1898
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1 January 1898 The second inquest into Major Esterhazy concludes that there is not enough evidence for a court martial. However, General Saussier, the military governor of Paris, calls for one in order to clear Esterhazy’s name.
The boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan are joined to form greater New York.
Cuba is granted limited autonomy by Spain.
7 January 1898 Sadko, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (53) to words of Belsky, Stasov, Yastrebtsev, Shtrup, Findeyzen, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
Raymonda, a ballet by Alyeksandr Glazunov (32), is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
La mort de Tintagiles op.6 for two violas d’amore and orchestra by Charles Martin Loeffler (36) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston. The composer plays one solo part.
11 January 1898 After a two day secret court martial, Major Esterhazy is acquitted of forging documents in the Dreyfus case. The whistle blower in French Intelligence, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, is indicted for revealing secret documents to civilians and is placed under arrest.
12 January 1898 Marquis Hirobumi Ito replaces Prince Masayoshi Matsukata as Prime Minister of Japan.
Spanish conservatives riot in Havana to oppose the liberal reforms of Prime Minister Sagasta. The US consul-general tells his government that he needs protection.
13 January 1898 “J’accuse!”, an open letter to the President of the French Republic by Emile Zola, is printed in L’Aurore. Zola accuses an official whitewash in the Dreyfus affair. The French Chamber of Deputies votes to bring Zola to trial.
Lidové noviny informs its readers that a committee has been established in Brno to organize a Czech orchestra which will feature Czech composers. It is to be led by Leos Janácek (43).
15 January 1898 The Governor General of Cuba, Ramón Blanco y Ereñas, marqués de Peña Plata, places a guard around the US consulate in Havana to protect it from nationalists.
21 January 1898 The three handwriting experts who exonerated Major Esterhazy and were named in the letter “J’accuse” bring suit against Emile Zola for libel.
22 January 1898 The third session of the Australasian Federal Convention opens in Melbourne to complete the proposed national constitution.
Andante op.75 for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré (52) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris.
24 January 1898 After a slight remission in his mental collapse, Hugo Wolf (37) is discharged from the asylum of Dr. Wilhelm Svetlin in Vienna.
Worried that the situation in Cuba might get out of hand, the US sends the USS Maine to Havana to safeguard US interests.
Göttin der Vernunft op.476, a quadrille by Johann Strauss (72), is performed for the first time, in the Sophiensaal, Vienna.
25 January 1898 USS Maine arrives in Havana, ordered to protect US interests.
26 January 1898 A new Russian circle holds its first meeting in Brno. Among those chosen for the committee is Leos Janácek (43).
27 January 1898 Song for the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám op.40 for solo voice and piano or orchestra by Arthur Foote (44) is performed for the first time, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the accompaniment of a piano.
28 January 1898 Maurice Ravel (22) enters the composition class of Gabriel Fauré (52).
31 January 1898 With a multi-national crew including Roald Amundsen and Frederick Cook, men from the Belgica, commanded by Adrien De Gerlache, make the first encampment on Antarctica. On the same day, the first sledge journey formally begins the exploration of the continent.
Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) and his new wife Vera, give a joint all-Skryabin recital in the Salle Erard, Paris. Included on the program is the premiere of the Polonaise in b flat minor op.21 and the Impromptu op.12/2.
Piano Quintet op.38 by Arthur Foote (44) is performed for the first time, in Boston, the composer at the keyboard.
1 February 1898 During the run of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (53) opera Sadko, the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, burns to the ground.
The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut issues the first automobile insurance policy. It was bought by Dr. Truman J. Martin of Buffalo, New York.
3 February 1898 Three works by Carl Nielsen (32) are performed for the first time, in Copenhagen: String Quartet no.1, Six Songs op.10 to words of Holstein, and Humoresque-Bagatelles op.11 for piano.
5 February 1898 Two Brown Eyes, a song for voice and piano by Gustav Holst (23), is performed for the first time, in Hammersmith, London.
7 February 1898 The trial of Emile Zola begins at the Palace of Justice, Paris.
United States forces occupy San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
8 February 1898 United States forces end their occupation of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
9 February 1898 The New York Journal publishes a letter from Spanish minister to the United States Enrico Dupuy de Lome which criticizes US President William McKinley. The minister resigned yesterday.
12 February 1898 Johannes Wilhelm Christian Steen replaces Francis Hagerup as Prime Minister of Norway.
The Princess op.68, a cycle for vocal quartet and piano by Charles Villiers Stanford (45) to words of Tennyson, is performed for the first time, at the Northern Polytechnic Institute in London.
LeRoy Ellsworth (Roy) Harris is born in a log cabin near Chandler, Oklahoma, the third of five children born to Elmer Ellsworth Harris and Laura Broddle. Only three of the five children survive infancy.
