1866
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1 January 1866 A combined force of British troops, colonial militia and allied Maoris march out of Wanganui. They spend the next few weeks destroying the villages of enemy Maoris and killing all who resist. The march then turns into one of hardship and starvation until they are relieved by forces from New Plymouth.
4 January 1866 Stabat mater preciosa from Franz Liszt’s unperformed oratorio Christus is performed for the first time, in the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome. Edvard Grieg (22) is there. He is not impressed.
5 January 1866 The Moscow branch of the Russian Musical Society receives permission to found a conservatory.
The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, an opera by Bedrich Smetana (41) to words of Sabina, is performed for the first time, in the Prague Provisional Theatre, to great success.
6 January 1866 The Club Nacional de Lima presents Louis Moreau Gottschalk (36) with a medal, in the Peruvian capital.
7 January 1866 Sérénade op.15 for piano, organ, violin, and viola or cello by Camille Saint-Saëns (30) is performed for the first time time, at the salon of Princesse Mathilde in Paris with the composer at the organ. Among the listeners is Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (83).
9 January 1866 Minna Wagner, in Dresden, signs a statement in support of her husband Richard Wagner (52). This is the plan of Cosima von Bülow to answer public criticisms that Wagner abandoned Minna.
10 January 1866 Ode to Joy, a cantata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) to words of Schiller (tr. Axakov, et. al.), is performed for the first time, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (36), as part of the graduation exercise from St. Petersburg Conservatory. Unable to face public scrutiny, the composer is absent.
14 January 1866 Peru declares war on Spain.
The National Conservatory of Mexico is founded by Augustín Caballero with the support of Emperor Maximilian.
17 January 1866 Flugschriften op.300, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Hofburg, Vienna.
18 January 1866 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) arrives in Moscow to take up his position at the Conservatory.
22 January 1866 With growing anti-war sentiment at home, Emperor Napoléon III declares his Mexico adventure a success and sends emissaries to Emperor Maximilian to discuss the withdrawal of French troops.
24 January 1866 Bürgerweisen op.306, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.
25 January 1866 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) delivers his first lecture, in somewhat halting fashion, at the Russian Musical Society. Its successor, the Moscow Conservatory, will not officially open until September.
Minna Wagner dies unexpectedly, of a heart attack, in Dresden.
27 January 1866 Zaide, a singspiel by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (†74) to words of Schachtner after Sebastiani, is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt, on the 110th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
28 January 1866 David Livingstone arrives in Zanzibar on his last expedition to Africa. He is searching for the source of the Nile.
Wiener Bonbons op.307, a waltz by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.
29 January 1866 Par force! op.308, a polka schnell by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.
5 February 1866 Barbe-bleue, an opéra-comique by Jacques Offenbach (46) to words of Meilhac and Halévy, is performed for the first time, at the Variétés, Paris.
6 February 1866 Damenspende op.305, a polka française by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Redoutensaal, Vienna.
10 February 1866 Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte replaces Johann Rudolf Thorbecke as chief minister of the Netherlands.
17 February 1866 In the midst of a Fenian uprising, habeas corpus is suspended in Ireland.
Snow-Bound by John Greenleaf Whittier is published in Boston.
19 February 1866 The British West African Settlements is created as a union of the Gold Coast, Lagos, Gambia and Sierra Leone.
23 February 1866 Prince Alexander Ioan I of Romania is roused from his bed by troops and forced to abdicate. He is removed from the country and a regency is established.
24 February 1866 Pompéia, a suite symphonique by Jules Massenet (23) is performed for the first time, in the Casino de la Rue Cadet.
28 February 1866 Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph II orders the mobilization of cavalry units in preparation for possible war with Prussia and Italy.
4 March 1866 Franz Liszt (54) arrives in Paris from Rome. He will stay for ten weeks.
7 March 1866 As part of a charity concert, the septet from Hector Berlioz’ (62) Les troyens is performed before a packed house in the Cirque Napoléon, Paris. No one sends Berlioz a ticket so he pays three francs admission for a seat very high up. The septet is encored. When he is spotted, the crowd begins yelling Vive Berlioz! Well-wishers mob him and later he receives congratulations at his home. It is his last triumph in Paris.
