MusicAndHistory.com

2 January 1913 Turkish defenders on the island of Chios surrender to invading Greeks.

3 January 1913 An orchestral suite op.45 from Die Brautwahl by Ferruccio Busoni (47) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovensaal, Berlin.  See 13 April 1912.

4 January 1913 Bulgaria gives Turkey notice of its termination of the armistice.

6 January 1913 Balkan peace talks in London break down over demands that the Turks give up Adrianople (Edirne) and the Aegean Islands.

9 January 1913 Afonso Augusto da Costa replaces Duarte Leite Pereira da Silva as Prime Minister of Portugal.

A ballet produced to Gabriel Fauré’s (67) Dolly op.56 is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Arts, Paris.  See 30 April 1898 and 6 December 1906.

11 January 1913 Camille Saint-Saëns (77) receives the Grande Croix of the French Legion of Honor.

17 January 1913 Suffering from depression and exhaustion, Anton von Webern (29) requests sick leave from his post as conductor in Stettin (Szczecin).  He will spend a month at Semmering, near Vienna, to effect a cure.

Rhapsodie variée for piano and orchestra by Nadia Boulanger (25) is performed for the first time, at the Deutscher Lyceum Club, Berlin.

18 January 1913 Aristide Briand replaces Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré as Prime Minister of France.

Albert Roussel’s (43) Sonatine op.16 for piano is performed for the first time, in the Salle Erard, Paris.

22 January 1913 Peace talks for the Balkans conclude in London.  Turkey relinquishes all European territory except eastern Thrace.

23 January 1913 Angered at the terms of the Balkan peace accord, nationalist officers in Constantinople burst into the Turkish Cabinet Chamber, shoot War Minister Nazim Pasha to death and force the resignation of the Grand Vizier Kamil Pasha.  The Sultan restores Mahmud Sevket Pasha to the post of Grand Vizier.  The new government rejects the armistice of 3 December 1912.

24 January 1913 Norman Dello Joio is born in New York, the only child of Casimiro Dello Joio, an organist and Italian immigrant, and Antoinette Garramone.

25 January 1913 Witold Roman Lutoslawski is born in Warsaw, youngest of four children born to Józef Lutoslawski, an amateur pianist who manages his family’s estates, and Maria Olszewska, a physician and daughter of a mathematician.

26 January 1913 Gigues by Claude Debussy (50) is performed for the first time, in Paris as part of the first complete performance of Images for orchestra.  See 20 February 1910 and 2 March 1910.

27 January 1913 The American Maid, an operetta by John Philip Sousa (58) to words of Liebling, is performed for the first time, at the Schubert Theatre in Rochester, New York.

29 January 1913 Gunnar Knudsen replaces Jens Christian Meinich Bratlie as Prime Minister of Norway.

31 January 1913 The Balkan allies inform Turkey that the armistice has ended.

1 February 1913 Béla Bartók’s (31) piano work Allegro barbaro is performed probably for the first time, in Kecskemét, 80 km south of Budapest.

2 February 1913 Grand Central Station opens on 42^nd Street in New York.

4 February 1913 Bulgarian and Serbian forces attack Adrianople (Edirne).

8 February 1913 Le ménestrel announces that Lili Boulanger (19) has won the Prix Lepaul awarded by the Paris Conservatoire for her choral works Pour les Funérailles d’un Soldat and Printemps.

9 February 1913 A coup d’etat attempt against the Mexican government erupts in the capital as troops under Bernardo Reyes and Felix Díaz enter the plaza before the cathedral.  Federal troops under General Villar, loyal to President Madero, fire on them, killing 200-300, including Bernardo Reyes and scores of innocent civilians on their way to Sunday mass.  Díaz leads his men in retreat to set up a defensive position one to two kilometers away.  President Madero replaces General Villar, wounded in the battle, with General Victoriano Huerta.  The two forces, federal, and revolutionary, then begin shelling each other through downtown Mexico City, killing thousands of civilians.

11 February 1913 The orchestral version of Lili Boulanger’s (19) Pour les Funérailles d’un Soldat is performed for the first time, at the Paris Conservatoire, along with her vocal quartet Renouveau, the composer at the piano.

14 February 1913 A large memorial service for Capt. Robert F. Scott and his polar expedition takes place in London attended by King George.  10,000 people are unable to gain admittance.

17 February 1913 An art show opens in the armory of the 69th Regiment in New York City.  This is seen as the beginning of modern art in the United States.

18 February 1913 Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré replaces Clément Armand Fallières as President of France.

