Music Events

1756 Jan 27 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is Born
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ amaˈdeus ˈmoːtsart], full baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), was a prolific ...
1762 Oct Wolfgang Mozart Falls Ill With Scarlet Fever
From start to finish, music was a family business but it was grueling work, too, and the risks were great. This was made painfully clear in late October, when Wolfgang became ill with som...
1763
to 1766
Mozart Family Tour
The Mozart family grand tour was a 1763–1766 journey around the capitals and other major cities of western Europe, undertaken by Leopold Mozart, his wife Anna Maria, and their musically g...
1769 Dec
to 1771 Mar
Journey to Milan
On 13 December 1769, Leopold and Wolfgang set out from Salzburg, armed with testimonials and letters that Leopold hoped would smooth their passage. Among the most important was an introdu...
1770 Dec 17 Ludwig van Beethoven Is Born
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic e...
1771 Aug
to 1771 Dec
Second Journey to Milan
In 1771 Leopold and Wolfgang set out once more for Milan, arriving on 21 August. Wolfgang was to compose the serenata for the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand and Princess Beatrice. They sha...
1771 Oct 17 Mozart Performs "Ascanio in Alba" for the First Time at Archduke Ferdinand's Wedding
Ascanio in Alba is performed to celebrate the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este of Modena.
1772 Oct
to 1773 Mar
Third Journey to Milan
The new archbishop, Count Colloredo (from April 1772) had different ideas on music than his predecessor Schrattenbach and, in particular, its position at court. The Mozarts only received ...
1772 Dec 26 "Lucio Silla" Is Performed for the First Time
Lucio Silla, K. 135, is an Italian opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra. It was first performed on 26 December 1772 ...
1777
to 1779
The Paris Journey
(1777 - 1779) W. A. Mozart travelled to Paris alone with his mother since the court had not given his father permission to leave Salzburg. The trip's primary goal was to secure employment...
1778
to 1786
Beethoven's Early Years
Beethoven's first music teacher was his father. A traditional belief concerning Johann is that he was a harsh instructor, and that the child Beethoven, "made to stand at the keyboard, was...
1781
to 1791
Mozart in Vienna
All Mozart biographers struggle with the same problem: The later the year, the more meager the documentation. The composer's early years were chronicled in some detail by his father, L...
1781 Jan Mozart Leaves for Vienna
In January 1781, Mozart's opera Idomeneo premiered with "considerable success" in Munich. The following March the composer was summoned to Vienna, where his employer, Archbishop Colloredo...
1781 Jan 29 Mozart's "Idomeneo" Is First Performed
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante (Italian for Idomeneo, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante; usually referred to simply as Idomeneo, K. 366) is an Italian language opera by Wo...
1782 Jul 16 Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" Premieres
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (K. 384; The Abduction from the Seraglio; also known as Il Seraglio) is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is b...
1784 Dec 14 Mozart Becomes a Freemason
Mozart was admitted as an apprentice to the Viennese Masonic lodge called "Zur Wohltätigkeit" ("Beneficence") on 14 December 1784. He was promoted to journeyman Mason on 7 January 1785, a...
1786 Feb 7 "Der Schauspieldirektor" Is Performed for Joseph II
Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario), K. 486, is a comic Singspiel written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, an Austrian Schauspieldirektor. Moz...
1788 Jun 26 Mozart Completes Symphony No. 39
The 39th Symphony is the first of a set of three (his last symphonies) that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 on 10 Au...
1788 Jul 25 Mozart Completes Symphony No. 40
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550, in 1788. It is sometimes referred to as the "Great G minor symphony," to distinguish it from the "Little G minor sym...
1788 Aug 10 Mozart Completes Symphony No. 41
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, on 10 August 1788. It was his last symphony adn the last of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid successi...
1789 Apr
to 1789 May
Berlin Journey
One of the longest adulthood journeys of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a visit, beginning in Spring 1789, to a series of cities lying northward of his adopted home in Vienna: Prague, Leipzi...
1791 Sep 6 Mozart's "La clemenza di Tito" Premieres
La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621, is an opera seria composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with text after Metastasio. It was started after the bulk of The Magic Flute, t...
1791 Sep 30 Mozart's "The Magic Flute" Premieres
The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K. 620) is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The opera was premiere...
1791 Dec 5 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Dies at the Age of 35
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at 1:00 am on 5 December 1791 at the age of 35, following a short illness. Mozart fell ill while in Prague for the premiere on 6 September of ...
1792
to 1800
Beethoven's Ascent to Greatness
In July 1792 the renowned composer Haydn passed through Bonn on his way to Vienna. He met Beethoven and was impressed, and perhaps disturbed, by his work. Clearly, he felt, this young...
