"Music is a moral law. It gives wings to the song, flight to the imagination, soul to the universe, beauty to life and meaning to everything." ... Plato, The Republic

 

"The life of the Arts, far from being an interuption, a distraction, in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a Nation's purpose and is a test of the quality of a Nation's civilation.

John F. Kennedy

 

Pan in the Whitehouse

 

Pan - NBC News

 

2008 - This Summer In Music History ...

• June 10, 1865 - Richard Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" premiered in Munich, Germany.
• June 17, 1882 - Composer Igor Fedorovich Stravinski was born.
• June 23, 1814 - Adolphe (Antoine Joseph) Sax was born. He was the inventor of the saxophone.
• July 4, 1895 - The song "America the Beautiful" was first published.
• July 24, 1849 - Georgetown University in Washington, DC. presented its first Doctor of Music Degree. It was given to Professor Henry Dielman.
• July 28, 1750 - Johann Sebastian Bach died after an unsuccessful eye operation.
• August 1, 1779 - Francis Scott Key was born. He was an American composer, attorney, poet, and social worker. He was the composer of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
• August 12, 1877 - Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and made the first sound recording.
• August 27, 1889 - Charles G. Conn received a patent for the metal clarinet.

 

2008 - This Month in Music History

May 1, 1786 - The Mozart opera "The Marriage of Figaro" premiered in Vienna.

May 4, 1920 - The Symphony Society of New York presented a concert at the Paris Opera House. It was the first American orchestra to make a European tour.

May 18, 1911 - Gustav Mahler died. His last word was "Mozart." He had conducted his last concert on February 21.

May 28, 1957 - The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) was established. The NARAS is known for organizing the Grammy Awards.

May 31, 1917 - The first jazz record, "Dark Town Strutters' Ball," was released.

 

• April 1, 1873 - Composer Sergei Vasilievitch Rachmaninov was born.
• April 10, 1927 - "Ballet Macanique" was presented for the first time at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was the first symphonic work that used an airplane propeller and other mechanical contraptions not normally associated with the ballet.
• April 11, 1936 - The SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America) was founded.
• April 13, 1742 - George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.
• April 24, 1934 - The pipeless organ was patented by Laurens Hammond.

 

• March 1, 1810 - Composer Frederic Chopin was born.
• March 18, 1902 - Enrico Caruso recorded 10 arias for the Gramophone Company. He was the first well-known performer to make a record.
• March 21, 1685 - Composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born.
• March 23, 1792 - Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (the "Surprise Symphony") was performed publicly for the first time, in London.
• March 26, 1828 - In Vienna, Austrian composer Franz Schubert gave his only public concert.
• March 31, 1732 - Composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born. He is known for helping to develop the Classical style.

 

• February 4, 1901 - The Giacomo Puccini opera "Tosca" made its U.S. debut.
• February 11, 1916 - The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert. The symphony was the first by a municipal orchestra to be supported by taxes.
• February 20, 1816 - Rossini's opera "Barber of Seville" premieres in Rome
• February 23, 1792 - Joseph Haydn's 94th Symphony in G was premiered.
• February 29, 1792 - Gioacchino Rossini, Pesaro Italy, composer (Barber of Seville) was born.

 

• January 3, 1900 - Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida" was performed in New York City.
• January 7, 1924 - George Gershwin completed "Rhapsody in Blue" at the age of 26.
• January 18, 1944 - The first jazz concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
• January 25, 1858 - Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" was presented for the first time, as the daughter of Queen Victoria married the Crown Prince of Prussia.
• January 27, 1756 - Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born.

 

 

SEPTEMBER 2007 

Music Quote of the Month
“I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.” 
-Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)

This Month In Music History …

• September 1, 1995 - Louis Armstrong was honored on a U.S. postage stamp.
• September 14, 1814 - Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the "Star Spangled Banner." The song became the official U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931.
• September 16, 1966 - The Metropolitan Opera opened its new opera house at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
• September 25, 1906 - Russian Composer Dimitri Shostakovich was born.
• September 30, 1791 - The Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart opera The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) premiered in Vienna, Austria.