1843
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1 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs in Hechingen for the Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and his court in the Prince’s Concert Room.
2 January 1843 Der fliegende Holländer, a romantische Oper by Richard Wagner (29) to his own words after Heine, is performed for the first time, at the Dresden Hoftheater, directed by the composer. It receives only four performances.
3 January 1843 Don Pasquale, a dramma buffo by Gaetano Donizetti (45) to words of Ruffini and the composer after Anelli, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre-Italien, Paris. The work enjoys a thundering success.
5 January 1843 Lars Herman Gyllenhaal replaces Carl Törnebladh as Prime Minister for Justice of Sweden.
7 January 1843 Gaetano Donizetti (45) leaves Paris for Vienna to produce Don Pasquale there.
8 January 1843 Quintet for piano and strings by Robert Schumann (32) is performed for the first time, in a private morning concert in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Clara Schumann (23) plays the piano part. See 9 February 1843.
Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of four concerts in Berlin until 18 January. Attending today are King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and Queen Elisabeth.
12 January 1843 Giacomo Meyerbeer (51) gives his first big concert at the court in Berlin since returning from Paris. Among those performing are the singers Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, Leopoldine Margarete Tuczek, along with Franz Liszt (31).
13 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs in Mannheim.
16 January 1843 La part du diable, an opéra comique by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (60) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.
17 January 1843 Fearing that the insistence of his lover, Marie Recio, to sing at all his German concerts is jeopardizing the success of his tour (“she sings like a cat”), Hector Berlioz (39) boards the postal coach in Frankfurt and leaves for Weimar. Marie, however, will catch up with him there.
21 January 1843 Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of ten concerts in Breslau, through 8 February.
23 January 1843 Assistant schoolmaster Anton Bruckner (18) is transferred from Windhaag to much happier and more congenial circumstances, a post at Kronstorf, near Steyr.
25 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs in the Grand Ducal Theatre of Weimar.
28 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) arrives in Leipzig and immediately goes to the Gewandhaus where Felix Mendelssohn (33) is rehearsing for the premiere of the revised version of Die erste Walpugisnacht. They have not seen each other since Rome, 1830.
30 January 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) meets Robert Schumann (32) for the first time, in Leipzig. Schumann is there for his job at the Conservatory. Since neither is fluent in the other’s language they do not speak much.
2 February 1843 Richard Wagner (29) is installed as Kapellmeister to the Royal Court of Saxony in Dresden.
Hector Berlioz (39) travels by train from Leipzig to Dresden (c.110 km) in three-and-a-half hours to prepare a concert there, and returns in the afternoon for the Mendelssohn (33) premiere in the evening. It is his first trip on a train.
Felix Mendelssohn, on the eve of his 34th birthday, conducts the revised version of his cantata Die erste Walpurgisnacht at a Gewandhaus performance attended by Hector Berlioz (39). The Frenchman is very enthusiastic.
3 February 1843 Friedrich Wieck visits his daughter, Clara Schumann (23), in Leipzig. It is their first meeting since the contentious court battles preceding her marriage in 1840. They begin to effect a reconciliation.
4 February 1843 The city of Pesaro places a plaque on the birthplace of Gioachino Rossini (50).
Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, including the King Lear Overture, and the Symphonie Fantastique. Felix Mendelssohn (34) plays the harp part on piano. The audience, which includes Robert Schumann (32) is appreciative, the critics unimpressed.
6 February 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) arrives in Dresden. He meets Richard Wagner (29) who he finds “self-satisfied but warm” and enjoys Rienzi and Der fliegende Holländer. Wagner has written unkind remarks about Berlioz which appear in the Zeitung für die elegante Welt during Berlioz’ stay, but will regret them once he hears Berlioz’ music.
The Virginia Minstrels make their New York debut at the Bowery Amphitheatre.
9 February 1843 Quintet for piano and strings by Robert Schumann (32) is performed publicly for the first time, in Leipzig. See 8 January 1843.
10 February 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Royal Theatre, Dresden.
11 February 1843 I Lombardi alla prima crociata, a dramma lirico by Giuseppe Verdi (29) to words of Solera after Grossi, is performed for the first time, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan. It is a triumph. The audience immediately takes up the nationalistic theme, casting themselves as the Lombards against the Austrians.
17 February 1843 British forces defeat Sindis at Miari and then proceed to control the rest of Sind.
Hector Berlioz (39) performs for a second time at the Royal Theatre, Dresden.