This day marks the end of the “tragic ten days” during which revolutionaries under Felix Díaz and Rodolfo Reyes, and federal troops under General Victoriano Huerta, shell each other’s positions one to two kilometers apart in downtown Mexico City.  Thousands die and, owing to their number, their bodies are piled in the street, doused with kerosene and set alight.  Huerta has negotiated with Díaz, with explicit help from the United States ambassador, to align their forces together to overthrow the government.  Under promises of immunity and exile from Huerta, President Francisco Madero and Vice President José Pino Suarez resign their offices.  The presidency falls to Pedro Lascurain Paredes who thereupon resigns, leaving the government to General Huerta.

19 February 1913 Venustiano Carranza, governor of Coahuila state, announces that he does not recognize Huerta as President of Mexico.  Within a few days, Carranza and a small body of followers will rise in open rebellion.  This begins a national movement against Huerta.

20 February 1913 Count Gombei Yamamoto replaces Prince Taro Katsura as Prime Minister of Japan.

22 February 1913 Former President Madero and Vice President Pino Suarez are taken from confinement at the palace in Mexico City, ostensibly to be transferred to a penitentiary.  On the way, they are murdered by their guards, followers of General Huerta.  Ambassador Wilson of the United States urges that his government, as well as Americans in Mexico, do what they can to ensure the success of the Huerta regime.

23 February 1913 Gurre-Lieder, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg (38) to words of Jacobsen (tr. Arnold), is performed for the first time, in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna, under the baton of Franz Schreker (34).  There is a 15-minute standing ovation at the conclusion.  Anton von Webern (29) is released from the sanitarium in order to attend the concert.

24 February 1913 British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst admits her guilt in the bombing of the country home of David Lloyd George.  She is arrested.

26 February 1913 Two Pictures for orchestra op.10 by Béla Bartók (31) is performed for the first time, in Budapest.

27 February 1913 In a speech to the British Society, chemist Frederick Soddy first mentions the word isotopes in a formal scientific setting.

3 March 1913 5,000-10,000 people march in Washington in favor of voting rights for women.  They are attacked by bystanders and troops are called in to restore order.  100 people are injured.

4 March 1913 Thomas Woodrow Wilson replaces William Howard Taft as President of the United States.  The Sixty-third Congress of the United States convenes in Washington.  Wilson’s Democratic Party holds a large majority in the House of Representatives and a comfortable majority in the Senate.

Gabriel Fauré’s (67) drame lyrique Pénélope, to words of Fauchois, is performed for the first time, in Monaco.

The Cloud Messenger for chorus and orchestra by Gustav Holst (38), to words of Kalidasa, translated by the composer, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  On the same program is the premiere of Christmas Eve on the Mountains for orchestra by Arnold Bax (29).

6 March 1913 Greek forces capture Janina (Ioánnina), 200 km southwest of Thessaloniki, from Turkey.  33,000 Turks are captured.

Niels Bohr mails to Ernest Rutherford the first of three papers describing a new vision of atomic structure.

The word “jazz” appears for the first time in print, in the San Francisco Bulletin, as a synonym for pep.

7 March 1913 Two works by John Ireland (33) are performed for the first time, in Steinway Hall, London, the composer at the keyboard:  Songs of a Wayfarer, a cycle for voice and piano to various authors, and Sonata for violin and piano no.1.

9 March 1913 Anton Webern (29) returns to Vienna having resigned his conducting position in Stettin.

10 March 1913 Greeks capture the Island of Samos from its Turkish defenders.

11 March 1913 Luigi Russolo (27) writes his The Art of Noises in the form of a letter to Francesco Balilla Pratella.  He claims it came to him while witnessing Pratella’s recent futurist concert in Teatro Costanzi, Rome.

Germany and Great Britain agree in London on the border between Nigeria and Kamerun.

13 March 1913 Pancho Villa and an army of vaqueros cross the Rio Grande into Mexico to begin a revolutionary campaign against federal troops.

14 March 1913 The South African Supreme Court rules that all marriages not performed by Christian rites are invalid.

15 March 1913 The premiere of Franz Schreker’s (34) opera Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin, to his own libretto, takes place simultaneously at the Vienna Hofoper and in Frankfurt-am-Main.  Critics like the music but not the words.

17 March 1913 Béla Bartók (31) completes almost two weeks of collecting Romanian folk music in the Maramures district of Transylvania.  He has discovered the “long song” of “highly elaborate and extended vocal lines,” a connection to Asian music.  Bartók will go to Algeria to hear Arab music and prove his theory.

18 March 1913 King Georgios I of Greece is shot to death in Thessaloniki by a madman.  He is succeeded by his son, Konstantinos I.

