) dramma per musica Telemaco, ossia L’isola di Circe to words of Coltellini after Capece is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.  This is the second offering by Gluck for the festivities surrounding the wedding of Crown Prince Joseph to Bavarian princess Maria Josepha.

    30 January 1773 Sismano nel Mogol, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (32) to words of De Gamerra, is performed for the first time, in the Regio Ducal, Milan.  Among the audience are Leopold (52) and Wolfgang Amadeus (17) Mozart.

    30 January 1799 The Royal Swedish Musical Academy grants honorary membership to Joseph Haydn (67), Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (63) and Antonio Salieri (48).  It is the first time that this honor is extended to foreigners.

    30 January 1809 Fromental Halévy (9) enters the Paris Conservatoire.

    30 January 1810 Archduke Rudolph returns to Vienna.  Ludwig van Beethoven (39) composes the third movement of his Piano Sonata op.81a “Les Adieux” entitled Das Wiedersehen at the occasion.

    30 January 1817 Carl Maria von Weber (30) opens the German Opera in Dresden with Étienne-Nicholas Méhul’s (53) Joseph.  It is a great success, particularly with King Friedrich August.

    30 January 1827 Violin Concerto no.2 by Nicolò Paganini (44) is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples, the composer as soloist.

    L’artisan, an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy (27) to words of Saint Georges, is performed for the first time, by the Opéra-Comique, Paris.  It is not successful.

    30 January 1829 Mirjams Siegesgesang D.942 by Franz Schubert (†0) is performed for the first time, at a memorial concert on the eve of what would have been the composer’s 32nd birthday.

    30 January 1838 Maria di Rudenz, a dramma tragico by Gaetano Donizetti (40) to words of Cammarano after Bourgeois, Cuvelier and de Mallian, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.  The audience reaction is so poor that the work receives only one more performance.

    30 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) meets Robert Schumann (32) for the first time, in Leipzig.  Schumann is there for his job at the Conservatory.  Since neither is fluent in the other’s language they do not speak much.

    30 January 1847 Industrie-Quadrille op.35 by Johann Strauss (21) is performed for the first time, in Baden bei Wien.

    30 January 1855 Glossen op.163, a waltz by Johann Strauss (29), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    30 January 1861 Martin Karl Löffler (Charles Martin Loeffler) is born in Mulhouse, Alsace, or Schöneberg, near Berlin, the second of seven children born to Karl Löffler, a writer and teacher and Julie Charlotte Helena Schwerdtmann, daughter of a carpet retailer.  (Loeffler always claimed to be a native Alsatian, but there is no evidence to support that)

    30 January 1874 Du sprichst, dass ich mich täuschte op.32/6, a song by Johannes Brahms (40) to words of Platen, is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.

    30 January 1879 Fantasie sonata in one movement for violin and piano by Hubert Parry (30) is performed for the first time, in London.

    30 January 1880 After four months at Leipzig Conservatory, Leos Janácek (25) writes to his girlfriend, Zdenka Schulzová, in Brünn (Brno).  He can stand being separated from her no longer and is convinced he must transfer his studies elsewhere to be close to her.  He will end up in Vienna, a few hours from her by train.

    O Heiland, reiss die Himmel auf op.74/2, a motet for unaccompanied chorus by Johannes Brahms (46) to words of von Spee, is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.  This concert begins a month-long tour of German cities ending 3 Feburary in Vienna.

    30 January 1885 Two Songs op.91 for alto, viola and piano by Johannes Brahms (51) to words of Rückert and Geibel, are performed for the first time, in Krefeld.

    30 January 1887 Part eight of Les béatitudes, an oratorio by César Franck (57) to words of the Bible adapted by Colomb, is performed for the first time with orchestra, at the Cirque d’hiver, Paris, conducted by the composer.  See 15 June 1891.

    30 January 1893 Piano works by Johannes Brahms (59) are performed for the first time:  Fantasias op.116/1-3 in Vienna, and the Intermezzi op.117/1-2 in London.

    30 January 1895 Two songs by Amy Beach (27) are performed for the first time, in Boston:  Just for This op.26/2 to words of Fabbri, and Wouldn’t That Be Queer op.26/4 to words of Cooley.

