Month: November 2023

Classical Music Timeline: 1900s

This is one of a series of postings of important classical music dates, from the 17th century to the present. Included are the date and location of the birth and death of composers, and the premiere date and location of the first public performance of works. When the premiere date and location is unknown, the date or year of completion of the work is given. Though reasonably comprehensive, this is a subjective list, so the choice of composers and works is mine. If you find any errors, or if you can offer a premiere date and location for a work where only the completion date or year is listed, please post a comment here.

1900
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) completed the final version of The Swan of Tuonela, op. 22, no. 3

March 2 – Kurt Weill (1900-1950) was born in Dessau, Germany

April 7 – Piano Concerto in C♯ minor, op. 45, by Amy Beach (1867-1944) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts

July 1 – Symphony No. 1 in E minor, op. 39, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Berlin, Germany

July 2 – Finlandia, op. 26, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Helsinki, Finland

July 8 – George Antheil (1900-1959) was born in Trenton, New Jersey

July 12 – Requiem in D minor, op. 48, by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was first performed in Paris, France

November 3 – The Tale of Tsar Saltan, opera, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was first performed in Moscow, Russia

November 14 – Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was born in Brooklyn, New York

1901
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) completed The Snow is Falling, op. 1, no. 5, for children’s chorus and organ

January 27 – Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) died in Milan, Italy

February 3 – Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, op. 80, by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was first performed in Paris, France

February 7 – Pohádka (Fairy Tale), op. 16, by Josef Suk (1874-1935) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic

March 31 – Rusalka, opera, op. 114, B203 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic

September 14 – Chanson de Nuit, in G major, op. 15, no. 1, and Chanson de Matin, in G major, op. 15, no. 2 by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) were first performed in London, England

October 19 – Pomp and Circumstance, March No. 1 and March No. 2, by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) were first performed in Liverpool, England

October 27 – Three Nocturnes, CD 98, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was first performed in Paris, France

November 9 – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op. 18, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Moscow, Russia

November 22 – Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was born in Sagunto, Valencia, Spain

1902
Josef Suk (1874-1935) completed Elegie (Under the Impression of Zeyer’s Vyšehrad), op. 23

Franz Schreker (1878-1934) completed Schwanensang (Swan Song), for chorus and orchestra, op. 11

March 29 – William Walton (1902-1983) was born in Oldham, England

June 28 – Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) was born in New York, New York

September 10 – The Witch of Atlas, Tone Poem for Orchestra No. 5, by Granville Bantock (1868-1946), was first performed in Worcester, England

1903
February 22 – Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) died in Vienna, Austria

June 6 – Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was born in Kojori, Georgia

October 8 – Helios Overture, op. 17, by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark

October 19 – Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

November 10 – Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 43, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Stockholm, Sweden

1904
January 13 – Richard Addinsell (1904-1977) was born in London, England

March 16 – In the South (Alassio), op. 50, by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was first performed in London, England

March 25 – Armida, opera, op. 115, B206 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic

March 30 – Koanga, opera, by Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was first performed in Wuppertal, Germany

May 1 – Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) died in Prague, Czech Republic

October 18 – Symphony No. 5 in C♯ minor by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Cologne, Germany

December 2 – Songs of Travel by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England

December 30 – Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia

1905
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) completed Suite bergamasque, CD 82

Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) completed Winterreigen, op. 13

January 10 – Symphony No. 3 in C major “Singulière” by Franz Berwald (1796-1868) was first performed in Stockholm, Sweden

August 23 – Constant Lambert (1905-1951) was born in London, England

October 15 – La Mer, CD 111, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was first performed in Paris, France

October 19 – Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Berlin, Germany

November 7 – William Alwyn (1905-1985) was born in Northampton, England

December 9 – Dance of the Seven Veils, from Salome, opera by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in Dresden, Germany

1906
Aita Donostia (1886-1956) completed Rapsodia Baskongada [Basque Rhapsody]

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) completed the orchestration of “Une barque sur l’océan” from Miroirs

March 7 – Konzertstück in D major, for cello and orchestra, op. 12, by Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) was first performed in Budapest, Hungary

May 9 – Iberia, Book 1, by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was first performed in Paris, France

May 27 – Symphony No. 6 in A minor by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Essen, Germany

July 24 – Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) completed Symphony No. 1 in B minor, op. 5

September 25 – Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia

December 6 – Orchestral version of Dolly Suite, op. 56 by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was first performed in Monte Carlo, Monaco [orchestrated by Henri Rabaud (1873-1949)]

1907
February 3 – Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Asrael Symphony”, op. 27, by Josef Suk (1874-1935) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic

February 16 – Alec Wilder (1907-1980) was born in Rochester, New York

February 21 – “The Walk to the Paradise Garden”, from the opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, by Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was first performed in Berlin, Germany