20 March 1913 As he waits to board a train in Shanghai for Peking and his almost certain election as Prime Minister, Kuomintang leader Song Chia-ren (Song Jiaoren) is shot twice.  He will die in two days and the culprits will never by caught.

23 March 1913 Bocetos:  Colección de obras fáciles for piano by Enrique Granados (45) is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.  Also premiered is Granados’ En el jardin from Libro de horas for piano.

24 March 1913 Louis Barthou replaces Aristide Briand as Prime Minister of France.

26 March 1913 Bulgarians capture Adrianople (Edirne) from the Turks.

27 March 1913 The Bard op.64, a symphonic poem by Jean Sibelius (47), is performed for the first time, in Helsinki directed by the composer.

29 March 1913 Igor Stravinsky (30) completes The Rite of  Spring in Paris.

30 March 1913 La Procesión del Rocío op.9, a symphonic poem by Joaquín Turina (29), is performed for the first time, in Teatro Real, Madrid.

31 March 1913 A concert in the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna is planned to include Anton von Webern’s (29) Six Pieces for large orchestra op.6 (premiere), Four Orchestral Songs by Alexander von Zemlinsky, the Chamber Symphony op.9 by Arnold Schoenberg (38), two of the Five Orchestral Songs op.4 by Alban Berg (28) to words of Altenberg, and the Kindertotenlieder of Gustav Mahler (†1).  During and following the Webern, opposing parties applaud and hiss.  After the Schoenberg, whistles on door keys are added to the din, as are fights in the second balcony.  Berg’s work elicits laughter from some audience members.  Schoenberg, who is conducting at this point, stops Berg’s music, turns to the audience and threatens that all demonstrators will be evicted by force.  This announcement causes the fighting to begin anew, including several demands for satisfaction on the field of honor.  Webern shouts from his box that “all the baggage should be thrown out.”  Opponents of the music suggest that proponents would best be served by a term in the Steinhof insane asylum.  The President of the Academic Association for Literature and Music pleads with the audience to at least honor the memory of Mahler by listening to his Kindertotenlieder.  He is forced to withdraw under a barrage of insults.  Several audience members then storm the stage, causing the musicians to end the performance for the sake of their wellbeing.  The riot continues for another thirty minutes, as several differences of artistic opinion are settled in the street.  See 24 January 1953.

1 April 1913 The lyric drama La Vida breve by Manuel de Falla (36), to words of Fernández Shaw, is performed for the first time, at the Casino Municipal, Nice.

3 April 1913 British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst is found guilty in a London court of incitement to arson in the bombing of the country home of David Lloyd George, Chancellor of the Exchequer.  She is sentenced to three years in prison.

Le festin de l’araignée, a ballet pantomime by Albert Roussel (43) to a scenario of Voisins after Fabre, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre des Arts, Paris.

5 April 1913 Three of the Préludes, Book II (Les fées sont d’exquises danseuses, La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, Feux d’artifice) for piano by Claude Debussy (50), are performed for the first time, in Paris.

Véritables Préludes flasques (pour un chien) for piano by Erik Satie (46) are performed for the first time, in Salle Pleyel, Paris.

7 April 1913 The Second Violin Sonata op.35 by Carl Nielsen (47) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

Elegy in A flat for organ by Hubert Parry (65) is performed for the first time, in Wilton for the funeral of the 14th Earl of Pembroke.

8 April 1913 The first parliament of the Republic of China opens in Peking.

The Romance in D op.23 for violin and piano by Karol Szymanowski (30) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.

9 April 1913 The second of the Two Russian Tone Pictures for piano by Arnold Bax (29) entitled Gopak, is performed for the first time, in Bechstein Hall, London.

10 April 1913 Through the Rushes, By the River for women’s chorus and piano by Arthur Foote (60) to words of Coates, is performed for the first time, in Boston.

14 April 1913 A general strike begins in Belgium in favor of universal suffrage.

15 April 1913 Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire agree to a cessation of hostilities.

19 April 1913 Ouverture carnevalesca for orchestra by Ottorino Respighi (33) is performed for the first time, in Bologna, directed by the composer.

21 April 1913 Montenegrin forces capture Scutari (Shkodër) from the Turks, a city they have long claimed as their capital.  This marks the end of the First Balkan War.  The Albanian commander of the town surrenders in return for Montenegrin support in overthrowing the Albanian government.

24 April 1913 A general strike ends in Belgium after ten days.  The government has promised electoral reform.

The Woolworth Building is opened in New York.  At 241 meters, it is the tallest building in the world.

God is our Hope for bass, double chorus and orchestra by Hubert Parry (65) to words of the Psalms is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

25 April 1913 Panurge, a farce by Jules Massenet (†0) to words of Boukay and Spitzmüller after Rabelais, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Paris.