    30 January 1896 In Berlin, the Hugo Wolf (35) Verein, formed by Paul Müller to spread knowledge of Wolf’s music, gives its inaugural concert.

    30 January 1899 Blancaflor, a lyric drama by Enrique Granados (31) to words of Gual, is performed for the first time, in the Teatre Liric, Barcelona.

    30 January 1901 06:30  The body of Giuseppe Verdi is temporarily buried in the Milan municipal cemetery.  According to his wishes, the ceremony is simple.  See 28 February 1901.

    30 January 1909 Funeral Song op.5 for orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (26) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    30 January 1915 The Ugly Duckling op.18 for solo voice and piano by Sergey Prokofiev (23) to words of Anderson, is performed for the first time, in Petrograd.

    30 January 1919 The Violin Concerto of Frederick Delius (57) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

    30 January 1920 Chant funèbre à la mémoire des jeunes femmes défuntes op.37 for chorus, organ, and orchestra by Charles Koechlin (52) is performed for the first time, in Salle Gaveau, Paris.  The organist is Nadia Boulanger (32).

    Symphony no.2 by Frederick S. Converse (49) is performed for the first time, in Boston.  Reviews are fairly positive.

    30 January 1921 Incidental music to Rode’s play The Mother by Carl Nielsen (55) is performed for the first time, in the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen.

    30 January 1923 Lied der Waldtaube for chamber orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg (48) to words of Jacobsen is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

    30 January 1924 Le cahier romand for piano by Arthur Honegger (31) is performed for the first time, at the Salle Erard, Paris.

    30 January 1927 At the first Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Dmitri Shostakovich (20) wins a certificate of merit.

    30 January 1930 Twenty Hungarian Folksongs for voice and piano by Béla Bartók (48) are performed for the first time, in Budapest, the composer at the piano.

    30 January 1931 Piano Piece op.33a by Arnold Schoenberg (56) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.

    30 January 1933 John Alden Carpenter (56) marries his second wife, Ellen Borden, in the Cambridge, Massachusetts home of A. Kingsley Porter, a relative of the bride.  Carpenter, having forgotten to get a marriage license, is required to go to city hall to get one before the wedding can proceed.

    Scherzo for chamber orchestra op.13 by Wallingford Riegger (47) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    30 January 1935 Concertino for flute and chamber orchestra by Otto Luening (34) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia the composer as soloist.

    30 January 1937 The first movement of Three Spirals for violin and piano by Carlos Chávez (37) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    30 January 1938 L’Oiseau, a choreographic poem by Darius Milhaud (45), is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    30 January 1940 Les illuminations op.18, a cycle for voice and strings by Benjamin Britten (26) to words of Rimbaud, is performed completely for the first time, in Aeolian Hall, London.  See 21 April 1939 and 17 August 1939.

    30 January 1942 The Finale from New Dance op.18b for orchestra by Wallingford Riegger (56) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    30 January 1944 During his freshman year at the College of William and Mary, a concert of the works of Ben Johnston (17) is organized by some of the faculty.  Music performed includes the piano works Fugue in d minor, Scherzo in b minor and Rondo in D, also Sonata for clarinet and piano, Theme and Variations and Ballade in E for violin and piano, Concerto in E for two pianos and the songs Homeward and The Voice of Autumn for soprano and piano.

    Take the Sun and Keep the Stars for chorus and band by Roy Harris (45) to his own words is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of NBC radio originating in Denver, the composer conducting.

    30 January 1946 Clarinet Concerto by Darius Milhaud (53) is performed for the first time, at the Washington Marine barracks.

    30 January 1947 A contre-voix op.104, six choruses by Florent Schmitt (76), is performed for the first time, in Paris.

    30 January 1948 Variations, Chaconne and Finale for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (35) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    30 January 1954 Symphonic Fantasy for orchestra by Roy Harris (55) is performed for the first time, in Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh.

    30 January 1958 William Walton’s (55) Partita for Orchestra is performed for the first time, in Severence Hall, Cleveland.  The work, which was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra to celebrate its 40th anniversary, is well received.

