1961
| 
| 
2 January 1961 Cuba requires that the US reduce its embassy staff from 300 to eleven within 48 hours.
Two black students are enrolled at the University of Tennessee.
3 January 1961 The United States breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba. It urges all US citizens in Cuba (3,000-3,500) to leave.
The Eighty-seventh Congress of the United States convenes in Washington. The Democratic Party of President-elect John Kennedy controls both houses.
Three people die as a result of a nuclear reactor accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho. Improper removal of control rods causes a steam explosion.
4 January 1961 Prince Boun Oum is confirmed as Prime Minister of Laos by King Savang Vathana after conservative forces drove the neutralist government out of Vientiane.
The Council of the OAS votes to impose limited economic sanctions on the Dominican Republic.
Variants, a ballet by Gunther Schuller (35) to a scenario by Ballanchine, is performed for the first time, in City Center, New York the composer conducting.
5 January 1961 Symphony no.2 by Easley Blackwood (27) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
6 January 1961 A “House of Representatives” convenes in Ankara to begin to work towards restoration of democracy. Most members are appointed by the military government.
A federal judge in Macon orders the University of Georgia to admit two black students who applied for and were qualified for admission.
7 January 1961 The US calls on all governments to support the right wing regime in Laos.
Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Temple B’nai Jehuda, Kansas City, Missouri.
8 January 1961 Three-quarters of French voters approve President de Gaulle’s policy of self-determination for Algeria. About two-thirds of Algerian voters approve. Large boycotts of the votes occur in both countries, by leftists in France and nationalists in Algeria.
Trio for flute, oboe and piano by Thea Musgrave (32) is performed for the first time, in London.
10 January 1961 Ceylon replaces English with Sinhalese as the official language of the country. The move is protested by the large Tamil minority.
Two black students enter the University of Georgia. It is the first public school in Georgia to be integrated.
11 January 1961 600 whites riot at the University of Georgia in Athens. They throw rocks and firecrackers at a dormitory housing a black student.
12 January 1961 The University of Georgia suspends the two recently admitted black students because of recent rioting.
Uruguay expels the Cuban ambassador and First Secretary at the Soviet embassy. They are accused of fomenting recent street demonstrations.
13 January 1961 Two black students suspended from the University of Georgia yesterday are ordered reinstated by a federal court.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that Irving Fine (46) has been selected as the first holder of the Walter W. Naumburg Chair at Brandeis University.
Music for brass quintet by Gunther Schuller (35) is performed for the first time at the Library of Congress, Washington.
14 January 1961 Pathet Lao forces capture Ta Viang 150 km northeast of Vientiane.
The Gold Medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters goes to Roger Sessions (64).
15 January 1961 Consort from Instruments and Voices for electronic tape by Charles Wuorinen (22) is performed for the first time, in Kaufman Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, New York.
16 January 1961 Two black students return to the University of Georgia without incident.
Labyrinth #3 for percussion by Lou Harrison (43) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, 20 years after it was composed.
17 January 1961 On orders of US President Eisenhower, former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is executed by government troops in Katanga Province. The firing squad is commanded by a Belgian. Two other ex-officials of the Congo, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, are also executed.
In his televised farewell address to the nation, US President Dwight Eisenhower warns against the threat of a growing “military-industrial complex.”
18 January 1961 Witold Lutoslawski (47) becomes President of the Polish section of the ISCM.
19 January 1961 Former Laotian Prime Minister Prince Souvanna Phouma charges that the US is responsible for the current bloodshed in his country. He says they frustrated every effort he made to create a national unity government and forced a pro-US policy on the country which fostered the current communist rebellion.
Basler Massarbeit for two pianos by Ernst Krenek (60) is performed for the first time, in Basel, the composer at the keyboard.
Fanfare I for the inauguration of John Kennedy by Leonard Bernstein (42) is performed for the first time, at an inaugural gala at the National Armory in Washington conducted by the composer.
20 January 1961 The Chinese government announces that the “Great Leap Forward” in industrial output must be put on hold in favor of greater agricultural production. Food shortages and famine are predicted.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy replaces Dwight David Eisenhower as President of the United States.
The Museu Villa-Lobos (†3) opens in Rio de Janeiro.
Gloria for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Francis Poulenc (62) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
22 January 1961 24 anti-government rebels take over the Portuguese cruise ship Santa Maria at gunpoint off Curaçao. One crew member is killed, two injured.
23 January 1961 A new constitution goes into effect in Venezuela providing for a stronger central government. President Romulo Betancourt suspends constitutional rights claiming plots to overthrow the government.
24 January 1961 The commandeered cruise ship Santa Maria puts in at St. Lucia and lets off two wounded crew members and seven other crew.
Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe are divorced in Juarez, Mexico.
A federal judge in New York finds the schools of New Rochelle racially segregated and orders the city to produce a desegregation plan.
25 January 1961 Algerian liberal leader Pierre Popie is stabbed to death in his Algiers office by two French paratroopers.
A conservative military coup, encouraged by the previous US administration, takes place in El Salvador.
US President Kennedy holds his first press conference, in Washington. It is the first presidential press conference to be televised live.
26 January 1961 The conservative government of Laos admits that charges it made recently that North Vietnamese and other communist forces have invaded the country are false. The charges were made in order to gain foreign military support.
Full diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the UAR are resumed. They were cut during the Suez crisis of 1956.
Set of Four for harpsichord or piano by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Hertz Hall of the University of California at Berkeley.
27 January 1961 Two surviving crewmen from the reconnaissance plane shot down last July by the USSR are returned to the United States.
28 January 1961 About 3,000 municipal officials meeting in Giterama declare the independence of Ruanda from Belgium, depose Mwami Kigeri V, and declare a republic.
31 January 1961 Janio da Silva Quadros replaces Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira as President of Brazil.
The US sends a 17 kg chimpanzee named Ham into space, to an altitude of 250 km in a test of the Project Mercury space capsule. The capsule is retrieved from the ocean 675 km from Cape Canaveral. During the 18-minute flight, Ham operated levers as trained by colored lights. Ham is believed to be the largest living thing yet sent into space.
The governor of Georgia signs several measures into law designed to repeal six anti-integration laws, give state grants to students attending non-religious private schools, local elections to close desegregated schools, and a constitutional amendment to guarantee “freedom from compulsory association at all levels of public education.”
Variations on the Name of Gabriel Fauré for harp and strings by Arnold Bax (†7) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Third Programme.
1 February 1961 Sonant for guitar, harp, double bass, and drums by Mauricio Kagel (29) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
2 February 1961 After pursuit by US, UK, and Portuguese ships, the commandeered Portuguese cruise ship Santa Maria puts into the port of Recife, Brazil. They allow the passengers to leave.
Mondi celesti e infernali, an opera by Gian Francesco Malipiero (78) to his own words after Shakespeare, is staged for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice. See 12 January 1950.
3 February 1961 The Portuguese rebels who took over the cruise ship Santa Maria are given asylum at the port of Recife, Brazil.
4 February 1961 Alfred Schnittke (26) marries his second wife, Irina Katayeva, a pianist, at her parents’ apartment in Moscow.
Armed blacks and whites attack police stations and jails in Luanda in an attempt to free prisoners. This begins four days of rioting in Angola in which 27 people are killed.
Cuban government officials seize the Yateras Water Company which provides water to the US base at Guantanamo. They do nothing to impede the flow of water to the base.
5 February 1961 Hymn and Fuguing Tune no.13 for trombone and piano by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in Kaufmann Concert Hall of the YM-YWHA in New York.
7 February 1961 Chorale in the Form of a Canon for string quartet by Henryk Górecki (27) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
8 February 1961 Symphony no.3 “Collages” for orchestra and tape by Roberto Gerhard (64) is performed for the first time, in London.
9 February 1961 Joseph Ileo becomes Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, replacing the College of Commissioners.
10 February 1961 Symphony no.7 by Walter Piston (67) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia. See 1 May 1961.
Variations on Thirds for Two Violas and String Orchestra by Henry Cowell (63) is performed for the first time, in New York.
String Quartet no.5 by David Diamond (45) is performed for the first time, in New York.
11 February 1961 A referendum in the UN Trust territory of Northern Cameroons votes for unification with Nigeria.
12 February 1961 Venus I is launched towards Venus by the USSR.
A referendum in the UN Trust territory of Southern Cameroons votes for unification with Cameroon.
13 February 1961 The death of Patrice Lumumba is announced by the Congolese government, four weeks after it occurred. The cover story given out is that he escaped from custody and was killed by enraged local tribesmen.
Angry demonstrators attack the Belgian embassy in Rome over the death of Patrice Lumumba.
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein (42) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York, conducted by Lukas Foss (38). See 19 August 1957.
14 February 1961 Angry demonstrators attack the Belgian embassy in Moscow and Belgrade over the death of Patrice Lumumba. Other demonstrations take place in Warsaw, London, New Delhi, and other cities.
The USSR pledges “unlimited support” for the government of Oriental Province of the Congo led by by Antoine Gizenga. It also claims that Lumumba’s death was directly caused by UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld and they demand his removal. The UAR recognizes Gizenga’s government as the “legitimate national government of the Congo.”
15 February 1961 Rioters ransack the Belgian embassies in Cairo and Warsaw.
A Sabena Airlines 707 crashes attempting to land in Brussels. All 72 people aboard are killed, including the entire United States Figure Skating team.
17 February 1961 The UN Security Council votes 9-0-2 to authorize its troops to use force to prevent a civil war in the Congo.
Sarà dolce tacere for eight solo voices by Luigi Nono (37) to words of Pavese is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Purgatory, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (48) to words of Yeats, is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Piece in Two Parts for flute and piano by Stefan Wolpe (58) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
18 February 1961 Irkanda III for piano trio by Peter Sculthorpe (31) is performed for the first time, in the Birmingham Art Gallery, Great Britain.
19 February 1961 Roman Catholic bishops in South Carolina and Georgia announce that their schools will be desegregated along with public schools.
20 February 1961 The Tamil Federal Party begins a campaign of non-violent protest in Jaffna against the decision of the Ceylon government to make Sinhalese the official language of the country.
Eight laws go into effect in Louisiana designed to further the continuance of racial segregation.
Santa Fe Timetable for chorus by Ernst Krenek (60) to words from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Timetable is performed completely for the first time, in Los Angeles. See 12 March 1947.
21 February 1961 President Moise Tshombe of Katanga Province mobilizes his forces to prevent the carrying out of the Security Council resolution.
22 February 1961 Prime Minister Joseph Ileo of the Congo warns that his government will oppose the Security Council resolution of 17 February, by force if necessary.
Adolf Eichmann is indicted in a Jerusalem court on 15 counts of crimes against Jews, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Satires, a cycle for voice and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich (54) to words of Chorny (pseud. Glücksberg, is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory Malyi Hall. The audience requires the singer, Galina Vishnevskaya, to repeat the entire cycle twice.
24 February 1961 Troops loyal to Lumumba supporter Antoine Gizenga of Oriental Province seize Luluabourg, the capital of Kasai Province in the Congo.
25 February 1961 Prime Minister Ileo of the Congo warns the UN that he will begin military operations to recapture Luluabourg unless the UN acts to halt the rebel advance.
Belgium breaks diplomatic relations with the UAR over the 15 February attacks on its embassy.
26 February 1961 King Sidi Mohammed V of Morocco dies during minor surgery in Rabat and is succeeded by his son, Hassan II.
Peter Maxwell Davies (26) appears in the BBC television program “Two Composers, Two Worlds” with Dudley Moore.
President Nasser seizes all Belgian assets in the UAR and orders all Belgian citizens out of the country.
The Widow, an opera by Kenneth Gaburo (34) to his own words after Melville, is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.
28 February 1961 Troops of the central Congolese government reoccupy Luluabourg, Kasai Province. Mobs protesting the arrest of Leonard Mulamba for cooperating with pro-Lumumba forces attack Congolese soldiers killing three of them.