8 March 1866 At a social gathering in the salon of Princess Pauline Metternich in Paris, Camille Saint-Saëns (30) meets Franz Liszt (54). They play through a four-hand arrangement of Liszt’s Missa solemnis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran which is due to be performed in Paris shortly. Liszt announces, “It is possible to be as much of a musician as Saint-Saëns; it is impossible to be more of one!” Saint-Saëns writes “I see again that long pale face casting seductive glances at his audience while from beneath his fingers, almost unconsciously, and with an amazing range of nuances, there murmured, surged, boomed, and stormed the waves of the Legend of St. Francis of Paule walking on the waters. Never again shall we see or hear anything like it.” (Williams, 408-9)
10 March 1866 The “Irish” Symphony of Arthur Sullivan (23) is performed for the first time, in the Crystal Palace, London, the composer conducting. It is well received by all.
16 March 1866 The second version of the Overture in F by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is the first time he is paid for a performance of his music.
20 March 1866 Rikard Nordraak, who along with Edvard Grieg (22) provided the vanguard of Norwegian composition, dies in Berlin.
After a series of concerts in Lima, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (36) boards ship for Arica, Peru (now Chile), where he will give several performances in northern Chile and southern Peru.
23 March 1866 The first national athletics championships are held, at Beaufort House, Welham Green, London.
24 March 1866 Hesse-Homburg is annexed to the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
27 March 1866 The jury seeking an authentic Czech opera awards first prize (the Harrach Prize) to Bedrich Smetana (42) for The Brandenburgers in Bohemia.
29 March 1866 Oliver Fisher Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Connecticut receives a US patent for his first model repeating rifle.
30 March 1866 Richard Wagner (52), Cosima von Bülow, and her daughter Daniela arrive in Lucerne looking for a place for him to settle. During this stay, while boating on Lake Lucerne, they will see Tribschen and decide on the spot to obtain it.
31 March 1866 Unable to make any headway in their war against Chile, Spanish ships bombard Valparaiso for four hours, sending 2,600 shells into the city. After a battle at Callao, the Spaniards retire for home.
1 April 1866 Ferruccio Dante Michelangelo Benvenuto Busoni is born in Empoli, near Florence, the only child of Ferdinando Busoni, a clarinetist and Anna Weiss, a pianist, the daughter of a grain merchant. Though the parents live in Rome, Ferdinando brings his wife to his sister’s house for the birth so that it might take place in his family’s ancestral home town.
For the first time, cattle are driven out of De Witt County, Texas to St. Joseph, Missouri. The route taken is named after the drive boss, Thomas Chisholm. Over the next 30 years, 10,000,000 animals will be brought from Texas to market in this way.
3 April 1866 In the church of Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, Franz Liszt (54) hears improvisations by the church’s organist, César Franck (43) and is very impressed.
6 April 1866 In Rome, Edvard Grieg (22) receives the news of the death of Rikard Nordraak, “the saddest news that could strike me.” He marks the date with a black cross in his diary and composes a funeral march.
8 April 1866 A secret alliance between Prussia and Italy is signed in Florence. Prussia promises Venetia to Italy in the event of a Prussian victory over Austria.
9 April 1866 To pacify German radicals, Prussian Chancellor Bismarck proposes a German parliament elected by universal suffrage.
Edvard Grieg (22) and a Swedish friend leave Rome for a week-long trip to the region of Naples.
The United States grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States except Native Americans.
10 April 1866 Through the efforts of Henry Bergh, the legislature of the State of New York incorporates The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Lindes Rauschen in Wipfeln op.3/6, a song by Johannes Brahms (32) to words of Eichendorff, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
13 April 1866 At a performance organized by Franz Liszt (54) in the Church of Ste.-Clotilde, Paris, the church’s regular organist, César Franck (43) gives a recital of his own music. Liszt, the audience, and the press are highly congratulatory.
15 April 1866 Richard Wagner (52) moves to Tribschen, a house obtained for him by King Ludwig overlooking the Vierwald Stättersee near Lucerne. Cosima von Bülow will join him in May and by the time her husband Hans arrives in June, she will be carrying Wagner’s second child.
