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.
1950 Gyula Dávid (1913-1977) completed the Viola Concerto
January 6 – Piano Concerto in C♯ minor, FP 146 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
March 1 – Cello Sonata in C major, op. 119 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
April 3 – Kurt Weill (1900-1950) died in New York, New York
May 22 – Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in London, England
1951 Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) completed The Phantom Regiment
April 14 – English Dances, op. 27 by Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) was first performed in London, England
August 21 – Constant Lambert (1905-1951) died in London, England
October 23 – Symphony No. 3 in B minor by Borys Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968) was first performed in Kyiv, Ukraine
1952 January 26 – Taras Bulba, ballet in four acts, op. 92 by Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
May 3 – Romance in D♭ major for harmonica and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in New York, New York
July 13 – Alla Pavlova (1952-) was born in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
October 11 – Symphony No. 7 in C♯ minor, op. 131 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
December 23 – 24 Preludes and Fugues, for solo piano, op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1953 Heino Eller (1887-1970) completed Five Pieces for String Orchestra
January 14 – Symphony No. 7, “Sinfonia Antartica”, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in Manchester, England
March 5 – Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) died in Moscow, Russia
April 11 – Concerto Grosso No. 2 for string orchestra by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was first performed in London, England
August 22 – Soleriana by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
November 13 – String Quartet No. 5 in B♭ major, op. 92 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
December 17 – Symphony No. 10 in E minor, op. 93 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1954 Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) completed The First Day of Spring
February 12 – The Stone Flower, ballet, op. 118 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
March 5 – Jack Stamp (1954-) was born in College Park, Maryland
April 3 – Elisabetta Brusa (1954-) was born in Milan, Italy
May 19 – Charles Ives (1874-1954) died in New York, New York
November 6 – Festive Overture in A major, op. 96 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 8 – Concertino in A minor for two pianos, op. 94 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 8 – Tarantella for Two Pianos by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
1955 January 15 – From Jewish Folk Poetry, op. 79 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) received its first public performance in Saint Petersburg, Russia
May 4 – George Enescu (1881-1955) died in Paris, France
October 31 – Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain”, op. 132 by Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was first performed in Houston, Texas
1956 April 30 – Sextet in B♭ for piano and winds, op. 6 by Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was first performed in London, England
June 23 – Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) died in Moscow, Russia
August 30 – Aita Donostia (1886-1956) died in Lecároz, Navarre, Spain
September 5 – Piano Concerto No. 4 in B♭ major for the left hand, op. 53 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
October 17 – Symphony No. 4 in C major, op. 54 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
December 1 – Candide, operetta with music by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), was first performed in New York, New York
December 27 – Spartacus, ballet by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1957 Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986) completed Concertino for Clarinet and String Orchestra, op. 45, no. 3
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) completed Commonwealth Christmas Overture, op. 64
January 26 – Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) received its first concert performance in New York, New York
May 10 – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op. 102, (Piano Concerto No. 2) by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
June 18 – Sonata for Flute and Piano, FP 164 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Strasbourg, France
September 20 – Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) died in Järvenpää, Finland
September 26 – West Side Story, musical with music by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), was first performed in New York, New York
October 30 – Symphony No. 11 in G minor, “The Year 1905”, op. 103 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 4 – Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) died in Grigny, France
November 4 – Elena Kats-Chernin (1957-) was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
November 29 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) died in Los Angeles, California
1958 Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966) completed Symphony No. 3 for symphonic band
March 5 – Fantasía para un gentilhombre, concerto for guitar and orchestra, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in San Francisco, California
August 21 – Stevan Hristić (1885-1958) died in Belgrade, Serbia
August 26 – Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) died in London, England
December 4 – Symphonie de danses by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002) was first performed in Paris, France
1959 Trevor Duncan (1924-2005) completed The Girl from Corsica
Veljo Tormis (1930-2017) completed Overture No. 2
February 12 – George Antheil (1900-1959) died in New York, New York
July 15 – Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) died in Portland, Oregon
August 26 – Symphony No. 4 by William Alwyn (1905-1985) was first performed in London, England
August 28 – Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) died in Liestal, Switzerland
November 16 – The Sound of Music, musical with music by Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and lyrics by Oscar Hammarstein II (1895-1960) premiered in New York, New York
November 17 – Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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.
1940 Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) completed The Comedians, op. 26
June 11 – Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz. 113 BB 118 by Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was first performed in Basel, Switzerland
July 1 – The Sea Hawk, with film score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957), was released
November 9 – Concierto de Aranjuez, for guitar and orchestra, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Barcelona, Spain
November 16 – Violin Concerto in D minor by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
December 3 – Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940) died in Moscow, Russia
December 9 – Sextet for Piano and Winds (1939 revision), FP 100 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Paris, France
December 26 – Symphony No. 4, “Folk Song Symphony”, by Roy Harris (1898-1979) was first performed in Cleveland, Ohio
1941 January 3 – Symphonic Dances, op. 45 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 10 – Frank Bridge (1879-1941) died in Eastbourne, England
February 7 – Violin Concerto, op. 14 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 24 – King Lear, with incidental music (op. 58a) by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
April 17 – Adolphus Hailstork (1941-) was born in Rochester, New York
June 21 – Masquerade Suite by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
June 26 – Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell (1904-1977) premiered in the film Dangerous Moonlight
1942 Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) completed Song of the Brave, for tenor and piano, op. 89, no. 2
March 5 – Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”, by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Samara, Russia (Kuybyshev at that time)
April 16 – Second Essay for Orchestra, op. 17 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in New York, New York
June 11 – Geoffrey Toye (1889-1942) died in London, England
June 18 – Paul McCartney (1942-) was born in Liverpool, England
December 4 – A Ceremony of Carols, op. 28 by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was first performed (in its final form) in London, England
December 9 – Gayane, ballet by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Perm, Russia
1943 March 12 – Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was first performed in Cincinnati, Ohio
March 28 – Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) died in Beverly Hills, California
June 24 – Symphony No. 5 in D major by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
November 4 – Symphony No. 8 in C minor, op. 65 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
1944 Percy Grainger (1882-1961) completed the orchestration of La Vallée des cloches (”Valley of the Bells”) from Miroirs by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
January 28 – Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah”, by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was first performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 16 – Concierto de estío, for violin and orchestra, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Lisbon, Portugal
May 7 – Our Town, music from the film score, by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
May 8 – Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) died in Woking, England
June 7 – Gran Marcha de los Subsecretarios (“Grand March of the Subsecretaries”), for piano four hands, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Madrid, Spain
August – Kaljo Raid (1921-2005) completed Symphony No. 1
October 30 – Appalachian Spring, ballet by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was first performed in Washington, D.C.