1 March 1961 President Sukarno of Indonesia bans six groups opposed to his policies.
Congolese troops kill 44 people in the Ndesha township near Luluabourg in retaliation for the events of yesterday.
The Peace Corps is established by the United States government.
De profundis for solo double bass and violin, piccolo/flute, oboe/english horn, clarinet/bass clarinet/alto saxophone, and horn by Ralph Shapey (39) is performed for the first time, at the Hartt College of Music of the University of Hartford.
Four Songs on Poems of James Joyce for voice and piano by David Del Tredici (23) is performed for the first time, in Herz Hall of the University of California, Berkeley.
2 March 1961 In a joint statement in Rabat by Prime Minister Ferhat Abbas of the FLN, President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia and King Hassan II of Morocco, the FLN agrees to resume direct negotiations with France on the future of Algeria.
French troops complete their withdrawal from all bases in Morocco.
Six leaders of the conservative insurrection in Algeria in January 1960 are convicted and sentenced in absentia. Prison sentences range from two to ten years. Joseph Ortiz is sentenced to death. 13 others are acquitted.
Ariane, an opera by Bohuslav Martinu (†1) to his own words after Neveux, is performed for the first time, in Gelsenkirchen.
Nonet for Strings by Aaron Copland (60) is performed for the first time, at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, Washington, conducted by the composer. It is dedicated to Nadia Boulanger (73) “after forty years of friendship.”
3 March 1961 Heavy fighting breaks out in Banana between Congolese troops and UN (Sudan) soldiers.
Soviet scientists lose contact with Venus I.
The man responsible for many twentieth-century works for piano-left hand, Paul Wittgenstein, dies at the age of 73 in Manhasset, New York. Wittgenstein, a concert pianist, lost his right arm in World War I.
4 March 1961 UN (Sudan) troops are withdrawn from Banana, Congo after heavy fighting.
Epigram and Evolution for piano by Roger Reynolds (27) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Robert Ashley (30) at the keyboard.
5 March 1961 UN (Sudan) troops are withdrawn from Matadi, Congo after heavy fighting.
Infanta Marina op.83 for viola and piano by Vincent Persichetti (45) is performed for the first time, in New York.
6 March 1961 President Ibrahim Abboud of Sudan orders the withdrawal of his nation’s 400 man contingent in the Congo.
The World is Discovered for twelve players by Harrison Birtwistle (26) after Isaac is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
7 March 1961 An agreement is reached between the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the city’s African-American leaders. Lunch counters and other facilities will be gradually desegregated and blacks will end their campaign of boycotts and demonstration against businesses.
10 March 1961 Pathet Lao forces launch a major offensive and cut the main road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
Alas! Alack! for female chorus by Kenneth Gaburo (34) is performed for the first time, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
11 March 1961 On his 85th birthday, today is declared Carl Ruggles Day in Vermont.
12 March 1961 Most leaders in the Congo issue a joint statement in Tananarive after five days of meetings, in which they outline the future constitutional makeup of the country. Lumumba supporter Antoine Gizenga is not there.
13 March 1961 US President John Kennedy, speaking to Latin American diplomats, announces the Alliance for Progress, to foster democracy and economic progress in the Western Hemisphere.
From Marion’s Book, a cycle for voice and piano by Marc Blitzstein (56) to words of Cummings, is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
14 March 1961 The New English Bible is published by Cambridge University Press.
Aubade op.387 for orchestra by Darius Milhaud (68) is performed for the first time, in Oakland.
15 March 1961 At a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in London, South Africa withdraws from the British Commonwealth because of criticism of its apartheid policies. This will become effective 31 May with the institution of constitutional changes in South Africa.
17 March 1961 ...Out of “Last Pieces” for orchestra by Morton Feldman (35) is performed for the first time, in Cooper Union Great Hall, New York.
18 March 1961 The Pathet Lao offensive reaches to within 35 km of Luang Prabang.
Cease your Raging, Waterfall for male chorus by Jean Sibelius (†3) to words of the Kalevala, completed by Bergman, is performed for the first time, in Helsinki.
20 March 1961 President Kasavubu of the Congo asks that UN troops be removed from the country.
Ugandans begin voting for an 82-seat parliament in the first country-wide election in the protectorate.
21 March 1961 Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej replaces Ion Gheorghe Maurer as President of the State Council of Romania. Maurer replaces Chivu Stoica as Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
Negotiations between the UK, USSR and US on the banning of nuclear weapons tests resume in Geneva after three-and-a-half months.
23 March 1961 The Soviet government abolishes prior censorship on all outgoing news dispatches.
In a televised news conference, US President Kennedy warns the USSR that his government will not allow a Pathet Lao victory in Laos.
24 March 1961 Fanfare II for the 25th anniversary of the High School of Music and Art by Leonard Bernstein (42) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Variations II for any number of players with any means of producing sounds by John Cage (48) is performed for the first time, at the New School for Social Research, New York.
25 March 1961 Lou Harrison (43) boards a freighter in California making for Japan where he has been invited to the East-West Music Encounter Conference in Tokyo.
26 March 1961 Parliamentary elections in Belgium result in gains for the Socialists at the expense of the Christian Peoples Party.
Durations 3 for violin, tuba, and piano by Morton Feldman (35) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
27 March 1961 Imam Ahmad ash-Shams of Yemen is shot and seriously injured as he inspects a hospital in Hodeida. The assassins injure other members of the Imam’s entourage.
Symphonia sacra for tenor, baritone, bass, two violins, two oboes, double bass, and organ by Charles Wuorinen (22) to words from the Bible is performed for the first time, in St. Thomas’ Church, New York.
28 March 1961 About 200 black students hold a peaceful protest at Jackson State College in Mississippi. As they attempt to march to the city jail where nine of their comrades are imprisoned, they are attacked by police wielding clubs and firing tear gas.
29 March 1961 A court in Praetoria acquits 28 people (including Nelson Mandela) charged with trying to overthrow the government. It said there was no proof that the African National Congress is “communist-infiltrated” or plans to overthrow the government by force.
The 23rd amendment to the US constitution goes into effect when the 34th state ratifies it. The amendment allows citizens of the District of Columbia to vote in presidential elections.
As nine black students go on trial in Jackson, Mississippi for a sit-in protest, about 100 other blacks gather outside the courtroom to support them. They are attacked by police using clubs and dogs and dispersed. Whites gathered outside the courthouse are asked to leave.
30 March 1961 Katanga troops supported by white mercenaries, including many South Africans, attack supporters of Antoine Gizenga in Manono.
31 March 1961 Katanga troops and mercenaries capture Manono, center of leftist separation from Katanga.
Compositions 1960 #10 and Compositions 1961 by LaMonte Young (25) are performed for the first time, in Paine Hall of Harvard University.
2 April 1961 The Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) of French Algerians explodes a bomb near the apartment of socialist leader François Mitterand. It causes little damage.
While stepping out of his New York home, Wallingford Riegger tries to separate his two combating dogs. He trips on a leash and falls to the pavement causing a blood clot which requires emergency surgery. The composer dies shortly after the surgery is performed, aged 75 years, eleven months, and four days.
3 April 1961 30,000 people protesting the presence of Polaris missiles in Britain sit down in front of the US embassy in London. 31 are arrested.
4 April 1961 Mobs attack UN (Sweden) troops in Elisabethville after Katanga President Moise Tshombe called for popular resistance to UN presence in the district.
The OAS explodes a bomb in the Paris Bourse injuring 14 people.
Soli II for woodwind quintet by Carlos Chávez (61) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Symphony no.10 by Darius Milhaud (68), commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the State of Oregon, is performed for the first time, in Portland.
8 April 1961 Rotate the Body in All Its Planes by Harry Partch (59) is performed for the first time, at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships at the University of Illinois in Ubana.
10 April 1961 Psalmus 1961 for electronic sound generators by Krzysztof Penderecki (27) is performed for the first time, in Stockholm.
11 April 1961 The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
Alfons Gorbach replaces Julius Raab as Chancellor of Austria.
Revelation in the Courthouse Park for solo voices, speakers, chorus, dancers, and a large ensemble by Harry Partch (59) after Euripides, is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois, Urbana.
12 April 1961 Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human to orbit the earth. His one orbit aboard Vostok I takes one hour and 48 minutes, blasting off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan and landing near Smelovka in the Saratov Region. Upon feeling the return of gravity, the cosmonaut sings My homeland hears, my homeland knows where in the skies her son soars on, a melody by Dmitri Shostakovich (54), the first music produced by a human in outer space.
The US Atomic Energy Agency announces that scientists at the University of California in Berkeley created element 103 in their laboratory. The scientists propose it be called Lawrencium after Dr. Ernest Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron.
13 April 1961 Intolleranza 1960, a scenic action by Luigi Nono (37) after Ripellino, using texts of various authors including Eluard, Brecht, and Mayakovsky, is performed for the first time, in Venice, conducted by Bruno Maderna (40). It is his first premiere in Italy. A demonstration, complete with stink bombs and whistles, is staged by a fascist group who spreads anti-dodecaphonic literature throughout the audience. One of the composer’s fellow leftists in the audience, Marc Blitzstein (56), is impressed. “None of my scandals can touch this one!”
Five motets for voice and piano by Paul Hindemith (65) to words from the Bible are performed for the first time, in Venice: Dixit Jesus Petro, Erat Joseph et Maria, Vidit Joannes Jesum, Exiit edictum and Cum descendisset Jesus.
14 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin makes a triumphal visit to Moscow where he is cheered by throngs and joins the Soviet leadership above Lenin’s tomb. In the evening, President Leonid Brezhnev awards Gagarin the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star.
The Tamil Federal Party begins a campaign of civil disobedience against the Ceylon government, calling for the official use of Tamil in the northern and eastern areas of the country.
15 April 1961 United States air forces, flying from Nicaragua, bomb Cuban airfields in preparation for the invasion of the island by anti-Castro Cubans.
The UN General Assembly (61-5-33) renews its call for all foreign (particularly Belgian) military to leave the Congo.
16 April 1961 Fidel Castro declares Cuba a socialist state.
Durations I for alto flute, piano, violin, and cello by Morton Feldman (35) is performed for the first time, in Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York the composer at the keyboard.
17 April 1961 1,500 Cuban exiles, armed and trained by the United States, invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in Las Villas Province.
Demonstrators attack the USIS in Buenos Aires with rocks and hand grenades. Anti-US demonstrations take place in Bogotá, Mexico City, Caracas, Venezuela, Montevideo, and Santiago de Chile.
18 April 1961 Demonstrators attack the United States embassies in Moscow and Sofiya, Bulgaria, and the USIS in Belgrade, protesting the American invasion of Cuba. Anti-US demonstrations take place in Warsaw, Paris and Tokyo.
William Walton (59) becomes the 14th Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Oldham.
Cuban forces launch a counterattack against the beachhead at the Bay of Pigs.
19 April 1961 The US government announces it will send a military mission to aid the army of the conservative Prime Minister Boun Oum of Laos.
Pillars for two pianos and percussion by Joan Tower (22) is performed for the first time, at Bennington College, Vermont.
Serenade no.11 op.85 for band by Vincent Persichetti (45) is performed for the first time, in Ithaca, New York conducted by the composer.
20 April 1961 A Turkish court on Yassiada Island, near Istanbul, convicts former President Celal Bayar and former Prime Minister Adnan Menderes of violating the constitution.
Cuban forces crush the Bay of Pigs invasion. 200-300 invaders are killed, 1,179 are captured.
Mass op.84 for chorus by Vincent Persichetti (45) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
Symphonic Prelude by Walter Piston (67) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
21 April 1961 Havana newspapers report that 14,000 people have been arrested since the start of the Bay of Pigs invasion. 31 have been executed.
Police and soldiers battle anti-US demonstrators who try to march on the National Palace in Mexico City. 150 people are injured, 200 arrested.