    30 January 1959 The Philips Pavilion for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, designed by Le Corbusier, is destroyed by implosion.  The Philips Corporation feels that it can not maintain the structure. Edgard Varèse (75) will call this “an insult to a great artist.” (Le Corbusier)

    Pilgrims for strings by Ned Rorem (35) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    Pittsburgh Symphony by Paul Hindemith (63), commissioned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pittsburgh, is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.

    30 January 1963 13:00  Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc dies of a heart attack alone in his Paris apartment, aged 64 years and 23 days.

    Music for the film Spoon River, Illinois for two narrators and six instruments by Lejaren Hiller (38) is shown for the first time, over the airwaves of television station WCIA, Champaign, Illinois.

    30 January 1964 Night Music I for soprano, piano, and percussion by George Crumb (34) to words of Garcia Lorca, is performed for the first time, at Le Centre de Musique, Paris.

    30 January 1965 Om mane padme hum for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Isang Yun (47) is performed for the first time, in Hannover.

    Ukiyo (Floating World), a ballad for orchestra by Alan Hovhaness (53), is performed for the first time, Salt Lake City.

    30 January 1967 Adieu für Wolfgang Sebastian Mayer no.21 for wind quintet by Karlheinz Stockhausen (38) is performed for the first time, in Calcutta.

    Partita for solo violin by Ralph Shapey (45) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.

    30 January 1970 Four Preludes op.1 for piano by Henryk Górecki (36) is performed for the first time, in Katowice.

    30 January 1973 A Triptych for Hieronymous for actors, Dancers, Projections, Tape, and Orchestra by Lejaren Hiller (48) to words of Smalley is performed for the first time, in Brockport, New York.

    30 January 1975 Five Pieces for Brass Quintet by Werner Egk (73) is performed for the first time, in Porto.

    30 January 1980 Round a Common Center for piano quartet or quintet, voice ad lib and narrator ad lib by Lukas Foss (57) is performed for the first time, in Lake Placid, New York.  The composer, who is the narrator at the premiere, composed the work for the Winter Olympics.  He reads The Runner by WH Auden and is accompanied by a quintet.

    Common Tones in Simple Time for orchestra by John Adams (32) is performed for the first time, in Hellman Hall, San Francisco, conducted by the composer.

    30 January 1984 Zwei Balladen after Guillaume de Machaut (†607) for chorus and instruments by Mauricio Kagel (52) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of SDR, Stuttgart directed by the composer.

    The first public performance of Study for Player Piano no.45 by Conlon Nancarrow (71) takes place in Los Angeles.

    30 January 1987 Tattoo by Iannis Xenakis (64) and Tattoo for orchestra by David Del Tredici (49) are performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

    30 January 1990 Orchestra Piece by Leon Kirchner (71) is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.

    30 January 1992 Two5 for trombone and piano by John Cage (79) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

    30 January 1993 Kokoro for violin by Roger Reynolds (58) is performed for the first time, in Brussels.

    30 January 1995 Three Women for narrator and piano by Ned Rorem (71) to words of Rhys, Hardwick, and Colette is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.  Also premiered is Robin Holloway’s (51) The Blackbird and the Snail op.81 for narrator and piano to words of de la Mare.

    30 January 2001 A Sacred Dream for soprano and chamber ensemble by John Tavener (57) to words from the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.

    30 January 2003 Threnos for one, two, four, or eight bass clarinets and real (live) and virtual computer/ADAT with octophonic computer music by Larry Austin (72) is performed for the first time, at Merkin Concert Hall, New York.

    30 January 2004 Ninety-six for quintet by Frederick Rzewski (65) is performed for the first time, at a concert to honor Elliott Carter (95) at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center, New York.  Also premiered is for ec for string quartet by Christian Wolff (69).

    30 January 2010 Gisei, das Opfer, a music drama by Carl Orff (†27) to Japanese words (tr. Florenz), is performed for the first time, in the Staatstheater, Darmstadt, 97 years after it was composed.

    30 January 2011 Lullaby for violin and piano by John Corigliano (72) is performed for the first time, in the Rubin Museum, New York.