20 February 1843 Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard is published in Copenhagen.
Festspiel zur Feier der Vermählung des Kronprinzen von Hannover und der Prinzessin Marie von Altenburg by Heinrich August Marschner (47) to words of Waterford-Perglass is performed for the first time, in Hannover. The performance takes place two days after the wedding and is well received.
21 February 1843 Franz Liszt (31) give the first of three concerts in Posen.
23 February 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs for a second time in the Gewandhaus, Leipzig in a very successful benefit for the poor. Robert Schumann (32) attends and shakes Berlioz’ hand saying “This offertoire (from the Requiem): It surpasses everything!”
27 February 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) visits Robert (32) and Clara (23) Schumann at their Leipzig home where he hears some of Robert’s chamber music. Robert is impressed by Berlioz and his music, but Clara finds him unfriendly and insincere.
28 February 1843 Das Hoffest von Ferrara, a masque by Giacomo Meyerbeer (51) to words of Raupach after Tasso, is performed for the first time, in Berlin. The production features tableaux vivants by members of the court. In appreciation, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV awards the composer the Prussian Gold Medal for Art and Science.
3 March 1843 The US Congress authorizes the sending of a resident commissioner to China to oversee trade and diplomatic matters. Eventually, Caleb Cushing will be sent.
The US Congress also approves $30,000 to build a demonstration telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore.
9 March 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Ducal Theatre, Braunschweig. This is his warmest reception in Germany and he will always remember the city affectionately.
10 March 1843 William Crotch’s (67) anthem for chorus and orchestra The Lord is King is performed for the first time, in Exeter Hall.
12 March 1843 After three years in western Europe, primarily Paris, where he met Chopin (33), Kalkbrenner (57) and Liszt (31), Anton Rubinstein (13) arrives in St. Petersburg.
13 March 1843 Camille Saint-Saëns (7) begins piano lessons with Camille Stamaty, a pupil of Frédéric Kalkbrenner (57).
15 March 1843 King Othon I of Greece confers on Gioachino Rossini (51) the Cross of a Knight of the Royal Order of the Savior.
Charles VI, an opéra by Fromental Halévy (43) to words of Delavigne and Delavigne, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. Critics are mostly positive. The public loves it.
20 March 1843 Giuseppe Verdi (29) departs Milan for Vienna on the first long trip of his life. He hopes to produce Nabucco there.
Albert Lortzing (41) becomes musical director of the Tunnel Society in Berlin, a working class group.
21 March 1843 King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia creates the royal Hof- und Dom-Chor.
22 March 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Municipal Theatre, Hamburg. He is very pleased with the outcome.
24 March 1843 William S. Henson and John Stringfellow file articles of incorporation in London for the first air transport company, the Aerial Transit Company. It will eventually fail.
28 March 1843 Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of three concerts in as many days in Krakow.
2 April 1843 Le Moine bourru ou les Deux Poltrons, a duo bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (23) to words of Plouvier, is performed for the first time, in Salle Herz, Paris.
3 April 1843 Leipzig Conservatory opens for business. The man chiefly responsible for its existence, Felix Mendelssohn (34), is an instructor.
This is the date determined by the followers of New York farmer, and eccentric eschatologist, William Miller for the end of the world. When the world does not end, the Millerites concoct revised dates. Coincidentally, over the last month, the sky has been filled by the Great Comet of 1843.
4 April 1843 Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre über den Choral “Ein feste Burg is unser Gott” op.31 for chorus, orchestra and organ by Otto Nicolai (32) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.
5 April 1843 The first volume of Modern Painters by John Ruskin is published.
6 April 1843 Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of four concerts in Warsaw, through 12 April.
8 April 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Royal Opera House, Berlin in a concert organized by Giacomo Meyerbeer (51). Despite a horrific experience with the dress rehearsal, the performance is a triumph.
9 April 1843 King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia awards the Goldene Medaille für Künste to Giacomo Meyerbeer (51).
11 April 1843 The British Parliament separates Gambia from Sierra Leone as a Crown Colony.
13 April 1843 The city of Leipzig makes Felix Mendelssohn (34) an honorary citizen.
23 April 1843 The memorial to Johann Sebastian Bach (†92) is unveiled before the Thomaskirche, Leipzig. Felix Mendelssohn (34) leads an all-Bach concert in the Gewandhaus.
Hector Berlioz (39) performs in Berlin at the Royal Opera House. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV is deeply moved by Roméo et Juliette and goes backstage to meet the composer and ask for a momento. Berlioz presents him with a manuscript copy of Fête chez Capulet.
