On This Day in Music for November 20
Events in Music
- 1805 Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", his only opera, premieres at Vienna's Theater an der Wien
- 1889 Gustav Mahler's 1st Symphony premieres in Budapest and is not well received
- 1901 Opera "Grisélidis" by Jules Massenet, Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand premieres in Paris
- 1945 Dmitri Shostakovich's 9th Symphony under J Mravinski premieres
- 1964 Dmitri Shostakovich's 9th/10th String Quartet premieres in Moscow
- 1965 Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse's musical "Pickwick", based on Charles Dicken's novel "The Pickwick Papers", closes at 46th St Theater, NYC, after 56 performances
- 1966 John Kander and Fred Ebb's "Cabaret" opens at Broadhurst Theater, NYC; runs for 1166 performances, wins 8 Tony Awards
- 1968 2nd Country Music Association Award: Glen Campbell and Tammy Wynette win
- More Events in Music
Musicians Born on Nov 20
- 1652 Romanus Weichlein, Austrian composer, born in Linz, Austria (d. 1706)
- 1757 Giovanni Battista Gaiani, Italian organist and composer, born in Bologna (d. 1819)
- 1759 Nikolaus Paul Zmeskall, Hungarian cellist and composer, baptized in Leštiny (d. 1833)
- 1765 Friedrich Heinrich Himmel, German composer, born in Treuenbrietzen, Brandenburg, Prussia (d. 1814)
Weddings in Music
- 1895 Businessman Harvey Firestone (26) weds composer Idabelle Smith (21)
- 1932 American blues musician Muddy Waters (19) weds Mabel Berry
More Weddings & Divorces in Music
Musicians Who Died on Nov 20
- 1518 Pierre de la Rue [ aka Peter van Straten], Franco-Flemish the Renaissance singer and composer, dies at about 66 [birth date unconfirmed]
- 1758 Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer, conductor and violinist, dies at 64
- 1827 Alexey Titov, Russian composer, dies at 58
- 1851 Wenzel Sedlak, Bohemian clarinetist and composer, dies at 75
November in Music History
All Eyes on Birthplace of British Rock 'n' Roll
Tommy Steele, Britain's first rock 'n' roll star, was discovered on this day at a coffee bar in central London, appearing live on the BBC's first pop music show.
November 16, 1957Thomas Edison's Phonograph
Thomas Edison with his second phonograph, photographed in 1878
November 21, 1877The Ultimate Beatles Quiz
Do you know the answer to every Beatles Question? Including who was the original Beatles drummer? How about who wrote Hey Jude?
Test Your Knowledge