    31 January

    31 January 1754 François-André Danican-Philidor’s (27) ode A Hymn to Harmony, to words of Congreve, is performed for the first time, in the Little Theatre in the Haymarket, London, “in order to justify himself of the calumny spread about the town that he was not the author of the Latin music he gave last year...”  Present at the concert is George Frideric Handel (68) who finds “the choruses well put together, and only said that that the airs lacked taste.”

    31 January 1765 Semiramis, a pantomime by Christoph Willibald Gluck (50) to a scenario by Angiolini after Voltaire, is performed for the first time, at the Burgtheater, Vienna.  This is the third offering by Gluck for the festivities surrounding the wedding of Crown Prince Joseph to Bavarian princess Maria Josepha.

    An aria and a duet by Johann Christian Bach (29) are performed for the first time as part of Samuel Arnold’s comic opera The Maid of the Mill in Covent Garden, London.

    31 January 1782 Sinfonia obbligato in D by Samuel Wesley (15) is performed for the first time, at one of the many Wesley family concerts in their London home.

    31 January 1797 13:30  Franz Peter Schubert is born in the Himmelpfortgrund section of Vienna, the twelfth of 14 children born to Franz Theodor Florian Schubert, a schoolteacher, and Maria Elisabet Katherina Vietz, a domestic servant, the daughter of a locksmith.  Of the 14 children, only five will survive to maturity.  Herr Schubert will produce five more children by a second marriage.

    31 January 1817 A prelude and chorus for Grillparzer’s play Die Ahnfrau by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (38), is performed for the first time, in Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna.

    31 January 1828 Franz Schubert’s song Ellens Gesang III D.839 to words of Scott translated by Storck is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Musikvereinsaal on the composer’s 31st birthday.

    31 January 1835 King Louis-Philippe of France signs the appointment of Vincenzo Bellini (33) as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

    31 January 1853 Motor-Quadrille op.129 by Johann Strauss (27) is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1854 Novellen op.146, a waltz by Johann Strauss (28), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1855 Handels-Elite-Quadrille op.166 by Johann Strauss (29) is performed for the first time, in the Sperl Ballroom, Vienna.

    31 January 1858 Spiralen op.209, a waltz by Johann Strauss (32), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1859 Irrlichter op.218, a waltz by Johann Strauss (33), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1860 Sentenzen op.233, a waltz by Johann Strauss (34), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1864 Studentenlust op.285, a waltz by Johann Strauss (38), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1865 Process-Polka op.294 by Johann Strauss (39) is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.

    31 January 1870 Baba Yaga, a fantasia by Alyeksandr Dargomizhsky (†1), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.

    31 January 1875 Frühlingstrost op.63/1, a song by Johannes Brahms (41) to words of von Schenkendorf, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    31 January 1877 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) writes to his brother Modest that he is deeply in love with one of his students, Iosif Iosifovich Kotek, and that his love has been returned.

    31 January 1878 Piano Trio no.1 by Hubert Parry (29) is performed for the first time, in London.

    31 January 1879 Prelude and Fugue for two pianos by Ferruccio Busoni (12) is performed for the first time, in Mercantil-Saal, Bolzano.  The composer plays one of the parts.

    31 January 1881 Jeanne d’Arc, a scène lyrique for solo voices and female chorus by student Ernest Chausson (25), is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire.

    31 January 1886 Incidental music to Domoyov’s play Voyevoda by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) is performed for the first time at the Malyi Theatre, Moscow.

    31 January 1887 The Slippers, a comic-fantastic opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (46) to words of Polonsky after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow, conducted by the composer.  Despite Tchaikovsky's terror at his first conducting assignment, critics and the public are effusive in their praise.

    31 January 1891 Ivanhoe, a romantic opera by Arthur Sullivan (48) to words of Sturgis after Scott, is performed for the first time, for the opening of the Royal English Opera House.  Present are the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.  The work receives great initial success but the production will eventually lose money and D’Oyly Carte will have to sell the theatre.

    Chant d’amour, number 3 of Rêves for piano by Isaac Albéniz (30), is performed for the first time, in London by the composer.