25 April 1843 A second child is born to Robert (32) and Clara (23) Schumann. She is named Elise.
Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of six highly successful concerts in Moscow.
2 May 1843 American settlers meeting at Champoeg vote to create a provisional government for the Oregon Territory.
6 May 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) performs at the Royal Theatre, Hannover.
9 May 1843 Joaquín María López López replaces José Ramón Rodil y Gallosa as Prime Minister of Spain.
10 May 1843 Angélique et Médor, an opéra comique by Ambroise Thomas (31) to words of Sauvage, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.
12 May 1843 British administration takes over the Boer republic of Natalia.
14 May 1843 Gioachino Rossini (51) and his mistress Olympe Pélissier leave Bologna for Paris.
15 May 1843 The ecclesiastical consistory in St. Petersburg dismisses the divorce suit of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (38).
Charles Gounod (24) leaves the Hensels in Berlin with a letter of introduction to Felix Mendelssohn (34) in Leipzig.
16 May 1843 French forces destroy the camp of Abd el-Kader in Algeria. He is not present.
18 May 1843 At the Church of St. Andrew in Edinburgh, almost 200 members leave the Church of Scotland General Assembly to Tanfield Hall where they hold the Disruption Assembly and create the Free Church of Scotland.
Gioachino Rossini (51) and his mistress Olympe Pélissier stop in Parma on their way to Paris. There they meet Giuseppe Verdi (29) for the first time, who is in the city for the production of Nabucco.
19 May 1843 Alvaro Gómez Becera replaces Joaquín María López López as Prime Minister of Spain.
22 May 1843 Frédéric Chopin (33) and George Sand leave Paris for another summer at her chateau Nohant in Berry.
One thousand settlers in over 100 wagons leave Independence, Missouri for Oregon, a distance of some 2,500 km.
23 May 1843 Pronunciamentos against the regent Espartero spread throughout Andalusia.
Hector Berlioz (39) performs in Darmstadt. He is pleased.
27 May 1843 Gioachino Rossini (51) and his mistress Olympe Pélissier arrive in Paris where he will receive medical treatment.
1 June 1843 Henry Fox Talbot receives a second British patent for his calotype photographic process.
An improvement over the 1841 process, it creates a negative which will allow for the printing of photographs in books.
2 June 1843 In Manchester, Great Britain, Dr. James Braid writes the dedication to his book Neurypnology or The rationale of nervous sleep considered in relation with animal magnetism. In it he describes hypnosis, a word he coined in 1841.
4 June 1843 Hector Berlioz (39) and his mistress, Marie Recio, arrive back in Paris from Germany.
5 June 1843 Gaetano Donizetti’s (45) melodramma tragico Maria di Rohan to words of Cammarano after Lockroy and Badon, is performed for the first time, in the Vienna Kärntnertortheater. The imperial family comes from the country especially for this production. Donizetti writes, “everything went well, everything, everything.”
6 June 1843 Giuseppe Verdi (29), fresh from Nabucco and I Lombardi, signs a contract to compose a new opera for Teatro La Fenice, Venice. This will be Ernani.
7 June 1843 Richard Wagner (30) conducts music for the unveiling of a statue of the late Friedrich August I in Dresden, including the premieres of his own Festgesang “Der Tag erscheint” WWV 68 for male chorus to words of CC Hohlfeld and Felix Mendelssohn’s (34) setting of the national anthem of Saxony, Gott segne Sachsenland for male chorus and winds.
8 June 1843 Richard Wagner (30) writes to Felix Mendelssohn (34) saying, “I am proud to belong to the nation that produced you and your St. Paul.”
15 June 1843 Edvard Hagerup Grieg is born in Bergen, fourth of five children born to Alexander Grieg, a merchant and British consul at Bergen, and Gesine Judith Hagerup, pianist and daughter of a provincial governor and member of parliament.
17 June 1843 Fighting breaks out when British officials and members of the New Zealand company attempt to serve warrants on Maori leaders at Wairau. 27 people are killed.
26 June 1843 Hong Kong is created a British crown colony.
27 June 1843 Moderate leader Ramón Maríade Narváez, Duke of Valencia lands with his allies at Valencia and sets up a provisional government under JM López and Francisco Serrano.
5 July 1843 American citizens vote to adopt an organic law (constitution) for the Oregon Territory.
6 July 1843 Das Liebesmahl der Apostel WWV 69 for male chorus and orchestra by Richard Wagner (30) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Dresden, conducted by the composer.
