This article is about music-related events in
1881
Events
January–March
* January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans.
* January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The C ...
.
Specific locations
*
1881 in Norwegian music
The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 1881 in Norwegian music.
Events
Deaths
Births
; May
* 7 – Edvard Sylou-Creutz, classical pianist, composer and radio personality (died 1945).
; August
* 27 – Sigurd Is ...
Events
*
March 23 – A fire caused by a gas explosion destroys the
Opéra de Nice in the south of France with fatalities.
*
February 10 –
Offenbach's ''
Tales of Hoffmann'' debuts in
Paris
*
June 11 – The
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre ( cs, Národní divadlo) in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of History of the Czech Republic, Czech history and art.
The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cu ...
receives a royal opening with the premiere of
Smetana's opera ''
Libuše
, Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father died; s ...
'' (written 1871–72); however, a subsequent fire delays public opening for a further 2 years, when the same work reinaugurates the theatre
*
September 3 –
Anton Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...
completes his
6th Symphony
*
November 9
Events Pre-1600
* 694 – At the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery.
* 1277 – The Treaty of Aberconwy, a humiliating settlement f ...
–
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
'
Piano Concerto No. 2 is given its public premiere in
Budapest
*
December 4 –
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's
Violin Concerto is premiered in
Vienna
Bands formed
*
Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
Published popular music
* "Good Bye!" by
Francesco Paolo Tosti
* "
My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean"
* "Slowly and Sadly" (President
Garfield Memorial Tribute)" by
Arabella M. Root
Classical music
*
Victor Bendix – Symphony No. 1 in C op. 16 ''Mountain Climbing''
*
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...
–
String Quartet No. 2 in D
*
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
– ''
Tragic Overture'' op. 81 revised; ''
Nänie op. 82''
*
Max Bruch – ''
Kol Nidre'' for cello and orchestra finished
*
Anton Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...
–
Symphony No. 6 (Bruckner)
The Symphony No. 6 in A major, WAB 106, by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) is a work in four movements composed between September 24, 1879 and September 3, 1881 and dedicated to his landlord, Anton van Ölzelt-Newin. Only two mov ...
*
Emmanuel Chabrier
Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...
– ''
Pièces pittoresques'' for piano
*
Ernest Chausson – Piano Trio in G minor, op. 3
*
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) 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 ...
&
André Messager – ''
Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville''
*
César Franck – ''Rébecca'' (
oratorio)
*
Robert Fuchs – Cello Sonata No.1, Op.29
*
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
– ''
Nuages Gris''
*
Giuseppe Martucci – Fantasia for piano op. 51
*
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...
– ''Hymne à Victor Hugo''
*
Eduard Strauss
** Glockensignale, Op.198
** Schleier und Krone, Op.200
*
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
** String Quartet in A major, Op.2
** 5 Klavierstücke, Op.3
** Cello Sonata, Op.6
*
Charles-Marie Widor – First Sonata for Piano and Violin op. 50
*
Bernard Zweers
Bernard Zweers (born Bernardus Josephus Wilhelmus Zweers) (18 May 1854 in Amsterdam – 9 December 1924 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch composer and music teacher.
Life
Bernard Zweers was born in 1854 as the son of an Amsterdam book- and music ...
– Symphony No. 1 in D major
*
Władysław Żeleński – 2 Mazurkas, Op.31
Opera
*
Johann Strauss, Jr.
Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...
– ''
Der lustige Krieg
''Der lustige Krieg'' (''The Merry War'') is a three-act operetta composed by Johann Strauss II. The work was first performed on 25 November 1881 at the Theater an der Wien. Its libretto was by F. Zell ( Camillo Walzel) and Richard Genée. The ...
'', premiered November 24 in
Vienna
*
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – ''
The Maid of Orleans''
*
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
– ''
Simon Boccanegra'', revised version of the 21st Verdi opera premieres at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in Milan
Musical theater
* ''
The Tales of Hoffmann'' (''Les contes d'Hoffmann'';
Jacques Offenbach) – Paris production opened at the
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
on February 10
* ''The Mascot'' (translation of
Edmond Audran's ''
La Mascotte'') – Broadway production opened at the
Bijou Theatre (Manhattan) on May 5
* ''
Patience'' (
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
) – London production opened at the
Opera Comique on April 23 and transferred to the new
Savoy Theatre on October 10 for a total run of 578 performances
Births
*
January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – Engli ...
–
Nikolai Roslavets,
Ukrainian composer (d. 1944)
*
February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
–
Karl Weigl,
Austrian composer (d. 1949)
*
February 12 –
Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1931)
*
February 21 –
Kenneth J. Alford
Frederick Joseph Ricketts (21 February 1881 – 15 May 1945) was an English composer of marches for band. Under the pen name Kenneth J. Alford, he composed marches which are considered to be great examples of the art. He was a Bandmaster in th ...