16 April 1866 While walking in the Winter Garden, Tsar Alyeksandr II is fired upon by a member of the lesser nobility named Dmitry Vladimirovich Karakozov. The assassin is almost successful.
17 April 1866 The day after an attempt on the life of the Tsar, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) attends a performance of Glinka’s (†9) A Life for the Tsar at the Bolshoy which, because of the circumstances, has turned into a patriotic event. While he is engrossed in the score, patrons around him become enraged that he should be interested in the music at such a time. Tchaikovsky is forced to flee the theatre in fear of his life.
19 April 1866 After a stay of five months, Edvard Grieg (22) departs Rome for Leipzig.
The legislature of the State of New York passes its first laws against cruelty to animals and authorizes the newly incorporated ASPCA to enforce them.
21 April 1866 Prussia and Austria agree to stand down their armies on their common border.
26 April 1866 Edvard Grieg (22) arrives back in Leipzig after his trip to Italy and Switzerland.
27 April 1866 Fearful of a Prussian-Italian alliance against them, Austria mobilizes its troops in Bohemia and Moravia.
Suite for cello and piano op.16 by Camille Saint-Saëns (30) is performed for the first time, at the Salle Pleyel, Paris.
29 April 1866 After three concerts of his music in Amsterdam over the last three days, Franz Liszt (54) is received by Queen Sophie of the Netherlands in The Hague.
30 April 1866 Race riots erupt in Memphis, Tennessee over the next three days. 46 blacks are killed, 80 blacks and one white are injured. Black veterans are singled out as targets.
2 May 1866 Paraguayans surprise Brazilians and Uruguayans at Estero Bellaco, Paraguay. After initial gains and causing severe casualties, the attackers are forced to withdraw.
3 May 1866 Prussian forces mobilize against Austria.
Edvard Grieg (22) reaches Berlin from Leipzig. While in the city he buys a copy of Berlioz’ (62) book on orchestration. While in the music store he asks for his own Humoresques but is told that the composer has so many friends in Berlin that they are sold out.
7 May 1866 Ferdinand Cohen-Blind attempts to kill Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck-Schönhausen in Berlin. Bismarck is saved by a bulletproof vest.
8 May 1866 In order to create the appearance of respectability, Richard Wagner (52) invites the entire von Bülow family to his home, Tribschen, on Lake Lucerne. Cosima arrives today. By the time Hans arrives in mid-June, she will be pregnant with Wagner’s second child.
10 May 1866 King Ludwig of Bavaria agrees to mobilize his army against Prussia.
Karl, Prince of Hohenzollern is elected ruler of Romania.
Edvard Grieg (22) returns to Copenhagen from his sojourn in Italy and Germany.
11 May 1866 The London financial house of Overend and Gurney crashes, leading to disorder, panic and unemployment.
After traveling incognito through Austria, Prince Karl Hohenzollern arrives in Romania to take the throne.
13 May 1866 Morning op.74, a cantata for male chorus and orchestra by Anton Rubinstein (36) to words of Polonsky, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
15 May 1866 King Ludwig II telegraphs Richard Wagner (52) announcing his desire to abdicate his throne and join the composer in Tribschen.
17 May 1866 09:00 Eric Alfred Leslie Satie is born in Honfleur, eldest of four children born to Jules-Alfred Satie, a ship broker and Jane Leslie Anton.
19 May 1866 Several smaller German states call for a demobilization within the German confederation.
22 May 1866 King Ludwig escapes incognito into Switzerland to be with Richard Wagner on his 53rd birthday. He arrives at Tribschen and stays two days.
Karl, son of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, becomes Prince Carol I of Romania.
24 May 1866 King Ludwig returns to Munich.
Lascar Catargiu replaces Nicolae Cretulescu as Prime Minister of Romania.
Paraguayans attack an allied force at Tuyutí before it can be reinforced. The attackers suffer greater casualties and are forced to retire, but the invasion of Paraguay is stopped.
26 May 1866 Cox and Box, or The Long-Lost Brothers, an operetta by Arthur Sullivan (24) to words of Burnand after Morton, is performed for the first time in the home of London businessman Arthur Lewis, privately with piano accompaniment. See 11 May 1867.