15 February 1898 The battleship USS Maine blows up in Havana harbor. 266 people are killed.
19 February 1898 At a rehearsal for the Vienna premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s (40) La bohème, the composer, and conductor Gustav Mahler (37) battle in front of musicians and cast about the inclusion of the singer Ernest Van Dyck. Receiving no satisfaction, Leoncavallo withdraws but later sends a letter to the hall threatening to withdraw his work if Van Dyck is not included. Mahler does not give in. Leoncavallo takes his cause to the press.
20 February 1898 US President McKinley creates a board of inquiry to discover the cause of the destruction of USS Maine.
23 February 1898 Emile Zola is convicted of libel for his open letter “J’acccuse”. He is given the maximum sentence, one year in jail and a fine of 3,000 francs. During the trial, certain facts go on the public record which will allow for a retrial of Alfred Dreyfus.
23 February 1898 The Austrian premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s La bohème takes place in Vienna conducted by Gustav Mahler (37). Although there are demonstrations by supporters of the two men, the evening goes off without major incident and Leoncavallo pronounces himself pleased with the result.
24 February 1898 Incidental music to Paul’s play Kung Kristian II by Jean Sibelius (32) is performed for the first time, in the Swedish Theatre, Helsinki.
26 February 1898 Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, the whistle blower in French Intelligence in the Dreyfus affair, is dismissed from the French Army.
1 March 1898 Russian Marxists meet secretly in Minsk and found the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party.
Manuel de Ferraz de Campos Sales wins the second presidential election in Brazil
5 March 1898 Franz, Count Thun und Hohenstein replaces Paul, Baron Gautsch von Frankenthurn as Chancellor of Austria.
Sites auriculaires for two pianos by Maurice Ravel (22) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris. It is Ravel’s debut as a composer.
6 March 1898 China grants a lease of Kiaochow (Jiaozhou) to Germany for 99 years.
After visits to various resorts, Hugo Wolf (37) returns to a new home in the Mühlgasse, Vienna.
Spring Song for voice and piano by Leos Janácek (43) to words of Tichy is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).
8 March 1898 Don Quixote, a tone poem for cello and orchestra by Richard Strauss (33), is performed for the first time, in Cologne. The reaction of the audience is mixed. Critics think it too experimental.
9 March 1898 Granville Bantock (29) marries Helena von Schweitzer, daughter of a German aristocrat.
Hymne op.34/2 for chorus by Richard Strauss (33) to words of Rückert is performed in an open rehearsal in Cologne. See 18 April 1898.
11 March 1898 The US military begins to mobilize, without orders from President McKinley.
13 March 1898 Lemercier-Picard, who actually forged the letter of 31 October 1896, is found hanging in his hotel bedroom. How he got there is not known.
Soir de fète, a symphonic poem by Ernest Chausson (43), is performed for the first time, in Paris.
17 March 1898 The third session of the Australasian Federal Convention closes in Melbourne, having adopted a national constitution.
A String Quartet in D by Arnold Schoenberg (23) is performed for the first time, by the Tonkünstlerverein, privately, in Vienna. See 20 December 1898.
19 March 1898 Promenade galante op.5/1 for voice and piano or orchestra by Charles Koechlin (30) to words of Banville is performed for the first time, in Paris.
20 March 1898 The Wild Dove, a symphonic poem by Antonín Dvorák (56), is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno), conducted by Leos Janácek (43). On the same program, the epilogue to Amarus, a cantata by Leos Janácek to words of Vrchlicky, is performed for the first time. See 2 December 1900.
25 March 1898 Arnold Schoenberg (23) is baptized into the Protestant Dorotheer Community in Vienna.
26 March 1898 The Reichstag approves a major expansion of the German navy with the First Navy Bill introduced by Navy Minister Alfred von Tirpitz.
27 March 1898 China cedes Liaotung (Liaodong) Peninsula and Port Arthur (Lüshun) to Russia for 25 years and grants a concession for a South Manchurian Railway.
Pietro Mascagni (34) conducts a symphonic concert for the first time in an important house, at La Scala, Milan. His conducting ability is warmly received.
US President William McKinley demands that Spain institute an armistice with Cuban rebels.
28 March 1898 A Spanish board of inquiry blames an internal explosion for the destruction of the USS Maine.
An American board of inquiry into the destruction of the USS Maine presents its findings to Congress. It can not determine the cause of the explosion but does not believe that in originated inside the ship.
29 March 1898 The United States issues an ultimatum to Spain to leave Cuba.
Resolutions on war against Spain and recognizing Cuba’s independence are introduced in the US Congress.