10 July 1843 At a meeting in Berlin with King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, attended by Generalmusikdirektor of the opera Giacomo Meyerbeer (51), Felix Mendelssohn (34) is instructed to direct two oratorios and orchestral soirees each year, and to oversee church music for high holy days.
12 July 1843 Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (39) writes to the Synod asking them to reconsider the dismissal of his divorce suit. “In the eyes of society I am the object of unwarranted disgrace, which I must bear, knowing the full measure of my innocence.”
Joseph Smith, leader of the Mormons, announces a divine revelation sanctioning polygamy.
17 July 1843 Seville revolts against the regent Espartero.
Eugène Delacroix travels from Paris to Nohant in Berry to be with Frédéric Chopin (33) and George Sand. He has made the trip before, but for the first time he goes from Paris to Orléans by train.
19 July 1843 The SS Great Britain is launched at Bristol. It is the first iron hulled ship intended for transoceanic service and features a screw propeller. Many consider it the first ocean liner.
22 July 1843 General Seoane’s government forces, sent by the liberal Espartero, surrender to Narváez at Torrejón de Ardoz.
Sigismund Thalberg (31) marries Francesca Lablache in St. James’ Picadilly, London. She is the daughter of the opera singer Luigi Lablache and the widow of the painter François Bouchot.
23 July 1843 Joaquín María López López replaces Alvaro Gómez Becera as Prime Minister of Spain.
30 July 1843 Progressive Spanish regent Joaquín Baldomero Fernández Espartero, conde de Luchana decides against further resistance, and embarks on HMS Malabar at Cadiz.
6 August 1843 Herr Gott, dich loben wir for solo voices, double chorus, orchestra and organ by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, in Berlin Cathedral. The music helps mark the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the German Reich.
8 August 1843 Natal is proclaimed a British colony.
13 August 1843 Victorious Spanish forces strip Baldomero Espartero of all rank, titles and privileges.
17 August 1843 James Prescot Joule reads his paper detailing the mechanical equivalent of heat to a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Cork. He is met with silence.
18 August 1843 Over the night of August 18-19, the Berlin Opera House is destroyed by fire.
19 August 1843 Andante and Variations for two pianos by Robert Schumann (33) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig by Clara Schumann (23) and Felix Mendelssohn (34). The concert is interrupted by a fire alarm.
21 August 1843 King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia orders the Berlin Opera House to be rebuilt. See 18 August 1843.
24 August 1843 The second part of Simon Mayr’s (80) History of the Oratorio and the Mysteries is read to the Ateneo, Bergamo by its secretary, Abate Salvioni. Mayr is too blind to read it himself.
26 August 1843 The first typewriter that actually types is patented by Charles Thurber of Norwich, Connecticut. However, with inking done by a roller, it is impractical.
28 August 1843 Edward Law, Baron Ellenborough, Governor General of India, in council, annexes Sind.
2 September 1843 An order of the Prussian cabinet ratifies the agreement between King Friedrich Wilhelm and Felix Mendelssohn (34) of 10 July.
The first issue of The Economist is published.
5 September 1843 The USS Princeton is launched at Philadelphia. It is the first warship with a screw propeller instead of a paddle wheel.
14 September 1843 After the failure of King Othon to secure financial support, (and the removal of Prussian troops) members of the Greek military revolt. The palace is surrounded.
15 September 1843 In the face of a military revolt, King Othon of Greece agrees to the calling of a national assembly to draft a constitution, to create a provisional government, to sack all foreigners in his service, and to decorate the leaders of the revolt. Andreas Petrou Metaxas replaces King Othon as Prime Minister.
19 September 1843 An dem Feste for male chorus by Anton Bruckner (19) to words of Knauer, is performed for the first time, in Enns.
26 September 1843 The US and Argentina resume diplomatic relations.
1 October 1843 Richard Wagner (30) and his wife move to an expensive apartment in Dresden and begins to amass a large collection of literature from all eras, concentrating on German myths.
3 October 1843 Bedrich Smetana (19) arrives in Prague, his parents having allowed him to pursue a musical career.
Franz Liszt (31) begins an extensive concert tour of southern Germany.
4 October 1843 Gioachino Rossini (51) and his mistress Olympe Pélissier arrive back in Bologna from Paris, having improved his health greatly and undergoing cures in Paris.