27 May 1866 Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz I grants rights of primogeniture to Ismail, Khedive of Egypt.
Leaders on Crete meet at Omalos and agree to petition the Sultan to stop taxing them and other measures they claim are in violation of the 1858 reforms. They send copies to the three protecting powers (France-Great Britain-Russia) that they want autonomy.
30 May 1866 The Bartered Bride, a comic opera by Bedrich Smetana (42) to words of Sabina, is performed for the first time, in the Prague Provisional Theatre conducted by the composer. See 29 January 1869, 1 June 1869, and 25 September 1870.
31 May 1866 Louis Moreau Gottschalk (37) gives his first concert in Santiago de Chile.
1 June 1866 Austria openly abrogates the Gastein treaty of last August and brings its Schleswig-Holstein dispute before the German diet in Frankfurt.
Julius Philipp Jacob Adriaan, Count van Zuylen van Nijevelt and Jan Heemskerk replace Isaac Dignus Fransen van de Putte as chief ministers of the Netherlands.
French troops are withdrawn from the countryside to Mexico City.
800 Feinians land at Fort Erie, Ontario from New York.
2 June 1866 Feinians battle British troops at Ridgeway, Ontario. The British flee and the Fenians go on to take Fort Erie but then withdraw. Returning to Buffalo they are intercepted by a US Navy warship and are arrested.
3 June 1866 At a concert in Santiago de Chile, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (37) introduces his L’Alianza dedicated to the alliance of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador against Spain, and the friendship of those four countries with the United States.
5 June 1866 French naval officers Ernest-Marc-Louis Doudart de Lagrée and Marie-Joseph-François Garnier depart Saigon at the head of an expedition up the Mekong River. They will be the first Europeans to enter Yunan Province, China from the south.
Mütercim Mehmed Rüstü Pasha replaces Keçecizade Mehmed Fuad Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
8 June 1866 Prussia annexes Holstein as Prussian troops march into the Austrian-held province.
9 June 1866 Austria secretly promises Venetia to France in return for French neutrality in the war against Prussia.
10 June 1866 The ambassador of Austria in Berlin demands his passports. The Austrian minister in Frankfurt orders the mobilization of German federal troops against Prussia.
Hans von Bülow arrives at Tribschen to perhaps bring the “situation” with Richard Wagner (53) into the open. No one is sure exactly what transpires. The von Bülows remain at Tribschen into September. Cosima is carrying Wagner’s second child.
11 June 1866 Austria calls for military action by the German Confederation against Prussia.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria releases a statement to the press (it was written by Richard Wagner), attesting to the virtue of Cosima von Bülow and vowing to investigate all those who cast public doubt on Hans von Bülow, his wife, and Richard Wagner (53).
12 June 1866 Diplomatic relations between Prussia and Austria are severed.
14 June 1866 The German Federal Diet votes to militarily oppose the Prussian intervention in Holstein. The Prussian delegates walk out.
15 June 1866 Mexicans defeat a French and imperial force near Santa Gertrudis, inflicting heavy casualties. Survivors begin retreating to Monterrey.
16 June 1866 Prussia invades Saxony, Hannover, and Hesse.
17 June 1866 Emperor Franz Joseph II of Austria declares war on Prussia.
Bettino Ricasoli, Count Brolio replaces Alfonso Ferrero, marchese di La Marmora as Prime Minister of Italy.
18 June 1866 Prussian troops reach Dresden.
19 June 1866 Prussia annexes Friedberg in der Wetterau.
Prussian forces reach the summer palace of the King of Saxony at Pirna.
20 June 1866 Under its treaty of alliance with Prussia, Italy declares war on Austria.
21 June 1866 Prussia declares war on Austria.
Demetrios Georgios Voulgaris replaces Benizelos Athanasiou Rouphos as prime minister of Greece.
22 June 1866 The Swedish constitution is altered to create a two-chamber parliament.
Spanish artillery sergeants, partly unhappy about exclusion of non-aristocrats in the officer corps, and loosely tied to the progressive Juan Prim, rise up and kill their officers in Madrid. The rebellion will be crushed.