October 31 – Sebastian, ballet by Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) was first performed in New York, New York
December 1 – Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116, BB 123 by Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
December 27 – Amy Beach (1867-1944) died in New York, New York
December 30 – Piano Sonata No. 8 in B♭ major, op. 84 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
1945 Suite from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was arranged by Artur Rodziński (1892-1958)
January 13 – Symphony No. 5 in B♭ major, op. 100 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
April 9 – Girl No. 217, with film score by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978), was released
August 2 – Emil von Reznicek (1860-1945) died in Berlin, Germany
September 15 – Anton Webern (1883-1945) died in Mittersill, Austria
September 24 – John Rutter (1945-) was born in London, England
September 26 – Béla Bartók (1881-1945) died in New York, New York
October 12 – Symphony No. 3, H. 299 by Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
November 3 – Symphony No. 9 in E♭ major, op. 70 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
November 21 – Cinderella, ballet, op. 87 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 30 – Symphony No. 4, H. 305 by Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 17 – À l’ombre de Torre Bermeja (“In the Shadow of the Crimson Tower”) by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Madrid, Spain
December 17 – A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map, for male chorus, brass, and drums, op. 15 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in New York, New York
1946 Twenty-Four Preludes, op. 38 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
February 8 – Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major, Sz. 119, BB 127 by Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 11 – The Unanswered Question (A Cosmic Landscape), for Trumpet, Flute Quartet, and String Orchestra, by Charles Ives (1874-1954) was first performed in New York, New York
October 16 – Granville Bantock (1868-1946) died in London, England
October 18 – Symphony No. 3 by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
October 23 – Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 80 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 14 – Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) died in Alta Gracia, Argentina
November 27 – Cinco piezas infantiles (“Five children’s pieces”), for orchestra, by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Madrid, Spain
December 6 – Maximilian Steinberg (1883-1946) died in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1947 January 8 – Piano Concerto, op. 44 by Richard Arnell (1917-2009) was first performed in New York, New York
February 15 – Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was first performed in St. Louis, Missouri
February 15 – John Adams (1947-) was born in Worcester, Massachusetts
March 5 – Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) died in Rome, Italy
June 14 – Michael Mauldin (1947-) was born in Port Arthur, Texas
August 20 – Concerto for Bassoon and Strings with Percussion by Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was first performed in London, England
October 23 – Starlight Roof Waltz by George Melachrino (1909-1965) was first performed in London, England
November 12 – Flourish, Mighty Land, cantata for chorus and orchestra, op. 114 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
November 29 – The Legend of Ohrid, ballet by Stevan Hristić (1885-1958) was first performed in Belgrade, Serbia
1948 William Grant Still (1895-1978) completed Miniatures, for flute, oboe, and piano
January 21 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) died in Venice, Italy
February 10 – Symphony No. 6 “after Delacroix” by George Antheil (1900-1959) was first performed in San Francisco, California
April 21 – Symphony No. 6 in E minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
May 4 – Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
June 27 – George Templeton Strong (1856-1948) died in Geneva, Switzerland
October 29 – Violin Concerto in C major, op. 48 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
October 30 – The Red Pony, suite from the film score, by Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was first performed in Houston, Texas
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.
1930 August 7 – Veljo Tormis (1930-2017) was born in Kuusalu, Estonia
October 12 – La cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral), from Préludes pour piano, Book 1, No. 10, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977), was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
November 28 – Symphony No. 2 in D♭ major, op. 30, “Romantic” by Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
December 17 – Peter Warlock (1894-1930) died in London, England
1931 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite III, P172
Percy Grainger (1882-1961) completed the orchestral version of Blithe Bells (Ramble on Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze”)
September 8 – A Choral Fantasia, op. 51 by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in Gloucester, England
October 3 – Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) died in Copenhagen, Denmark
November 22 – Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) was first performed in Chicago, Illinois
December 2 – Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931) died in Paris, France
1932 February 8 – John Williams (1932-) was born in New York, New York
March 17 – La donna serpente, opera by Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) was first performed in Rome, Italy
April 2 – Symphony No. 9 by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) was first performed in Munich, Germany
April 22 – Isao Tomita (1932-2016) was born in Tokyo, Japan
May – Piano Quartet in A minor, op. 67 by Joaquín Turina (1882-1949) was first performed (location unknown)
September 5 – Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor, FP 61 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Venice, Italy
1933 Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) completed Cavatina
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) completed Pastorale for Violin and Piano
Aita Donostia (1886-1956) completed Urruti-jaia [Festive Song], for chamber orchestra
January 23 – Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101 by Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was first performed in Frankfurt, Germany
April 9 – Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933) died in Leipzig, Germany
May 13 – Chorale on a Theme of Hans Leo Hassler, for string orchestra, by George Templeton Strong (1856-1948) was first performed in Geneva, Switzerland
August 30 – Overture to The School for Scandal, op. 5 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
October 10 – Gloria Coates (1933-2023) was born in Wausau, Wisconsin
October 15 – Concerto for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra (Piano Concerto No. 1), op. 35 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
1934 January 22 – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, op. 29, opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
February 23 – Edward Elgar (1857-1934) died in Worcester, Worcestershire, England
March – Brook Green Suite, for string orchestra, H. 190 by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
March 21 – Franz Schreker (1878-1934) died in Berlin, Germany
March 24 – Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
April 3 – The Haunted Ballroom, ballet by Geoffrey Toye (1889-1942) was first performed in London, England
May 25 – Gustav Holst (1874-1934) died in London, England
June 10 – Frederick Delius (1862-1934) died in Grez-sur-Loing, France
September 27 – Fantasia on “Greensleeves” by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and arranged for string orchestra and harp by Ralph Greaves (1889-1966) was first performed in London, England
November 7 – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, in A minor, op. 43 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Baltimore, Maryland
December 21 – Lieutenant Kijé, suite, op. 60 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Paris, France
December 25 – Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 40 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
December 31 – Egyptian Nights, symphonic suite, op. 61 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in a radio broadcast from Moscow, Russia
1935 William Grant Still (1895-1978) completed Summerland
January 28 – Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935) died in Moscow, Russia
March 10 – Auvo Sarmanto (1935-) was born in Helsinki, Finland
March 24 – Music for a Scene from Shelley, tone poem, op. 7 by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in New York, New York
April 10 – Symphony No. 4 in F minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
May 17 – Paul Dukas (1865-1935) died in Paris, France
May 29 – Josef Suk (1874-1935) died in Benešov, Czech Republic
July 17 – Peter Schickele (1935-2024) was born in Ames, Iowa
November 6 – Symphony No. 1 in B♭ minor by William Walton (1902-1983) was first performed in London, England
December 1 – Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 63 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Madrid, Spain
December 4 – Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935) died in Oslo, Norway
1936 January 29 – Summer’s Last Will and Testament, cantata by Constant Lambert (1905-1951) was first performed in London, England
March 21 – Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
April 11 – Music for Children, for piano, op. 65 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
April 18 – Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) died in Rome, Italy
May 2 – Peter and the Wolf, a symphonic fairy tale for children, op. 67 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
May 10 – The Plow That Broke the Plains, with documentary film score by Virgil Thomson (1896-1989), received its public premiere in Washington, D.C.
July 22 – Krasimir Kyurkchiyski (1936-2011) was born in Troyan, Bulgaria
October 2 – Dona Nobis Pacem, cantata for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
October 28 – Carl Davis (1936-2023) was born in Brooklyn, New York
November 11 – Edward German (1862-1936) died in London, England
1937 Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) completed Four Marches for Military Band, op. 69
January 19 – Hollywood Suite by Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) was first performed in New York, New York
January 31 – Philip Glass (1937-) was born in Baltimore, Maryland
March 12 – Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) died in Paris, France
March 29 – Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) died in Lausanne, Switzerland
May 7 – “Walking the Dog (Promenade)” by George Gershwin (1898-1937) premiered in the film Shall We Dance. This may be the last instrumental composition by Gershwin.
May 8 – The Prince and the Pauper, with film score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957), was released
July 11 – George Gershwin (1898-1937) died in Los Angeles, California
July 12 – Piano Concerto in D♭ major, op. 38 by Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
September 30 – Valentin Silvestrov (1937-) was born in Kyiv, Ukraine
November 21 – Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
December 28 – Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) died in Paris, France
1938 Howard Hanson (1896-1981) completed Suite from Merry Mount
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) completed Cinco piezas del siglo XVI (Five Pieces of the Sixteenth Century), for piano
January 5 – Songs of Our Days, cantata for mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, and orchestra, op. 76 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
February 16 – John Corigliano (1938-) was born in New York, New York
February 22 – Colas Breugnon, opera, op. 24 by Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
May 26 – William Bolcom (1938-) was born in Seattle, Washington
October 5 – Serenade to Music in D major by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
October 19 – “September Song”, from Knickerbocker Holiday by Kurt Weill (1900-1950) was first performed in New York, New York
November 5 – Adagio for Strings in B♭ minor by Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was first performed in New York, New York
December 30 – Romeo and Juliet, ballet, op. 64 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Brno, Czech Republic
1939 Percy Grainger (1882-1961) completed “The Duke of Marlborough” Fanfare (BFMS No. 36)
March 9 – Cuatro piezas para piano by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) was first performed in Paris, France
May 17 – Alexander Nevsky, cantata, op. 78 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
May 30 – Symphony in D major by Antonio Sarrier (1725-1762) was first performed in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
June 2 – Enrique Fernández Arbós (1863-1939) died in San Sebastián, Spain
June 22 – Heikki Sarmanto (1939-) was born in Helsinki, Finland
November 5 – Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 54 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
December 21 – Zdravitsa, cantata for chorus and orchestra, op. 85 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
I recently completed teaching a six-week course on the Ukraine-born Russian/Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), a course I am eager to reprise in the not-too-distant future. His story is by turns both fascinating and tragic, and he wrote a lot of great music—much of it seldom performed. I am amazed that no one has yet produced an English-language documentary on Prokofiev, nor even a biopic.