22 April 1961 Pathet Lao forces capture Vang Vieng, 135 km north of Vientiane.
French troops led by four retired generals mutiny in Algiers and take control of important government buildings, arresting loyal officers. Thousands of French Algerians take to the streets in support of the putsch. At night, French agents arrest General Faure and other conspirators as they are organizing about 2,000 troops with tanks to march on Paris and take over the government. A state of emergency is declared.
Voters in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana decide to close their public schools rather than integrate. This makes students eligible for payments to go to private schools.
Incantations for soprano and ten instruments by Ralph Shapey (40) is performed for the first time, in Miller Hall at Columbia University.
Piano Concerto no.1 by Alberto Ginastera (45) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Classical Symphony by TJ Anderson (32) is performed for the first time, in Kansas City, Kansas.
Patterns, a suite for chamber orchestra by William Grant Still (65) is performed for the first time, in Torrance, California.
Divertimento for orchestra by Robert Ward (43) is performed for the first time, in Portland, Oregon.
23 April 1961 General Raoul Salan flies from Madrid to Algiers to take part in the putsch. Troops and tanks begin appearing on the streets of Paris in case paratroopers from Algeria attempt to take the government. Air, bus, and train traffic is stopped. Prime Minister Debré warns French citizens to prepare for an attack on Paris. At night, President de Gaulle makes an impassioned speech to the nation to come to his aid.
24 April 1961 Moved by President de Gaulle’s speech, many of the French troops in Algeria begin changing their minds about the putsch. A total blockade of Algeria is ordered by de Gaulle. At midnight, as things begin to crumble, the four generals attempt to speak to the civil population from the balcony of the Gouvernement-Général in Algiers. The microphone fails to work.
The prosecution case against Adolf Eichmann opens in a Jerusalem court.
President Joseph Kasavubu convenes a conference of 200 political and tribal leaders of the Congo in Coquilhatville to discuss the future of the country. Only Antoine Gizenga is not there.
US President Kennedy issues a statement taking full responsibility for the Bay of Pigs invasion and its failure. Honduras breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba. 2,000 people demonstrate in Tegucigalpa against the move.
Two works are performed for the first time, in Venice: three of the four movements of Jeux Vénitiens for chamber orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (48), and Fonogrammi for flute and chamber orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (27). See 16 September 1961.
Overture for orchestra by Charles T. Griffes (†41) is performed for the first time, in Kilbourn Hall, Rochester New York conducted by Howard Hanson (64) 56 years after it was composed.
Symphony no.9 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (†1) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
25 April 1961 A cease-fire is agreed to in principle by both sides in the Laos conflict.
Théo Lefèvre replaces Gaston Eyskens as Prime Minister of Belgium.
France explodes an atomic bomb in the Sahara at Reggane. Loyal troops gain control of Oran and Constantine. Rebel paratroopers who try to take the naval base of Mers-el-Kebir are dissuaded by shelling from a French cruiser offshore. Loyal troops begin to take back Algiers.
Two years, almost to the day, after the death of his wife, Olivier Messiaen (52) and his long time collaborator Yvonne Loriod, decide to marry.
26 April 1961 The US begins an airlift of arms to the right-wing government of Laos.
General Maurice Challe, one of the putsch leaders, gives himself up in Algiers.
As Katanga leader Moise Tshombe attempts to board a plane to leave Coquilhatville he is arrested by Congolese troops, along with his Foreign Minister and six Belgian advisors.
27 April 1961 The last 1,200 rebellious legionnaires in Algeria destroy their barracks and give themselves up to French authorities.
Sierra Leone, under Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Milton Margai, is proclaimed independent of Great Britain in ceremonies in Freetown.
Two new works by American composers are performed for the first time, at Howard University in Washington under the baton of Howard Hanson (64): Symphony no.14 by Henry Cowell (64) and Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun for bass and orchestra by Roy Harris (63) to words of Whitman.
28 April 1961 The International Control Commission for Laos (India-Canada-Poland) convenes in New Delhi in an attempt to stop the current round of fighting.
Piano Distance by Toru Takemitsu (30) is performed for the first time, in Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo.
29 April 1961 All military units which took part in the recent Algerian insurrection are disbanded by the French government.
30 April 1961 The Congolese Foreign Minister announces that the Coquilhatville conference gave unanimous support to President Kasavubu, his reorganization of the army, and the expulsion of all foreign advisors. Only Moise Tshombe, now under arrest, was a voice of dissent.
Cantata para America magica for soprano and percussion orchestra by Alberto Ginastera (45) to pre-Columbian words, is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Violin Concerto with Lights by Henry Brant (47) is performed for the first time, in New York.
String Quartet no.8 by Ross Lee Finney (54) is performed for the first time, at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
1 May 1961 Great Britain grants internal self-government to Tanganyika.
President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana announces he is taking complete control of the government.
Walter Piston (67) wins the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Symphony no.7. See 10 February 1961.
Nocturnal for soprano, bass, chorus, and orchestra by Edgar Varèse (77) to words of Nin and nonsense syllables added by the composer, is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.
2 May 1961 A statement by the government of Katanga calls for the release of Moise Tshombe and agrees to a reorganization of the army and withdrawal of Belgian advisors.
3 May 1961 A truce is ordered by the opposing sides in Laos.
George Blake, former Foreign Office employee, is sentenced to 42 years in prison in a London court. He pleaded guilty to spying for the Soviet Union since 1953.
4 May 1961 Two groups of “Freedom Riders” depart Washington heading for New Orleans. They intend to test the desegregation of bus facilities ordered by the federal courts. The Freedom Riders include both black and white participants.
5 May 1961 Preliminary talks begin in Hin Heup between the warring sides in Laos.
Alan Shepard becomes the first American to enter space. Blasting off from Cape Canaveral in a Mercury-Redstone rocket, he reaches an altitude of 185 km and splashes down 485 km downrange. His sub-orbital flight takes 15 minutes and 22 seconds.
6 May 1961 Six Belgian advisors arrested with Moise Tshombe on 26 April are deported from the Congo to Belgium.
General André Zeller, one of the leaders of the recent Algerian uprising, surrenders to French authorities.
9 May 1961 Moise Tshombe of Katanga province, and his foreign minister Evariste Kimba, are charged with treason for leading a secessionist state.
Newton N. Minow, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, declares that the quality of television programming constitutes a “vast wasteland.”
The Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center gives its inaugural concert before an invited audience in McMillin Theatre, Columbia University. Gargoyles for violin solo and synthesized sound by Otto Luening (60) is performed for the first time, as are the Prologue and Interlude from The Creation for mezzo-soprano, two choruses, and tape by Vladimir Ussachevsky (49). See 19 May 1971.
10 May 1961 Cantate sur des poèmes de Chaucer op.386 by Darius Milhaud (68) is performed for the first time, at the University of Iowa.
11 May 1961 US Vice President Lyndon Johnson along with 30 members of Congress and other officials arrive in Saigon to pledge military and economic support for South Vietnam.
12 May 1961 Three men are arrested in Lisbon for holding a news conference to announce a plan to bring democracy to Portugal.
13 May 1961 The Secret Army Organization (OAS), a right wing paramilitary group, explodes four bombs in Paris on the anniversary of the 1958 uprising. Ten people are injured.
Dimensions for soprano and 14 instruments by Ralph Shapey (40) is performed for the first time, at the New School, New York the composer conducting.
14 May 1961 About ten whites beat and kick Freedom Riders in Anniston, Alabama while three policemen watch. As the bus reaches Birmingham, Alabama the passengers are set upon by 30-40 white thugs waiting for them. They are dragged into the bus station and beaten with pipes and fists. Ten minutes later police arrive but the thugs have left already. A second bus, forced off the road by a flat (probably cut) tire between Anniston and Birmingham, is fire bombed by a white mob. Two policemen arrive and disperse the crowd. Twelve Freedom Riders are hospitalized.
Arabic Numeral (any integer), to HF by LaMonte Young (26) is performed for the first time, in New York.
15 May 1961 Governor John Patterson of Alabama releases a statement wherein he “refuses to guarantee [the] safe passage” of Freedom Riders.
16 May 1961 Five South Korean army officers led by Major General Park Chung Hee overthrow the government of Prime Minister Chang Myon. Troops and armored units seize control of major cities. They place President Yun Po Sun under house arrest. Martial law is declared, all meetings are banned, and travel abroad is prohibited.
An international conference on the future of Laos begins in Geneva with 14 nations represented.
Representative George Huddleston of Alabama says that the Freedom Riders “got just what they asked for” for “trespassing upon the South and its well established and understood customs.”
Serenata III for tape by Bruno Maderna (41) is performed for the first time, in Venice.
17 May 1961 Prime Minister Chang Myon of South Korea resigns and turns the government over to Maj. Gen. Park Chung Hee.
15 blacks and two whites are arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for trying to take a bus out of the city. The driver refuses to drive if the group is on board.
18 May 1961 500,000 French civil servants stage a one-day strike over pay demands. Transportation and utilities are especially hard hit.
19 May 1961 Eemil Vihtori Luukka becomes acting Prime Minister of Finland, replacing Väinö Johannes Sukselainen.
A day before negotiations begin in Evian, the OAS sets off 19 explosions around Algiers.
Philip Glass (24) a student at the Juilliard School of Music, encounters minimalism for the first time at a performance of LaMonte Young’s (25) Compositions 1960 #10 and Compositions 1961 in Yoko Ono’s loft at 112 Chambers Street, New York. (This could be 20 May)
20 May 1961 Negotiations between French authorities and representatives of the provisional Algerian government begin in Evian. French authorities declare a unilateral cease-fire in Algeria as a gesture of good will. Over 20 bombs go off in Algiers and Oran injuring several people. Conservatives ransack and set fire to the Swiss consulate in Oran. Switzerland offered to let the Algerian delegation to the Evian conference stay in Geneva.
Elegy for Young Lovers, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (34) to words of Auden and Kallman, is performed for the first time, in Schwetzingen. See 28 October 1988.
Freedom Riders and reporters are beaten by white mobs at a Montgomery, Alabama bus terminal. Police Commissioner LP Sullivan tells a reporter, “We have no intention of standing guard for a bunch of troublemakers coming into our city.” After 1,000 whites have joined the melee, police intervene and disperse the crowd with tear gas. 19 people are injured. US Attorney General Robert Kennedy dispatches 350-400 federal marshals to Alabama. Governor John Patterson calls the marshals “interlopers.”
21 May 1961 White crowds gather outside the First Baptist Church in Montgomery wherein blacks are attending a meeting. The church is protected by federal marshals. Governor John Patterson of Alabama declares martial law in Montgomery. The National Guard arrives and surrounds the church.
Perspectives for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (32) is performed for the first time, in Stirling.
Bagatelles op.87 for band by Vincent Persichetti (45) is performed for the first time, at Dartmouth College, the composer conducting.
22 May 1961 The new military regime in South Korea orders the dissolution of all political parties.
Blacks attending a meeting at the First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama are escorted home by National Guard troops. Attorney General Robert Kennedy orders 200 more federal marshals into Alabama.
Music of Tree for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (30) is performed for the first time, in Hibiya Hall, Tokyo.
23 May 1961 Durations 4 for vibraphone, violin, and cello by Morton Feldman (35) is performed for the first time, in New York.
24 May 1961 27 Freedom Riders travel from Montgomery, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi. In Alabama they are escorted by 16 police cruisers with 1,000 National Guardsmen stationed along the road. For the entire trip, the two buses are trailed by 20 cars with reporters. They are arrested in Jackson when they try to use rest rooms reserved for whites. A second group of Freedom Riders arrives in Jackson a few hours later and are arrested when they refuse an order to leave a restaurant reserved for whites.
25 May 1961 US President John Kennedy commits his country to landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
Seven blacks and four whites are arrested when they request service at a lunch counter at a Montgomery, Alabama bus terminal. Among those arrested are Rev. William Sloane Coffin, chaplain of Yale University, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
Reverend Solomon Seay, a civil rights leader in Montgomery, Alabama, is shot in the wrist in front of his home by gunmen firing from a passing car.
Attorney General Robert Kennedy removes all but 100 US marshals he sent to Alabama.