26 April 1913 Act I of Franz Schubert’s (†84) singspiel Claudine von Villa Bella, to words of Goethe, is performed for the first time, to piano accompaniment, at the Vienna Gemeindehaus Wieden, 98 years after it was composed.

27 April 1913 Benedetto Marcello’s (†173) intreccio scenico musicale Arianna to words of Cassani, is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Liceo Benedetto Marcello, Venice.  The work, composed in 1727, was rediscovered in 1885.

1 May 1913 Ferruccio Busoni (47) signs a contract to direct the Liceo Rossini in Bologna, to begin in the Autumn.

2 May 1913 US President Wilson extends recognition to the republican Chinese government of President Yüan Shih-k’ai (Yuan Shikai).

3 May 1913 Violin Sonata no.1 op.3  by Darius Milhaud (20) is performed for the first time, in Paris.  The composer plays first violin.

4 May 1913 Under Austro-Hungarian threat, King Nikolay of Montenegro agrees to place Scutari (Shkodër) in the hands of the great powers.

Greece and Serbia agree to divide all Macedonian territory west of the Vardar.

6 May 1913 Lili Boulanger (19) enters the Prix de Rome competition for the second time.

9 May 1913 While working on his Piano Concerto no.2 in St. Petersburg, Sergey Prokofiev (22) receives a letter from his close friend Max Schmidthoff.  “Dear Seryozha, I’m writing to tell you the latest news--I have shot myself.  Don’t get too upset but take it with indifference, for in truth it doesn’t deserve anything more than that.  Farewell.  Max.  The reasons are unimportant.”  Prokofiev will dedicate four works to him, including the second piano concerto.

12 May 1913 Sonatina for piano no.2 by Ferruccio Busoni (47) is performed for the first time, in the Concert Hall of the Verdi Conservatory, by the composer.  The audience objects to perceived futurist tendencies in the music.  Some blows are struck.

14 May 1913 The great powers take control of Scutari (Shkodër).

Arthur Foote (60) is named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Governor William Sulzer of New York approves a charter for the Rockefeller Foundation, “To promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world.”  John D. Rockefeller will make an initial gift of $35,000,000.

15 May 1913 Jeux, a ballet by Claude Debussy (50) to a scenario by Nizhinsky, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

The first set of Impressioni dal vero for orchestra by Gian Francesco Malipiero (31) is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

19 May 1913 Governor Hiram Johnson of California signs the Webb Alien Land-Holding Act which prohibits Japanese immigrants from owning land.

20 May 1913 Elections for the Danish Folketing result in losses for the Left Party and gains by the Social Democrats and the Radical Left.

26 May 1913 Actors Equity Association is founded at Pabst Grand Circle Hotel, New York.

29 May 1913 Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence is published London.

Le Sacre du Printemps, a ballet by Igor Stravinsky (30) to a scenario of Roerich, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.  The ballet and its music cause a riot in the theatre as proponents and opponents resort to fisticuffs to exchange opinions on the value of art.  The dancers perform to music that they have to imagine, as few in the auditorium can hear it, except during certain lulls.  The choreographer, Vaclav Nizhinsky, almost runs onto the stage from the wings but is physically restrained by the composer.  Sergey Diaghilev, the impresario, flicks the lights several times in an effort to douse the demonstrations.  Nothing works.  Those participating in the discussions include Maurice Ravel (38) and Florent Schmitt (42).  Camille Saint-Saëns (77) simply repeats “he’s mad, he’s mad” several times before walking out.  In the audience is a young composer named Gian Francesco Malipiero (31) who was encouraged to attend by Alfredo Casella (29).  “I awoke from a long and dangerous lethargy.”  He decides to disown all his previous work and strike out anew.  Daniel Chennevière (Dane Rudhyar) (18) calls it “a tremendous experience.”

30 May 1913 Peace is concluded between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan States, in London.  The separation of Crete from Turkey is recognized.  Greece also gains Macedonia, Janina (Ioánnina), and some Aegean islands.

31 May 1913 Elections to the Australian Parliament take place.  The Commonwealth Liberal Party wins the House of Representatives by one seat, but they hold a minority in the Senate.

1 June 1913 English is made the official language of the Philippines.

Greece and Serbia conclude a secret military and political treaty in Thessaloniki over the division of Macedonia and their common border.

2 June 1913 Luigi Russolo (28) gives the first demonstration of an “Intonarumore” (noise-instrument) in the Teatro Stocchi, Modena.  He calls the instrument a scoppiatore (crackler).  It sounds like an internal combustion engine.

