USEFUL LINKS
101 years ago
What happened in 1908Jan 1
American conducting debut of Gustav Mahler at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, in Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde
Jan 2
Premiere of the third book of Albeniz’ piano cycle Iberia in Paris, pianist Blanche Selva
Jan 6
American debut of Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City in Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele
Jan 12
Birth of Austrian conductor Leopold Ludwig in Witkowitz.
Birth of Mexican dancer and choreographer José Limon in Culiacan
Jan 15
American debut of soprano Luisa Tetrazzini at the Manhattan Opera House, New York City in Verdi’s La Traviata
Jan 18
Premiere of Frederick Delius’ rhapsody Brigg Fair in Liverpool, Granville Bantock conducting
Jan 20
Marriage of Claude Debussy and Emma Bardac in Paris
Jan 23
Death of American composer Edward MacDowell in New York City, aged 47
Premiere of Reinhold Glière’s Second Symphony in Berlin, Serge Koussevitzky making his conducting debut outside Russia
Jan 26
Birth of French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli in Paris
Feb 2
Birth of Italian composer Renzo Rossellini in Rome
Feb 7
Premiere of George Chadwick’s Symphonic Sketches in Boston, Karl Much conducting
Feb 8
Premiere of Serge Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony in Moscow, the composer conducting
Feb 9
Premiere of the ballet The Yogi in Vienna, music by Selmar Meyrowitz
Feb 19
American premiere of Claude Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at the Manhattan Opera House, New York City, with Jean Perier and Mary Garden in title roles
Feb 22
Birth of American critic and writer Irving Kolodin in New York City
Feb 29
Premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s song cycle Le faune et la bergère in St Petersburg
Mar 15
Premiere of Maurice Ravel’s Rhapsodie espagnole in Paris, Edouard Colonne conducting
Mar 21
Premiere of the ballet Une nuit d’Egypte at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, choreography by Michael Folkine with music by Anton Arensky
Mar 22
Premiere of Albert Roussel’s First Symphony, ‘Le poème de fôrêt’, in Brussels
Mar 30
Premiere of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze’s last opera Les jumeaux de Bergame in Brussels
Apr 4
Birth of British dancer and choreographer Antony Tudor in London
Apr 5
Birth of Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan in Salzburg
Apr 11
Birth of Czech conductor Karel Ancerl in Tucapy
Apr 19
Birth of German conductor Joseph Keilberth in Karlsruhe
May 3
Birth of English pianist and music administrator Sir William Glock in London
May 4
Premiere of Sergei Vassilenko’s tone poem The Garden of Death in Moscow
May 15
Birth of Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson in Akarp
May 19
Serge Diaghilev presents his first Paris season of Russian opera, centred on Modeste Moussorgsky’s Boris Godunov with Feodor Chaliapin in the title role
May 30
Birth of American pianist Beveridge Webster in Pittsburgh
Jun 3
Birth of American soprano Ina Souez in Windsor, USA
Jun 4
Premiere of parts of Frederick Delius’s A Mass of Life in Munich
Jun 7
Birth of Russian pianist Boris Goldovsky in Moscow
Jun 15
Eric Satie completes counterpoint classes at the Schola Cantorum, Paris at the age of 42
Jun 17
Premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s tone poem Feu d’artifice in St Petersburg
Jun 21
Death of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in Liubensk, aged 64
Jun 24
Birth of German organist and composer Hugo Distler in Nuremberg
Jul 1
Birth of American tenor Peter Anders in Essen.
Max Reger awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Vienna
Jul 9
Birth of English soprano Gladys Ripley in Essex
Aug 3
Birth of Swedish dancer and choreographer Birgit Cullberg in Nykoping
Sep 7
Premiere of the ballet The Dryad at the Empire Theatre, London, choreography by Alexandre Genee and music by Dora Bright
Sep 19
Premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony in Munich, the composer conducting
Sep 20
Death of Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate in Biarritz, aged 64
Sep 26
Birth of American harpsichordist Sylvia Marlowe in New York City
Sep 30
Birth of Russian violinist David Oistrakh in Odessa
Oct 1
British debut of pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch in Reading
Oct 7
Birth of Russian conductor Nikolai Rabinovich in St Petersburg
Oct 8
Posthumous premiere of Edvard Grieg’s unfinished opera Olav Trygvason in Christiana (Oslo)
Oct 13
Premiere of Max Reger’s Violin Concerto in Leipzig, soloist Henri Marteau
Oct 21
Birth of Irish composer Howard Ferguson in Belfast.
Birth of Russian violinist Alexander Schneider in Vilna
Oct 24
Posthumous premiere of Edward MacDowell’s tone poem Lamia in Boston
Oct 26
Birth of Russian baritone Igor Gorin in Grodek
Oct 31
Debut of soprano Lucrezia Bori at Teatro Costanzi, Rome in Bizet’s Carmen
Nov 4
Premiere of Anton Webern’s Passacaglia in Vienna, the composer conducting
Death of conductor August Vianesi in New York City, aged 70
Nov 8
Birth of Italian conductor Alberto Erede in Genoa
Nov 14
Premiere of the ballet Chocolate Soldier in Vienna, after the play Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, with music by Oscar Straus
Nov 16
American debut of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City in Verdi’s Aida
Nov 20
American debut of Italian baritone Pasquale Amato at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City in Verdi’s La Traviata
Nov 22
Death of French flautist and conductor Paul Taffanel in Paris, aged 63
Nov 26
American debut of bass Herbert Witherspoon at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City in Wagner’s Parsifal
Nov 27
American premiere of Jules Massenet’s opera Le jongleur de Notre-Dame at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City
Nov 28
Birth of American soprano Rose Bampton in Cleveland.
Premiere of Riccardo Zandonai’s first opera Il grilo del focolare in Turin
Dec 3
Premiere of Edward Elgar’s First Symphony in Manchester, Hans Richter conducting
Premiere of Havergal Brian’s tone poem Hero and Leander in London, Thomas Beecham conducting
Dec 7
Debut of soprano Frances Alda at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City in Verdi’s Rigoletto
Dec 10
Birth of French composer Olivier Messiaen in Avignon
Premiere of Alexander Scriabin’s Le poème de l’extase in New York City, Modest Altschuler conducting
American debut of violinist Mischa Elman in New York City
Dec 11
Birth of American composer Elliott Carter in New York City.
Premiere of Frederick Delius’ In a Summer Garden in London, the composer conducting
Dec 13
Birth of Russian pianist Victor Babin in Moscow
Dec 17
Birth of English composer William Wordsworth in London
Dec 18
Premiere of Claude Debussy’s piano suite Children’s Corner in Paris, pianist Harold Bauer
Dec 21
Premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Second String Quartet in Vienna, with soprano Marie Guntheil-Schroder and the Rosé Quartet
Dec 31
Birth of Yugoslav baritone Marko Rothmüller in Trnjani.
Public debut of Sergei Prokofieff in St Petersburg, playing several of his own piano compositions
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Boosey & Hawkes:
The publishing story
by Helen Wallace
A lively and detailed history from the 1930 merger to the present day.
Published 2007 (paperback) 244 pages, 150 illustrations
"A ripping yarn of a novel, if not a grand opera... Wallace's racy digest shows us how backroom businessmen continue to shape musical history."
Financial Times
"...a surprisingly gripping narrative. For those who wonder what really goes on in music publishing, it offers a fascinating read."
BBC Music Magazine