26 May 1961 Fern Hill for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and piano by John Corigliano (23) to words of Thomas is performed for the first time.
27 May 1961 The appointed assembly for Turkey approves a new constitution in Ankara.
28 May 1961 The South Korean junta orders the arrest of twelve businessmen, five former military officers, and twelve former government officials. They are charged with gaining their fortunes illegally.
The Orient Express makes its last run from Paris to Bucharest, having been in service for 78 years.
15 blacks and two whites are arrested when they refuse to move from a “whites only” waiting room in a bus terminal in Jackson, Mississippi.
29 May 1961 Generals Maurice Challe and André Zeller go on trial in Paris for leading the recent Algerian insurrection.
Governor John Patterson of Alabama ends martial law.
30 May 1961 While driving near Ciudad Trujillo to see one of his mistresses, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, dictator of the Dominican Republic, is shot to death by gunmen in another car. An autopsy reveals the presence of 27 bullets.
Five whites and three blacks are arrested when they refuse to leave a “whites only” waiting room in a Jackson, Mississippi train depot.
31 May 1961 The Union of South Africa declares itself a republic and withdraws from the British Commonwealth of Nations. Governor-General Charles Robberts Swart becomes State President.
Two OAS members set upon police commissioner Roger Gavoury at his Algiers apartment and stab him to death. He was the French police official in charge of defeating the OAS.
Generals Maurice Challe and André Zeller are convicted in a Paris court of leading the Algerian insurrection and are sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for 52 strings by Krzysztof Penderecki (27) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Warsaw.
Nympholept for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†7) is performed for the first time, at the Royal Academy of Music, 46 years after it was composed. See 14 February 1987.
1 June 1961 The northern British Cameroons is united with Nigeria.
British troops are sent to the protectorate of Zanzibar to quell election related violence. Over the next twelve days, 64 people are killed, over 1,000 arrested.
2 June 1961 A federal judge in Montgomery, Alabama bans “freedom rides”, but also orders the Montgomery police to protect all riders on interstate buses and orders the Ku Klux Klan to refrain from interfering with interstate travel.
3 June 1961 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and US President John Kennedy begin two days of talks in Vienna.
A suite from the ballet The Quest by William Walton (59) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London. See 6 April 1943.
4 June 1961 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and US President John Kennedy conclude two days of talks in Vienna. No substantive agreements are reached.
16 farmers protest falling prices by setting fire to ballot boxes during a departmental election in Pont-l’Abbé in Brittany.
6 June 1961 The military junta in South Korea abolishes the constitution and assumes dictatorial powers.
General Pierre Bigot is sentenced to six to 15 years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
Sony Corporation offers $3,500,000 of common stock on the US market. It is the first common stock offering by a Japanese company in the US.
Carl Gustav Jung dies in Zürich at the age of 85.
8 June 1961 Farmers protesting falling farm prices lay siege to Morlaix, France blocking all entry points to the town. They take over the office of the sub-prefect and force him out.
Percy Sutton, the head of the NAACP in Manhattan, and Mark Lane, a white New York state legislator, are arrested for trying to use segregated rest rooms in the Jackson, Mississippi airport. Five blacks and four whites are arrested in Jackson when they refuse to leave the segregated waiting room in the Jackson railroad station.
9 June 1961 Five Freedom Riders are arrested at the Jackson, Mississippi railroad station after arriving from Nashville.
A revised version of The Greek Passion, an opera by Bohuslav Martinu (†1) to his own words after Kazantzakis, is performed for the first time, in Zürich. See 20 July 1999.
10 June 1961 Major Hélie Denoix de Saint Marc is sentenced to ten years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
11 June 1961 Six Freedom Riders are arrested at a Jackson, Mississippi bus terminal after a trip from Nashville.
12 June 1961 Bombs in Oran, Algeria kill six people.
After hearing 113 witnesses over six weeks, the prosecution against Adolf Eichmann rests in a Jersusalem court.
13 June 1961 Negotiations between French authorities and representatives of the provisional Algerian government in Evian adjourn without settlement.
15 June 1961 In a nationally broadcast speech, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev says, “The conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany cannot be postponed any longer. A peaceful settlement in Europe must be attained this year.”
16 June 1961 Leading Soviet dancer Rudolf Nureyev leaves the Kirov company as it is about to board a plane in Paris to London. He asks France for asylum.
Farmers protesting falling prices attack the city government building in Pointivy, Brittany hurling various objects through the windows. Police use tear gas to disperse them.
A bomb goes off in front of the Paris home of the ambassador to the US. Five people are injured.
The University of Illinois appoints Harry Partch (59) as a Research Associate in the Department of Speech and Theatre.
Five Freedom Riders are arrested at a Jackson, Mississippi bus terminal after traveling from Nashville. Three Freedom Riders are arrested after a fight with two white men in Ocala, Florida who try to prevent them from using the segregated cafeteria in the bus station. After waiting 24 hours to enter a closed restaurant at the Tallahassee airport, seven whites and three blacks are arrested for refusing to leave the terminal.
17 June 1961 Prime Minister Michel Debré announces a plan to address the concerns of Britttany farmers.
18 June 1961 Over 500 farmers on tractors block approaches to Carhaix, France while a protest of falling prices takes place there.
Trigon for wind orchestra by Ulysses Kay (44) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.
19 June 1961 The State of Kuwait, under Emir Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah, is declared independent of Great Britain.
Talks about the future of Laos begin in Zürich by the three princes leading the three warring factions: Boun Oum, Souphanouvong and Souvanna Phouma.
A bomb goes off in the Paris office of the Tunis weekly Afrique Action. Six people are injured.
General Jean Nicot is sentenced to twelve years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
In the case of Mapp v. Ohio, the US Supreme Court rules that state courts may not use evidence gained illegally.
20 June 1961 Adolf Eichmann takes the stand in his own defense in a Jerusalem court.
Lt. General Marie-Michel Gouraud is sentenced to seven years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
14 Freedom Riders are arrested at the Jackson, Mississippi railroad station.
21 June 1961 Major Georges Robin is sentenced to six years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
Rioting farmers break down the door of the Poitiers administration building.
Eight Variations for violin and harpsichord by Charles Wuorinen (23) is performed for the first time, in the School of Sacred Music, Union Theological Seminary, New York.
22 June 1961 After two months of detention, Katanga President Moise Tshombe is released in return for a promise to send Katanga representatives when the national Parliament reconvenes. He also agrees that the central government may take control in the province.
Symphony no.3 by Samuel Adler (33) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.
23 June 1961 The Antarctic Treaty signed 1 December 1959 goes into effect.
24 June 1961 Moise Tshombe makes a triumphal return to Elisabethville after two months of detention by the federal government.
Security forces use tear gas to break up 2,500 farmers hurling rocks and bottles at them in Montauban. 7,000 other farmers use tractors to block roads in southwestern France.
25 June 1961 Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Kassem of Iraq claims the newly independent Kuwait for his country.
Eleven black and nine white Freedom Riders are arrested for refusing to leave a segregated waiting room in the Jackson, Mississippi railroad station.
Alain Resnais’ film L'année dernière à Marienbad is released in France.
26 June 1961 Lt. Colonel Jean Brechignac is sentenced to two years in jail by a Paris court for his part in the Algerian insurrection.
27 June 1961 Emir Abdullah declares a state of emergency in Kuwait in the face of the Iraqi claim of two days ago. Egypt and Saudi Arabia broadcast disapproval of the Iraqi statements.
17 departments throughout France are affected by protesting farmers.
Karl Amadeus Hartmann (55) is offered the directorship of the Berlin Municipal Conservatorium of Music. He will decline, not wishing to leave Munich.
28 June 1961 Angry farmers block train traffic along the Mediterranean coast and between Toulouse and Marseille.
Kaleidoscope for two pianos by John Corigliano (23) is performed for the first time, in Spoleto.
29 June 1961 A bomb explodes near the country home of Henri Rochereau, French Minister of Agriculture, in the Vendée. Farmers battle soldiers in Nimes where dozens are injured. The government agrees to emergency price supports for various commodities.
Suite op.11 for flute, clarinet, horn, harp, violin/viola, and cello by Alexander Goehr (28) is performed for the first time, in Aldeburgh.
1 July 1961 Moslems protesting a French plan to divide Algeria into French and Moslem zones clash with security forces in Algiers and Blida. 18 are killed, 91 injured. There is also a massive transportation strike.
Olivier Messiaen (52) marries his second wife, the pianist Yvonne Loriod, in the Mairie of the 18th arrondissement, Paris.
600 British marines and a squadron of RAF fighters arrive in Kuwait at the request of Emir Abdullah.
2 July 1961 A small number of Saudi Arabian troops enter Kuwait at the request of Emir Abdullah.
Ernest Hemingway shoots himself to death at the age of 62, in Ketchum, Idaho.
LaMonte Young (25) gives the first of two performances at the A/G Gallery on Madison Avenue, New York. He performs Composition 1960 #7.
3 July 1961 Lt. General Chang Do Young resigns as leader of South Korea’s military junta. He is replaced by Maj. General Park Chung Hee. Three other junta members resign. Chang, five junta members, and 44 other officers are arrested for plotting to assassinate Park Chung Hee.
Finnish Prime Minister Väinö Sukselainen and his government resign after Sukselainen is convicted of administrative irregularities as one of 17 members of the State Pensions Institution.
The religious wedding ceremony for Olivier Messiaen (52) and Yvonne Loriod takes place in Église Sainte-Geneviève-des-Grandes-Carrières, Paris. The number of those attending is small because the couple wish to keep their marriage a secret.
4 July 1961 The Katanga Assembly votes to reject the deal of 22 June.
5 July 1961 Mass demonstrations and strikes begin again among Moslems in Algeria. 85 people are killed, 266 injured in clashes with security forces.
7 July 1961 Adolf Eichmann concludes twelve days of direct testimony in a Jerusalem court. Cross-examination begins immediately.
A UN Security Council resolution calling on all members to recognize Kuwait’s independence and territorial sovereignty is vetoed by the USSR.
Rioters in Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo) burn down the government radio station, killing a technician. It is the first anti-government demonstration in the Dominican Republic in 31 years. About 50 pro-government rioters retaliate by burning down the office of the newly founded Popular Dominican Movement.
Three new works by British composers are performed for the first time, in Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh: Sonata in C op.65 for cello and piano by Benjamin Britten (47) performed by Mstislav Rostropovich and the composer, Songs for Achilles for tenor and guitar by Michael Tippett (56) to his own words, and Sir Patrick Spens for tenor and guitar by Thea Musgrave (33) to traditional words.
8 July 1961 Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev cancels planned troop reductions and orders an increase in defense expenditures of 25%.
9 July 1961 LaMonte Young (25) gives the second of two performances at the A/G Gallery on Madison Avenue, New York. He performs Composition 1960 #3.
10 July 1961 Four Freedom Riders are arrested for refusing to leave the whites only waiting room in the Little Rock bus station.
The Kennedy administration orders the US military to stop conservative “educational” programs designed for political indoctrination.
Time Cycle for soprano, clarinet, cello, celesta, and percussion by Lukas Foss (38) to words of Nietzsche, Auden, Housman, and Kafka, is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lennox, Massachusetts, the composer at the keyboard and conducting. See 20 October 1960.
11 July 1961 Eight former officers are sentenced to death by a Paris court for their parts in the April coup attempt. General Raoul Salan and the seven others are all in absentia.
12 July 1961 Police kill a black man in Chicago setting off three days of rioting by blacks. 21 whites are beaten, over 65 blacks arrested.
14 July 1961 Martti Johannes Miettunen replaces Eemil Vihtori Luukka as Prime Minister of Finland.
A referendum in Turkey expresses approval for the new constitution.
15 July 1961 1,500 refugees cross into West Berlin today. This is the highest daily total since 1953.
16 July 1961 Jubilate Deo in C for chorus and organ by Benjamin Britten (47) is performed for the first time, in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
17 July 1961 France, the UK, and the US inform the USSR that the Soviet terms for settling the German questions are unacceptable.