February 22 – Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and Strings by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first performed in Paris, France

September 4 – Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) died in Bergen, Norway

September 11 – Iberia, Book 2, by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was first performed in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France

November 17 – James Moody (1907-1995) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland

1908
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933) completed Marche triomphale, “Nun danket alle Gott” op. 65, no. 59 (for organ)

January 2 – Iberia, Book 3, by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was first performed in Paris, France

January 23 – Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) died in New York, New York

January 26 – Symphony No. 2 in E minor, op. 27, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

February 18 – Brigg Fair, An English Rhapsody, by Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was first performed in London, England

March 15 – Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54, by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first performed in Paris, France

May 15 – Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986) was born in Åkarp, Sweden

June 21 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) died near Luga, Leningrad Oblast, Russia

June 29 – Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts

September 20 – Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) died in Biarritz, France

October 18 – Drapa, op. 27, for Large Orchestra by Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) was first performed in Stockholm, Sweden

October 19 – Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981) was born in Bergen, Norway

November 19 – Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002) was born in Paris, France

December 10 – Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was born in Avignon, France

1909
January 9 – Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55, by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first performed in Paris, France

February 9 – Iberia, Book 4, by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was first performed in Paris, France

February 21 – The Enchanted Lake, op. 62, by Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

February 22 – In the Fen Country, tone poem by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England

May 1 – Isle of the Dead in A minor, op. 29, symphonic poem by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Moscow, Russia

May 1 – George Melachrino (1909-1965) was born in London, England

May 18 – Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) died in Cambo-les-Bains, France

June 23 – Clive Richardson (1909-1998) was born in Paris, France

October 7 – Le Coq d’Or, opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was first performed in Moscow, Russia

November 28 – Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, op. 30, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in New York, New York

December 12 – Kikimora, op. 63, tone poem by Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia

December 15 – Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) died in Barcelona, Spain

December 18 – Octet for Double String Quartet in C major, op. 7, by George Enescu (1881-1955) was first performed in Paris, France

←1890s

1910s→

Superheavy Elements

There are currently 118 known chemical elements. The most recent, 118 Oganesson (chemical symbol Og), was first synthesized in 2002 . Its only known isotope, \mathbf{\frac{294}{118}\textrm{\textbf{Og}}} (118 protons + 176 neutrons = 294 nucleons), has a half-life of just 0.0007 seconds, and to date only five oganesson atoms have been produced.

It is possible, given our current knowledge of nuclear physics, that there is at least one island of nuclear stability where stable or quasi-stable isotopes of superheavy elements exist. One such island might exist around Z = 164, that is an element having 164 protons and something like 246 neutrons.

Are any superheavy elements stable enough to be found in nature? Is there any astrophysical process that could produce them? If superheavy elements exist, we would expect such matter to have a mass density in excess of the densest-known stable element, osmium (element 76), 22.59 g/cm3. Superheavy elements around Z = 164 are expected to have a mass density between 36.0 and 68.4 g/cm3.

Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson explain that superheavy elements might exist in nature, either in the exotic form of extremely dense alpha matter — nuclear matter composed of alpha particles in a Bose-Einstein condensate-like configuration — or as standard matter. Though a long shot, they suggest looking at asteroids (and other objects) possibly having anomalously high densities, which they call Compact Ultradense Objects (CUDOs).

In order to calculate the density of an asteroid, you need to measure its volume and its mass. The volume can be calculated if you know the size and shape of the asteroid, and the mass can best be calculated if the asteroid has a satellite (either natural or artificial), or from a spacecraft flyby. A less certain mass can be calculated by measuring how an asteroid gravitationally perturbs a neighboring asteroid as they both orbit around the Sun. We must keep in mind that any asteroids that presently appear to have an unusually high density may later be found to have a more normal density upon better estimates of the size and shape of the asteroid, and especially its mass.

The most recent available table of asteroid bulk densities can be found on the SiMDA (Size, Mass, and Density of Asteroids) web site. In that table, a bulk density accuracy rank of A (most accurate) to E (least accurate), and X (unrealistic) for each object is given. Among the A-rank densities, we find that 16 Psyche is listed as having the highest bulk density of 3.90 ± 0.29 g/cm3. NASA’s Psyche robotic spacecraft was launched on October 13, 2023 and is expected to begin orbiting 16 Psyche in August 2029.

Among the B-rank densities, two asteroids have nominal bulk densities higher than 16 Psyche’s: 135 Hertha at 4.45 ± 0.63 g/cm3 and 192 Nausikaa at 4.10 ± 0.70 g/cm3.

