1875 in music
Encyclopedia
Events
- March 3 - Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
's CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
debuts in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. - May 6 - Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
conducts portions of GötterdämmerungGötterdämmerungis the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
in concert in Vienna (the complete opera is premiered in 1876). - Robert VolkmannRobert VolkmannFriedrich Robert Volkmann was a German composer.-Life:He was born in Lommatzsch, Saxony, Germany. His father was a music director for a church, so he trained his son in music to prepare him as a successor...
becomes professor of harmony and counterpoint at the National Academy of Music in Budapest, under Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. - Composer Zdeněk FibichZdenek FibichZdeněk Fibich was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works , symphonic poems, three symphonies, at least seven operas , melodramas including the substantial trilogy Hippodamia,...
marries operatic contralto Betty HanušováBetty FibichováBetty Fibichová was a Czechoslovak opera singer and the wife of composer Zdeněk Fibich. The greatest Czech operatic contralto of her day, she enjoyed close artistic partnerships with both Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana in addition to collaborating frequently with her husband.-Biography:Born...
, sister of his first wife Růžena Hanušová.
Published popular music
- "Angels, Meet Me At the Cross Road" w.m. Will Hays
- "Carve Dat PossumCarve Dat Possum"Carve Dat Possum" is a minstrel song written in 1875 by Sam Lucas. Very popular in its time, it tells of hunting and preparing a possum to eat. The chorus:-Bibliography:...
" by Sam LucasSam LucasSam Lucas was an African American actor, comedian, singer, and songwriter. His career began in blackface minstrelsy, but he later became one of the first African Americans to branch into more serious drama, with roles in seminal works such as The Creole Show and A Trip to Coontown...
& Herbert Hershy - "Dreaming Forever of Thee" w.m. John Hill Hewitt
- "My Grandfather's ClockMy Grandfather's Clock"My Grandfather's Clock" is a song written in 1876 by Henry Clay Work, the author of "Marching Through Georgia". It is a standard of British brass bands and colliery bands, and is also popular in bluegrass music.-Origin of the song:...
" w.m. Henry C. Work - "I'll Take You Home Again, KathleenI'll Take You Home Again, KathleenI'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen is a popular song written by Thomas P. Westendorf in 1875. In spite of its American origins, it is known and revered as an Irish ballad. Westendorf, a school teacher in Plainfield, Indiana, wrote it for his wife...
" w.m. Thomas P. Westendorf - "Nancy Lee" w. Frederic Edward Weatherly, m. Stephen Adams (pseudonym of Michael MaybrickMichael MaybrickMichael Maybrick was an English composer and singer, best known under his pseudonym Stephen Adams as the composer of "The Holy City," one of the most popular religious songs in English.-Early life:...
) - "A Warrior Bold" w. Edwin Thomas m. Stephen Adams (pseudonym of Michael MaybrickMichael MaybrickMichael Maybrick was an English composer and singer, best known under his pseudonym Stephen Adams as the composer of "The Holy City," one of the most popular religious songs in English.-Early life:...
) - "The Witches Flight (Galop Caprice)" by Henry M. Russell
Classical music
- Alexander BorodinAlexander BorodinAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
, String Quartet No. 1 - Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, Fifteen Liebeslieder for piano duet; String Quartet No. 3String Quartet No. 3 (Brahms)The String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67, was composed by Johannes Brahms in the summer of 1875 and published by the firm of Fritz Simrock. It received its premiere performance on October 30, 1876 in Berlin. The work is scored for two violins, viola, and cello, and has four movements:* I.... - Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, Symphony No. 5Symphony No. 5 (Dvorák)The Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76, B. 54 is a classical composition by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.-The work:Dvořák composed his fifth symphony in the summer months in June and July 1875. The opus number isn't actually correct, the autograph was marked with number 24, but the publisher...
; Serenade for StringsSerenade for Strings (Dvorák)Antonín Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22, was composed in just two weeks in May 1875. It remains one of the composer's more popular orchestral works to this day.-Composition and Premiere:...
; String Quintet (with double bass) (orig Op. 18); Piano Quartet in D; Piano Trio in Bb; Moravian duets (for voices and piano) - Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
, Allegro Symphonique (for orchestra); Suite for Orchestra; Les Djinns (for chorus and orchestra) - Edvard GriegEdvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
, incidental music to Ibsen's Peer GyntPeer GyntPeer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"... - Édouard LaloÉdouard LaloÉdouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo was a French composer.-Biography:Lalo was born in Lille , in northernmost France. He attended that city's music conservatory in his youth. Then, beginning at age 16, Lalo studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Berlioz's old enemy François Antoine Habeneck...