President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia gives France 24 hours to begin negotiating their withdrawal from their naval and air bases at Bizerte and to recognize Tunisian claims in the Sahara. If the French refuse, Bourguiba promises to send Tunisian troops to surround the French bases and also to enter and occupy part of the Sahara.
18 July 1961 The French government informs Tunisia that it will resist the threats made yesterday.
Paul Hindemith (65) and his wife arrive in New York from Europe.
19 July 1961 Tunisian troops surround the French naval base at Bizerte demanding its removal. Fighting begins when Tunisians fire at a French helicopter. Artillery exchanges ensue. French paratroopers drop into the base to reinforce it.
20 July 1961 French air and ground forces attack Tunisians surrounding the naval base at Bizerte and break the siege, entering the city. French reinforcements arrive in an amphibious operation. Over 100 Tunisians are killed. Tunisian President Bourguiba breaks relations with France and requests an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. He recalls 3,500 soldiers from the Congo.
Negotiations between French authorities and representatives of the provisional Algerian government resume, this time in Lugrin, France.
Cross-examination of Adolf Eichmann concludes in a Jerusalem court.
21 July 1961 Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom becomes the third human in space as he rides in a Mercury capsule, blasting off from Cape Canaveral to an altitude of 190 km and landing in the Atlantic 488 km away. After hitting the water, the capsule sinks and is not recovered. Grissom is safe. The flight takes 16 minutes.
Sax Quartet by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.
22 July 1961 French forces occupy most of Bizerte, Tunisia. Tunisian troops entering the Sahara exchange fire with French forces. The UN Security Council (10-0-1) calls on both sides to stop fighting and return to status quo ante. Both sides cease-fire but hold positions.
East Germany begins increased police surveillance of train traffic to West Berlin in the midst of an exodus from east to west.
23 July 1961 Grace Bumbry (24) becomes the first black woman to appear on the stage of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. She sings the part of Venus in Tannhäuser.
25 July 1961 In a nationwide address, US President Kennedy outlines proposals for a solution to the Germany-Berlin question and renews the pledge to defend West Berlin.
The seven nations of the Latin American Free Trade Association open their first conference in Montevideo. The group plans to find ways to drop barriers to trade.
26 July 1961 Austria completes its World War II reparations payments to the Soviet Union.
159 blacks dine at 36 previously segregated restaurants in Dallas without incident. This was arranged by a mixed-race integration committee to prepare the city for school desegregation in September.
27 July 1961 The Parliament of the Congo opens for the first time since last September, at Lovanium University near Léopoldville, protected by UN troops.
White citizens of Southern Rhodesia approve a new constitution proposed by Great Britain. It increases black representation and suffrage and grants them civil rights. It also ends a British veto over legislation.
28 July 1961 Negotiations between French authorities and representatives of the provisional Algerian government in Lugrin break down over the status of the Sahara.
30 July 1961 Uvea and Futuna become the French Overseas Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands.
31 July 1961 British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan announces that his government will seek membership in the European Economic Community.
String Quartet by Roger Reynolds (27) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
Music I Heard for voice and piano by Henry Cowell (64) to words of Aiken, is performed for the first time, at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.
1 August 1961 Dahomey annexes the Portuguese territory of Ajuda. Before his deportation to Nigeria, the chief Portuguese official sets his home on fire.
East Germany curbs interzonal travel claiming that West Germany is spreading polio.
2 August 1961 East Berlin police begin placing restrictions on the 53,000 Berliners who live in East Berlin and work in West Berlin.
Two pieces by Charles Wuorinen (23) are performed for the first time, at the School of Sacred Music, Union Theological Seminary, New York: Concertante III for solo harpsichord, oboe, violin, viola, and cello and Tiento Sobre Cabézón for flute, oboe, violin, viola, cello, harpsichord, and piano.
3 August 1961 Cyrille Adoula replaces Joseph Ileo as Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Military representatives of France, the UK, and the US protest to the Soviet commander in Berlin that recent restrictions imposed by East Germany are in violation of post-war agreements about the city.
Atlas eclipticalis for any 86 instruments by John Cage (48) is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre de la Comedie Canadienne, Montreal. The work, presented by one pianist and 17 instrumentalists, is produced simultaneously with Cage’s Winter Music and conducted by the composer. Also premiered is Durations 5 for horn, vibraphone, harp, piano, violin, and cello by Morton Feldman (35). See 6 February 1964.
4 August 1961 East Germany orders the registration of commuters to West Berlin. Everyone living in the east and working in the west must pay their rent and utilities in West German marks.
British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan makes a nationwide address reaffirming his country’s commitments to West Berlin.
5 August 1961 Irkanda IV for violin, strings, and percussion by Peter Sculthorpe (32) is performed for the first time, in Nicholas Hall, Melbourne.
The secessionist government of Antoine Ginzenga in Stanleyville recognizes the authority of the new Cyrille Adoula cabinet and dissolves itself.
6 August 1961 09:00 Gherman Stepanovich Titov blasts off from Baikonur, Kazhakstan and goes into orbit aboard Vostok II.
7 August 1961 Gherman Stepanovich Titov becomes the first man to stay in space longer than 24 hours when his Vostok II spacecraft comes to Earth at Krasny Kut, near Saratov, after 16 orbits taking 25 hours and 18 minutes.
Answering US President Kennedy’s speech of 25 July, Soviet General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev reaffirms his country’s determination to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany.
Incidental music to a play by Lawrence and Lee, Turn on the Night, by Roy Harris (63) is performed for the first time, in John B. Kelly Playhouse-in-the-Park, Philadelphia. The music was recorded from 13-29 July 1961 in San Germán, Puerto Rico.
9 August 1961 Over 1,900 East Germans enter West Berlin today.
10 August 1961 Great Britain and Denmark formally apply for membership in the EEC.
A Neighborhood: The Dream, a film with music by Mikis Theodorakis (36), is shown for the first time, in Athens. Police raid the theatre, stop the projection, and force everyone to leave.
12 August 1961 Some of the troops sent to reinforce the French base at Bizerte are withdrawn.
13 August 1961 03:00 The Soviet Union and East Germany close the border between East and West Berlin. Trains and subways between the two zones are halted. Construction of a barbed-wire barrier is begun. Since 1 January, 155,402 East Germans have fled to West Berlin, 16,000 this month alone. East Germany orders that normal border controls still prevail. West Berliners, West Germans, and Allied military personnel are granted passage. East Berliners and East Germans require a special pass. Today, the East Berlin city council revokes all passes held by East Berliners to work in West Berlin. West Berliners gather at the border to jeer the East Berlin police.
14 August 1961 The South Korean junta releases 5,600 prisoners and reduces sentences for 9,300 others.
The three judges in the Adolf Eichmann case recess the trial to consider their verdict.
Kenyan nationalist leader Jomo Kenyatta is released from internal exile by the British, under strict conditions.
All telephone, telegraph, and postal communication between East and West Berlin is cut.
A Scherzo for alto saxophone and piano by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Weston, Vermont. See 10 January 1962.
15 August 1961 The French, UK, and US military commands in Berlin formally and vigorously protest to the border closing. The USSR rejects the protest. Workmen begin erecting a concrete wall along the entire 40 km boundary between East and West Berlin. Authorities begin evacuating residences near the wall.
Elections to the Israeli Knesset produce losses for the leading Mapai Party, but they continue to form the ruling coalition.
The first general election takes place in Nyasaland. It is won by the Malawi Congress Party who demand an end to the Central African Federation.
16 August 1961 250,000 West Berliners rally before the city hall to hear Mayor Willy Brandt demand action from the west against the border closing.
Symphony in C by Zoltán Kodály (78) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.
17 August 1961 President Rajendra Prasad of India signs a document formally annexing the Portuguese territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
President de Gaulle orders an undisclosed number of French troops transferred from Algeria to Berlin.
Representatives of 18 western hemisphere nations sign the charter of the Alliance for Progress in Punta del Este, Uruguay. It provides a ten-year plan and $20,000,000,000 in US aid for the economic development of the region.
Scottish Dance Suite for band by Thea Musgrave (33) is performed for the first time, in Glasgow.
18 August 1961 East Germany erects a barrier 1.5 meters high at the Potsdamer Platz border crossing, Berlin.
Antoine Gizenga publicly commits to end the secession of his Oriental Province and join the central government of the Congo.
Kenneth Kaunda begins a campaign of civil disobedience to the British administration of Northern Rhodesia. He burns his identity card.
19 August 1961 The United States sends 1,500 troops to West Berlin. Speaking to a session of the West Berlin Parliament, Vice President Lyndon Johnson pledges unwavering US support for the city.
Aaron Copland (60) is awarded the MacDowell Medal in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He receives a congratulatory telegram from President John Kennedy.
Evolution transcripts for chamber orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (23) is performed for the first time, in the Carriage Barn, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont.
20 August 1961 Vice President Lyndon Johnson and thousands of Berliners greet 1,500 US troops arriving in the city overland from West Germany.
Duo for flute and piano by John Harbison (22) is performed for the first time, at the Brooklyn Museum, New York.
21 August 1961 Kenyan nationalist leader Jomo Kenyatta, released from internal exile by the British a week ago, is given his complete freedom.
22 August 1961 The East German Interior Ministry announces that border crossings by “foreigners” between East and West Berlin may take place only at Friedrichstrasse. This includes members of the occupation forces. East Germany restores telephone connection between East and West Germany but not East and West Berlin.
23 August 1961 The USSR charges that the three western powers are illegally using the air corridors to Berlin to fly in West German officials and other “saboteurs and spies” for subversive activities against East Germany. The three powers deny the charge.
Inkongliba Ao, leader of an interim government for Nagaland, is mortally wounded in Mokoching by a gunshot fired by an opponent of Nagaland becoming a state. He will die tomorrow.
24 August 1961 An East German is shot and killed by police as he tries to swim to the British sector of Berlin.
Hecuba’s Lament for orchestra by Alexander Goehr (29) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London.
25 August 1961 The United States calls 76,500 reservists to active duty.
The UN General Assembly votes 66-0-30 to support the right of Tunisia to demand the withdrawal of French bases.
President Jânio da Silva Quadros of Brazil resigns because of opposition to his policies of neutrality and closer relations with communist countries. The military goes into action to block the succession of Vice President João Goulart, currently abroad on an economic mission. Goulart is a leftist. The Congress names Speaker of the House Pascoal Ranieri Mazzilli as interim president. Quadros supporters attack the US embassy and USIS in Rio de Janeiro before being dispersed by police.
26 August 1961 Great Britain grants internal autonomy to British Guiana.
Ring for flute, lute, and terz guitar by Toru Takemitsu (30) is performed for the first time, in Osaka.
27 August 1961 The provisional government for Algeria headed by Ferhat Abbas is removed and replaced by Benyoussef Ben Khedda. The new leaders are seen as more militant.
28 August 1961 UN forces take control of the airport and important buildings in Elisabethville, arresting about 100 whites. Katangan President Moise Tshombe agrees to the removal of all foreign mercenaries from the province.
29 August 1961 An East German is shot and killed by police as he tries to swim to the US sector of Berlin.
The Third Army in Rio Grande do Sul, and the governors of Goias, Santa Catarina, and Parana declare support for João Goulart as the legal successor to the presidency of Brazil.
30 August 1961 Moslems and Europeans battle in Oran and are dispersed by police.
An East German successfully swims to the US sector of Berlin.
A federal court in New Orleans overturns a Louisiana law which allows the closure of public schools to avoid desegregation. The first desegregation of schools in Georgia takes place in Atlanta without incident.
31 August 1961 The Soviet government announces that it will resume testing of atomic weapons because of the war threats from the United States and other western powers.
All Spanish bases in Morocco are evacuated and the troops removed.
1 September 1961 The USSR explodes a nuclear weapons test near Semipalatinsk, the first of four over the next six days.
The first gathering of the non-aligned movement meets in Belgrade.
Beginning today, 340 foreign mercenaries are deported from Katanga, but many remain.