Ouverture d’un opéra-comique inachevé for orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns (77) is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London 60 years after it was composed.  The performance is part of a celebration of 75 years since Saint-Saëns’ debut as a pianist.

3 June 1913 Béla Bartók (32) and his wife board ship in Marseille making for Algeria where he will study North African folk music.

Incidental music to Oehlenschlaeger’s play Midsummer Eve Play by Carl Nielsen (47) is performed for the first time, in Copenhagen.

4 June 1913 On Derby Day at Epsom, suffragist Emily Davison makes her way on to the course and throws herself at Anmer, a horse owned by King George.  The horse and jockey are stunned but largely unhurt.  Emily Davison shortly dies of her injuries.

Gustave Charpentier’s (52) lyric poem Julien, ou la vie du poète is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Favart, Paris.

5 June 1913 A version of Modest Musorgsky’s (†32) opera Khovanshchina, arranged by Igor Stravinsky (30) and Maurice Ravel (38), is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

Descriptions automatiques for piano by Erik Satie (47) is performed for the first time, in Salle Erard, Paris.

Two songs for voice and piano by Charles Koechlin (45) to words of Samain are performed for the first time, in Salle Gaveau, Paris:  Le cortège d’Amphitrite op.31/2 and La maison du matin op.31/4.

Henry F. Gilbert’s (44) Negro Rhapsody “Shout” is performed for the first time, in Norfolk, Connecticut, conducted by the composer.

7 June 1913 Symphony no.1 “Nomos” for two pianos-four hands by Josef Matthias Hauer (30) is performed for the first time, in Sankt Pölten, Austria.

10 June 1913 István, Count Tisza de Borosjenö et Szeged replaces László Lukács as Prime Minister of Hungary.

11 June 1913 John Milton Cage, Sr. and a crew of five surface after being submerged in a submarine for more than 24 hours off Los Angeles.  The vessel was designed by Cage.  They have stayed under water twice as long as anyone previously.

12 June 1913 Said Halim Pasha replaces Mahmud Sevket Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.

The State of Illinois grants voting rights to its female citizens.

14 June 1913 Stoyan Petrov Danev replaces Ivan Evstratiev Geshov as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

South Africa passes a law restricting the immigration and movements of Asians.

15 June 1913 Sergey Prokofiev (22) and his mother arrive in Paris on a journey to England, France, and Switzerland.

18 June 1913 String Sextet by Frank Bridge (34) is performed for the first time, in Bechstein Hall, London.

19 June 1913 Two of Claude Debussy’s (50) Préludes for piano (Canope and Hommage à Pickwick, Esq.) are performed for the first time, in Paris, by the composer.

21 June 1913 Carl Theodor Zahle replaces Klaus Bernsten as Prime Minister of Denmark.

23 June 1913 Three Moods of the Sea for solo voice and orchestra by Ethel Smyth (55) to words of Symons, is performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.

24 June 1913 Joseph Cook replaces Alfred Deakin as Prime Minister of Australia.

25 June 1913 As he is departing Toronto for a summer church organist job in Murray Bay, Quebec, Ernest MacMillan (19) tells Elsie Keith of his long standing love for her.  She reciprocates and they consider themselves engaged.

29 June 1913 Bulgarian troops make a surprise attack upon Greece and Serbia simultaneously.

30 June 1913 The German Reichstag passes the Army Bill which increases the army to eight times its current size.

1 July 1913 Greece and Serbia declare war on Bulgaria.

In the issue of Lacerba dated today, an article by Luigi Russolo (28) entitled Gl’intonarumori futuristi appears.  It sets out his beliefs and practical methods for achieving the “music of noise.”

A new Music Wing is dedicated at St. Paul’s Girls School, London.  This is where the school’s music teacher, Gustav Holst (38), will do most of his composing.

2 July 1913 Serbian forces counterattack and defeat the Bulgarians on the River Bragalbabza.

4 July 1913 South African troops fire on striking gold miners in Johannesburg killing 40.

5 July 1913 Lili Boulanger (19) becomes the first woman to win the Grand Prix de Rome for music, winning 31 of 36 votes.  The judges award her the prize for her “intelligence of subject, correctness of declamation, sensitivity and warmth, poetic feeling, intelligent and colorful orchestration.  A remarkable cantata.”  The work, a setting of Faust et Hélène, is performed for the first time, in the grand hall of the Institute, accompanied by the composer’s sister, Nadia (25).  Breaking with tradition, she dedicates her work not to her Conservatoire composition teacher, but to her sister.

A Set of Variations for piano by Paul Hindemith (17) is performed for the first time, in Frankfurt-am-Main.