31 March 1898 The government of Spain agrees to submit the USS Maine case to arbitration but demands that Cuban rebels ask for an armistice.
1 April 1898 Spain rejects the United States ultimatum of 29 March.
2 April 1898 The Court of Appeals overturns the 23 February verdict against Emile Zola. They order a new trial.
Quartet for piano and strings op.30 by Ernest Chausson (43) is performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris. The premiere is very successful.
Three Compositions for violin and piano op.40 by Amy Cheney Beach (30) are performed for the first time, in Boston.
3 April 1898 On the first anniversary of his death, the Johannes Brahms Monument Committee issues an appeal that a Brahms monument be built in Vienna.
4 April 1898 The New York Journal prints 1,000,000 copies of an issue devoted to war against Spain.
5 April 1898 US President McKinley recalls all American consuls from Cuba.
7 April 1898 Three of the Quattro pezzi sacri by Giuseppe Verdi (84) are performed for the first time, in Paris: Laudi alla Vergine Maria for female voices to words of Dante, Te Deum for double chorus and orchestra, and Stabat mater for chorus and orchestra. It is one of the few times that Verdi is not present for the premiere of one of his works. He has been ordered by his doctor to stay home.
8 April 1898 British and Egyptian forces rout Sudanese at the Atbara River.
At a musical evening in the home of Mily Balakirev (61), the host and Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov play through a two-piano version of his “new” symphony to several invited guests, including Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54), Vladimir Stassov, and Alyeksandr Glazunov (32). At the conclusion there is silence. Only with difficulty do the guests find anything positive to say, and Rimsky never does. See 23 April 1898.
9 April 1898 Spain informs the United States that it will declare an truce with Cuban revolutionaries, submit the Maine issue to international arbitration, and grant other US demands.
Richard Strauss (33) concludes a one-year contract with the Berlin opera to begin 1 November.
10 April 1898 Voting in presidential elections in Argentina returns Julio Roca to power.
11 April 1898 US President William McKinley asks Congress for the authority to use force in Cuba.
15 April 1898 Richard Strauss (33) signs a contract to conduct the Berlin Court Opera.
The Legend of St. Christopher op.43, a dramatic oratorio by Horatio Parker (34) to words of his mother, Isabella Parker, is performed for the first time, in New York.
16 April 1898 Sicilienne op.78 for cello and piano by Gabriel Fauré (52) is performed for the first time.
18 April 1898 Hymne op.34/2 for chorus by Richard Strauss (33) to words of Rückert is performed for the first time, in Cologne. See 9 March 1898.
Menuet antique for piano by Maurice Ravel (23) is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.
20 April 1898 Both houses of the US Congress approve a joint resolution demanding the independence of Cuba and authorizing force against Spain. Part of the resolution denies that the United States has any interest in controlling or occupying Cuba.
US President McKinley signs and forwards the joint resolution of Congress to Spain.
21 April 1898 The Spanish minister in Washington asks for his passport and the entire legation departs the city for Canada.
Spain responds to the ultimatum as a declaration of war. The United States minister in Madrid receives his passport.
22 April 1898 United States warships depart Key West to begin a blockade of Cuba. The first shots in the war are fired by USS Nashville as it captures the Spanish ship Buenaventura off Cuba.
23 April 1898 Symphony in C by Mily Balakirev (61) is performed for the first time, at the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg conducted by the composer. It is his last appearance as conductor.
24 April 1898 Spain declares war on the United States.
Festive Chorus for dedicating the banner of the St. Joseph’s Union, for male voices by Leos Janácek (43) to words of Stasny is performed for the first time, in Brünn (Brno).
25 April 1898 Russia and Japan agree to the independence of Korea and non-interference in its internal affairs.
The United States Congress recognizes the independence of Cuba and declares that war with Spain has existed since 21 April.
30 April 1898 Two works by Gabriel Fauré (52) are performed for the first time, by the Société National de Musique, Paris: Dolly op.56 for piano-four hands, and Arpège op.76/2 for voice and piano to words of Samain. See 6 December 1906 and 9 January 1913.
Chansons de Shakespeare for voice and piano by Ernest Chausson (43) to words translated by Boucher is performed for the first time.
1 May 1898 United States warships annihilate a Spanish squadron in Manila Bay, the Philippines. 167 people are killed, all of them Spanish. All of the Spanish ships are sunk.
2 May 1898 Der Abend op.34/1 for chorus by Richard Strauss (33) to words of Schiller is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
3 May 1898 Two Madrigals for chorus by Albert Roussel (29) are performed for the first time, in the Salle Pleyel, Paris conducted by the composer.
5 May 1898 The John Philip Sousa (43) band escorts Troop A of the Ohio National Guard as it departs Cleveland for the war against Spain.