2 September 1961 The French government announces the arrest of 20 members of a right-wing terrorist group favoring maintenance of a French Algeria, who are responsible for many of the recent bombings.
The Congress of Brazil approves a constitutional amendment which reduces the power of the president and creates a parliamentary system. This is in the face of criticism by the military over the assumption of the office by Vice President João Goulart.
3 September 1961 France announces that it is withdrawing one light armored division from Algeria and redeploying it in France.
4 September 1961 The British Trades Union Congress expels the 240,000 member Electrical Trades Union claiming that they rigged union elections. The ETU is dominated by communists.
A group of air force officers take over Brasilia airport and threaten to shoot down the plane carrying Vice President João Goulart when he comes to assume the presidency.
5 September 1961 US President Kennedy orders the resumption of atomic weapons testing, but not in the atmosphere.
Terrorists blow up a dock in Algiers destroying military equipment. Other explosions cut communication between Algiers and Oran.
President Charles de Gaulle announces that he might be willing to give Algeria sovereignty over the Sahara if they will guarantee the safety of French Algerians.
On two occasions, East Berlin border guards fire water hoses on US soldiers patrolling their sector. The Americans respond with tear gas.
Brazil’s war, navy, and air ministers calm a mutiny in the Brazilian air force started yesterday with the takeover of the Brasilia airport. João Goulart arrives later in the day and lands safely.
Cheddi Jagan becomes the first elected Prime Minister of British Guiana.
Duke Ellington (62) cancels a concert in Little Rock, Arkansas when he learns the audience will be segregated.
6 September 1961 The first meeting of 25 non-aligned states in Belgrade denounces colonialism and apartheid, and demands an end to all military force against independence movements. At the request of the conference, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah fly to Moscow to ask Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to make immediate contact with US President Kennedy to reduce the dangers of war.
Riots break out in Elisabethville against the UN presence.
Desegregation of Dallas and Galveston public schools begins without incident. Several school districts in Virginia, including Newport News, Richmond, and Arlington, begin desegregation without incident.
In the Kongresshalle Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt, David Tudor, Kenji Kobayashi, Christoph Caskel, and Carla Henius perform a program of German premieres: Wonderful Widow of 18 Springs and 26’55.988” for pianist and string player by John Cage (49), Incidental Music by George Brecht, Canons for piano and percussion by David Behrman, Stanzas for violin and piano by Toshi Ichiyanagi, To Henry Flynt by LaMonte Young (25) and Envelope for violin and piano by Terry Riley (26). One audience member calls for an ambulance during Young’s piece. The crew arrives and leaves when they find Tudor on the floor, in the middle of hitting a gong 566 times. Also present is Alvin Lucier (30) who will remember Pierre Boulez (36) standing on a chair, staring down at Tudor during To Henry Flynt.
Elliott Carter’s (52) Double Concerto for harpsichord, piano, and two chamber orchestras is performed for the first time, in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York.
7 September 1961 João Belchior Marques Goulart replaces Pascoal Ranieri Mazzilli as President of Brazil.
A second year of desegregation begins in New Orleans public schools with a white boycott still largely in effect. The public schools of New Rochelle, New York are integrated without incident.
Two works are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt: Symphonische Szene for orchestra by Isang Yun (43), and Emanations for two string orchestras by Krzysztof Penderecki (27).
Three songs by Charles Ives (†7) are performed for the first time, in Sprague Memorial Hall of Yale University: Sunrise to his own words, The Light That Is Felt to words of Whittier, and On Judges’ Walk to words of Symons.
8 September 1961 The first of three escapes to West Berlin takes place by East Berliners ramming a truck through the barrier. This happens again on 10 and 11 September. Other escapes are reported of citizens using ropes from buildings overlooking the west, or through sewers or swimming canals or rivers.
Paul Hindemith (65) and his wife return to their home in Switzerland from the United States.
President Habib Bourguiba drops his demand that the French evacuate Bizerte and suggests they maintain the base “during the present world crisis.”
Tancredo de Almeida Neves becomes Prime Minister of Brazil.
A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows a strong link between smoking cigarettes and heart disease.
Symphony no.12 “1917” by Dmitri Shostakovich (54) is performed for the first time, in a reduction for two pianos, at the RSFSR Composers’ Union. See 1 October 1961.
Présence, a “ballet blanc” in five scenes for violin, cello, and piano by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (43), is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.
9 September 1961 A group affiliated with the OAS attempts to blow up a car carrying President Charles de Gaulle of France at Pont-sur-Seine. The bomb, of plastic explosives and napalm, does not detonate correctly and de Gaulle’s driver manages to avoid the flames. Martial de Villemandy is arrested at a local café 30 minutes later and accused of setting the bomb.
The US announces that 40,000 troops will be sent to Europe immediately.
Livre pour quatour V, VI for string quartet by Pierre Boulez (36) are performed for the first time, in Darmstadt. Also premiered is Available Forms for chamber ensemble by Earle Brown (34).
10 September 1961 Three individuals are arrested in the attempt on the life of President Charles de Gaulle yesterday.
An airlift of Arab League troops (Saudi Arabia-UAR-Sudan-Jordan-Tunisia) begins into Kuwait to replace British troops protecting the country against Iraq.
11 September 1961 Katanga President Moise Tshombe rejects a UN demand that he negotiate with the central government of the Congo.
Two days of battles between Jews and Moslems begin today (Rosh Hashannah) in Algiers when a Jewish barber is stabbed.
Norwegian general elections see the ruling Labor Party drop one seat below an absolute majority.
12 September 1961 Bertrand Russell is sentenced to seven days in jail for refusing to cancel a planned demonstration at the Polaris submarine base of Holy Loch. His wife, Edith Finch, also receives a seven-day sentence. Three others received two-month sentences and 27 were sentenced to one month in prison.
Presidents Sukarno of Indonesia and Modibo Keita of Mali fly to Washington to carry the request of the recent Belgrade conference to US President John Kennedy to make immediate contact with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to reduce the dangers of war.
Anti-government demonstrators riot in Ciudad Trujillo. Two people are killed, 40 injured. Police raid the headquarters of the National Revolutionary Front.
Canticle of the Sun for soprano and chamber ensemble by Roy Harris (63) to words of Francis of Assisi, is performed for the first time, in Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, Washington the composer conducting.
13 September 1961 UN troops (Sudan, Sweden, Ireland) attack Katangan forces in Elisabethville to enforce UN resolutions to end the secession and remove foreign mercenaries. They declare the secession ended. Katangan resistance is led by white mercenaries.
János Kádár replaces Ferenc Münnich as Prime Minister of Hungary.
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announces that William Schuman (51) has been elected president of the center effective 1 January.
The US State Department appeals to the Maryland legislature to end racial segregation in public facilities. During the last two weeks, four African ambassadors were “humiliated by private restaurant owners…in Maryland.”
14 September 1961 Katangan forces, led by white mercenaries, counterattacks against the UN in Elisabethville and Jadotville. They fail to move the UN but do considerable damage to the city.
Dmitri Shostakovich (54) is confirmed as a full member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at a meeting at the Union of Composers, Moscow convened for that purpose.
15 September 1961 The US resumes explosions of atomic weapons, now underground in Nevada.
16 September 1961 3,000 UN troops (Malaya, India) are sent to reinforce those in Katanga. Katangan troops, led by Belgian officers, refuse to allow any of them into the besieged city of Jadotville.
Two former Turkish cabinet ministers are hanged by the military government on Imrali Island. Death sentences for twelve other defendants, including former President Celal Bayar, are commuted to life in prison.
Zig-zag walls are placed at four of seven Berlin crossing points to prevent refugees from ramming trucks through the barrier.
Jeux Vénitiens for chamber orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (48) is performed completely for the first time, in Warsaw. See 24 April 1961.
17 September 1961 In elections for the West German Bundestag, major gains are posted by the Free Democrats and Social Democrats forcing Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to forge a three-party center-right coalition between his Christian Democrats, allied Christian Social Union, and the Free Democrats.
351 people are arrested yesterday and today demonstrating at the Holy Loch Polaris base in Britain. A further 1,140 are arrested today and tomorrow in demonstrations in Trafalgar Square, London.
Former Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes is hanged on Imrali Island for several crimes including violating the constitution.
The Cuban government deports 136 Roman Catholic priests including Eduardo Boza Masvidal, Bishop of Havana. They sail for Spain.
18 September 1961 United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammerskjöld and twelve other UN officials die in a plane crash near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). He was on his way to meet with Katanga President Moise Tshombe to arrange a cease-fire between Katangan and UN forces in the Congo. One person survives the crash and describes explosions shortly before it happened.
The 158 UN (Ireland) soldiers in Jadotville surrender to Katangans surrounding it. They are disarmed and interned.
Blood Moon, an opera by Norman Dello Joio (48) to words of Hoffman after AI Mencken, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
19 September 1961 Katangan forces launch strong attacks on the UN in Elisabethville but are repulsed with heavy losses.
Today’s issue of Literaturnaya Gazyeta includes a new poem by Yevgeny Yevtushenko entitled “Babi Yar.” It attacks anti-Semitism and the seeming official acceptance of it.
A referendum in Jamaica votes to secede from the West Indies Federation and become independent.
20 September 1961 Malaya and Singapore announce plans to merge by 1963.
A cease-fire for Katanga brokered today in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia is announced to begin tomorrow.
Algiers Chief of Police Alexis Goldenberg is shot to death, presumably by the OAS.
Konstantinos Dovas replaces Konstantinos Georgiou Karamanlis as Prime Minister of Greece.
21 September 1961 A cease-fire goes into effect throughout Katanga Province. 20 UN soldiers were killed, 63 wounded in the recent fighting.
Three Diagrams op.15 for flute by Henryk Górecki (27) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
22 September 1961 Members of the OAS take over the Algiers television station and blow up the transmitter.
The US Interstate Commerce Commission prohibits all interstate buses from using segregated terminals.
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for 52 strings by Krzysztof Penderecki (27) is performed live for the first time, in Warsaw. See 31 May 1961.
23 September 1961 The sole survivor of the plane crash on 18 September dies of his injuries.
The Juilliard School of Music announces that it will make its departing president, William Schuman (51), President Emeritus when he becomes President of Lincoln Center on 1 January.
24 September 1961 The new building of the Deutsche Oper opens in Berlin.
Sound Blocks: An Heroic Vision by Morton Subotnick (28) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
25 September 1961 The parliament of Burma grants religious freedom to non-Buddhists.
East Berlin police move 500 people from border area houses as over 30 have leaped from windows into West Berlin.
Herbert Lee, a black civil rights worker, is shot to death by state legislator EH Hurst in Liberty, Mississippi.
27 September 1961 Sierra Leone is admitted to the United Nations.
Paris Blues, a film with music by Duke Ellington (62), is released in the United States.
28 September 1961 Syrian army officers order their troops and tanks into Damascus to reassert the independence of Syria. President Nasser orders the rebellion crushed, but later in the day changes his mind and allows the peaceful dissolution of the United Arab Republic.
About 177 restaurants are desegregated in Atlanta without incident.
Scherzo (Burlesque) op.2 for piano and orchestra by Béla Bartók (†16) is performed for the first time, in Budapest, 57 years after it was composed.
Incidental music to Aristophanes’ (tr. Arrowsmith) play The Birds by George Perle (46) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at Berkeley.
29 September 1961 The officers leading yesterday’s Syrian revolt place Mahmoun al-Kuzbari at the head of an all-civilian cabinet. He proclaims the renewed independence of Syria.
East German authorities clear an empty strip at the border with West Berlin.
France and Tunisia reach agreement on Bizerte.
The remains of Dag Hammarskjöld, second Secretary General of the United Nations, are laid to rest at Uppsala before King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen Louise of Sweden, high representatives of the UN and many world leaders.
30 September 1961 The new government of Syria orders the deportation of all Egyptians in the country, estimated at anywhere between 20,000 to 30,000 people.
The Organization for European Economic Cooperation becomes the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with the admission of Canada and the United States. Its first meeting opens in Paris.