Quintet for piano and strings op.34 by Johannes Brahms (33) is performed for the first time, in Leipzig.
23 June 1866 The Italian army crosses the Mincio into Austrian territory.
Prussian forces invade Bohemia in two places.
24 June 1866 Austrian forces defeat the Italians at Custoza west of Verona. Although Austria loses more casualties, the Italians retreat. The Austrians do not pursue.
26 June 1866 Prussians defeat Austrians in furious street fighting over the Iser (Jizera) crossings in Podol.
27 June 1866 Prussian troops attack well-entrenched Hannoverians at Langensalza in Thuringia. The attack is repulsed and a Hannoverian counterattack sends the Prussians into retreat towards Gotha.
Austrian forces attack Prussians on the high ground at Vysokov near Skalice. In a confused and bloody encounter, they manage to achieve some objectives but are ultimately beaten back and defeated by the Prussians.
At about the same time, Austrian units attack Prussians near Trautenau (Trutnov). After initial Prussian successes in the morning, a larger Austrian force resumes the attack in the afternoon. They clear the high ground of Prussians, who retreat and leave the Austrians in possession of the field. But the Austrians are forced to withdraw for tactical reasons and leave casualties at a rate four times that of the Prussians.
28 June 1866 The main Prussian army arrives at Langensalza and forces the Hannoverians to retreat to the east.
Prussian forces defeat Austrians and Saxons at Münchengrätz (Mnichovo Hradiste), 60 km northeast of Prague, but the main Austrian army escapes. Meanwhile, Prussians defeat the Austrians at Burkersdorf and Rudersdorf (Rubinovice), south of Trautenau (Trutnov).
In a furious engagement near the same ground as Vysokov yesterday, Prussians send Austrians into retreat at Skalice, leaving thousands of casualties.
Following the defeat of 15 June, the besieged imperial garrison of Matamoros is withdrawn.
29 June 1866 King Georg V of Hannover surrenders his army to the Prussians at Nordhausen in northern Thuringia.
Prussians attack numerically superior Austrians and Saxons at Gitschen (Jicin), 75 km northeast of Prague. Despite some successes the defenders are forced to withdraw in disorder.
30 June 1866 The Great Eastern begins a second crossing of the Atlantic in an attempt to lay a transatlantic cable. They sail from England. The European terminus will be Foilhummerum Bay.
1 July 1866 The Austrian army crosses the Mincio into Italian territory, but only to forage.
The main Austrian army in Bohemia retreats to positions around Königgrätz (Hradec Králové).
3 July 1866 In the presence of King Wilhelm and Chancellor Bismarck, the Prussian army crosses the Bystrice in force at Sádová, near Königgrätz (Hradec Králové), 100 km east of Prague and engages the main Austrian army. After about nine hours of battle, the Austrians take to their heels and flee towards Königgrätz, many unaccompanied by their weapons. Hundreds drown attempting to cross the Elbe in panic. Thousands more will die of exhaustion and exposure. In spite of the extremely favorable situation, the Prussians do not finish off the Austrian army. 33,000 people die in the battle.
Upon hearing the news from Sádová, Bedrich Smetana (42) flees Prague, fearing persecution from the Prussians.
4 July 1866 Fire destroys one-third of the city of Portland, Maine. Two people are killed, 1,500 buildings are destroyed and 10,000 people are made homeless.
5 July 1866 In hopes of gaining an ally against Prussia, Austria fulfills its promise of 9 June and cedes Venetia to France.
The Prussian army sets off in pursuit of the Austrians, presently retreating southeast towards Olmütz (Olomouc).
In Genoa, Giuseppe Verdi (52) learns that Venetia has been given by Austria to France and not Italy. He is so upset that he stops composing Don Carlos. “I am ill in a thousand ways.”
6 July 1866 Edward Geoffrey Stanley, Earl of Derby replaces John Russell, Earl Russell as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
8 July 1866 Empress Carlotta of Mexico departs the capital to travel to Paris. She will implore Napoléon III not to withdraw his troops.
10 July 1866 Prussian forces defeat Bavarians at Kissingen.
Ramón María Narváez y Campos, duque de Valencia replaces Leopoldo O’Donnell Joris, duque de Tetuán as Prime Minister of Spain.
