On This Day in Music for May 18
Events in Music
- 1887 Emmanuel Chabrier's opera "Le roi malgré lui" (King, in spite of himself) premieres at the Opéra-Comique in Paris; after 3 performances the theatre burns down
- 1889 Jules Massenet's opera "Esclarmonde" premieres in Paris
- 1897 Irish Music Festival 1st held in Dublin
- 1948 "Ballet Ballads" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 62 performances
- 1950 "Liar" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 12 performances
- 1959 "Castin' My Spell" by The Johnny Otis Show hits #52
- 1959 "Judy" by David Seville hits #86
- 1959 "Russian Band Stand" by Spencer & Spencer hits #91
- More Events in Music
Musicians Born on May 18
- 1744 Joseph Beer, Bohemian clarinetist, and composer (5th clarinet flap), born in Grünwald, Bohemia (d. 1812)
- 1759 Charles Duquesnoy, South Netherlands composer and singer, born in Beuzet (d. 1822)
- 1819 Julius Hopp, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1885)
- 1830 (Károly) "Karl" Goldmark, Hungarian-Viennese violinist and composer (Rustic Wedding Symphony; The Queen of Sheba; Sakuhtala), born in Keszthely, KIngdom of Hungary (d. 1915)
Weddings in Music
- 1964 Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (19) weds Margrit Volkmar
- 2007 Grammy award-winning singer Amy Winehouse (23) weds former video production assistant Blake Fielder-Civil (25) in Miami, Florida
More Weddings & Divorces in Music
Musicians Who Died on May 18
- 1697 Guillaume Dumanoir, French composer, dies at 81
- 1733 Georg Böhm, German organist & composer, dies at 71
- 1767 Thaddaus Ferdinand Lipowsky, German composer, dies at 28
- 1829 Bernardo Bittoni, Italian composer, dies at 72
May in Music History
My Fair Lady's Special Day
This was a day to remember for Eliza Doolittle, the 'My Fair Lady' of the stage and film musical that won and broke hearts.
May 20, 1956Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
One of the most famous album covers in music history, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, designed by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
May 26, 1967A Modern Major-General of Light Entertainment
William Gilbert, celebrated as the unique lyricist behind the highly popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, met his death in highly unexpected circumstances.
May 29, 1911