Since my primary interests are classical music and astronomy, I am naturally curious about significant classical composers who were also interested in astronomy. Prokofiev was one of those composers.
Prokofiev kept fascinating and extensive diaries between 1907 and 1933, a practice which sadly ceased as soon as he began seriously contemplating a return to the Soviet Union and the increasingly repressive regime of Joseph Stalin.
Here are Prokofiev’s astronomy-related entries from those diaries.
26 September 1913 Visited the Andreyevs and showed them my old song “There are other planets”. I love this song, and the other day, inspired by the example of Maddalena, made some revisions to the vocal line. It is now a good song, and Anna Grigorievna liked it very much. She wants to include it in her recital programme in December.
The song Prokofiev is referring to here is Two Poems for voice and piano, op. 9, no. 1. The text is a poem by Russian poet Konstantin Balmont (1867-1942). Here is that poem in an English translation:
There are other planets. The skies are clear and completely calm there, the mimosa blossoms are softer, and sweet grasses grow higher. The clarity that plays there, it is less changeable than here, we cherish it always and can always smile.
There are other planets for another existence. We will return there, but later, but much later, when a day we have lost cannot be returned to us unchanged, when we don’t like anything in this world where the herbs grow grey and without fragrance, funereal herbs.
The sweet grass trembles sadly under the stars, seeking peace in the mournful places, and pushes on our tombs, so calmly, so calmly, so sad and calm, under the serenity of the moon.
16 March 1914 In the evening Mama and I went to hear Zherebtsova-Andreyeva, who had included my song “There are Other Planets” in her programme. I was extremely interested to hear my song, never having heard it performed before. Rather good, although naturally not for the wider public (although actually it was very well received). Anna Grigorievna sang wonderfully, except for her habit of clearing her throat when she finishes singing, but Dulov accompanied drily and he played some wrong notes in the bass.
In this first performance, Anna Grigorievna Zherebtsova-Andreyeva was the singer, and Dulov (first name unknown) was the pianist.
Here is a performance of this work by Andrey Slavny (baritone) and Yuri Serov (piano), recorded at St. Catherine Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg in 1995.
October 1916 I have become deeply interested in the stars. I have always felt drawn to astronomy, and now that I have got hold of Ignatiev’s little book I have begun to study the stars in the night sky, committing their names to memory and tracing out the constellations on paper. But alas, every night last week was cloudy.
The astronomy book Prokofiev was referring to is The World of the Heavens [Nebesny Mir], An Illustrated Astronomy for the General Reader by E. I. Ignatiev, published in St. Petersburg in 1916. Hardly a “little book” at over 400 pages!
7 November 1916 Coming away from Balmont’s, I feasted my eyes on the stars. The layer of cloud had finally dispersed, and what joy it was to see the beauty of Orion, red Aldebaran and Betelgeuse, and the wonderful green and white diamond of Sirius. I gazed at them with newly opened eyes recognizing them from the astronomical maps I had been studying—and felt as though invisible threads were connecting me to the heavens! It was four o’clock in the morning, I should have been asleep, but white Sirius stood directly in front of my window and I could not take my eyes away from him! I took a copy of Sarcasms round to Balmont, with the inscription: “To our Sun, a few fragments of darkness”.
When Prokofiev writes “the green and white diamond of Sirius” he must be referring to the impressive scintillation of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, since at the latitude (50° N) of Kharkiv, Ukraine, where he was at the time, Sirius never reaches an altitude higher than 23° above the horizon.
February 1917 I…read a book about astronomy (I am deeply interested in this subject)…
May 1917 As spring continued my astronomical interest deepened. Naturally, in the perpetually cloudy skies over Petrograd it was a rare gift to be able to see the stars, even so by the time I moved out to my dacha I knew the main stars well enough to distinguish them not merely by their relationship to other heavenly bodies but in their own right, so to say, each one face to face. I decided to buy a telescope and set it up on the balcony of the dacha so that I could look at the stars by night. Wartime conditions in Petrograd meant that the choice was down to two, one of which was a splendid three-inch Fraunhofer (i.e. one of the best makes) refractor, which I bought for 200 roubles. It is quite portable, about two arshins in length mounted on a high tripod base and a lens giving a magnification to the power of seventy. I was incredibly pleased with my purchase and awaited with the greatest impatience a chance to point it at the heavens.
What’s an arshin, you might be wondering? An arshin is an antiquated Russian unit of length equal to 71.12 cm, so “two arshins” would be a little less than 5 ft. in length.
An editorial footnote indicates that “Presumably, Prokofiev’s Fraunhofer was looted or destroyed in the Petrograd flat after his departure in 1918. It would be worth a fortune today.”
Prokofiev continues,
On the 6th I gathered up my telescope, my suitcase and all my things and departed for my country estate. The weather was marvellous, everything was green, but no sooner had I arrived, installed myself, pleasurably inspected my six rooms, corridor, balcony and attic than the thermometer started falling rapidly and it came on to snow, at first mixed with rain and then in earnest, so that the following morning everything around me was as white as if it were January, and not a green leaf anywhere was to be seen poking through the blanket of snow.
My desire to pursue my astronomical activities was so great that when, that first evening, the great clouds scudding across the sky parted just enough to reveal a patch through which stars sparkled, I rushed to mark the place and set up the telescope, huddled in overcoat and scarf and freezing with cold, so that should that part of the sky clear again I would be able to capture the star in my 3-inch refractor. After several unsuccessful attempts I dismantled the telescope and went to bed. My “first telescope night” had not been very successful! After two more days the weather reverted to spring and on the 9th I went to Petrograd to attend the Graduation Concert at the Conservatoire.
I enjoyed myself very much at the concert and even felt a reluctance to return to my “estate” in the evening! I went to Andreyev’s to play bridge, but this was basically an error of judgement because the sky cleared and became very “telescopic”. The planets Mars, Venus and Jupiter were all in conjunction with the Taurus constellation, and I should not have put off viewing them because later on in May Taurus would be in the sky during the day and would not be visible at night.
Prokofiev again continues,
The White Nights are hopeless for the telescope: only the brightest stars (Vega and Arcturus) are visible. I trained the telescope on them but did not derive any great satisfaction; they are simple, uninteresting, stars. But I did observe the moon in her first quarter, studying her empty seas and the craters with which her surface is pitted as though with smallpox.
An editorial footnote indicates that “The White Nights in St. Petersburg are normally regarded as lasting from 11 June to 2 July. During this period the sun does not descend far enough below the horizon for the sky to become dark.”
Now on holiday on the Kama river, a tributary of the Volga, Prokofiev writes,
One evening I had my first sight of the most beautiful and most ancient star Antares. This star is in the southern hemisphere and from our northern lands can be seen only in early summer, appearing so low above the horizon that it is invisible through the roofs and buildings of Petrograd. For several evenings I watched for it on the Kama, and at last it appeared through the clouds precisely in the spot where I was looking for it. This was a great joy to me.