, Allegro Symphonique - Jules MassenetJules MassenetJules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
, oratorioOratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Eve - Modest MussorgskyModest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
, Pesni i plyaski smerti (Songs and Dances of DeathSongs and Dances of DeathSongs and Dances of Death is a song cycle for voice and piano by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, written in the mid-1870s, to poems by Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a relative of the composer....
), song cycle for bass voice and piano - Amilcare PonchielliAmilcare PonchielliAmilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, largely of operas.-Biography:Born in Paderno Fasolaro, now Paderno Ponchielli, near Cremona, Ponchielli won a scholarship at the age of nine to study music at the Milan Conservatory, writing his first symphony by the time he was ten years old.Two years...
, cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
A Gaetano Donizetti - Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
, String Quartet No. 1 - TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
, Symphony No. 3Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, was written in 1875. He began it at Vladimir Shilovsky's estate at Ussovo on 5 June and finished it on 1 August at Verbovka. It is dedicated to Shilovsky.The Symphony No...
; ballet Swan Lake; String Quartet - Camille Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
- Piano Concerto No. 4Piano Concerto No. 4 (Saint-Saëns)Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor , Op. 44 by Camille Saint-Saëns, is the composer's most structurally innovative piano concerto. It follows the typical concerto format of three movements, but the central Andante section is usually attached seamlessly to the preceding Allegro moderato. In fact, the... - Má vlastMá vlastMá vlast is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. While it is often presented as a single work in six movements and – with the exception of Vltava– is almost always recorded that way, the six pieces were conceived as individual works...
(My Country) - Six symphonic poems by Bedřich SmetanaBedrich SmetanaBedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
Opera
- CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
first performed in Paris. Music by Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
and libretto by Henri MeilhacHenri MeilhacHenri Meilhac , was a French dramatist and opera librettist.-Biography:Meilhac was born in Paris in 1831. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront...
and Ludovic HalévyLudovic HalévyLudovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
. - Die Königin von SabaDie Königin von SabaDie Königin von Saba is an opera in four acts by Karl Goldmark. The German libretto by Hermann Salomon Mosenthal, sets a love triangle into the context of the Queen of Sheba's visit to the court of King Solomon, recorded in First Kings...
, music by Karl GoldmarkKarl GoldmarkKarl Goldmark, also known originally as Károly Goldmark and later sometimes as Carl Goldmark; May 18, 1830, Keszthely – January 2, 1915, Vienna) was a Hungarian composer.- Life and career :...
and libretto by Salomon Mosenthal. - Angelo, music by César CuiCésar CuiCésar Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
Musical theater
- Gilbert & Sullivan - Trial By JuryTrial by JuryTrial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
- LondonWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production opens at the Royalty TheatreRoyalty TheatreThe Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
on March 25 - Philadelphia production opens at the Arch Street Theatre on October 22
- New York production opens at the Eagle TheatreEagle TheatreThe Eagle Theatre in Gold Rush era Sacramento was the first permanent theatre to be built in the state of California. Established in 1849 this relatively small structure was originally wood framed and canvas covered with a tin roof and a packed earth floor...
on November 15
- London
- The ZooThe ZooThe Zoo is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe. It premiered on 5 June 1875 at the St. James's Theatre in London , concluding its run five weeks later, on 9 July 1875, at the Haymarket Theatre...
, Lyrics and Book: Bolton Rowe Music: Arthur SullivanArthur SullivanSir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, London production opened at St. James TheatreSt. James TheatreThe St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...
on June 5
Births
- February 2 - Fritz KreislerFritz KreislerFriedrich "Fritz" Kreisler was an Austrian-born violinist and composer. One of the most famous violin masters of his or any other day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. Like many great violinists of his generation, he produced a characteristic sound which was immediately...
, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1962) - February 8 - Georgette LeblancGeorgette LeblancGeorgette Leblanc was a French operatic soprano, actress, author, and the sister of novelist Maurice Leblanc. She became particularly associated with the works of Jules Massenet and was an admired interpreter of the title role in Bizet's Carmen...