1796
to 1814
Beethoven Loses His Hearing
Around 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears that made it hard for him to perceive and appreciate music; he also avoide...
1796 Beethoven Tours Europe
In 1796, Beethoven embarked on a tour of central European cultural centers that was an echo of a similar tour by Mozart in 1789. Accompanied by Prince Lichnowsky (who also accompanied Moz...
1798
to 1802
Beethoven Matures
Between 1798 and 1802 Beethoven finally tackled what he considered the pinnacles of composition: the string quartet and the symphony. With the composition of his first six string quartets...
1799
to 1800
Beethoven Writes His First Symphony
Symphony no. 1, in C major, op. 21 seems simple at first sight, even too simple if we compare it to his last symphony. Remarkable in this sense are Robert Schumann’s reflections written t...
1801 Beethoven Finishes the Moonlight Sonata
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata (Mondscheinsonate in German), was completed in 18...
1801
to 1802
Beethoven Writes His Second Symphony
Symphony No. 2 in D major, op.36 was elaborated in the summer of 1802 in Heilligenstadt when Beethoven was fighting to get control over his life. In this period he will write his famous l...
1801 Beethoven's Opus 18 Is Published
Ludwig van Beethoven's opus 18, published in 1801 by T. Mollo et Comp in Vienna, consisted of his first six string quartets. They were composed between 1798 and 1800 to fulfill a commissi...
1802 Oct 6 Beethoven Writes the Heiligenstadt Testament
The Heiligenstadt Testament is a letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann at Heiligenstadt (today part of Vienna) on 6 October 1802. It reflects his despair ...
1803
to 1804
Beethoven Writes His Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 in flat E major, op. 55 represents a new stage in Beethoven’s, being one of the most discussed symphonies throughout time. The symphony was composed as a sign of great admi...
1806 Beethoven Composes His Fourth Symphony
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60, was written in 1806. It was premiered in March of 1807 at a private concert of the home of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz...
1808 Beethoven Finishes His Fifth Symphony
The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and ...
1808 Beethoven Finishes His Sixth Symphony
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major (Op. 68), known as the Pastoral Symphony, was completed in 1808. One of Beethoven's few works of program music, the symphony was labeled a...
1811
to 1812
Beethoven Writes His Seventh Symphony
Ludwig van Beethoven began to work on his Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, while he was staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was ...
1811 Nov Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 Is Played for the First Time
The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the "Emperor Concerto", was his last piano concerto. It was written between 1809 and 1811 in V...
1812 Beethoven Composes His Eighth Symphony
Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Beethoven fondly referred to it as "my little Symphony in F", distinguishing it...
1812 Jul Beethoven Writes His Letter To the "Immortal Beloved"
It is likely that Beethoven was at Teplitz when he wrote three love letters to an "Immortal Beloved". While the identity of the intended recipient is an ongoing subject of debate, the mos...
1819
to 1823
Beethoven Writes the Diabelli Variations
The 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120, commonly known as the Diabelli Variations, is a set of variations for the piano written between 1819 and 1823 by Ludwig van Beetho...
1824 Beethoven Finishes His Ninth Symphony
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western class...
1824 May 7 The Grand Academy
Another important event of this period is Beethoven’s grand " Academy " during which Symphony No. 9 and three movements of the Missa solemnis were first performed. The " Academy " took pl...
1827 Mar 26 Beethoven Dies From Illness
The Death of Ludwig van Beethoven on 26 March 1827 followed a prolonged illness. It was witnessed by his sister-in-law and by his close friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who provided a vivid d...
1849 May 25 "Blind Tom" Wiggins is born
Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins was born on May 25, 1849 on the Wiley Edward Jones Plantation in Harris County, Georgia. Blind at birth, he was sold in 1850 along with his slave parents, Chari...
1850 Tom Wiggins (and his parents) sold to General James Neil Bethune
Tom Wiggins was sold in 1850 along with his slave parents, Charity and Mingo Wiggins, to Columbus, Georgia lawyer, General James Neil Bethune. The new owner re-named the child Thomas Gree...
1854 "Blind Tom" Wiggins composes first song, "The Rain Storm"
By age five Tom reportedly had composed his first tune, The Rain Storm, based on his aural impressions of a torrential downpour.
1857 Oct 7 "Blind Tom" Wiggins performs for first time before a large public audience
In October 1857, General Bethune rented a concert hall in Columbus and for the first time "Blind Tom" performed before a large audience that had difficulty comprehending how a blind idiot...
1858
to 1861
General James Bethune hires Perry Oliver to promote and tour "Blind Tom" Wiggins around the country
Slaves with musical talent meant income for their owners and in 1858 James Bethune "hired out" Tom to concert promoter Perry Oliver for a period of several years. It has been estimated th...