    31 January 1894 Seven Pieces op.10 for piano by Sergey Rakhmaninov (20) is performed for the first time.

    31 January 1897 Briséïs, ou Les amants de Corinthe, an unfinished drame lyrique by Emanuel Chabrier (†2) to words of Mendès and Mikhaël after Goethe, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Paris.  See 14 January 1899.

    31 January 1898 Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) and his new wife Vera, give a joint all-Skryabin recital in the Salle Erard, Paris.  Included on the program is the premiere of the Polonaise in b flat minor op.21 and the Impromptu op.12/2.

    Piano Quintet op.38 by Arthur Foote (44) is performed for the first time, in Boston, the composer at the keyboard.

    31 January 1904 Fantasia slava for piano and orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (24) is performed for the first time, in Bologna.

    31 January 1906 The Pipe of Desire, an opera by Frederick S. Converse (35) to words of Barton, is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston.  Critics love the music, hate the libretto.

    31 January 1918 Claude Champagne’s (26) orchestral arrangement of the folk song J’ai du bon tabac is performed for the first time, in Montreal.

    31 January 1922 Sports et divertissements for piano by Erik Satie (55) is performed publicly for the first time, in Salle de La Ville l’Evéque, Paris.  See 14 December 1919.

    31 January 1923 A Cello Concerto by Frederick Delius (61) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    Gabriel Fauré (77) receives the Grand Croix de la Légion d’honneur.

    31 January 1924 Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform Le Sacre du Printemps in Carnegie Hall, New York.  In the audience is an interested young man named Elliott Carter (15).  After hearing this, he decides to become a composer.

    31 January 1925 Who is the Most Powerful in the World?, a ballet by Bohuslav Martinu (34), is performed for the first time, in Brno.

    31 January 1928 Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (31) gives a debut recital on his Thereminovox entitled “Music from the Ether” at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.  It is well received.

    31 January 1929 Alban Berg’s (43) Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite, for orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    31 January 1933 Sinfonietta op.1 by Benjamin Britten (19) is performed for the first time, in the Ballet Club (Mercury Theatre), London.

    31 January 1934 The Wandering Scholar, a chamber opera by Gustav Holst (59) to words of C. Bax, is performed for the first time, in Liverpool.

    31 January 1937 Philip Glass is born in Chicago, son of Benjamin C. Glass, owner of a record shop, and Ida Gouline, a teacher and librarian.

    31 January 1938 Quell’innocente figlio D.17 for various voices by Franz Schubert (†109) to words of Metastasio is performed for the first time, in the Gemeindehaus Wieden, Vienna 126 years after it was composed.

    God’s Grandeur, for double chorus by Samuel Barber (27) to words of Hopkins, is performed for the first time, in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

    31 January 1939 Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels attend a production of Werner Egk’s (37) opera Peer Gynt in Berlin.  The two are ecstatic.  Hitler calls Egk to his box at intermission and says “I am pleased to make the acquaintance of a worthy successor to Richard Wagner.”

    31 January 1940 Partita for two pianos by Arthur Honegger (47) is performed for the first time, in Zürich, by Franz-Josef Hirt and the composer.

    31 January 1941 Evocations for piano by Carl Ruggles (64) is performed publicly for the first time, at the Detroit Institute of the Arts.  The concert begins an exhibition of 20 of Ruggles’ paintings.  See 18 November 1940.

    31 January 1943 Divertimento for chamber orchestra by Richard Strauss (78) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    31 January 1949 King Lear op.35, a septet for woodwind quintet, timpani, and piano by Vincent Persichetti (33) is performed for the first time, in Montclair, New Jersey.

    31 January 1952 Sinfonia by Leon Kirchner (33) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    31 January 1953 After Aaron Copland’s (52) Lincoln Portrait is cancelled from inauguration festivities for Dwight Eisenhower because of the composer’s political views, eminent American historian Bruce Catton writes in The Nation :  “So the Copland number was not heard, and if this was in the end something less than a fatal blow to the evil designs of the men in the Kremlin, it at least saved the assembled Republicans from being compelled to listen to Lincoln’s brooding words:  ‘Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.  We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.’”