7 May 1898 Edward Elgar (40) conducts the first concert of the Worcestershire Philharmonic. He will hold this post until 1904.
8 May 1898 Bread riots over the last five days in Milan are put down by the Italian military with hundreds killed.
12 May 1898 US warships bombard San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Spanish return fire. Not much damage is done.
13 May 1898 Thomas Edison files suit against American Mutoscope and Biograph Pictures for patent infringement on his Kinetograph movie camera.
14 May 1898 During a revival of Jules Massenet’s (56) La Navarraise at the Paris Opéra-Comique, when the Spanish soldiers enter carrying the Spanish flag, the crowd bursts into applause.
18 May 1898 Two new works by Camille Saint-Saëns (62) are performed for the first time, in Paris: Duo for two pianos op.8bis and Barcarolle op.108 for violin, cello, harmonium and piano, the composer at the harmonium.
19 May 1898 Emilio Aguinaldo arrives in Manila from exile in Hong Kong. The United States invites him to return in hopes that he will foment rebellion against the Spanish rulers of the islands.
22 May 1898 A second round of voting in the French national election leaves the Progressive Republicans with the most seats. Moderate leftists hold the majority of seats.
23 May 1898 Ernest Judet publishes “Zola père et fils” in his Petit Journal. It defames Emile Zola’s father.
24 May 1898 Emilio Aguinaldo institutes a dictatorial revolutionary government in the Philippines to deal with the chaos he found upon his return.
One day after Japanese troops evacuate Wei-hai-wei (Weihai), British troops move in to take over the lease agreed to by China.
Emile Zola sues Ernest Judet for libel.
12,000 US troops board ship in San Francisco and sail for the Philippines.
Fantasio, a phantastiche Komödie by Ethel Smyth (40) to words of Brewster and the composer after de Musset, is performed for the first time, in the Weimar Hoftheater.
27 May 1898 China grants 500 sq km on the shores of Kwangchow Bay to France.
28 May 1898 The Beauty Stone, a romantic musical drama by Arthur Sullivan (56) to words of Pinero and Carr is performed for the first time, in the Savoy Theatre, London. The critics are not impressed.
30 May 1898 Searching for an inert gas lighter than Argon, British chemists William Ramsay and Morris Travers instead discover one that is heavier, at University College, London. They call in Krypton.
31 May 1898 Klänge aus der Raimundzeit op.479, a fantaisie by Johann Strauss (72), is performed for the first time, in the Eutsches Volkstheater, Vienna.
1 June 1898 The first US ground troops arrive in the Philippines at Cavite.
Song of Welcome op.42 for chorus and orchestra by Amy Cheney Beach (30) is performed for the first time, in Omaha, Nebraska for the opening of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.
5 June 1898 Gustav Mahler (38) takes a leave of absence from the Vienna Opera to undergo surgery at the Rudolphinerhaus clinic in Döbling to address his frequent hemorrhoids.
7 June 1898 Caprice Héroïque for two pianos by Camille Saint-Saëns (62) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg before the Russian royal family.
9 June 1898 China grants Great Britain a 99-year lease over the New Territories in Hong Kong.
10 June 1898 United States Marines land at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and establish a beachhead.
12 June 1898 Emilio Aguinaldo proclaims the independence of the Philippines. A provisional government is formed.
Young Emperor Kuang-hsü (Guangxu) of China decrees the Hundred Days of Reform. Over the next three months, he will issue edicts designed to transform China into a constitutional monarchy.
13 June 1898 US troops begin landing in the Philippines.
British chemists William Ramsay and Morris Travers inform the Royal Society that they have discovered a new gas which they call Neon.
The Yukon District is separated from the Northwest Territories and made a separate territory.
14 June 1898 An agreement between Great Britain and France, signed in Paris, defines the borders and spheres of influence around the Niger River.
15 June 1898 United States troops repulse a Spanish attack on their beachhead at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The American Anti-Imperialist League is founded to oppose annexation of the Philippines. Among its members are Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, William James, and Samuel Gompers.
The annexation of Hawaii is approved by the US House of Representatives 209-91.
16 June 1898 Voting for the tenth Reichstag of the German Empire results in losses for the Conservative Party while the Center Party and the Social Democrats post gains.
US warships destroy the Spanish fort of Cayo Toro near Caimanera, Cuba.
17 June 1898 German ships arrive in Manila looking for concessions.
19 June 1898 The second version of The Jacobin, an opera by Antonín Dvorák (56) to words of Cervinkova-Riegrova, is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Prague.
A Giacomo Leopardi, a cantata for voice and orchestra by Pietro Mascagni (34) to words of Leopardi, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Persiani, Recanati, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birth.