Among the C-rank densities, 21 asteroids have nominal bulk densities higher than 16 Psyche’s:

Rank "C" Asteroid Densities (> 16 Psyche)

206 Hersilia 6.08 ± 2.55
181 Eucharis 5.46 ± 2.43
410 Chloris 4.96 ± 2.41
679 Pax 4.95 ± 1.45
110 Lydia 4.88 ± 1.75
97 Klotho 4.80 ± 1.01
124 Alkeste 4.74 ± 2.22
275 Sapientia 4.69 ± 1.12
92 Undina 4.64 ± 1.75
34 Circe 4.63 ± 1.21
56 Melete 4.57 ± 1.07
102 Miriam 4.46 ± 1.88
680 Genoveva 4.37 ± 2.06
129 Antigone 4.35 ± 2.14
69 Hesperia 4.33 ± 1.11
709 Fringilla 4.12 ± 1.98
89 Julia 4.01 ± 1.61
675 Ludmilla 3.99 ± 1.94
201 Penelope 3.99 ± 1.97
455 Bruchsalia 3.93 ± 1.29
354 Eleonora 3.93 ± 1.84

Among the D-rank densities, 16 asteroids have nominal bulk densities higher than 16 Psyche’s:

Rank "D" Asteroid Densities (> 16 Psyche)

250 Bettina 7.84 ± 5.42
138 Tolosa 7.69 ± 4.39
360 Carlova 6.62 ± 4.51
388 Charybdis 5.80 ± 3.66
43 Ariadne 5.54 ± 2.84
536 Merapi 5.39 ± 4.77
172 Baucis 5.34 ± 3.31
420 Bertholda 4.94 ± 4.44
103 Hera 4.78 ± 2.87
491 Carina 4.58 ± 3.11
683 Lanzia 4.49 ± 2.69
849 Ara 4.29 ± 2.18
506 Marion 4.16 ± 2.29
363 Padua 4.10 ± 2.25
705 Erminia 4.02 ± 2.39
786 Bredichina 3.91 ± 2.28

Among the E-rank densities, 7 asteroids have nominal bulk densities higher than 16 Psyche’s:

Rank "E" Asteroid Densities (> 16 Psyche)

2004 PB108 6.74 ± 7.23
1013 Tombecka 6.39 ± 53.43
306 Unitas 6.23 ± 6.77
132 Aethra 5.09 ± 7.72
445 Edna 4.60 ± 4.91
147 Protogeneia 4.18 ± 5.03
769 Tatjana 4.09 ± 4.38

Among the X-rank densities, 14 asteroids have nominal bulk densities higher than 16 Psyche’s:

Rank "X" Asteroid Densities (> 16 Psyche)

1686 De Sitter 430.61 ± 213.19
33 Polyhymnia 75.32 ± 9.72
1428 Mombasa 43.03 ± 14.78
152 Atala 42.29 ± 10.80
949 Hel 12.31 ± 5.14
582 Olympia 9.98 ± 27.31
61 Danae 9.74 ± 9.45
665 Sabine 9.05 ± 5.19
217 Eudora 8.94 ± 0.64
204 Kallisto 8.89 ± 26.79
234 Barbara 8.89 ± 29.30
202 Chryseis 8.66 ± 1.63
126 Velleda 8.64 ± 106.21
67 Asia 8.59 ± 1.23

Obviously, most—if not all—of the asteroids listed above will eventually be found to have bulk densities less than that of 16 Psyche as more accurate masses and volumes are determined. Presently, only the following asteroids have minimum bulk densities greater than that of 16 Psyche, assuming the mean error listed is correct:

Asteroid Densities > 16 Psyche (within error)

1686 De Sitter 430.61 ± 213.19
33 Polyhymnia 75.32 ± 9.72
1428 Mombasa 43.03 ± 14.78
152 Atala 42.29 ± 10.80
949 Hel 12.31 ± 5.14
217 Eudora 8.94 ± 0.64
202 Chryseis 8.66 ± 1.63
67 Asia 8.59 ± 1.23

LaForge, Price, and Rafelski choose 33 Polyhymnia as the current best candidate to search for superheavy elements. Even a small amount of superheavy elements (especially in the alpha matter state) could significantly raise the bulk density of the asteroid as a whole. Kretlow lists the mass of 33 Polyhymnia as (6.20 ± 0.74) × 1018 kg and its volume-equivalent diameter as 54.0 ± 0.9 km, giving a bulk density around 75 g/cm3.

This finding is not without controversy, however. See the following discussion:

https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/33_polyhymnia/101917502

References
Kretlow, M. Size, Mass and Density of Asteroids (SiMDA) – A Web Based Archive and Data Service” (2020). https://astro.kretlow.de/?SiMDA

LaForge, E., Price, W. & Rafelski, J. Superheavy elements and ultradense matter. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 138, 812 (2023). https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.11989
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04454-8