    A Garden Eastward, a cantata for solo voice and orchestra by Hugo Weisgall (40) to words of Moses ibn Ezra (tr. Feist), is performed for the first time, in Baltimore under the baton of the composer.

    31 January 1956 An electronic music synthesizer developed by HF Olsen and H. Belar at RCA is unveiled at a meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineering in New York.  See 14 October 1958.

    31 January 1959 Fantasia Concertante for piano and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu (68) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

    31 January 1960 Lullaby for solo voices and chorus by Michael Tippett (55) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, in Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

    Three works by Silvestre Revueltas (†19) are performed for the first time, in Guadalajara:  La noche de los Mayas for orchestra, Hora de junio for reciter and small orchestra to words of Pellicer, and Itinerarios for orchestra.

    31 January 1961 Variations on the Name of Gabriel Fauré for harp and strings by Arnold Bax (†7) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Third Programme.

    31 January 1968 Musique pour les soupers du Roi Ubu, a ballet noir by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (49), is performed for the first time, in a concert setting in Berlin.  See 25 April 1968.

    31 January 1969 Music for Prague 1968 for band by Karel Husa (47) is performed for the first time, in Washington.  It will become his most popular work.  See 31 January 1970.

    31 January 1970 The orchestra version of Music for Prague 1968 by Karel Husa (48) is performed for the first time, in Munich, conducted by the composer.  See 31 January 1969.

    To Music, a choral symphony by David Diamond (54) to words of Masefield, is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music conducted by the composer.

    31 January 1971 Juilliard Serenade/Tempo Libero II for chamber orchestra by Bruno Maderna (50) is performed for the first time, in New York.

    31 January 1972 Canzona for twelve instruments by Charles Wuorinen (33) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, the composer conducting.  The work is dedicated to the memory of Igor Stravinsky (†0).

    31 January 1975 Symposium for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (35) is performed for the first time, in New York conducted by Pierre Boulez (49).

    31 January 1979 ...the serpent-snapping eye for trumpet, percussion, piano, and four-track tape by Roger Reynolds (44) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.

    31 January 1980 The multimedia version of Eclipse for quadraphonic tape and video images by Roger Reynolds (45) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.  See 18 February 1982.

    31 January 1982 Sing to the Lord for chorus and organ by Leslie Bassett (59) to words of the Psalms is performed for the first time, in Brevard, North Carolina.

    31 January 1985 Dérive I for flute, clarinet, piano, vibraphone, violin, and cello by Pierre Boulez (59) is performed for the first time, in London.

    31 January 1986 Chain 2 for violin and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (73) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.

    Piano Concerto no.1 by Joan Tower (47) is performed for the first time, in Kingston, New York.

    The Chairman Dances, an orchestral excerpt from John Adams' (38) opera Nixon in China, is performed for the first time, in Milwaukee directed by Lukas Foss (63).

    31 January 1988 In Memory of Cats for piano by John Tavener (44) is performed for the first time, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.

    Natural Fantasy for organ by Charles Wuorinen (49) is performed for the first time, in the Park Avenue Christian Church, New York.

    31 January 1991 Seven Pieces for small orchestra by Antonín Dvorák (†86) are performed for the first time, in London 124 years after they were composed.

    31 January 1994 The Teatro Liceo in Barcelona is destroyed by fire.  No one is injured.

    Notturno (Quartetto III) for string quartet by Luciano Berio (68) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

    31 January 1997 5:4 for percussion and tape by Kevin Volans (47) is performed for the first time, in the Schauspielhaus, Frankfurt.

    Erlkönig, a fantasia for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (70), is performed for the first time, in Paris in a concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Franz Schubert.

    31 January 2002 Lamentations and Praise for chorus and orchestra by John Tavener (58) is performed for the first time, in Stanford Memorial Church, California.

    31 January 2008 Five Temperaments for wind quintet by Robin Holloway (64) is performed for the first time, at The Venue, Leeds.

    ©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger

    1 September 2012

    Last Updated (Saturday, 01 September 2012 07:16)

     

    Copyright  2011 Music and History