20 June 1898 United States forces capture Guam from Spain without fighting.
21 June 1898 Incidental music to Maeterlinck’s (tr. by Mackail) play Pelléas et Mélisande by Gabriel Fauré (53) is performed for the first time, in the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, conducted by the composer. The music includes an orchestration of the Sicilienne op.78 for cello and piano. This production is very successful, both with the audience and critics. See 16 April 1898.
22 June 1898 United States forces land at Daiquiri, Cuba, 25 km from Santiago.
24 June 1898 United States forces defeat Spanish at Las Guásimas, Cuba.
26 June 1898 The first Bergen Music Festival opens in the Norwegian city. Edvard Grieg (55) has managed to convince the organizers to invite the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Their performances help to prove Grieg’s contention that a first class orchestra is necessary in Norway.
27 June 1898 Eugène Henri Brisson replaces Félix Jules Méline as Prime Minister of France.
28 June 1898 Auf’s Korn op.478, a Bundesschützen-Marsch for chorus and orchestra by Johann Strauss (72), is performed for the first time, in the Prater, Vienna.
29 June 1898 Luigi Pelloux replaces Antonio Di Rudini, Marquis of Starabba as Prime Minister of Italy.
700 students receive degrees at the commencement exercises at Yale University. Among them is Charles Ives (23).
30 June 1898 Shigenobu Okuma replaces Marquis Hirobumi Ito as Prime Minister of Japan.
1 July 1898 United States forces capture El Caney and San Juan Hill, Cuba. They also take Aquadores Fort at Santiago de Cuba. Both sides lose over 1,000 total casualties.
3 July 1898 As the Spanish fleet attempts to leave Santiago de Cuba it is destroyed by United States naval forces. 354 people are killed, one of them an American.
Canadian Joshua Slocum reaches Fairhaven, Massachusetts aboard his eleven-meter sloop Spray. He has become the first human to circumnavigate the globe alone. It took him three years, two months, and two days.
4 July 1898 The United States takes possession of Wake Island.
6 July 1898 The annexation of Hawaii is approved by the US Senate 42-21.
7 July 1898 French Minister of War Godefroy Cavaignac presents to the National Assembly documents he says proves the guilt of Alfred Dreyfus. Among them are the forged letter of 31 October 1896. For this he is denounced by socialist leader Jean Jaurès and former head of French Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart.
US President McKinley signs the resolution annexing Hawaii, arguing “we must have Hawaii to help us get our share of China.”
9 July 1898 In his retrial on libel charges, Emile Zola is convicted for a second time. He is given a suspended prison sentence of two weeks and ordered to pay 2,000 francs fine and 5,000 francs to each of the three handwriting experts he libeled.
10 July 1898 22 French soldiers along with 200 West African natives, after marching for two years from the French Congo, take possession of an old Egyptian fort at Fashoda on the Nile, nominally British territory.
12 July 1898 Working at University College, London, British chemists William Ramsay and Morris Travers find a new substance in liquid air. They call it Xenon. It is the third element discovered by the pair in less than two months.
13 July 1898 US Navy personnel occupy Grande Island in Subic Bay to prevent Germans taking it.
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (50) is knighted by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.
Former head of French Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart is arrested on charges brought by French Minister of War Godefroy Cavaignac that he divulged military documents to a civilian, his lawyer Louis Leblois.
14 July 1898 Richard Strauss (34) addresses a letter to 160 composers advocating a change in the Imperial German copyright laws in order to better protect composers. He will receive 119 positive responses.
17 July 1898 Spanish defenders of Santiago de Cuba surrender to United States forces.
18 July 1898 A paper written by Marie and Pierre Curie is read at the French Academy of Sciences. They inform the Academy that they have discovered a new substance which they call Polonium. They also use the word “radioactive” for the first time.
US warships bombard the harbor of Manzanillo, Cuba. They destroy six Spanish warships and damage three others.
19 July 1898 On the advice of his lawyers, Emile Zola flees France after his trial for libel.
25 July 1898 United States forces invade Puerto Rico at Guanica, 25 km west of Ponce. They capture the town.
26 July 1898 At the request of Spain, the government of France contacts United States authorities about a cessation of hostilities.
Emile Zola is suspended from the Legion of Honor.
28 July 1898 Two works by Gabriel Fauré (53) for flute and piano are performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire: Fantaisie op.79 and Morceau de lecture.
United States land and naval forces capture Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Spanish defenders run away. The American commander promises the inhabitants liberation from Spain. Local citizens respond happily.
30 July 1898 A counter-proposal for cease-fire is relayed from the United States to Spain through France.
31 July 1898 A Spanish counterattack at Malate, near Manila, is repulsed by United States troops.
2 August 1898 Spain accepts the counter-proposal of the United States for cease-fire with certain reservations.
3 August 1898 Ernest Judet and his Petit Journal are convicted of libeling Emile Zola.
A new landing of US troops on Puerto Rico occurs at Arroyo.