July 1917 I dislike the idea of a whole summer without spending any time in the real south, and gladly fell in with the plan of going for three weeks to Yessentuki. Moreover the black southern sky with its brilliant stars, so unlike those in the pale north, was a seductive prospect for my astronomical passion!
And so the long-desired day finally came, and on the 22nd I was sitting in a comfortable first-class compartment with my suitcase and my telescope speeding to the south.
In Yessentuki I installed myself in a marvellous four-roomed dacha that Boris Verin had rented. In the south again, and full of joy to be there. Sunshine, and at night the southern stars. I can only imagine how bright they must be at the Equator!
August 1917 I took my seat in the local train and went back. Looking through the window at the stars, I saw for the first time my beloved Fomalhaut, a southern-hemisphere star visible to us in the north only in early autumn, and very seldom indeed from the latitude of Petrograd. I have long admired it on the map, where it appears quite on its own, far away from other stars.
When I came back from Kislovodsk to Yessentuki, B. Verin and I trained my telescope, the one I had brought from Petrograd, on Jupiter and found all six of its satellites. As I had just come from my concert I was still in my tails, and so this is how we observed Jupiter—ceremonial dress to honour the splendour of the planet. Also, this evening I learned the disposition of the Hercules constellation, to which our own sun belongs. It is not a simple constellation to master, as its form is complex, the stars are not easily visible, and it is very spread out across the heavens. But Balmont knows it.
Prokofiev would only have been able to see four satellites of Jupiter with his telescope: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The other two “satellites” must have been background stars. If I have figured correctly, Prokofiev would have been observing Jupiter early morning on Friday, August 24, 1917 (New Style date) which would have been Friday, August 11 (Old Style date) in Russia at that time. The two stars he thought were satellites of Jupiter were probably 8th-magnitude stars HD 28990 and HD 28966.
Prokofiev’s reference to the Sun “belonging” to Hercules indicates he knew about the solar apex, the direction the Sun travels relative to the local standard of rest. William Herschel was the first to demonstrate that the solar apex is in the constellation Hercules.
Balmont refers to the aforementioned poet, Konstantin Balmont.
November 1917 Elections to the Constituent Assembly. (Venus-Jupiter-Sirius-The Moon).
Prokofiev is referring to the 1917 Russian Constituent Assembly election during the Russian Revolution, and that he observed Venus, Jupiter, Sirius, and the Moon at Kislovodsk.
18 June [1 July] 1918 At night there is wonderful view of Scorpio and its red Antares. In this region the whole constellation glitters in impressive visibility and does genuinely look like a terrifying mystical beast.
On his way to his first visit to the United States, Prokofiev is spending some time in Japan. At this time he is in Yokohama. At latitude 35° N, he is indeed getting a good view of Scorpius. The date in brackets is the New Style (Gregorian calendar) date, whereas the non-bracket date is the Old Style (Julian calendar) date.
20 July [2 August] 1918 I was allocated a state room on my own, even though I only had a second-class ticket. Lying on my chaise-longue I hardly noticed us slipping imperceptibly away from the shore. The steamship Grotius is a fairly large Dutch boat, 8,000 tons, en route from Java to San Francisco. All evening we stayed in sight of the shore.
That night I slept well, and coming on deck at four o’clock just before dawn, saw the most wonderful sight: in the lightening sky, from which the stars were already disappearing, hung the waning moon and alongside her Jupiter and bright, bright Venus.
Prokofiev is now sailing from Yokohama to San Francisco, by way of Honolulu.
22 July [4 August] 1918 Slept well, rocked by the rolling of the ship. At four o’clock went on deck to see if I could see Venus, but the night was too cloudy.
23 July [5 August] 1918 The night being terribly stuffy, at four o’clock I went on deck. Venus had hidden herself behind clouds, but the dawn was magnificent. I then slept outside in my chaise-longue.
27 July [9 August] 1918 The ocean is calm. The voyage is becoming monotonous. I read Taine, and lack all inclination to compose anything. I cannot concentrate, because round every corner I hear the sound of a Dutchman whistling. I look at the stars and find them absorbing. Mars is in conjunction with Antares: the reddest planet with the reddest star. Which is the brighter and more beautiful I cannot decide, but the light from Antares is alive, while that from Mars is merely a reflection.
27 July [9 August] 1918 bis A remarkable event today: the second Friday in a single week. As we move eastwards, the time moves forward by half an hour in each day, so there are actually only twenty-three-and-a-half hours in every twenty-four. In this way a complete extra day eventually accumulates, which is accounted for when one crosses the 180-degree meridian.
28 July [10 August] 1918 Red Mars changes its position every day, and I observe its progress. Scorpio is already high in the sky, promising many new southern stars, but the lower part of the sky is always obscured by storm clouds.
Prokofiev is now in New York City.
2 [15] September 1918 In the evening I went with Bolm to some sort of American artistic society, where “clever” ladies harangued me with complicated homilies about the stars under whose protection I currently was. But I went on to the attack and proved to them that they lacked even the most elementary knowledge of astronomy. The organization had tenuous links with Postnikov and his enterprise, and along the way I had come into possession of certain plausible information suggesting that Postnikov was a cheat and a swindler. The ladies were much astonished.
28 May 1920 I boarded a bus and went out to relax in Greenwich Park to “visit the meridian”. Having travelled right around the globe I thought it only right to pay my respects to the meridian from which the earth’s surface takes its measurements. At the top of the hill the Observatory towers up, a forbidding-looking, grey building, but all around the park is green and welcoming.
Prokofiev is, of course, referring to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England.
1-31 May 1921 Our joy at meeting again was unconfined on both sides, questions seemed inappropriate. After an hour the three of us (with Linette) went to have dinner and drank a bottle of champagne to celebrate our reunion. B. N. declared that it was the fulfilment of an impossible dream that had sustained him through three dreadful years in Petrograd. Looking at the stars, he had associated me for some reason with Deneb, as if I, like Deneb, existed in some other, inaccessible, world.
This takes place in Paris, and B. N. is Boris Nikolayevich Bashkirov, a wealthy amateur poet and friend of Prokofiev whose pseudonym was Boris Verin. “Linette” is Lina Codina, who would become Prokofiev’s wife in two years’ time.
22 August 1924 Read some Christian Science. When Christians first began to preach the immortality of the soul, the Romans objected that since man comes into being through birth he is inevitably bound to die, for something that is finite at one end cannot be infinite at the other. In answer to this Christian Science states that it is not the case that man (in the shape of his soul) comes into being through birth, and will not die. But if I was never born, that is to say I always existed but with no memory of my previous existence, how can I be sure that this present existence is mine and not that of some other being? After all, if my birth into this world entails the removal of all my memory of the past, for me the past does not exist. In that case the future cannot exist for me either, for by cutting off my memory death also cuts me off, in the same way as birth brought me in. Christian Science’s explanation is therefore not clear to me. Generally speaking there are fewer difficulties believing in the mortality of man than in his immortality. On the other hand, it is also easier to conceive of oneself as a being created by God than as a wholly godless creature of nature. It follows from this that for man the most natural understanding of the world is that expressed by Wells, whose theory I found so attractive a year ago: God exists but man is mortal. Wells believes that man is no more than a stage in the divine creation, one link in the biological chain extending from the primeval slime that first appeared on the surface of the not yet cooled waters of the infant planet, to the superhuman being into which we will one day develop and which, perhaps, will then be deserving of immortality. In the meantime the role of mankind is to play his part in this onward movement during his lifespan and then to die, that is to say to vanish and become a quantité négligeable, in the same way as half-completed sketches and drafts are discarded along the way. Even though Christian Science regards this theory as erroneous, it cannot entirely condemn it because at its heart lies humility, while its elements conform to almost all the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. Christian Science’s teaching is more optimistic but it is essential, before accepting it, to understand and clarify with much greater precision what this teaching consists of.