6 July 1913 After a month collecting folk music in Algeria, serious illness and considerable weight loss, Béla Bartók (32) returns with his wife to Marseille.  He plans to return next year, but international events will intervene.

7 July 1913 The Third Home Rule Bill for Ireland is approved by the House of Commons.

8 July 1913 Serbians capture Istib (Stip) from Bulgarians.

10 July 1913 Greek and Serbian forces halt the Bulgarian advance in Macedonia and launch a counteroffensive.  Romania declares war and attacks Bulgaria across the Danube, claiming more territory for itself.

11 July 1913 Romanian forces occupy the Dobrudja quadrilateral.

12 July 1913 Turkey declares war on Bulgaria and attacks into western Thrace.

15 July 1913 Turkey sends its army into Thrace to attack Adrianople (Edirne).

The Third Home Rule Bill for Ireland is rejected by the House of Lords.

17 July 1913 In the face of a military disaster, Vasil Hristov Radoslavov replaces Stoyan Petrov Danev as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

22 July 1913 Turkish forces retake Adrianople (Edirne) from Bulgaria.

26 July 1913 In the Annenpatent, Emperor Franz Joseph suspends the Bohemian constitution.

29 July 1913 A conference of the Great Powers in London declares that Albania should be an “independent sovereign principality.”  The Great Powers are to control Albanian administration for ten years.

31 July 1913 Bulgaria concludes an armistice with all powers currently in conflict with it (Serbia, Greece, Romania, Turkey), in Bucharest.

1 August 1913 Lili Boulanger (19) signs an exclusive contract with Ricordi Company, guaranteeing her a yearly stipend.

2 August 1913 Charles (38) and Harmony Ives move into their summer house in West Redding, Connecticut.

4 August 1913 Anton von Webern (29), once again suffering from anxiety and nervous exhaustion, sees the psychoanalyst Dr. Alfred Adler, in Vienna.  After initial reticence, he gives over to the treatment which lasts three months.

7 August 1913 In response to the actions of the German Reichstag on 30 June, the French Parliament passes an Army Bill which increases the length of compulsory military service to three years.

10 August 1913 The Second Balkan War ends in the Treaty of Bucharest.  Greece receives one-half of Macedonia and Crete.  Turkey gains Adrianople (Edirne) but suffers a net loss in overall territory.  Romania receives a section of Dobrudja.  Serbia gets north and central Macedonia.

14 August 1913 Julián Carillo (38) becomes director of the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Mexico City.

16 August 1913 Incidental music for Kanno’s play Music for Creation Dawn for piano by Henry Cowell (16) is performed for the first time, by the composer, in Carmel, California.

25 August 1913 Leo Frank, manager of a pencil factory in Atlanta, is convicted of murdering Mary Phagan, a 14-year-old worker at the factory.  The case attracts national attention and is fueled by hysterical anti-Semitism.  Tomorrow he will be sentenced to death.

27 August 1913 US President Wilson refuses to recognize the Mexican government of General Huerta.

29 August 1913 Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Cort van der Linden replaces Theodorus Heemskerk as first minister of the Netherlands.

1 September 1913 Enrique Granados (46) signs a two-year contract with the New York publisher Rudolph Schirmer.

5 September 1913 The Second Piano Concerto op.16 of Sergey Prokofiev (22) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk, the composer at the piano.  The audience is strongly divided.

10 September 1913 The Spirit of Nature op.70 for soprano and orchestra by Jean Sibelius (47), to words from the Kalevala, is performed for the first time, in Shire Hall, Gloucester.

11 September 1913 The Promised Land, an oratorio by Camille Saint-Saëns (77) to words of Klein, is performed for the first time, in Gloucester Cathedral.  While in Gloucester, Saint-Saëns meets Edward Elgar (56) for the first time.

Sanctuary, A Bird Masque by Frederick S. Converse (42) and Arthur Farwell (41) to words of Mackaye, is performed for the first time, in Meriden, New Hampshire.

15 September 1913 Henry Dreyfuss Brant is born in Montreal, the son of a violinist.

18 September 1913 Arioso for soprano and piano by Jean Sibelius (47) to words of Runeberg is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.  See 30 March 1914.

21 September 1913 10,000 striking streetcar workers roam the streets of Dublin overturning streetcars.  They are attacked and clubbed by police.  40 people are injured.

23 September 1913 Frenchman Roland Garros flies from Frejus, France to Bizerta, Tunisia in seven hours and 53 minutes.  He is the first person to fly across the Mediterranean.

The first and fourth of the Four Orchestral Sketches by Arnold Bax (29) are performed for the first time, in Queen’s Hall, London.  See 20 March 1914.