11 July 1866 Arthur Sullivan (24) conducts an orchestral concert in St. James’ Hall of music written mostly by himself. His mentor from Leipzig, Ignaz Moscheles, is present and in his honor, Sullivan programs Moscheles’ Recollections of Ireland for piano and orchestra. The concert is a triumph and helps to establish Sullivan as composer and conductor.
12 July 1866 The entry of Prussian troops into Brünn (Brno) is witnessed by a choirboy named Leos Janácek (12).
16 July 1866 Prince Ion Ghica replaces Lascar Catargiu as Prime Minister of Romania.
18 July 1866 After playing the organ at the Harvard University commencement in the morning, John Knowles Paine (27) boards the steamer Cuba making for Liverpool.
A Prussian administration takes over in the Free City of Frankfurt (Main).
20 July 1866 In the first major engagement fought by ironclad ships, Austrian naval forces destroy the Italian fleet off the island of Lissa (Vis, Croatia).
22 July 1866 Emperor Franz Joseph II of Austria decides to capitulate to Prussia.
23 July 1866 Demonstrations by the Reform League in favor of enfranchising the working class take place in London. Crowds break down Hyde Park railings.
24 July 1866 Tennessee is restored to the union.
26 July 1866 An armistice between Austria and Prussia is agreed to at the country estate of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Mensdorff at Nikolsburg, Moravia (Mikulov, Czech Republic).
Italian forces capture Udine, 100 km northeast of Venice.
John Knowles Paine (27) arrives in Liverpool from Boston and goes immediately to London.
27 July 1866 Karl Mathy replaces Anton von Stabel as Prime Minister of Baden.
The Great Eastern reaches Heart’s Content, Newfoundland with the transatlantic cable. It works as planned and messages are easily sent across the ocean.
28 July 1866 The constitution of Denmark is amended to limit suffrage and enhance the power of the monarch and the Upper House.
30 July 1866 Italy accepts a three-day cease-fire with Austria.
Whites riot against blacks in New Orleans. 38 people die, 200 are injured before federal troops intervene.
2 August 1866 Italy agrees to extend the cease-fire of 2 August until 10 August.
3 August 1866 A Cretan “national assembly” tells the diplomats of the protecting powers (France-Great Britain-Russia) that they plan to defend themselves against 14,000 troops sent by the Sultan to subdue them.
4 August 1866 Cantique de Jean Racine for chorus and organ by Gabriel Fauré (21) is performed for the first time, at the blessing of the organ in the Church of St. Sauveur, Rennes. The premiered is played on harmonium and string quintet. See 28 January 1906.
6 August 1866 Vancouver Island is annexed to the Crown Colony of British Columbia.
7 August 1866 The British Sanitary Act of 1866 receives royal assent. It gives local authorities power to enforce sanitation laws and the responsibility to see they are adhered to.
10 August 1866 In a treaty between Bolivia and Chile, Bolivian land between the Andes and the Pacific is ceded to Chile.
11 August 1866 Despite a personal appeal from Empress Carlotta of Mexico, Emperor Napoléon III announces that all French troops will be withdrawn from Mexico.
12 August 1866 A four-week armistice is agreed to by Austrian and Italian negotiators at Cormons, between Udine and Gorizia.
13 August 1866 A peace agreement is signed between Prussia and Württemberg at Berlin, including a secret alliance against France.
16 August 1866 Anton Bruckner (41) writes to Josefine Lang, a 17-year-old daughter of a butcher, proposing marriage. She will refuse.
17 August 1866 A peace agreement is signed between Prussia and Baden at Berlin.
21 August 1866 Tändelei, op.310, a polka mazur by Johann Strauss (40), is performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.
22 August 1866 A peace agreement is signed between Prussia and Bavaria, including a secret alliance against France.
23 August 1866 By the Peace of Prague, the Seven Weeks War is over. Austria is forced out of Schleswig and Holstein and all German affairs. Prussia is given leave to annex Hannover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau and Frankfurt, unifying Prussian territory. Austria recognizes the North German Confederation. The Austrian cession of Venetia to France is affirmed. It marks the end of the German Confederation and the effective end of Austrian dominance in Germany to be replaced by Prussia.