9 August 1898 United States troops defeat Spanish at Coamo, Puerto Rico.
The Spanish government accepts peace terms offered by the US.
10 August 1898 The Court of Appeals rejects the appeal of Emile Zola’s conviction and makes the sentence more harsh: one month in jail, a fine of 2,000 francs, and 10,000 francs to each of the three handwriting experts libeled.
12 August 1898 On the same day that United States forces complete their conquest of Puerto Rico, an armistice is concluded between Spain and the United States and signed in Washington.
US naval forces begin a bombardment of Manzanillo, Cuba, supported by Cuban insurgents on land.
Sovereignty over the Hawaiian Islands is officially transferred to the United States.
13 August 1898 United States and Philippine troops enter Manila.
An opponent of Alfred Dreyfus, Captain Cuignet, while perusing the Dreyfus file in French Intelligence, discovers that some of the documents have been forged, including the infamous letter of 31 October 1896. He accuses Lieutenant Colonel Hubert Joseph Henry of committing the forgery.
16 August 1898 Working from photographic plates taken last year by DeLisle Stewart in Peru, American astronomer William Henry Pickering discovers Phoebe, a moon of Saturn. It is the first time a satellite is discovered by photographs.
27 August 1898 Major Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy is dismissed from the French army for “habitual misconduct.”
28 August 1898 In his pharmacy in New Bern, North Carolina, Caleb Bradham invents the recipe for what he calls “Brad’s Drink.” It will one day be known as Pepsi Cola.
Incidental music to Gallet’s play Déjanire by Camille Saint-Saëns (62) is performed for the first time, in Béziers. It is very enthusiastically received.
29 August 1898 The Charlatan, an operetta by John Philip Sousa (43) to words of Klein, is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music, Montreal.
30 August 1898 French Chief of Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Hubert Joseph Henry admits to forging a document in the Dreyfus case and is imprisoned.
31 August 1898 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands reaches her 18th birthday and begins to rule in her own right.
French Chief of Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Hubert Joseph Henry, admitted forger of documents in the Dreyfus case, kills himself in prison by slashing his throat with a razor. Major Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy flees France to Belgium on his way to England.
2 September 1898 British and Egyptian troops under General Kitchener defeat the Mahdists at Omdurman. Over 15,000 are killed.
Great Britain and Germany agree not to interfere with or compete with each other in China.
3 September 1898 JB Marchand, leader of the French forces at Fashoda, signs a treaty with the local ruler which effectively establishes a French protectorate over the Upper Nile.
French Minister of War Godefroy Cavaignac resigns over revelations in the Dreyfus affair. Lucie Dreyfus petitions the Chamber of Deputies for a second time, asking for a retrial of her husband.
5 September 1898 General Émile Zurlinden, the military governor of Paris, is named French Minister of War.
6 September 1898 A Turkish mob attacks a small number of British troops at the customs house, hospital and army encampment at Candia (Heraklion), Crete. Turkish authorities, rather than keep order, carry out a massacre of about 1,000 Greeks. British warships open fire. 14 British are killed in the incident.
9 September 1898 Stephane Mallarmé dies at Valvins, near Fontainebleau, at the age of 56.
10 September 1898 Elizabeth, Empress of Austria, is stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist in Geneva. This will delay Gustav Mahler's (38) new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Vienna Hofoper for ten days.
12 September 1898 The joint US-Spain commission to oversee the Spanish military withdrawal in Cuba, meets in Havana.
13 September 1898 The Spanish Cortes ratifies the Protocol of Peace with the United States.
Two works for organ by Max Reger (25) are performed for the first time, in Wesel: Fantasy on Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott op.27 and Fantasy on Freu’ dich sehr, O meine Seele! op.30.
15 September 1898 The Congress of the First Philippine Republic meets in Barasoain Church in Malolos, province of Bulacan, to write a constitution.
A Song of Darkness and Light for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Hubert Parry (50) to words of Bridges is performed for the first time, in Gloucester.
17 September 1898 French Minister of War General Émile Zurlinden refuses a request for a retrial of Alfred Dreyfus and then resigns. However, he is placed in his former post, military governor of Paris.
Rêverie op.24 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54).
18 September 1898 Moslem residents of the Cretan town of Candia (Irakleion) kill the British vice-consul by burning down his house. They then proceed to kill every Christian they can find. Within two months, all Turkish troops will be withdrawn from Crete, at the insistence of the great powers.
19 September 1898 British forces pushing up the Nile from Omdurman reach Fashoda and are astounded to find it occupied by French troops. A standoff ensues while both sides request instructions from their capitals.