24 September 1913 Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue op.127 for organ by Max Reger (40) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw).

1 October 1913 Edward Elgar’s (56) symphonic study Falstaff op.68 is performed for the first time, in Leeds Town Hall, under the baton of the composer.

7 October 1913 President Yüan Shih-k’ai (Yuan Shikai) of China acknowledges Tibetan autonomy and Great Britain recognizes his government.

10 October 1913 President Wilson presses a button in the White House and Gamboa Dike is blown up, thus completing the Panama Canal.

12 October 1913 The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde of Donaueschingen presents the first performance in an annual series designed to showcase modern music.

Vier Tondichtungen nach Arnold Böcklin op.120 by Max Reger (40) are performed for the first time, in Essen.

17 October 1913 Otto Luening (13) has his first flute lesson, with Professor Schellhorn, in Munich.

18 October 1913 Austria-Hungary demands that Serbia withdraw from Albania.

19 October 1913 A Festliche Praeludium by Richard Strauss (49) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of the Konzert-Haus, Vienna.

20 October 1913 Romantische Suite op.14 for orchestra by Franz Schreker (35) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.

21 October 1913 Modest Musorgsky’s (†32) comic opera Sorochintsy Fair, after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Moscow Free Theatre.  Left unfinished at the composer’s death, the work was completed and orchestrated by Lyadov, Karatigin and others.

23 October 1913 Two small pieces for orchestra, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring and Summer Night on the River, by Frederick Delius (51)  are performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

25 October 1913 Under Austro-Hungarian threat, Serbian forces withdraw from Albania.

Piano Sonata no.9 op.68 by Alyeksandr Skryabin (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

26 October 1913 Elections to the Italian Chamber of Deputies take place, with the Liberal Party losing 54 seats but maintaining a majority.

27 October 1913 Eduardo Dato y Iradier replaces Álvaro Figueroa y Torres Mendieta, conde de Romanones as Prime Minister of Spain.

28 October 1913 Anton von Webern (29) completes his “cure” with Vienna psychoanalyst Dr. Alfred Adler, who was treating the composer for anxiety.  Webern writes to Schoenberg (39):  “I feel fine.”

30 October 1913 Prelude op.67/1 for piano by Alyeksandr Skryabin (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

Eine Ballettsuite op.130 for orchestra by Max Reger (40) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw).

31 October 1913 The second movement of the Symphony in f “Study Symphony” by Anton Bruckner (†17) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.  See 18 March 1923 and 12 October 1924.

1 November 1913 Ernst August becomes Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg.

Ruggero Leoncavallo’s (56) farce Are You There?, to words of de Courville and Wallace, is performed for the first time, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London.  It is an unmitigated disaster.

5 November 1913 China recognizes the autonomy of Outer Mongolia.

King Otto of Bavaria, a deranged man who reigned under regency for his entire 27-year term, is removed from the throne and is succeeded by his cousin, Ludwig III.

6 November 1913 Two local newspapers in Zabern (Saverne, Alsace) inform their readers that a German second lieutenant told his men that if an Alsatian attacks them to use their weapon, and if they stab an Alsatian, the lieutenant will give them ten marks.

7 November 1913 Three sets of Miniatures for violin, cello, and piano by Frank Bridge (34) are performed for the first time, in Exeter.

9 November 1913 Two works by Lili Boulanger (20) are performed for the first time, at a concert of the Prix de Rome winners in the Palais d’Orsay, Paris:  Hymne au soleil for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and piano, and Le retour for mezzo-soprano and piano to words of Delaquys.  Also premiered is the orchestral version of her winning composition, the cantata Faust et Hélène.

11 November 1913 The German army refuses the protests of Alsatians to the Zabern affair.

12 November 1913 Heitor Villa-Lobos (26) marries Lucília Guimarães, a pianist, in the Tijuca section of Rio de Janeiro.

13 November 1913 O Praise the Lord of Heaven for two choirs and semi-chorus by Ralph Vaughan Williams (41), to words of the Bible, is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

16 November 1913 The first volume of Remembrance of Things Past, À la recherche du temps perdu, Du côté de chez Swann, by Marcel Proust is published in Paris.

17 November 1913 Kaiser Wilhelm II decrees that members of the German military may not dance the tango.

22 November 1913 Edward Benjamin Britten is born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, the youngest of four children born to Robert Victor Britten, a dental surgeon, and Edith Rhoda Hockey, an amateur pianist and singer, daughter of a Queen’s Messenger in the Home Office.

Ten members of the German army are arrested and charged with divulging secrets of the Zabern affair to the press.  However, protests by Alsatians continue.