An editorial footnote states, “When staying in Les Rochelets in the summer of 1921 Prokofiev every evening read aloud a chapter of H. G. Wells’s The Outline of History to his mother and Boris Bashkirov.”
14 March 1925 I did not read much Christian Science, but I did read some, and thought deeply about certain aspects of it, trying to penetrate to its essence. If God created man, then there must necessarily have been a time when man did not exist. But Christian Science disputes this conclusion, asserting that mankind has always existed. And it is true that, if mankind had a beginning then it must also have an end, which is to say that man cannot be immortal, since nothing that is eternal can be finite at one end. Thus the assertion by Christian Science that man is eternal in the future as he is in the past conflicts with the first proposition, that there was an instant in time when God created man, before which there was no man. Similarly, this proposition is contradicted by the following conclusion: if it is so that there was a moment when God, who is eternal, created man, then eternity must have existed before this moment and after it, which suggests that there must be two eternities, each limited at one end. This is demonstrably absurd, since eternity — illimitableness — that is finite at one end is a contradiction in terms. To reconcile these contradictions it is necessary to conclude that our understanding of eternity as one hour succeeding another and so on without end is incorrect, and that beyond the confines of our own world the laws of time (and therefore doubtless of space as well) are quite other. In all probability our death is the route our consciousness takes to exit from the limits of time and space. But if this is so, that is to say our conception of time is no more than a local conception, then by the same token we are incapable of approaching the question of the creation of mankind. We cannot even pose the question: was there a time (in eternity, which does not contain time) when man did not exist? For this reason, it is impossible to answer yes or no to my first question. In the same way the question asked by some people who, when they contemplate the idea of immortality, become so frightened that they cannot decide which is more terrifying, mortality or immortality, should be hors de combat. Such questioners must likewise have it explained to them that in eternity the concept of time cannot exist.
Interesting that this insightful essay was penned on “Pi Day”, since the transcendental π = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795… has infinitely many digits that neither terminate nor enter a permanently repeating pattern.
My take after reading this is that there may be two realities. One reality (our reality) consist of entities that exist within time and space. But there is another reality, where there are entities that exist outside of time and space (of which eternity and infinity are proxies).
As for immortality, since I have no consciousness of anything before I was born, why should I expect that I would have any consciousness of anything after I die? To me, that is the most tragic fact of human existence. Within a few minutes (or hours, if extraordinary measures are taken) after death occurs, all of our knowledge and experience—our memories—are irretrievably lost, and all that remains of us is what we have left behind (writing, music, art, etc.), and the memories of those who are still living who knew us. After all the people who knew us personally have died, then all that remains of our existence are artifacts. And, eventually, all of those will be gone, too. This truly emphasizes the importance of this life, of this world, of this time. How we live our lives and treat others today, tomorrow, and the next day are of paramount importance. It is all we have, or will ever have.
2 May 1925 Through the Borovskys I was invited to visit the Paris Observatory. I was irritated that the Borovskys had assembled a heterogeneous mob of people to come along, who made things worse by being late. We were welcomed by two astronomers, each of whom was in charge of a tower with a telescope. One of them, Fatou, proved to be a great admirer of my music and was exceptionally pleased that I was there, which astonished and flattered me in equal measure. The other astronomer, no doubt because of his colleague, was equally amiable. His name was Jacobi, and he looks as if he drinks, but he is the discoverer of seven comets and has thus immortalised his name: in five hundred, or perhaps a thousand, years people will observe the return of Jacobi’s Comet. The moon displayed marvellous dark blue reflections, and Saturn its rings. They showed us a double star (Gamma Leo), whose separation could be seen quite clearly, but whose colours (each one is a different colour) I could not make out. Apparently astronomers sometimes cannot themselves distinguish the different colours. Afterwards we went to Mrs. Barbara’s to drink wine, where the astronomers asked me to play, which I was most willing to do; they were delighted.
Fatou refers to Pierre Joseph Louis Fatou (1878-1929), mathematician and astronomer. I am virtually certain that “Jacobi” is actually the French astronomer Michel Giacobini (1873–1938).
Here are my observing notes about Gamma Leonis:
Algieba. Very bright, close double. Primary is orangish-yellow (2.6 K1-IIIbCN-0.5) and secondary is yellow (3.8 G7IIICN-1). Relative color seems to change as you watch.
2 July 1925 I have been reflecting on time, in connection with a thought that struck me earlier: that in that other life, in eternity, there is no conception of time, and consequently time is connected uniquely with our life on earth. This was followed by another thought: that time, as we know it, has only one dimension, and indeed a sub-dimension, in that within this one dimension we can move in only one of its two directions, not both. Even though at first glance it may appear that with the aid of memory we are able to move backwards, this is not in fact so: memory can help us to catch hold of a few fragments of time which lie behind us, but any movement we may make within this fragment can only be forwards. For example, if we recall yesterday’s automobile excursion, we cannot induce our memory to act in such a way that the car retraces its journey back to the place it started from. Is it impossible to conceive of a condition in that “other” world in which time possesses more than one dimension — three, like space, or even where both time and space have four?!
In an attempt to use imagination to go beyond mere scholastic speculation, I started to think what two additional dimensions, width and thickness, could consist of. It is known that the flow of time sometimes leaves no trace: looking back into the past it is hard to say what period has elapsed, a week or a month. And sometimes the opposite is true: a particular hour may contain so many impressions that it would take a whole year to recall them. Is it not legitimate to regard this as a symbol of the greater or lesser thickness of time? And if such a symbolic representation is allowed, then it becomes possible to conceive of moving through time in that dimension. A third dimension of time — width — may be defined as omnipresence, ubiquity. In speaking of omnipresence I am not here confusing time with space, for ubiquity must be understood not only as the ability to be simultaneously in different places in space, but as the ability simultaneously to assimilate multiple different thoughts (God assimilates contemporaneously the prayers of millions of people?). I do not insist that the additional dimensions of time must be those I have suggested, they may be quite other, I submit them merely as examples of the way in which it is possible to imagine time possessing other dimensions.
None of this, needless to say, provides an answer to the question of eternity from the perspective of the infinity of time, just as extending the number of dimensions in space fails to resolve the conundrum of its illimitability. But admitting at least the possible of three-dimensional time, offering the consequent possibility of moving through it in different dimensions, brings with it the obligation to pose many questions in a form not possible heretofore.
18 December 1926 To Gorchakov I expressed the thought that memory of the past is an indispensable constituent element of immortality, because in this life we are cut off from the past when we have lost memory of it. Gorchakov replied that this is an un-Scientific thought because there can be no concept of time in immortality. I objected that it is an error to confuse “time” with “the chronological sequence of events”. If there is no time in eternity, this does not mean that there is no chronology of events; if this were so then chaos would ensue. The characteristic feature of time as we are bound by it in our present existence is its ability to move only in one direction. But it is possible that in eternity the disappearance of our present concept of time may manifest itself precisely in our new-found ability to move in time on both directions, and moreover at any speed we choose. This hypothesis would confirm my proposition that memory is an inseparable part of immortality (equals our own eternal existence) precisely because memory would have the ability to move in either direction and at any velocity.
I think it only fitting to end these excerpts from Prokofiev’s diaries with some of his music. In preparing my Prokofiev course, I came across some noteworthy compositions that were not known to me previously. Most unfortunately, some of these works are almost unknown and seldom played because they were written (under duress, without a doubt) as propaganda pieces. Here is, I believe, his most inspired composition written under such circumstances. It is a cantata for chorus and orchestra that Prokofiev wrote in 1939, called Zdravitsa (literally “A Toast!”), op. 85. It was written to commemorate the 60th birthday of Joseph Stalin. The words are hagiolatry in praise of Stalin (Prokofiev did not write them), but the music is truly divine. Here are three excerpts from a recording by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra and the Russian State Symphonic Cappella, conducted by Valeri Polyansky.