The Dowager Empress Tzu-hsi (Cixi) returns to the Forbidden City and places Emperor Kuang-hsü under arrest.
20 September 1898 General Zurlinden, the military governor of Paris, orders an inquiry into the whistle blower in the Dreyfus case, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart.
21 September 1898 The Dowager Empress Tzu-hsi (Cixi) seizes power in China, turning back the reforms of her predecessor.
23 September 1898 Hans Richter submits his resignation as director of the Vienna Philharmonic, officially because of medical reasons. The same day, the orchestra board asks Gustav Mahler (38) to take over. In fact, it has all been arranged in advance.
24 September 1898 The board of the Vienna Philharmonic formally names Gustav Mahler Conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts by acclamation.
26 September 1898 French Prime Minister Henri Brisson refers the Dreyfus case to the Court of Cassation, requesting a new trial.
One day after he completes the first uncut performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen in Vienna, a committee from the Vienna Philharmonic calls on Gustav Mahler (38) and offers him the directorship of their orchestra. He is pleasantly surprised, and accepts gladly.
Jacob Gershvin (George Gershwin) is born in Brooklyn, second of four children born to Russian immigrants Morris Gershvin (Moshe Gershovitz) presently a leather worker, and Rose Bruskin, daughter of a furrier.
30 September 1898 As a result of the letter of Richard Strauss (34) last 14 July, a conference takes place in Leipzig which creates the Genossenschaft deutscher Tonsetzter.
Sonata for violin and piano no.2 op.36a by Ferruccio Busoni (32) is performed for the first time, at the Musikinstitut, Helsinki.
1 October 1898 Spanish and United States commissioners meet for the first time in Paris to conclude a peace treaty.
4 October 1898 After attempting to drown himself in the Traunsee, Hugo Wolf (38) enters the Lower Austrian provincial asylum in Vienna, his care provided for by the Hugo Wolf Verein.
5 October 1898 Ernst Bloch (18) enters the orchestra of Eugene Ysaÿe in Brussels as a violinist. At today’s first rehearsal he is so nervous that he puts soap on his bow so that no one will hear the mistakes. Eventually, Bloch will become acquainted with many members of the Ysaÿe circle, including Claude Debussy (36), Camille Saint-Saëns (62) and Gabriel Fauré (53).
Caractacus, a cantata by Edward Elgar (41) to words of Acworth, is performed for the first time, in Leeds, conducted by the composer. The audience gives overwhelming support, the press is “polite” but mixed. Afterwards, Elgar first makes the acquaintance of Hubert Parry (50). Gabriel Fauré (53) and Charles Villiers Stanford (46) are also in the audience.
6 October 1898 Te Deum op.66 for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Charles Villiers Stanford (46) is performed for the first time, in Leeds.
7 October 1898 Maurische Rhapsodie for orchestra by Engelbert Humperdinck (44) is performed for the first time in Leeds, conducted by the composer.
8 October 1898 Arthur Sullivan (56) conducts the Leeds Festival for the last time.
11 October 1898 Since Emile Zola has fled France, his belongings are seized to pay his fine. At a public auction, the editor Eugène Fasquelle buys the first item, a desk, for 32,000 francs, the total amount of the fine. This closes the auction.
12 October 1898 When management tries to use scabs, striking United Mine Workers riot at Virden, Illinois. 13 people are killed, 25 wounded.
18 October 1898 Richard Strauss (34) conducts Fidelio, his last production as chief conductor of the Munich Opera. He is moving to Berlin.
25 October 1898 Anti-Semitic demonstrations take place in Paris.
28 October 1898 Danza aragonesa, the second of the Deux danses caractéristiques for piano by Enrique Granados (31), is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.
29 October 1898 Construction is completed on the Secession Building in Vienna, designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich.
31 October 1898 Charles Alexandre Dupuy, dit Charles-Dupuy replaces Eugène Henri Brisson as Prime Minister of France.
1 November 1898 Richard Strauss (34) enters duties as conductor of the Berlin Opera (first Kapellmeister to the Court of Prussia).
3 November 1898 General Kitchener orders French forces to withdraw from Fashoda.
Two movements of a Piano Quartet by Béla Bartók (17) are performed for the first time, in Pozsony.
4 November 1898 French forces evacuate Fashoda in the face of a British force before them.
5 November 1898 Richard Strauss (34) conducts for the first time at the Berlin Court Opera. It is Wagner’s (†15) Tristan und Isolde.
6 November 1898 Gustav Mahler (38) conducts his first performance with the Vienna Philharmonic, a program of Beethoven (†71) and Mozart (†106). At first lukewarm, the audience is very pleased by the end.
Jules Massenet (56) conducts an all-Massenet program at the Concerts Colonne in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.