25 November 1913 For his 17th birthday, Virgil Thomson receives a copy of Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis.  It comes from his homosexual and musical mentor, Robert Leigh Murray.  He will keep it for the rest of his life.

28 November 1913 Tensions in Zabern come to a head as Alsatians protest before the local German army barracks.  This time, the soldiers respond by forcing the crowd back and arresting dozens of them.  The city is placed under a state of emergency.

1 December 1913 The first continuous, moving assembly line is put into operation by the Ford Motor Company.  A new automobile is finished every two-and-a-half minutes.

A subway goes into operation in Buenos Aires.  It is the first subway in the Southern Hemisphere.

Syrinx for solo flute by Claude Debussy (51), is performed for the first time, at the residence of Louis Mors, Paris.  See 13 December 1913.

2 December 1913 Deutsche Motette op.62 for chorus by Richard Strauss (49), to words of Rückert, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.

4 December 1913 The German Reichstag votes no confidence in Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg because of his handling of the Zabern affair.  It has no effect.

5 December 1913 Five of the Préludes for piano, Book II by Claude Debussy (51) are performed for the first time (Feuilles mortes, La puerta del vino, “Général Lavine” eccentric, Ondine and Canope).

7 December 1913 Opposition demonstrations take place in 17 major cities in Germany against the Kaiser’s and Chancellor’s handling of the Zabern affair.  They call the government a military dictatorship.

In the Mists for piano by Leos Janácek (59) is performed for the first time, in Kromeriz.

8 December 1913 Pierre Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue replaces Louis Barthou as Prime Minister of France.

Ethel Smyth (55) arrives in Alexandria, Egypt for a rest and composition.

10 December 1913 The United States opens a naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Maurice Ravel's (38) piano work A la manière de... is performed for the first time, at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, played by Alfredo Casella (30).  Also premiered is Reflets for voice and piano by Lili Boulanger (20) to words of Maeterlinck, the composer at the piano.

11 December 1913 Ach, Herr, strafe mich nicht op.110/2 for chorus by Max Reger (40)  is performed for the first time, in Aachen.

12 December 1913 Iyasu V replaces Menelik II as Emperor of Ethiopia.

13 December 1913 Mona Lisa is returned to the Louvre after having been found in Florence.

Kolokola (The Bells) op.35, a choral symphony by Sergey Rakhmaninov (40) to words of Balmont after Poe, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, the composer conducting.

Syrinx for solo flute by Claude Debussy (51) is performed publicly for the first time, as part of Mourey’s play Psyché, in Paris.  See 1 December 1913.

14 December 1913 In a ceremony at the fortress of Firka at Chania, King Konstaninos views the first raising of the Greek flag over Crete, thus formalizing the union of Crete with Greece.

15 December 1913 Parisina, a tragedia lirica by Pietro Mascagni (50) to words of D’Annunzio, is performed for the first time, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, the composer conducting.  The curtain goes up at 20:30 and the opera runs until 01:35.  Even with cuts made for the second performance, it will fail.

16 December 1913 Sergey Rakhmaninov’s (40) Piano Sonata no.2 op.36 is performed for the first time, in Moscow, the composer at the keyboard.

18 December 1913 Les pantins dansent, a poème dansé by Erik Satie (47) to words of Saint-Point, is performed for the first time, in Salle Léon-Poirier, Paris.

21 December 1913 The first crossword puzzle is published in the New York World.

Trois poèmes romantiques op.11 for voice and piano by Darius Milhaud (21) is performed for the first time, in Aix-en-Provence.

23 December 1913 Edward Elgar (56) signs an agreement with the publisher WW Elkin for two short pieces.  For the first time, an Elgar contract includes the clause:  “Two-thirds of net royalties received in respect of mechanical instrument reproduction to be paid to the Composer.”  It is his first recording contract.

With President Wilson’s signature, the Federal Reserve Bank is created in the United States.  Twelve regional banks are set up.

24 December 1913 Striking miners and their families are treated to a party in a hall in Calumet, Michigan.  With over 400 people in the hall, someone shouts fire, although there is no fire.  73 people, including 62 children, are killed in the rush to escape.

25 December 1913 Piano Sonata no.10 op.70 by Alyeksandr Skryabin (41) is performed for the first time, in Moscow by the composer.

26 December 1913 Charles Moyer, President of the Western Federation of Miners supporting the miners strike in Calumet, Michigan, is kidnapped from his hotel room in Hancock. The kidnappers hand him over to a mob which proceeds to drag him across the Portage Lake Bridge to Houghton.  They then shoot him in the back and put him on a train for Chicago.  Moyer seeks medical attention in Chicago and will survive.

©2004-2011 Paul Scharfenberger

17 September 2011