The first excerpt is of the orchestra alone:
Now, choir and orchestra:
And, finally, the glorious finale:
I look forward to the time when Russia will be free from tyranny, and when this gorgeous piece by Sergei Prokofiev gets a new libretto. No longer a toast to the despot Stalin, but a toast to peace-loving people throughout the world!
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.
1920 February – Le Tombeau de Couperin (orchestral version) by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first performed in Paris, France
March 25 – The Hymn of Jesus, op. 37 by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
April 8 – Charles Griffes (1884-1920) died in New York, New York
May 23 – Short Festival Te Deum, H. 145 by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
June 20 – Three Tone-Pictures, op. 5 by Charles Griffes (1884-1920) was first performed in Greenwich, Connecticut
October 2 – Max Bruch (1838-1920) died in Berlin, Germany
1921 January 23 – The Three Miracles of Saint Cecilia, incidental music to the play by Henri Ghéon, by Aita Donostia (1886-1956) was first performed in Paris, France
January 30 – The Fog is Lifting, for flute and harp, op. 41, no. 2, by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark
February 20 – Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) was born in Bexhill-on-Sea, England
March 4 – Kaljo Raid (1921-2005) was born in Tallinn, Estonia
September 27 – Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) died in Neustrelitz, Germany
October 9 – Taras Bulba by Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) was first performed in Brno, Czech Republic
October 21 – Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
December 16 – Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) died in Algiers, Algeria
December 16 – Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, op. 26 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Chicago, Illinois
1922 January 16 – Symphony No. 3, “Pastoral”, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
January 30 – Percy Grainger (1882-1961) completed Spoon River (AFMS No. 2) [elastic scoring]
February 25 – Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was first performed in Paris, France
March 10 – Hans Sitt (1860-1922) died in Leipzig, Germany
May 20 – Daisies, in F major, op. 38, no. 3 (piano-only version) by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in London, England
October 19 – Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), was first performed in Paris, France
1923 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed the Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite II
Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) completed Baïlèro, Chants d’Auvergne, Series 1, No. 2
May 14 – The Perfect Fool by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
May 28 – György Ligeti (1923-2006) was born in Târnăveni, Romania
September 30 – Hassan, incidental music, by Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was first performed in London, England
October 18 – Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 19 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Paris, France
1924 February 12 – Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (1898-1937) was first performed in New York, New York
February 27 – Trevor Duncan (1924-2005) was born in London, England
May 8 – The revised version of Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 16 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Paris, France
July 27 – Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) died in Berlin, Germany
September 14 – Ruralia hungarica, Five pieces for orchestra, op. 32b, by Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) was first performed in Pécs, Hungary
September 28 – Rudolf Barshai (1924-2010) was born in Labinsk, Russia
November 4 – Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) died in Paris, France
December 14 – The Pines of Rome, tone poem by Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) was first performed in Rome, Italy
1925 Enrique Fernández Arbós (1863-1939) completed his orchestrations of five of the twelve piano pieces, Iberia, by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
May 29 – Concerto Grosso No. 1 for String Orchestra with Piano Obbligato by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was first performed in Cleveland, Ohio
August 31 – Mississippi Suite by Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) was first performed in New York, New York
November 20 – Clytus Gottwald (1925-2023) was born in Szczawno-Zdrój, Poland
November 29 – The Love for Three Oranges, Suite, op. 33bis by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Paris, France
December 3 – Piano Concerto in F major by George Gershwin (1898-1937) was first performed in New York, New York
1926 Gustav Holst (1874-1934) completed Seven Part-Songs, op. 44
May 2 – Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, FP 43 by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was first performed in Paris, France
May 12 – Symphony No. 1 in F minor, op. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
June 26 – Sinfonietta by Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
October – Peter Warlock (1894-1930) completed Capriol Suite
October 31 – Symphony No. 5 in F♯ minor, “Dance Symphony”, by Emil von Reznicek (1860-1945) was first performed in Vienna, Austria
November 1 – The Profound Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, incidental music to the play by Henri Ghéon, by Aita Donostia (1886-1956) was first performed in Paris, France
December 26 – Tapiola, tone poem in B minor, op. 112 by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in New York, New York
1927 Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) completed Gypsy Caprice
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed Three Botticelli Pictures
March 24 – Háry János Suite, op. 35a by Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was first performed in Barcelona, Spain
June 7 – Le pas d’acier (“The Steel Step”), ballet, op. 41 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Paris, France
June 14 – The Red Poppy, ballet, op. 70 by Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
October 27 – Dominick Argento (1927-2019) was born in York, Pennsylvania
1928 Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) completed Schluck und Jau, incidental music
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.
1910 Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) completed Caprice Viennois, for violin and piano, op. 2
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) completed Praeludium and Allegro (in the style of Pugnani), for violin and piano
Ein Tanzspiel by Franz Schreker (1878-1934) was first performed in Vienna, Austria
March 1 – Suite in A major, op. 98b, B190, “American” by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
March 9 – Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania
April 23 – Italia, Rhapsody for Orchestra, op. 11, by Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) was first performed in Paris, France
May 29 – Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) died in Saint Petersburg, Russia
June 25 – The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was first performed in Paris, France
September 6 – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in Gloucester, England
September 12 – Symphony No. 8 in E♭ major by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Munich, Germany
1911 Gustav Holst (1874-1934) completed Two Eastern Pictures, for women’s voices and harp (H. 112)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) completed Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) Suite
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) completed Recitative and Scherzo-Caprice, for solo violin, op. 6
Percy Grainger (1882-1961) completed Irish Tune from County Derry (BFMS No. 29)
February 21 – Berceuse élégiaque, op. 42 (BV 252a) by Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) was first performed in New York, New York
March 8 – Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was born in Somerville, Massachusetts
March 11 – Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Third Group, by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in Blackburn, England
April 3 – Symphony No. 4 by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Helsinki, Finland
May 2 – Invocation for Cello and Orchestra, op. 19, no. 2, by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
May 3 – Préludes pour piano, Book 1, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was first performed in Paris, France
May 18 – Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) died in Vienna, Austria
June 14 – Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) died in Copenhagen, Denmark
July 7 – Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) was born in Cadegliano-Viconago, Italy
August 1 – Autumnal, op. 8, by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
September 14 – Five Mystical Songs, for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in Worcester, England
December 3 – Nino Rota (1911-1979) was born in Milan, Italy
December 6 – Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, First Group, by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
December 23 – I gioielli della Madonna (The Jewels of the Madonna), opera by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948), was first performed in Berlin, Germany
1912 Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) completed Three Pieces, op. 23
February 28 – Violin Concerto, op. 33 by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark
March 22 – Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Second Group, by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
April 22 – La Péri, ballet by Paul Dukas (1865-1935), was first performed in Paris, France
June 8 – Daphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was first performed in Paris, France
June 26 – Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Vienna, Austria
July 23 – Aristophanic Suite, The Wasps, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
August 7 – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D♭ major, op. 10 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
August 13 – Jules Massenet (1842-1912) died in Paris, France
September 24 – The Sea, Suite for Orchestra, H. 100 by Frank Bridge (1879-1941) was first performed in London, England
1913 Gustav Holst (1874-1934) completed St. Paul’s Suite, in C major, op. 29, no. 2
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) completed Questo fu il carro della Morte, op. 2
April 24 – Canto serioso, for horn and piano, FS 132 by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark
May 6 – Gyula Dávid (1913-1977) was born in Kecskemét, Hungary
October 12 – Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, op. 128 by Max Reger (1873-1916) was first performed in Essen, Germany
October 23 – On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring by Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was first performed in Leipzig, Germany
November 22 – Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was born in Lowestoft, England
1914 Gustav Holst (1874-1934) completed A Dirge for Two Veterans, H. 121
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) completed Variations on a Nursery Song, op. 25
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed Il Tramonto (“The Sunset”), for mezzo-soprano and string quartet, P. 101
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed Sinfonia Drammatica in B♭ minor, P. 102
February 5 – Ten Pieces, op. 12 , for piano, by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
March 18 – Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Fourth Group, by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was first performed in London, England
March 27 – Symphony No. 2, “A London Symphony”, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was first performed in London, England
August 28 – Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914) died near Borovichi, Russia
November 12 – Second Quintet in E♭ minor for Piano and Strings, op. 26, by Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
1915 Claude Debussy (1862-1918) completed “Christmas Carol for Homeless Children”, for children’s chorus (Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maison: Nous n’avons plus de maison), CD 147
George Enescu (1881-1955) completed Orchestral Suite No. 2, in C major, op. 20
May – English Pastoral Impressions, op. 26, by Ernest Farrar (1885-1918) was first performed in Harrogate, England
1916 Franz Schreker (1878-1934) completed Verschwiegene Liebe (Silent Love), arrangement for voice and orchestra of Eichendorff Lieder: No. 3 by Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974) completed Symphony No. 3 in D major, op. 10, “Västkustbilder” (“West Coast Pictures”)
January 29 – Scythian Suite, op. 20 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
April 9 – Nights in the Gardens of Spain, for piano and orchestra, G. 49 by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) was first performed in Madrid, Spain
April 11 – Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
May 11 – Max Reger (1873-1916) died in Leipzig, Germany
1917 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) completed the Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 1, P 109
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) completed Song of the Black Swan (Canto do cysne negro), for cello and piano, W122
Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974) completed the Suite No. 3, op. 19, no. 1, for violin, viola, and string orchestra
Ilse Fromm-Michaels (1888-1986) completed Piano Sonata, op. 6
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.