27 August 1866 Monte Christo, a ballet by Stanislaw Moniuszko (47) to a story after Dumas, is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
29 August 1866 Three months after his birth, Eric Satie is baptized at the Anglican Church of Honfleur, at the insistence of his Scottish mother.
2 September 1866 Crete revolts against Turkey and proclaims union with Greece.
Six weeks after successfully laying a transatlantic cable, the Great Eastern retrieves and repairs the cable which broke last year. Now two cables are in operation.
3 September 1866 The Prussian Parliament, quite unconstitutionally, grants Chancellor Bismarck an indemnity to collect taxes. This marks the effective end of Prussian liberalism.
The Grand Duchy of Hesse transfers Mainz, Worms and Hesse-Homburg to Prussia.
Brazilians overrun Paraguayan positions at Curuzú, Paraguay.
10 September 1866 Edward Elgar (9) attends the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester for the first time.
12 September 1866 A theatrical monstrosity named The Black Crook opens at Niblo’s Garden, New York City. It is seen as the grandparent of the twentieth century Broadway musical.
13 September 1866 The Moscow Conservatory officially opens with celebrations. At the end of the dinner, faculty member Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) plays a piano reduction of the overture to Ruslan and Lyudmilla of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (†9).
15 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) is elected conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague.
20 September 1866 Pursuant to the Peace of Prague, Prussia annexes Hannover, Nassau and Hesse-Kassel.
As a Prussian condition of peace with Austria, Georg II replaces his anti-Prussian father, Bernhard II as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
22 September 1866 Allied forces assault Curupayti, Paraguay but are repulsed with heavy casualties. They retreat to Curuzú.
26 September 1866 An advertisement appears in today’s issue of the Christiania Morgenbladet announcing that Edvard Grieg (23) will be available in the city for piano students beginning in mid-October.
27 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) takes up duties as conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague.
28 September 1866 Bedrich Smetana (42) makes his debut as conductor of the Provisional Theatre, Prague, with a performance of Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber (†40).
1 October 1867 Hesse-Homburg is incorporated into Prussia.
3 October 1866 By the Treaty of Vienna, war between Austria and Italy is ended. Austria loses some territory and accepts the transfer of Venetia to Italy by France.
Mexican forces defeat French and imperial troops at Miahuatlán, Oaxaca.
8 October 1866 Prussia annexes the Free City of Frankfurt-am-Main.
In Avon, near Fontainebleau, Jules Massenet (24) marries Louise Constance de Gressy, sister of an artist, cousin of a mathematician and piano student of Franz Liszt (54) who introduced them.
10 October 1866 Edvard Grieg takes up residence in Christiania (Oslo).
15 October 1866 In Christiania (Oslo), a newly arrived Edvard Grieg (23) introduces himself and his music to the city in a concert where he performs his music with Nina Hagerup and Wilhelmine Norman Neruda. It is very successful.
A great fire in Quebec City destroys 2,500 buildings.
16 October 1866 Dmitry Vladimirovich Karakozov, would-be assassin of Tsar Alyeksandr II of 16 April, is hanged. During the investigation, the government uncovered no great conspiracy but they are astonished to find how many members of Karakozov’s class, the lesser nobility, desire the overthrow of the monarchy.
18 October 1866 Mexican troops defeat a joint Austrian/imperial force at La Carbonera, near Oaxaca City. They chase the defeated for 20 km.
20 October 1866 The French/imperial garrison in Oaxaca City surrenders to the Mexicans.
21 October 1866 A peace agreement is signed between Prussia and Saxony.
A plebiscite in Venetia votes for unification with Italy.
The United States recognizes the government of Benito Juárez as the sole legitimate government of Mexico.
Emperor Maximilian meets with the French envoy General François de Castelnau at Orizaba. The General attempts to persuade Maximilian to give up and return to Europe.
24 October 1866 Turks defeat Cretans at Vafe, near Sfakia.
29 October 1866 Prince Michael of Serbia demands that the Ottoman Empire give up the Danube fortresses.
30 October 1866 In memoriam, an overture by Arthur Sullivan (24), is performed for the first time, in Norwich. It is in memory of his father, who died five weeks ago.