7 October 1843 A great meeting for the Repeal of the Union, planned for the city of Clontarf tomorrow, is banned by Dublin Castle. 3,000 British soldiers arrive in Dublin to prevent the rally. Its main organizer, Daniel O’Connell, calls off the meeting.
10 October 1843 Ambroise Thomas’ (32) opéra comique Mina, ou Le ménage à trois to words of de Planard is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.
12 October 1843 In spite of the fact that they called off the Clontarf meeting, Daniel O’Connell and eight other Irish leaders are arrested by the British.
14 October 1843 Incidental music to Shakespeare’s (translated by Tieck) play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, at the Neuer Palais, Potsdam. The overture written by Mendelssohn in 1826 is also performed. It is a great success.
16 October 1843 Mathematician William Rowan Hamilton discovers the Theory of Quarterions, dissecting three-dimensional space, in Dublin. It is a landmark in the history of mathematics.
Søren Kierkegaard publishes Fear and Trembling, Repetition, and Three Edifying Discourses in Copenhagen simultaneously.
18 October 1843 Franz Liszt (31) gives the first of four concerts in Munich. King Ludwig I and the royal household are in attendance.
28 October 1843 Frédéric Chopin (33) and Maurice Dudevant (son of George Sand) return to Paris from Nohant in Berry. She wants to remain to attend to her literary and journalistic work.
7 November 1843 Franz Liszt (32) gives the first of five concerts in Stuttgart.
8 November 1843 Queen Isabella of Spain is declared of age.
13 November 1843 Barcelona surrenders to Juan Prim after bombardment.
Dom Sébastien, roi de Portugal, an opéra by Gaetano Donizetti (45) to words of Scribe after Foucher, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
18 November 1843 Cello Sonata no.2 op.58 by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.
Incidental music to Anicet, Bourgeois and d’Ennery’s play Kaspar Hauser by Stanislaw Moniuszko (24) is performed for the first time, in Minsk.
20 November 1843 Salustiano de Olózaga y Almandoz replaces Joaquín María López López as Prime Minister of Spain.
A Greek national assembly opens to draft a new constitution.
25 November 1843 Felix Mendelssohn (34) leaves Leipzig and moves to Berlin.
28 November 1843 Great Britain and France recognize the independence of Hawaii.
1 December 1843 Deuxième Duo sur le Quatuor de “Lucille” de Grétry op.17 for piano four hands by César Franck (20) is performed for the first time, in Liège.
2 December 1843 The Kisfaludy Society takes over the responsibility of collecting and publishing folk songs from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
4 December 1843 Das Paradies und die Peri for solo voices, chorus and orchestra by Robert Schumann (33) to translated words of Moore is performed for the first time, in Leipzig directed by the composer in his conducting debut. It is so successful that another performance is scheduled for 11 December.
The Twenty-eighth Congress of the United States convenes in Washington. Whigs continue to control the Senate, although with a reduced majority. Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, by a more than 2-1 margin.
5 December 1843 Luis González-Bravo López de Arjona replaces Salustiano de Olózaga y Almandoz as Prime Minister of Spain.
6 December 1843 The Venetian police approve the libretto to Ernani with some changes “in agreement with the poet Francesco Maria Piave.” It will soon be transmitted to Giuseppe Verdi (30) for the composition.
A railroad opens between Amsterdam and Utrecht.
8 December 1843 King Leopold of Belgium confers a gold medal on César Franck (20), renowned as a piano virtuoso.
13 December 1843 At Thaba Bossi, British representatives sign a treaty with the Chief of the Basutos annexing Basutoland (Lesotho).
16 December 1843 Friedrich Wieck writes a letter to his son-in-law, Robert Schumann (33), inviting the couple to Dresden for a reconciliation.
19 December 1843 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is published.
24 December 1843 A setting of Psalm 2 for solo voices and chorus by Felix Mendelssohn (34) is performed for the first time, in Berlin along with the first performance of his Frohlocket, ihr Völker for double chorus.
25 December 1843 Robert (33) and Clara Schumann (24) spend the Christmas season in Dresden at the home of her father. They have effected a temporary reconciliation.
26 December 1843 The Venice Carnival season begins with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s (30) I Lombardi. It is a complete disaster. The audience hates it. “One of the truly classic fiascos”, writes the composer.
30 December 1843 Gaetano Donizetti (46) arrives in Vienna from Paris. By this time he is taking digitalis on doctor’s orders. His Vienna doctors prescribe baths and applications of boiling mustard to the neck.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
10 July 2012
Last Updated (Tuesday, 10 July 2012 04:54)