1890 Feuillet d’album by Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) was first published
February 2 – Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88, B163 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
June 21 – Death and Transfiguration, op. 24, tone poem by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in Eisenach, Germany
October 17 – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E♭ major, op. 87, B162 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
November 4 – Prince Igor, opera by Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
November 8 – César Franck (1822-1890) died in Paris, France
December 8 – Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) was born in Polička, Czech Republic
1891 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed Two Melodies for String Orchestra, op. 53
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed Lyric Pieces, Book V, op. 54 (some were orchestrated later as the Lyric Suite)
Norwegian Dances, op. 35, by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was orchestrated by Hans Sitt (1850-1922)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) completed Beau Soir
Josef Suk (1874-1935) completed Piano Quartet in A minor, op. 1
January 15 – Marche Solennelle by Edward German (1862-1936) was first performed in London, England
January 16 – Léo Delibes (1836-1891) died in Paris, France
March 16 – Fantasy Pieces, op. 2, for oboe and piano, by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark
April 18 – Symphony in B♭ major, op. 20 by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) was first performed in Paris, France
April 27 – Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was born in Sontsivka, Ukraine
October 9 – Requiem in B♭ minor, op. 89, B165 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Birmingham, England
December 12 – Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet in B minor, op. 115, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
1892 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) completed Seven Fantasies for Piano, op. 116
Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) completed Capricho árabe (Arabic Caprice), for solo guitar
March 19 – The Nutcracker Suite, op. 71a, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
March 27 – Ferde Grofé (1892-1972) was born in New York, New York
April 6 – Symphony No. 4 in D minor, op. 13, B41 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
April 22 – Édouard Lalo (1823-1892) died in Paris, France
May 6 – Ernest Guiraud (1837-1892) died in Paris, France
September 26 – Prélude in C♯ minor, op. 3, no. 2 from Morceaux de fantaisie by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Moscow, Russia
October 21 – Te Deum, op. 103, B176 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in New York, New York
December 18 – Symphony No. 8 in C minor, WAB 108, by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) was first performed in Vienna, Austria
1893 January 18 – Mass in D by Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) was first performed in London, England
January 30 – Intermezzo in E♭ major, op. 117, no. 1, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in London, England
March 4 – Symphony No. 2 in G minor, “Sintram”, by George Templeton Strong (1856-1948) was first performed in New York, New York
August 21 – Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) was born in Paris, France
October 28 – Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 74 “Pathétique” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
November 6 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) died in Saint Petersburg, Russia
November 23 – Karelia Suite, op. 11 by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was first performed in Helsinki, Finland
December 16 – Symphony No. 9 in E minor, op. 95, B178 “From the New World” by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in New York, New York
December 23 – Hänsel und Gretel, opera by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921), was first performed in Weimar, Germany
January 1 – String Quartet No. 12 in F major, op. 96, B179 “American” by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Boston, Massachusetts
January 22 – Six Pieces for Piano, op. 118, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in London, England
January 22 – Rhapsody in E♭ major, op. 119, no. 4, by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was first performed in London, England
February 25 – Serenade for Strings in E♭ major, op. 6 by Josef Suk (1874-1935) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
March 16 – Méditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) was first performed in Paris, France
May 17 – Richard Strauss (1864-1949) completed Ruhe, Meine Seele, op. 27, no. 1 at Weimar, Germany. He completed an orchestral song version of this piece in 1948.
September 13 – Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) died in Paris, France
October 30 – Peter Warlock (1894-1930) was born in London, England
December 16 – Silent Woods, for cello and orchestra (or piano), op. 68, no. 5, B182 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Basel, Switzerland
December 22 – Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, symphonic poem by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was first performed in Paris, France
1895 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) completed the Viola Sonata in F minor, op. 120, no. 1 (version of Clarinet Sonata, op. 120, no. 1)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) completed the Viola Sonata in E♭ major, op. 120, no. 2 (version of Clarinet Sonata, op. 120, no. 2)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed Two Nordic Melodies for String Orchestra, op. 63
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935) completed Armenian Rhapsody on National Themes, op. 48
Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) completed Suite gothique, op. 25 for organ
January 3 – Borys Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968) was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine
April 3 – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) was born in Florence, Italy
May 11 – William Grant Still (1895-1978) was born in Woodville, Mississippi
July 5 – Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was born in London, England
November 5 – Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, op. 28 tone poem by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in Cologne, Germany
December 13 – Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection”, by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
1896 Souvenir d’un lieu cher (Memory of a Beloved Place), op. 42, for violin and orchestra, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) was first published
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed Symphonic Dances, op. 64
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed Lyric Pieces, Book VIII, op. 65
Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) completed Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra), for solo guitar
Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) completed Woodland Sketches, op. 51
Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940) completed Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in G major, op. 1, no. 1
January 10 – Sonatina in G major, for violin and piano, op. 100, B183 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Brno, Czech Republic
March 16 – Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer), by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was first performed in Berlin, Germany
March 19 – Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104, B191 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in London, England
May 20 – Clara Schumann (1819-1896) died in Frankfurt, Germany
June 3 – The Water Goblin, symphonic poem, op. 107, B195 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
June 3 – The Noon Witch, symphonic poem, op. 108, B196 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Prague, Czech Republic
October 11 – Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) died in Vienna, Austria
October 28 – Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was born in Wahoo, Nebraska
November 25 – Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was born in Kansas City, Missouri
November 27 – Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30, tone poem by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was first performed in Frankfurt, Germany
December 27 – Poème, for violin and orchestra, op. 25 by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) was first performed in Nancy, France
1897 Richard Strauss (1864-1949) completed Der Abend, op. 34, no. 1 (“The Evening”), for chorus
January 3 – Symphony in C major by Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was first performed in Paris, France
March 28 – Symphony No. 1 in D minor, op. 13 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia
April 3 – Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) died in Vienna, Austria
May 18 – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, symphonic poem by Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was first performed in Paris, France
May 29 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was born in Brno, Czech Republic
June 12 – Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986) was born in Łódź, Poland
October 11 – Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) died in Paris, France
1898 Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) completed Sicilienne, op. 78, for cello and piano
February 12 – Roy Harris (1898-1979) was born in Chandler, Oklahoma
March 20 – The Wild Dove, symphonic poem, op. 110, B198 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was first performed in Brno, Czech Republic
September 26 – George Gershwin (1898-1937) was born in Brooklyn, New York
November 13 – Four Sacred Pieces by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was first performed in its entirety in Vienna, Austria
1899 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) completed the orchestration for Two Lyric Pieces, op. 68
The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) aspired to be a virtuoso violinist, but abandoned that career because he felt that he had begun his “training for the exacting career of a virtuoso too late.” But it must have been some consolation that his violin concerto of 1904/1905—his only concerto—is one of the most inspired works of that genre in the repertoire.