31 October 1866 La vie parisiènne, an opéra-bouffe by Jacques Offenbach (47) to words of Meilhac and Halevy, is performed for the first time, at the Palais-Royal, Paris. It is a resounding triumph.
Steinway Hall opens in New York. It will be a center of the city’s music scene until it closes in 1890.
4 November 1866 By the Treaty of Vienna of 3 October and the plebiscite of 21 October, Venice and the Venetia become part of the Kingdom of Italy.
11 November 1866 Troops sent by President Juárez to subdue mutineers arrive at Matamoros.
12 November 1866 Mexicans occupy Mazatlán, abandoned by the French.
17 November 1866 Mignon, an opéra comique by Ambroise Thomas (55) to words of Barbier and Carré after Goethe, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.
18 November 1866 Express-Polka schnell op.311, the waltz Feen-Märchen op. 312, and the polka française Wildfeuer op.313 by Johann Strauss (41) are performed for the first time, in the Volksgarten, Vienna.
20 November 1866 Sextet for Strings no.2 op.36 by Johannes Brahms (33) is performed for the first time, in Zürich.
22 November 1866 Franz Liszt (55) moves into the Santa Francesca Romana in Rome, where he will live until 1871.
23 November 1866 The Waltzes op.39 for piano four hands by Johannes Brahms (33) are performed for the first time, in Oldenburg, by Clara Schumann (47) and Albert Dietrich. See 17 March 1867 and 15 November 1868.
US forces cross the Rio Grande on the pretext of safeguarding foreign interests and enter Matamoros.
24 November 1866 A Concerto for cello and orchestra by Arthur Sullivan (24) is performed for the first time, in the Crystal Palace, London.
27 November 1866 Loyal troops assault the mutinous garrison of Matamoros but are repulsed. US forces remain neutral. They surround the block which contains the US consulate.
30 November 1866 The two battling Mexican factions join forces to expel the US invaders in Matamoros.
1 December 1866 US forces retreat from Matamoros back across the Rio Grande.
After the pleadings of Mexican conservatives, Emperor Maximilian agrees to stay on the throne.
7 December 1866 The last of the French occupation forces depart Rome.
8 December 1866 O Lord, Thou hast cast us out, a cantata by Hubert Parry (18) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, at Eton College. The work is in partial fulfillment of the B.Mus. degree.
11 December 1866 Oft in the stilly night, a madrigal by Hubert Parry (18) to words of Moore, is performed for the first time, at Eton College.
12 December 1866 In the Christiania (Oslo) Morgenbladet, Norwegian composers Edvard Grieg (23) and Otto Winter-Hjelm lay out their plans for a music academy in the city. It will include a music school and training for teachers.
13 December 1866 Modest Musorgsky (27) is promoted to the rank of Titular Councilor at the Russian Ministry of Communication.
14 December 1866 Hubert Parry (18) leaves Eton College after having achieved the B.Mus. degree. He will apply to Exeter College, Oxford.
16 December 1866 Hector Berlioz (63) conducts his La damnation de Faust in Vienna. Despite his failing health and declining powers as a conductor, the concert is a wild success.
20 December 1866 Student Life, one of the Four Songs for Male Voices by Edvard Grieg (23) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.
21 December 1866 Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Sioux battle United States troops in Sheridan County, Wyoming. 200 Indians are killed or wounded. 81 soldiers are killed.
22 December 1866 The scherzo of Symphony no.1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 15 February 1868.
23 December 1866 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (22) Overture on Three Russian Themes is performed for the first time, at the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg.
24 December 1866 Pursuant to the Peace of Prague, Schleswig and Holstein are incorporated into Prussia.
30 December 1866 Alexandros Koumoundouros replaces Demetrios Georgios Voulgaris as Prime Minister of Greece.
31 December 1866 Chlodwig, Prince von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst replaces Karl Ludwig Heinrich, Baron von der Pfordten as President of the Council of Ministers of Bavaria.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
12 July 2012
Last Updated (Thursday, 12 July 2012 04:55)