President Charles de Gaulle of France gives up the special powers he assumed on 23 April.
France returns the air base at Marrakesh to Morocco.
1 October 1961 The southern British Cameroons is merged with the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
Over the next three days, French troops withdraw from positions in Bizerte, Tunisia they won in fighting last July.
David Pratt, who attempted to kill South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd last year, hangs himself in Bloemfontein mental hospital.
Symphony no.12 “1917” by Dmitri Shostakovich (55) is performed for the first time in its full score, simultaneously in Kuibyshev and Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall. Actually, the Leningrad performance takes place two hours after Kuibyshev. See 8 September 1961.
2 October 1961 West German officials announce that 300 East Berlin police have fled to the west since the closing of the border.
3 October 1961 55 people from 16 families living near the wall make a mass escape to West Berlin.
Les Six are awarded the Grande Medaille d’argent de la Ville Paris.
Four previously all-white schools in Memphis accept 13 black students with little incident.
4 October 1961 In national elections in Ireland, the ruling Fianna Fail lose their overall majority but will form a minority government.
5 October 1961 The British government announces that Jamaica will be granted independence next year.
Blake Edwards’ film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is released in the United States.
6 October 1961 Blake Songs for soprano and chamber ensemble by George Rochberg (43) is performed for the first time, at the New School, New York.
7 October 1961 In Those Days for piano by John Ireland (82) is performed for the first time, in the Great Drawing Room, St. James’ Square, London, 66 years after it was composed.
Symphony no.15 “Thesis” by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Murray, Kentucky.
8 October 1961 The three sides in the civil war in Laos agree on Prince Souvanna Phouma to lead a unity coalition government.
Whites go to the polls in South Africa for the first time since the declaration of a republic. The ruling National Party continues to win a majority.
9 October 1961 The British Colonial Office announces that Uganda will be granted independence exactly one year from today.
10 October 1961 The television film New York: City of Magic with music by Ulysses Kay (44) is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
11 October 1961 US President Kennedy pledges support to the government of South Vietnam in its battle against the Viet Cong.
13 October 1961 Its union with Egypt having dissolved, the Republic of Syria resumes its independent seat at the United Nations.
President Moise Tshombe of Katanga and UN representative Mahmoud Khiari conclude a permanent cease-fire agreement in Elisabethville.
Nine young people ram a truck through a border crossing, successfully escaping to West Berlin through a hail of bullets.
Chiaroscuro for orchestra by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Guatemala City.
15 October 1961 National elections in Turkey result in a hung Parliament, with the Republican Peoples Party winning the most seats.
16 October 1961 Sixteen East Berliners manage to escape to the west.
Ten days of anti-government riots erupt in the Dominican Republic.
US Attorney General Robert Kennedy announces that three railroads, the Illinois Central, the Southern, and the Louisville & Nashville, have agreed to desegregate their terminals.
Ingmar Bergman’s film Through a Glass Darkly is released in Sweden.
17 October 1961 Algerians carry out demonstrations against a curfew imposed by the French. Over the next two days, 200 people will be killed. Thousands of Moslems demonstrate today in Paris against a curfew placed on them. Over the next four days, 15,000 people are arrested.
The 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union opens in Moscow. Albania and Yugoslavia to not send delegations. General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev attacks Albania in his opening speech, and by implication, China.
18 October 1961 The UN General Assembly votes without dissent to end the New Zealand trusteeship over Western Samoa and grant independence on 1 January as requested by the islands’ voters.
West Side Story, a film with music by Leonard Bernstein (43), is shown for the first time, in New York.
Suite for Symphonic Strings by Lou Harrison (44) is performed for the first time, in Louisville.
20 October 1961 The East German government offers prizes to children who inform on would-be escapers.
A suite from Lou Harrison’s (44) incidental music to Cocteau’s play Marriage at the Eiffel Tower is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz, California. See 29 July 1949.
21 October 1961 Structures Book II for two pianos by Pierre Boulez (36) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen. The composer plays one part.
Duo concertante for flute, harp, and orchestra by Henry Cowell (64) is performed for the first time, in Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio.
22 October 1961 Three works for orchestra are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen: Atmosphères by Györgi Ligeti (38), Epifanie by Luciano Berio (35), and Contrasts by Gunther Schuller (35). The audience requires that Atmosphères by encored.
The Peaceful Land, a symphonic poem by William Grant Still (66), is performed for the first time, at the University of Miami.
23 October 1961 John Tavener (17) undergoes an entrance examination for the Royal Academy of Music in London. He will be accepted.
The USSR sets off a 25-megaton atomic explosion at Novaya Zemlya, the largest man-made explosion yet seen.
24 October 1961 Because of numerous incidents of East German guards firing on Berliners attempting to escape to the west, West Berlin police are armed with automatic weapons and tear gas grenades.
The permanent cease-fire agreement between the UN and Katanga, concluded 13 October, is ratified by the UN and enters into force.
Ballad About the Motherland for bass and orchestra by Aram Khachaturian (58) to words of Garnakerian, is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall.
25 October 1961 Twelve US military policemen escort a private car into East Berlin after the occupants were denied entrance for refusing to show identification to anyone but Soviet officers. 13 tanks are moved to the border but later withdrawn.
Katanga and the UN exchange prisoners in Elisabethville.
Ave Maria, Hail Blessed Flower for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (27) to an anonymous Medieval English text is performed for the first time, in the Church of St. James, Picadilly.
26 October 1961 Ten US tanks are brought to the border in Berlin as an official US car enters the eastern zone accompanied by three jeeps full of US soldiers. 33 Soviet tanks enter East Berlin and park a little more than a kilometer from the border.
Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (33) theatre piece Originale no.12 2/3, using his electronic music Kontakte, is performed for the first time, in the Theater am Dom, Cologne.
The Crucible, an opera by Robert Ward (44) to words of Stambler after Miller, is performed for the first time, in New York. The press is positive. This work will win Ward the Pulitzer Prize.
Symphony no.8 by David Diamond (46) is performed for the first time, in New York Leonard Bernstein (43) conducting.
27 October 1961 Ten US and ten Soviet tanks take up positions opposite each other in a dispute over border crossing rights in Berlin.
In a speech to the Supreme Soviet, Nikita Khrushchev calls upon the Albanian people to overthrow their government.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the People’s Republic of Mongolia are admitted to the United Nations.
28 October 1961 The US and Soviet tanks facing each other in Berlin are withdrawn after 16 hours.
29 October 1961 Conservatives win the Greek elections through egregious and widespread vote rigging.
30 October 1961 The USSR explodes an atomic weapon of over 50 megatons at Novaya Zemlya, the largest so far. Western estimates of its size range from 65-90 megatons.
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union orders the removal of Stalin’s body from the Lenin Mausoleum.
The US Army ends assistance patrols along the autobahn between West Germany and West Berlin. Soviet officials have stopped US soldiers as they try to enter East Germany from West Berlin.
Troops of the central Congolese government invade Katanga in an effort to end the secession. They meet strong resistance.
1 November 1961 Riots occur throughout Algeria marking the seventh anniversary of the beginning of the war against France. 86 people are killed, 150 injured. 56 explosions went off in Algiers in the night 31 October-1 November. 30 explosions go off in Oran. Five rebel leaders go on a hunger strike to protest removal of privileges by the French authorities as cabinet members of the provisional government. 4,000 Algerian prisoners begin a concurrent hunger strike.
Te Lucis Ante Terminum for chorus and instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (27) to words of the Roman Missal is performed publicly for the first time, in the Parish of St. John the Baptist, Cirencester conducted by the composer.
2 November 1961 James Thurber dies in New York at the age of 66.
3 November 1961 The General Assembly elects Sithu U Thant of Burma to be Secretary-General of the United Nations, filling out the unexpired term of Dag Hammarskjöld.
Sture Linner, chief of UN operations in the Congo, blames Katanga for the recent fighting.
4 November 1961 Congolese troops which invaded Katanga on 30 October are reported to be in full retreat.
The resignation of Maj. General Edwin Walker is accepted by the US Army. Walker is accused of carrying out conservative political indoctrination campaigns as commander of the 24th Division in Germany.
Konstantinos Georgiou Karamanlis replaces Konstantinos Dovas as Prime Minister of Greece.
Form for piano by Ralph Shapey (40) is performed for the first time, at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
5 November 1961 Recently defeated Congolese troops take out their frustrations on the city of Luluabourg. Whites are singled out for attack, including many rapes.
7 November 1961 Mosaïques for orchestra by Karel Husa (40) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg, conducted by the composer.
8 November 1961 UN troops (Nigeria) and disciplined Congolese soldiers manage to disarm marauding troops in Luluabourg and restore order.
9 November 1961 A federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas orders the city to institute school desegregation by next Autumn.
String Quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (27) is performed for the first time, at the BBC Maida Vale Studio, London.
11 November 1961 Mutinous Congolese troops capture 13 Italian airmen in Kindu, Kivu Province. They shoot them all and dismember their bodies. The pieces are thrown to a crowd who had gathered to watch the killings.
Names of everything in honor of Stalin are changed in the USSR. Stalingrad is renamed Volgograd. Satlino becomes Donetsk, Stalinabad is changed to Dushanbe and Stalinsk is now Novokuznetsk. Reports circulate in Moscow that former Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, former Prime Minister Georgy Malenkov and former Deputy Prime Minister Lazar Kaganovich have been expelled from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. They have been named in the “anti-Party Plot” against Nikitia Khrushchev in 1957.
Venezuela breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba claiming interference in internal affairs.
12 November 1961 A setting of the Credo for tenor, chorus, organ, three oboes, three trumpets, and two trombones with spoken narration by John Tavener (17) is performed for the first time, in St. Andrew’s, Frognal.
Two works by Lou Harrison (44) are performed for the first time, in Aptos, California: Psalter Sonato for great psaltery or cheng, and Prelude for Piri and Reed Organ.
13 November 1961 Pablo Casals gives a recital at the White House before President and Mrs. Kennedy and 200 invited guests. Among those attending are the elite of the musical culture of the United States: Walter Piston (67), Howard Hanson (65), Virgil Thomson (64), Roger Sessions (64), Henry Cowell (64), Roy Harris (63), Aaron Copland (60), Elliott Carter (52), Samuel Barber (51), William Schuman (51), Alan Hovhaness (50), Gian Carlo Menotti (50), Norman Dello Joio (48), Leonard Bernstein (43), Eugene Ormandy, and Leopold Stokowski. The concert is recorded and will be televised. Bernstein will recall “I’ve never seen so many happy artists in my life.”
14 November 1961 The number of US advisors in Vietnam is increased from 1,000 to 16,000.
Stalinstad, East Germany is renamed Eisenhuettenstadt. The statue of Stalin in East Berlin is removed.
In Kindu, Antoine Gizenga declares his opposition to the central Congolese government and calls for all supporters of Patrice Lumumba to join him in a new movement.
A UN investigation commission reports that Patrice Lumumba and two associates were probably murdered on the orders of the Katanga government.
The first two movements of Kaze no Uma/Wind Horse for chorus and women’s chorus by Toru Takemitsu (31) to words of Akiyama, are performed for the first time, in Tokyo. See 14 October 1966.
16 November 1961 The Czechoslovak government orders all streets and enterprises named after Stalin to be renamed.
The UN command in the Congo makes public the events of 11 November.
17 November 1961 Divertimento for orchestra by Werner Egk (60) is performed for the first time, in Brunswick.
Incidental music to Giraudoux’ play Judith by Darius Milhaud (69) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de France, Paris.
19 November 1961 Mario Davidovksy (27) marries Elaine Blaustein.
4,000 Algerian rebel prisoners end their hunger strike (begun 1 November) when the French authorities recognize them as political prisoners.
With overt US backing, President Joaquin Balaguer of the Dominican Republic declares a state of emergency and assumes supreme command of the armed forces in order to thwart an attempted coup by family members of the former dictator Rafael Trujillo.