8 November 1898 Prince Aritomo Yamagata replaces Shigenobu Okuma as Prime Minister of Japan.
Nicola Tesla receives a patent for a “method of and apparatus for controlling mechanism of moving vessels or vehicles.” It is the first remote control.
10 November 1898 Whites riot against blacks in Wilmington, North Carolina, burning down a black-owned newspaper and killing between 20 and 100 blacks.
12 November 1898 The Kunsttempel of the Secession is inaugurated in Vienna, along with the second exhibition of that artistic group.
Maria del Carmen, a zarzuela by Enrique Granados (31) to words of Feliu y Codina, is performed for the first time, in Teatro de Parish, Madrid. The music receives a good response, the words are panned. It is Granados’ first significant success.
14 November 1898 Edward Elgar’s (41) Festival March in C is performed for the first time, in the Crystal Palace.
The Prelude to Act I of Isaac Albéniz’ (38) unfinished opera Merlin is performed for the first time, in Barcelona, conducted by Vincent d’Indy (47).
15 November 1898 Manuel Ferraz de Campos Salles replaces Prudente José de Moraes Barrios as President of Brazil.
17 November 1898 Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? by Paul Gauguin is exhibited at the Galerie Ambroise Vollard, Paris. Gauguin painted it last year in Tahiti.
WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan (56) are called on the stage of the Savoy after a performance celebrating the 21st anniversary of The Sorcerer, their first full length collaboration. The two will never see each other again.
Fedora, an opera by Umberto Giordano (31) to words of Colautti after Sardou, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Lirico, Milan.
18 November 1898 The trial of Lieutenant Georges Picquart begins in Paris.
19 November 1898 The Anti-Imperialist League is founded in Boston to oppose US acquisition of overseas territories. Among their members are former Presidents Cleveland and Harrison.
Hymne an den Gesang for male chorus and orchestra op.21 by Max Reger (25) is performed for the first time, in Weiden, the composer conducting.
22 November 1898 Iris, a melodramma by Pietro Mascagni (34) to words of Illica, is performed for the first time, in Teatro Costanzi, Rome, the composer conducting before a glittering audience which includes Queen Margerita and many aristocrats, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Giacomo Puccini (39), Arrigo Boito (56), and Siegfried Wagner. It is a popular but not critical success. Puccini feels that Mascagni did the best he could with a poor libretto. The rehearsals were a shambles, with the original conductor, Edoardo Mascheroni, storming out and sending off an indignant letter to the press.
26 November 1898 Prince George of Greece is appointed high commissioner for Crete following a Turkish withdrawal.
27 November 1898 The instrumental version of Auf’s Korn op.478, a Bundesschützen-Marsch by Johann Strauss (72), is performed for the first time, in the Musikverein, Vienna.
29 November 1898 The Malolos Congress approves a constitution for the First Philippine Republic.
1 December 1898 Song of My Heart op.18/6 for male chorus by Jean Sibelius (32) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.
4 December 1898 Heroic Song, a tone poem by Antonín Dvorák (57), is performed for the first time, in Vienna conducted by Gustav Mahler (38).
5 December 1898 An orchestral suite from the incidental music to Kung Kristian II by Jean Sibelius (32) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.
7 December 1898 Mozart and Salieri, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54) to words of Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
A gala performance takes place to inaugurate the third Salle Favart in Paris. It was built to replace the second Salle Favart which burned down in 1887.
8 December 1898 Béla Bartók (17) and his mother travel to Vienna Conservatory where he is promised a free place for next academic year. He will change his mind, however, in favor of the Budapest Academy of Music.
9 December 1898 A Piano Concerto by Cesar Cui (63) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) at the keyboard.
10 December 1898 A peace treaty between Spain and the United States is signed in Paris. Spain is forced to cede Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and is forced to recognize the independence of Cuba. The United States pays Spain $20,000,000 for all Spanish claims in the Philippines.
17 December 1898 The second setting of Der Abendhimmel for male chorus by Anton Bruckner (†2) to words of Zedlitz, is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
18 December 1898 The Dowager Empress of China decrees that no more railway projects by Europeans will be entertained.
19 December 1898 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (54) drastic rewriting of Boris Godunov by Modest Musorgsky (†17) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow. See 10 December 1896.
20 December 1898 A String Quartet in D by Arnold Schoenberg (24) is performed publicly for the first time, in the Bösendorfersaal, Vienna. See 17 March 1898.
26 December 1898 Marie and Pierre Curie inform the French Academy of Sciences that they have discovered a new substance which they call radium.
27 December 1898 The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54) to his own words after Mey, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
© 2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
15 August 2012
Last Updated (Wednesday, 15 August 2012 05:34)