1787 In Music

Events

*Between January and April – Beethoven and Mozart: 16-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven goes to Vienna, intending to study with Mozart: it is possible that they meet, but the declining health of Beethovens' mother forces him to return to Bonn.
*February 1 – A posthumous performance of Antonio Sacchini's ''Œdipe à Colone'' at the Paris Opéra results in the previously unsuccessful opera becoming one of the most popular pieces in the repertoire for several decades.
* August 10 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his famous serenade '' Eine kleine Nachtmusik''.
* October 29 – Mozart's opera ''Don Giovanni'' is premiered under his baton at the Nostitzsches Nationaltheater in Prague, with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte.
*December
**Mozart is appointed chamber composer to Emperor Joseph II in Vienna following the death of Gluck.
**Angelo Tarchi is appointed music director and composer at the King's Theatre in London.
* Luigi Boccherini becomes court composer in Berlin.
*Luigi Cherubini settles in Paris.

Publications

*''Scots Musical Museum'', vol. 1

Published popular music

* Robert Burns – "The Battle of Sherramuir" (to a traditional tune)
*"Ein Schifflein sah ich fahren" (Soldier Song ca.1787)

Classical music

*Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
**Fantasia in F-sharp minor, H.300
**Neue Melodien, H.781
* William Brown – 3 Rondos
*Charles Burney – ''Preludes, Fugues and Interludes for the Organ''
* Muzio Clementi
**Two Symphonies, Op. 18
**Musical Characteristics, Op. 19
**Piano Sonata, Op. 20
*Michel Corrette – ''Pièces pour l’orgue dans un genre nouveau''
* Francois Devienne – Flute Concerto No.7 in E minor
*Jean-Louis Duport – Cello Concerto No.1 in A major, Op. 1
*Giuseppe Gherardeschi – Sonata for Organ "In the Guise of a Military Band..."
*Joseph Haydn
**'' The Seven Last Words of Christ''
** Symphony No. 88 in G
**String Quartets, Op. 50 (String Quartets Nos. 36–41)
*Franz Anton Hoffmeister – 2 Keyboard Sonatas, WeiH 80
* Leopold Kozeluch
**Three Symphonies, Op. 22
**Three Symphonies, Op. 24
**''Moise in Egitto''
*Joseph Martin Kraus – Symphony in E minor
* Jose Lidon – 6 Piezas o Sonatas sueltas para órgano
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
**'' Eine kleine Nachtmusik''
** String Quintet No. 3 in C major
** String Quintet No. 4 in G minor
** Rondo in A minor, K.511
**Clarinet Quintet, K.Anh.91
**''Musikalisches Würfelspiel'', K.516f
**"Die Alte", K.517
**"Die Verschweigung", K.518
**"Das Lied der Trennung", K.519
**" Als Luise die Briefe", K.520
**"Abendempfindung", K.523
**"Die kleine Spinnerin", K.531
**5 Country Dances, K.609
* William Parsons – ''The Court Minuets for Her Majesty's Birth Day, 1787''
*Philip Phile – Violin Concerto (lost)
*Ignaz Pleyel – 3 String Trios, B.401–403

Opera

*Samuel Arnold – ''Inkle and Yarico'' (libretto by George Colman the Younger)
* Domenico Cimarosa – ''Volodimiro''
*Giuseppe Gazzaniga – ''Don Giovanni''
* Vicente Martín y Soler – ''L'arbore di Diana''
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – ''Don Giovanni''
* Antonio Salieri – ''Tarare'' (libretto by Beaumarchais)
* Giovanni Paisiello – ''La modista raggiratrice'', R.1.74

Methods and theory writings

* Ferdinand Kauer – ''Kurzgefaßte Clavierschule für Anfänger''
* Edward Miller – Elements of Thorough Bass and Composition, Op. 5
* Etienne Ozi – ''Nouvelle méthode de basson''
* – ''Über die Harmonika''

Births

*January 31 – Ulric Guttinguer, librettist and writer (died 1866)
*February 13 – James P. Carrell, singing teacher and composer (died 1854)
*February 24 – Christian Frederik Barth, oboist and composer (died 1861)
*March 1 – Tobias Haslinger, composer and publisher (died 1842)
*April 14 – Charles-François Plantade, French composer (died 1870)
* April 26 – Ludwig Uhland, librettist and poet (died 1862)
* July 7 – César Malan, composer and theologian (died 1864)
* August 15 – Alexander Alyabyev, composer (died 1851)
*November 17 – Michele Carafa, composer (died 1872)
*November 21 – Barry Cornwall, librettist and poet (died 1874)
*November 25 – Franz Xaver Gruber, organist and composer of " Silent Night" (died 1863)
*December 4 – Johan Fredrik Berwald, violinist, conductor and composer (died 1861)
* December 13 – Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier, librettist and dramatist (died 1865)
* December 14 – Maria Ludovika, patron of Beethoven and queen of Austria (died 1816)
*''date unknown''
**Franz Xaver Gebel, German composer (died 1843)
**Catharina Torenberg, violinist (died 1866)

Deaths

*February 21 – Antonio Rodríguez de Hita, composer (born 1722)
* March 30 – Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia, musician, composer and music collector (born 1723)
*April 22 – Josef Starzer, Austrian composer (born 1726)
*May 20 – Giovan Gualberto Brunetti, Italian composer (born 1706)
* May 28 – Leopold Mozart, violinist, music teacher and composer (born 1719)
*June – Ignazio Fiorillo, opera composer (born 1715)
*June 20 – Carl Friedrich Abel, viola da gamba player and composer (born 1723)
* July 13 – Ignazio Cirri, composer and musician (born 1711)
* July 27 – Mary Linley, singer (born 1758)
*August 5 – François Francoeur, violinist and composer (born 1698)
* August 18 – Stephen Paxton, composer and musician (born 1734)
*November 15 – Christoph Willibald Gluck, composer (born 1714)
* November 23 – Anton Schweitzer, opera composer (born 1735)
* December 9 – Bernhard Joachim Hagen, composer, violinist and lutenist (born 1720)
*''date unknown'' – Edward Harwood (of Darwen), hymn-writer (born 1707)

References

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18th century in music
Music by year
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