Events in Music
Event of Interest
1741 George Frideric Handel finishes his "Messiah" oratorio after working on it non-stop for 23 days
George Frideric Handel
- 1954 Benjamin Britten's opera 'Turn of the Screw' premieres in Venice
Event of Interest
1961 Dmitri Shostakovich becomes member of CP of USSR
Dmitri Shostakovich
- 1968 Dmitri Shostakovich' 12th string quartet, premieres in Moscow
- 1980 "Charlie & Algernon" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 17 performances
- 1984 1st MTV Video Music Awards: The Cars win with "You Might Think"
- 1987 'Les Miserables' opens at Rock Theatre, Vigzinhaz Budapest
Event of Interest
2017 Selena Gomez reveals she had a kidney transplant, because of lupus, donated by her friend Francia Rais
Selena Gomez
Birthdays in Music
- 1722 Joseph Paul Ziegler, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1767)
- 1724 Ignaz Vitzthumb, Austrian musician, composer, and conductor, born in Baden bei Wien, Austria (d. 1816)
- 1737 Michael Haydn, Austrian composer, born in Rohrau, Austria (d. 1806)
- 1748 Johann Paul Schulthesius, German composer, born in Neustadt bei Coburg, Germany (d. 1816)
- 1760 Luigi Cherubini, Italian prodigy and composer, born in Florence (d. 1842)
- 1761 Pavel Lambert Mašek, Czech composer, born in Zvíkovec, Czech Republic (d. 1826)
- 1768 Georg Johann Schinn, German composer, born in Sinzig, Germany (d. 1833)
- 1840 George Elbridge Whiting, American composer, born in Holliston, Massachusetts (d. 1923)
- 1882 Harald Fryklöf, Swedish composer, born in Uppsala, Sweden (d. 1919)
- 1885 Vittorio Gui, Italian conductor and composer (Batture d'aspetto), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1975)
- 1902 Giorgos Papasideris Greek country singer, composer and lyricist, born in Salamis Island, Greece (d. 1977)
- 1904 Richard Mohaupt, German composer (Bucolica), born in Wrocław, Poland (d. 1957)
- 1908 Bernie Green, American orchestra leader (Arthur Godfrey Show, Garry Moore Show), born in NYC, New York
- 1910 Lehman Engel, American conductor and composer (Streetcar Named Desire), born in Jackson, Mississippi (d. 1982)
- 1914 Michael Spisak, Polish composer (d. 1965)
- 1919 Deryck Cooke, British composer and musicologist, born in Leicester (d. 1976)
- 1926 Richard Elsasser, American composer and organist, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1972)
- 1941 Alberto Naranjo, Venezuelan musician, born in Caracas, Venezuela
- 1942 Kuldar Sink, Estonian composer, born in Tallin (d. 1995)
- 1942 Oliver Lake, American jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Marianna, Arkansas
- 1944 Joey Heatherton, American dancer and actress (Bluebeard), born in Rockville Center, New York
- 1947 Jon Bauman, American singer (Sha Na Na), born in Queens, New York
- 1948 Fred "Sonic" Smith, American guitarist (MC5), born in West Virginia (d. 1994)
- 1949 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Seneca, Missouri (d. 1977)
- 1949 Tommy Seebach, Danish musician (d. 2003)
- 1949 Eikichi Yazawa, Japanese singer and songwriter, born in Hiroshima, Japan
- 1949 Edward "Ed" King, American psychedelic rock musician (Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Glendale, California (d. 2018)
- 1950 Paul Kossoff, British rock guitarist (Free), born in London, England (d. 1976)
- 1953 Tom Cora, American cellist and composer, born in Yancey Mills, Virginia (d. 1998)
- 1954 Barry Cowsill, American rock bassist (The Cowsills - We Can Fly), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2005)
- 1955 Steve Berlin, American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer (Los Lobos, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1959 Morten Harket, Norwegian rocker (Aha-Take on Me), born in Kongsberg, Norway
- 1966 Mike Cooley, American guitarist (Drive-By Truckers), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama
- 1970 Craig Montoya, American musician (Everclear)
- 1971 Jeff Loomis, American guitarist (Nevermore)
- 1971 Andre Matos, Brazilian musician
- 1978 Danielle Peck, country music singer
- 1981 Miyavi, Japanese singer and actor
Amy Winehouse
1983 Amy Winehouse, British singer (Stronger Than Me, Rehab), born in London (d. 2011)
Amy Winehouse
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
1970 Singer Stevie Wonder (20) marries Rita Wright [Syreeta] (24)
Stevie Wonder
Wedding of Interest
1974 Singer-composer Quincy Jones Jr (41) weds actress Peggy Lipton (28) in Los Angeles, California
Quincy Jones Jr
Wedding of Interest
2002 No Doubt lead vocalist Gwen Stefani (42) weds lead singer and rhythm guitarist "Bush" Gavin Rossdale (46) at St. Paul's Church in London, England
Gwen Stefani
Person of Interest
2013 Singer-songwriter John Legend (34) weds model Chrissy Teigen (27) at Villa Pizzo in Lake Como, Italy
John Legend
Deaths in Music
- 1645 Heinrich Steuccius, composer, dies at 65
- 1743 Johann Michael Muller, composer, dies at 59
- 1750 Carl T Pachelbel, US organist/composer
- 1763 Johann Philipp Sack, composer, dies at 40
- 1788 Theodore-Jean Tarade, composer, dies at 56
- 1836 Vincenzo Lavigna, composer, dies at 60
- 1844 Oliver Holden, American composer, dies at 78
- 1861 Fortunato Santini, composer, dies at 83
- 1872 Yury Nikolayevich Golitsin, composer, dies at 48
- 1886 Hubert Reis, German composer, dies at 84
- 1902 Reinhold Finsterbusch, composer, dies at 76
- 1927 Isadora Duncan, American free form/interpretative dancer, dies at 50 due to her scarf becoming entangled in her car's wheel
- 1932 Jean Emile Paul Cras, composer, dies at 53
- 1936 Ossip Gabrilovich, composer, dies at 58
- 1951 Fritz Busch, German conductor, dies at 61
- 1962 Marcel Delannoy, French composer, dies at 64
- 1964 Mary Howe, American composer and pianist (Sand), dies at 82
- 1975 Walter Herbert, German conductor and impresario (b. 1902)
- 1979 Raymond Loucheur, composer, dies at 80
- 1981 Yasuji Kiyose, composer, dies at 81
- 1981 [Walter] Furry Lewis, father of blues, dies at 88 of a heart attack
- 1982 Christian Ferras, French violinist (b. 1933)
- 1989 Dámaso Pérez Prado, Cuban bandleader and musician, dies at 71
- 1990 Wime de Craene, Flemish singer and composer, dies at 40
- 1996 Juliet Prowse, actress and dancer (Mona McCluskey), dies at 59
- 2001 Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer, dies at 70
- 2003 John Serry, Sr., American musician, (b. 1915)
- 2009 Patrick Swayze, American actor, dancer, and songwriter (Dirty Dancing), dies of cancer at 57