20 November 1961 East German authorities begin building fortifications behind the Berlin Wall. They dig ditches and install anti-tank barriers. A wall 225 meters long, 2.5 meters high and two meters thick goes up around the Brandenburg Gate. Thousands of West Berlin students attempt to storm the wall at two separate points but are driven back by West Berlin police.
Ismet Inönü replaces Cemal Gürsel as Prime Minister of Turkey.
Five Algerian rebel leaders end their hunger strike (begun 1 November) when France agrees to transfer them to a nursing home near Paris and put them under the care of a Moroccan physician.
29 relatives and friends of the former Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, thus diffusing the current political crisis.
21 November 1961 The Soviet Union announces that it will resume negotiations with the west on a nuclear test ban treaty.
23 November 1961 Riots against the legacy of Rafael Trujillo take place in Santo Domingo. Property of the former dictator and his family are particular targets. Police do nothing to stop the violence, some even joining in.
Brazil and the USSR resume diplomatic relations broken in 1947.
Five Days, Five Nights, a film with music by Dmitri Shostakovich (55), is shown for the first time, in Moscow.
Francette a Piá for orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos (†2) is performed for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro.
24 November 1961 The UN Security Council votes 9-0-2 to defend the territorial integrity of the Congo and rejects the sovereignty of Katanga.
Excerpts of Atlántida, a scenic cantata by Manuel de Falla (†15) to his own words, after Verdaguer, completed by Halffter, are performed for the first time, in a concert setting, in Teatre Liceu, Barcelona. See 18 June 1962.
Gloria for alto, tenor, bass, chorus, and orchestra by William Walton (59) is performed for the first time, in Huddersfield Town Hall, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Huddersfield Choral Society.
26 November 1961 The West German government removes thalidomide from the market after Dr. Widukind Lenz of Hamburg University shows that it causes birth defects.
27 November 1961 UN troops (Ethiopia) take control of Kindu, Congo.
28 November 1961 Talks in Geneva between the USSR, UK and US about a nuclear test ban resume. They were suspended on 9 September after the Soviets resumed nuclear testing.
The two top UN officials in Katanga, George Ivan Smith and Brian Urquhart, are seized by Katangan soldiers in Elisabethville and beaten, suffering serious injuries. They are later released.
A general strike against Dominican President Joaquín Balaguer halts commercial activity in the country.
29 November 1961 Whites attack five blacks as they attempt to use services at a bus terminal in McComb, Mississippi. The five escape in a taxi.
Police use tear gas to break up demonstrators in Santo Domingo calling for the resignation of President Balaguer.
30 November 1961 Martial law, in effect since 28 April 1960, is lifted in Istanbul and Ankara.
Demonstrators marching on the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo are dispersed by soldiers using tanks and tear gas.
The USSR vetoes the admission of Kuwait to the United Nations.
1 December 1961 Regular television service begins in Ireland, serving the vicinity of Dublin.
Four Freedom Riders arrive from New Orleans at the bus terminal in McComb, Mississippi. Protected by the town’s entire 15-man police force they make their way through 700 taunting whites without injury. They return later to board an outgoing bus under the protection of the police reinforced by two sheriffs and ten deputies. The Freedom Riders leave without injury but the mob beats and threatens four journalists.
Incidental music to Brecht’s (tr. Bentley) play The Exception and the Rule by Stefan Wolpe (58) is performed for the first time, in Wollman Auditorium, New York.
2 December 1961 Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares for the first time “I am a Marxist-Leninist, and I will be a Marxist-Leninist until the last days of my life.”
14 blacks are arrested in Annapolis, Maryland when they are denied service in a restaurant and refuse to leave.
3 December 1961 The USSR breaks relations with Albania.
Two songs for voice and piano by Henry Cowell (64) to words of Colum are performed for the first time, in the Newark Museum: I Heard in the Night and Night Fliers.
4 December 1961 Civilians led by air force officers loot shops in Santo Domingo participating in the general strike against the government.
The British government announces that birth control pills will henceforth be available through the National Health Service.
5 December 1961 Fighting breaks out near the Elisabethville airport when UN troops (India) attempt to force their way through a roadblock constructed by Katangan authorities in violation of the truce agreement. Battles spread rapidly through the city and the UN headquarters comes under heavy fire.
Refugee Harry Deterling drives a commuter train from East Berlin into the British sector. 25 other East Germans gain freedom with him.
6 December 1961 UN warplanes take to the air against Katangan forces at Elisabethville and elsewhere. Indian planes destroy four Katangan planes at Kolwezi airport, 200 km northwest of Elisabethville.
A quartet from Act II of George Whitefield Chadwick’s (†30) opera The Padrone to words of Stevens is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York. The work was composed in 1917. See 29 September 1995.
7 December 1961 Fighting continues in and around Elisabethville. UN warplanes (Sweden) destroy a Katangan ammunition dump ten km from the city.
8 December 1961 East German customs posts are set up at the seven border crossings between East and West Berlin.
Quelques chorals pour des fêtes populairs op.153 for winds by Charles Koechlin (†10) are performed completely for the first time, in Salle Erard, Paris.
9 December 1961 In one of the closest elections in Australian history, the Liberal/Country coalition take 62 seats while the Labor Party win 60, thus returning the government of Prime Minister Robert Menzies to power.
Tanganyika, under Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Julius Nyerere, is proclaimed independent of Great Britain.
After unsuccessful attempts by UN troops (Sweden) to take the Elisabethville radio station, UN jets (India, Sweden) attack it. They also attack the post office where Katangan troops are massing for an attack.
Demonstrations against nuclear weapons take place in Cardiff, York, Manchester, and Bristol and outside three US air bases in Britain. 850 people are arrested.
Colombia severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.
A general strike in effect in the Dominican Republic since 28 November ends.
10 December 1961 UN jets (India, Sweden) destroy the most important Katangan military facility, Camp Massart. They also attack targets in the area of Jadotville. A train with 400 white women and children leaves Elisabethville for Northern Rhodesia.
Albania announces that the USSR has closed its embassy in Moscow and recalled the entire Soviet embassy from Tirana.
Nine Freedom Riders and two others are arrested outside the Albany, Georgia railroad station and charged with disorderly conduct.
11 December 1961 33 US army helicopters and 400 supporting US troops arrive in Saigon.
In a Jerusalem court, Adolf Eichmann is found guilty on 15 counts of war crimes, genocide, and membership in Nazi organizations. He is acquitted of some relatively minor charges.
12 December 1961 As those arrested 10 December go on trial, 400 demonstrators march around the city hall of Albany, Georgia. 267 of them are arrested.
Colloîdes sonores for strings by Isang Yun (44) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
13 December 1961 205 people are arrested as they march around the city hall of Albany, Georgia during the trial of Freedom Riders.
UN planes (Sweden) partially destroy the Lido Hotel in Elisabethville which has been fortified by the Katangans.
14 December 1961 Tanganyika is admitted to the United Nations.
Panama breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Collected Poems for soprano, baritone, and piano by Virgil Thomson (65) to words of Koch, are performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
Trio for flute, cello, and piano no.1 by Charles Wuorinen (23) is performed for the first time, at Barnard College, New York, the composer at the keyboard.
15 December 1961 Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death in Jerusalem for crimes against humanity.
UN troops begin a major advance towards the center of Elisabethville.
Police in Baton Rouge use dogs and tear gas to disperse a peaceful demonstration by 1,500 blacks. 50 people are arrested.
16 December 1961 UN troops continue their advance into Elisabethville. They capture the Katangan stronghold of Camp Massart. White civilians direct sniper fire on the UN soldiers.
266 people, including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. are arrested as protests continue in Albany, Georgia.
500 Freedom Riders stage sit-ins at 40 restaurants between Baltimore and New Castle, Delaware, mostly without incident.
17 December 1961 UN troops continue to make advances at all important buildings in Elisabethville.
Das lange Weihnachtsmahl, an opera by Paul Hindemith (66) to words of Wilder (tr. Hindemith), is performed for the first time, at the Nationaltheater, Mannheim, conducted by the composer. See 13 March 1961.
18 December 1961 Fighting in Elisabethville ceases when Katangan President Moise Tshombe accepts the terms set out by UN Secretary General U Thant.
Indian troops invade the Portuguese territories of Goa, Damão, and Diu. Damão and Diu are easily taken after token resistance.
Peace is restored in Albany, Georgia as an agreement is brokered. Blacks agree to suspend for 60 days mass protests and a boycott of white merchants. The city agrees to desegregate the train and bus stations and other concessions.
The first in a concert series called Sonics takes place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It includes electronic music created in a new studio set up in the conservatory’s attic by Ramon Sender. It features music by Sender, Pauline Oliveros (29), Terry Riley (26), and Philip Winsor. Oliveros’ Time Perspectives for four-track tape is performed for the first time.
19 December 1961 At a rally in Jakarta, President Sukarno says he has ordered the army to prepare to “carry out the duty of liberating West Irian from the shackles of Dutch colonialism.”
Indian troops complete their capture of the Portuguese territory of Goa.
Katangan President Moise Tshombe and Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula of the central government of the Congo both arrive at the UN’s Kitona air base for reconciliation talks.
Morocco forbids further emigration by Jews from the country. About 2,000 have left in the past three weeks and 20,000 are planning to leave.
20 December 1961 Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the New York University School of Medicine announce they have partially explained the genetic code, how DNA and RNA pass on hereditary information.
21 December 1961 Five associates of former President Syngman Rhee are hanged in Seoul. Five other death sentences are commuted to life in prison.
An agreement is reached between Katangan President Moise Tshombe and Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula of the central government of the Congo at the UN air base of Kitona, southwest of Leopoldville. Tshombe submits Katanga to rule by the central government under the leadership of President Kasavubu. Upon his return to Elisabethville, Tshombe announces that the accord must be ratified by the Katanga Parliament.
The American Optical Company of Southbridge, Massachusetts announces the first successful use of a laser to treat a tumor in a human eye.
22 December 1961 After East Germans throw rocks, grenades, and Christmas trees into West Berlin, East and West Berlin police engage in a tear gas duel.
France grants autonomy to the Comoros overseas territory.
The cabinet of Katanga announces that President Tshombe signed the Kitona agreement under duress and it must be ratified by the parliament.
Six blacks are arrested in Baltimore when they are denied service in a restaurant and refuse to leave.
23 December 1961 Something Wild, a film with music by Aaron Copland (61), is shown for the first time, in New York.
24 December 1961 Ten blacks are arrested in Crisfield, Maryland when they are denied service in a restaurant and refuse to leave.
The Saintmaker’s Christmas Eve, with music by Norman Dello Joio (48), is shown in a special broadcast over ABC television.
25 December 1961 Pope John XXIII announces that the 21st Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church will be held in Rome next year, to be called Vatican II.
26 December 1961 UAR President Nasser ends the limited federation with Yemen.
27 December 1961 The three princes leading the warring sides in the Laotian civil war meet in Vientiane but fail to reach agreement on a unity government.
28 December 1961 Six Katangan parliamentarians take their seats in the Congolese National Parliament in Léopoldville. Katangan President Moise Tshombe claims they are only there to ensure continued autonomy of the province.
Tennessee Williams’ play Night of the Iguana is premiered at the Royale Theatre, New York.
29 December 1961 President Charles de Gaulle of France announces that he will begin withdrawing troops from Algeria at the beginning of the new year.
A constitutional amendment is approved in the Dominican Republic to create a seven-member Council of State to rule the country into 1963.
Trinidad and Tobago are granted internal self-government by the British.
30 December 1961 Diosdado Pañgan Macapagal replaces Carlos Polestico Garcia as President of the Philippines.
Symphony no.4 op.43 by Dmitri Shostakovich (55) is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall, 25 years after it was composed. The work was scheduled to be performed in 1936 but was cancelled during the “Lady Macbeth” affair. The air in the hall is of great emotion for all present. After hearing his symphony, the composer deems it more interesting than all of his symphonies which followed.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
22 April 2012
Last Updated (Sunday, 22 April 2012 07:36)