,
English band composer (d. 1945)
*
March 10 –
Frank Mullings
Frank Mullings (10 May 1881 – 19 May 1953) was a leading English tenor with Sir Thomas Beecham's Beecham Opera Company and its successor, the British National Opera Company, during the 1910s and 1920s. Blessed with a strong stage presence a ...
, English tenor (d. 1953)
*
March 16 –
Fannie Charles Dillon,
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
composer (d. 1947)
*
March 18 –
Paul Le Flem,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
composer (d. 1984)
*
March 23 –
Egon Petri,
Dutch-born pianist (d. 1962)
*
March 25
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto.
* 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...
–
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...
,
Hungarian composer (d. 1945)
*
April 15 –
David Thomas,
Welsh composer (d. 1928)
*
April 17 –
Anton Wildgans
Anton Wildgans (17 April 1881 – 3 May 1932) was an Austrian poet and playwright.
He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times.
Life
Born in Vienna, Wildgans studied law at the University of Vienna, from 1900 ...
, lyricist and playwright (died 1942)
*
April 20 –
Nikolai Myaskovsky,
Polish-born Russian composer and teacher (d. 1950)
*
May 11
Events 1601–1900
*1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is Assassination of Spencer Perceval, assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons.
*1813 – William Lawson (explorer), William Lawson, Grego ...
–
Jan van Gilse
Jan Pieter Hendrik van Gilse (Rotterdam, 11 May 1881 – Oegstgeest, 8 September 1944) was a Dutch composer and conductor. Among his works are five symphonies and the Dutch-language opera '' Thijl''.
Life
Coming from a family of theologians, J ...
, Dutch composer (d. 1944)
*
May 29 –
Frederick Septimus Kelly, Australian-born musician (k. 1916)
*
July 6 –
Nancy Dalberg,
Danish composer (d. 1949)
*
August 15 –
Ted Snyder, American composer and music publisher (d. 1965)
*
August 18 –
Hermann Zilcher
Hermann Zilcher (18 August 1881 – 1 January 1948) was a German composer, pianist, conductor, and music teacher. His compositional oeuvre includes orchestral and choral works, two operas, chamber music and songs, études, piano works, and nume ...
, German composer (died 1948)
*
August 19 –
George Enescu,
Romanian composer (d. 1955)
*
August 29 –
Edvin Kallstenius,
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
composer (d. 1967)
*
November 22 – Ethel Levey, American singer, dancer and actress (d. 1955)
*
November 28 –
Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig (; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular write ...
,
Austrian librettist of
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
's ''
Die schweigsame Frau'' (suicide 1942)
*
December 3 –
Henry Fillmore, American band composer (d. 1956)
*
December 24 –
Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer and songwriter (d. 1946)
Deaths
*
January 30
Events Pre-1600
*1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.
*1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
1601–1900
*1607 – An estimated ...
–
Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens Jacques-Nicolas (Jaak-Nicolaas) Lemmens (3 January 1823 – 30 January 1881), was an organist, music teacher, and composer for his instrument.
Biography
Born at Zoerle-Parwijs, near Westerlo, Belgium, Lemmens took lessons from François-Josep ...
,
Belgian, organist and composer, 58
*
March 13 –
Sophie Daguin, ballerina and choreographer, 79
*
March 23 –
Nikolai Rubinstein, pianist and composer, 45
*
March 28 –
Modest Mussorgsky, composer, 42 (alcohol-related)
*
June 5
Events Pre-1600
*1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
*1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
–
Franjo Krežma, violinist and composer,19 (tuberculosis)
*
June 6
Events Pre-1600
* 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...
–
Henri Vieuxtemps, composer, 61
*
June 7 –
Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard, music teacher and composer, 66
*
July 3 –
Achille De Bassini, operatic baritone, 62
*
September 7 –
Sidney Lanier, poet and flautist, 39 (tuberculosis)
*
October 9 –
Richard Wüerst, composer and music teacher, 57
*
November 25 –
Theobald Boehm, inventor of the modern flute, 87
*
December 17 –
Giulio Briccialdi, composer, 63
*
December 30
Events
Pre-1600
*534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire.
*999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushi ...
–
Corrado Miraglia
Corrado Miraglia (1821 – 30 December 1881) was an Italian operatic tenor and in his later years a voice teacher and theatrical agent. He is best known today for having created the role of Ismaele in Verdi's opera ''Nabucco'', although he sang in ...
, opera singer, 60
*''date unknown'' –
Francisco de Sá Noronha, violinist and composer (b. 1820)
References
{{Reflist
19th century in music
Music by year