There are many fine recordings of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, but one I am especially fond of is a 1951 recording with Isaac Stern and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.
Here’s the conclusion of the work, nicely illustrating the passion and energy of this performance by Stern and Beecham’s Royal Philharmonic despite the primitive recording technology available at the time. Just goes to show that there were some remarkable recordings made more than 70 years ago!
While we’re on the topic of violin concertos, here are the best I’ve heard, in chronological order of their composition. Seek them out and enjoy!
Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 – Johann Sebastian Bach (c. 1730)
Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61 – Ludwig van Beethoven (1806)
Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64 – Felix Mendelssohn (1844)
Violin Concerto No. 8 in D major, op. 99 – Charles-Auguste de Bériot (c. 1845)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 26 – Max Bruch (1867)
Violin Concerto in D major, op. 77 – Johannes Brahms (1878)
Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1878)
Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53 – Antonín Dvořák (1879)
Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 – Jean Sibelius (1905)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 19 – Sergei Prokofiev (1917)
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 63 – Sergei Prokofiev (1935)
Violin Concerto, op. 14 – Samuel Barber (1939)
Violin Concerto in D minor – Aram Khachaturian (1940)
Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1945)
Violin Concerto in C major, op. 48 – Dmitry Kabalevsky (1948)
And, outstanding violin concerto movements:
Intermezzo (Poco adagio) [2nd & final movement] from Violin Concerto, op. 33 – Carl Nielsen (1911)
Sicilienne (Andantino) [2nd movement] from Concierto de estío, for violin and orchestra – Joaquín Rodrigo (1943)
Curious as to why so many violin concertos are written in the key of D major? I was.
“D major is well-suited to violin music because of the structure of the instrument, which is tuned G D A E. The open strings resonate sympathetically with the D string, producing a sound that is especially brilliant. This is also the case with all other orchestral strings.” – Wikipedia entry for D major
Sergei Prokofiev was truly one of the most remarkable composers of the 20th century. His signature disjunct melodies and quirky, perky compositional style is so interesting and unique that his music is instantly recognizable, even today. When critics complain that the wellspring of current musical idioms has become exhausted or derivative, along comes a composer like Prokofiev who surprises everyone and does something completely different. That is why I believe that even within established musical forms it is possible to invent something completely new and exciting—it just doesn’t happen very often.
Regrettably, no English-language documentary about the life and music of Prokofiev has ever been produced. While we wait for someone to do that, perhaps Robert Greenberg might add another excellent installment to his “Great Masters” series for The Great Courses by profiling Sergei Prokofiev in eight 30-minute episodes as he did for Shostakovich, Brahms, and others.
Sergei Prokofiev composed his last completed work, the Symphony No. 7, between December 1951 and July 1952 at the age of 60-61. Its first public performance in Moscow on October 11, 1952 would be the last public performance Prokofiev would attend. He died less than five months later.
Dmitri Shostakovich attended the premiere, and quickly sent a letter of congratulations to Prokofiev, “I wish you at least another hundred years to live and create. Listening to such works as your Seventh Symphony makes it much easier and more joyful to live.” Shostakovich would attend Prokofiev’s funeral in March 1953.
The most inspired recording I have ever heard of Prokofiev’s Seventh Symphony is by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra with Andrew Litton conducting. Even though I was already familiar with this work, listening to this performance was like hearing the work for the first time. This interpretation is intimate and compelling.
The last years of Prokofiev’s life were difficult ones. His health was deteriorating and Stalin’s terrible regime was a constant threat and source of anxiety. Official disapproval had led to a life of poverty for Prokofiev.
With that as a backdrop, Prokofiev was eager that his new symphony would be well received by the authorities as well as the public, hoping that it would earn him a First Class Stalin Prize—he needed the money. But like Shostakovich, Prokofiev took his symphonies seriously, pouring his heart and soul into them while cleverly embedding what he wanted to say musically in a way that would elude the authorities with their limited musical sophistication and intelligence.
Prokofiev even wrote two endings for the symphony. The “real” ending and a contrived ending to please the authorities and help him win the prize. (He did not win the hoped for Stalin Prize, but he was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize for this symphony in 1957.)
Prokofiev told his friend, the young cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, “Slava, you will live much longer than me, and you must take care that this new ending never exists after me.” As Andrew Huth writes in the liner notes, “Both versions of the ending are included on this disc so that listeners can judge the very different effect each makes.” Track 9 is the final movement of Symphony No. 7 played again with the alternative ending that Prokofiev wrote to please the authorities.
One of the enjoyable aspects of recording asteroids passing in front of stars (we call them asteroid occultations) is the interesting names of some of the asteroids. This month, Bob Dunford, Steve Messner, and I had two double-chord events across the asteroid 1306 Scythia, discovered in this month of 1930 by Soviet astronomer Grigory Neujmin (1886-1946).
The name 1306 Scythia immediately brought to mind a favorite piece of music, the Scythian Suite—surely one of the most unusual and otherworldly compositions by Sergei Prokofiev, or anyone else for that matter.
A quick look at the entry for 1306 Scythia in the 5th edition of Dictionary of Minor Planet Names by Lutz D. Schmadel (1942-2016) quickly confirmed my suspicion that the subject matter of both asteroid and musical composition is the same.
Named for the country of the ancient Scythians comprising parts of Europe and Asia now in the U.S.S.R. in regions north of the Black sea and east of the Aral sea.
In the wee hours of Friday, July 12, Bob Dunford in Illinois and I in Wisconsin observed only the second asteroid occultation of 1306 Scythia (and the first since 2014). The predicted path is shown below.
Bob, who was observing at Naperville, observed a 4.3-second dip in brightness as the asteroid covered the star between 8:23:46.203 and 8:23:50.531 UT, and I, observing at Dodgeville, observed a 1.3-second event between 8:24:01.783 and 8:24:03.054. Our light curves are shown below.
Here’s a map showing our observing locations relative to the predicted path.
Here’s the profile showing the chords across the asteroid.
Just four days later, both Bob Dunford and I had a high probability event of the same asteroid passing in front of a different star, and this time we were joined by Steve Messner. Bob and Steve both got positives! Unfortunately, I was clouded out.
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) wrote the Scythian Suite in 1915 when he was 24 years of age. Even at that young age, Prokofiev already showed great talent and originality.
Here are some excerpts of the Scythian Suite performed by the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Stanisław Skrowaczewski. This is a 1983 recording (Vox Box CD3X 3016). The movement descriptions are based on those given in Wikipedia.
1st movement: Invocation to Veles and Ala – barbaric and colorful music describing the Scythians’ invocation of the sun.
2nd movement: The Alien God and the Dance of the Evil Spirits – as the Scythians make a sacrifice to Ala, daughter of Veles, the Alien God performs a violent dance surrounded by seven monsters.
3rd movement: Night – the Alien God harms Ala; the Moon Maidens descend to console her.
4th movement: The Glorious Departure of Lolli and the Cortège of the Sun – Lolli, the hero, comes to save Ala; the Sun God assists him in defeating the Alien God. They are victorious, and the suite ends with a musical picture of the sunrise.
Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite. There is nothing else like it in the orchestral repertoire!