, operatic soprano (d. 1941) - February 26 - Richard WetzRichard WetzRichard Wetz was a German late Romantic composer best known for his three symphonies. In these works, he "seems to have aimed to be an immediate continuation of Bruckner, as a result of which he actually ended up on the margin of music history".-1875-1906: Youth:Richard Wetz was born to a merchant...
, German composer - February 28 - Viliam Figuš-BystrýViliam Figuš-BystrýViliam Figuš-Bystrý was a Slovak composer, teacher and author of the first Slovak national opera Detvan....
, Slovak composer - March 7 - Maurice RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
, French composer - April 4 - Pierre MonteuxPierre MonteuxPierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
, French conductor (d. 1964) - April 5 - MistinguettMistinguettMistinguett was a French actress and singer, whose birth name was Jeanne Bourgeois. She was at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world...
, actress and singer (d. 1956) - May - Paul SarebresolePaul SarebresolePaul Sarebresole was an early composer of ragtime music.Sarebresole was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His French ancestors spelled the family name "Sarrebresolles"....
, ragtime composer (d. 1911) - July 17 - Donald Tovey, composer and musicologist (d. 1940)
- August 9 - Albert KetèlbeyAlbert KetèlbeyAlbert William Ketèlbey , born Ketelbey, was an English composer, conductor and pianist.-Biography:...
, composer (d. 1959) - August 18 - Samuel Coleridge-TaylorSamuel Coleridge-TaylorSamuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer who achieved such success that he was once called the "African Mahler".-Early life and education:...
, composer (d. 1912)
Deaths
- January 25 - Leopold JansaLeopold JansaLeopold Jansa was a Bohemian violinist, composer, and teacher....
, violinist, composer and music teacher (b. 1795) - February 1 - William Sterndale BennettWilliam Sterndale BennettSir William Sterndale Bennett was an English composer. He ranks as the most distinguished English composer of the Romantic school-Biography:...
, composer (b. 1816) - February 23 - Louise MichaëliLouise MichaëliLouise Charlotte Helene Michaëli, née Michal, , was a Swedish opera singer.Michaëli debuted at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1849. She studied under Julius Günther at the Opera in Stockholm and under Garcia in London. In 1852-1855 she was employed at the Opera in Stockholm. She toured Scandinavia,...
, opera singer (b. 1830) - March 3 - Adolf ReubkeAdolf ReubkeAdolf Reubke was a German organ builder.He was born in Halberstadt. His organ building business was based in Hausneindorf and he built instruments at the Jakobikirche in Magdeburg , the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and Magdeburg Cathedral .From 1860, Adolf's business was run in partnership...
, organ builder (b. 1805) - March 15 - Christian Julius HansenChristian Julius HansenChristian Julius Hansen was a Danish composer.-Notable works:*Seks romancer *Ouverture i c-mol *Ouverture i E-dur *musik til C...
, composer (b. 1814) - March 17 - Ferdinand LaubFerdinand LaubFerdinand Laub was a Czech violinist and composer.Laub was born in Prague. Due to the influence of his father Erasmus Laub , Ferdinand's first public appearance happened when he was 6 years old. At the age of 10 he had his own concert in Stavovské divadlo . From 1843-46 he studied at the...
, violinist (b. 1832) - March 19 - Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, violin maker (b. 1798)
- May - Matthias DurstMatthias DurstMatthias Durst was an Austrian violinist, violist and composer.-Biography:Born in Vienna, he studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Georg Hellmesberger, Sr. and Joseph Böhm. He was a member of the Vienna Burgtheater. From 1841 he was appointed at the Vienna Court Orchestra. He was professor at...
, violinist and composer (b. 1815) - June 3 - Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, composer (b. 1838) (heart attack) - September 15 - Louise FarrencLouise FarrencLouise Farrenc was a French composer, virtuosa pianist and teacher. Born Jeanne-Louise Dumont in Paris, she was the daughter of Jacques-Edme Dumont, a successful sculptor, and sister to Auguste Dumont.-Biography:...
, pianist and composer (b. 1804) - September 24 - William WalkerWilliam Walker (composer)William Walker was an American Baptist song leader, shape note "singing master", and compiler of four shape note tunebooks, most notable of which was The Southern Harmony.-Life:...
, songwriter (b. 1809)