1972
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1 January 1972 Kurt Waldheim becomes the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations.
A law abolishing the office of Maharaja goes into effect in India. 283 princes are reduced to ordinary citizens.
President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan orders the nationalization of ten industries.
The return of refugees from India to Bangladesh begins.
2 January 1972 The Saigon government begins withdrawing 10,000 troops from Cambodia.
3 January 1972 Parliamentary elections in Finland result in modest gains for leftist parties.
5 January 1972 US President Nixon orders NASA to begin work on a space shuttle.
8 January 1972 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is released from a Pakistani prison.
Former President Mohammad Yahya Khan of Pakistan and former Army Chief of Staff Abdul Hamid Khan are placed under house arrest by President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Symphony no.15 op.141 by Dmitri Shostakovich (65) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory Bolshoy Hall. It is a popular and critical success.
9 January 1972 A national coal strike begins in Great Britain over wages. The government begins a three-day work week to conserve energy.
Edwin Myers (Ted) Shawn dies in Orlando, Florida at the age of 80.
10 January 1972 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrives in Dacca, having flown from Rawalpindi to London to New Delhi to Dacca.
A shoot-out between Black Muslims and police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana leaves five people dead, 31 injured.
11 January 1972 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces carry out 34 attacks throughout South Vietnam.
12 January 1972 A force of 2,400 Cambodian soldiers deserts in the area of Krek.
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury replaces Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as President of Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman replaces Tajuddin Ahmed as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Soviet authorities begin a five-day roundup of leading citizens opposed to the government.
13 January 1972 President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto announces that Pakistan will break diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes Bangladesh.
President Nixon announces that a further 70,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Vietnam over the next three months.
14 January 1972 King Frederik IX of Denmark dies in Copenhagen and is succeeded by his daughter, Margrethe II.
16 January 1972 Violent opposition to the British-Rhodesian agreement breaks out in Gwelo, Rhodesia.
Lux Aeterna for soprano, bass flute, recorder, sitar, and two percussionists (all masked) by George Crumb (42) is performed for the first time, in Richmond, Virginia.
17 January 1972 William Walton (69) is awarded the Benjamin Franklin medal by the Royal Society of Arts for his work for Anglo-American understanding.
19 January 1972 Violence against the British-Rhodesian agreement spreads to Salisbury and Fort Victoria.
20 January 1972 The Indian states of Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur come into existence.
21 January 1972 After ten weeks of impasse, Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens of Belgium forms a new coalition government.
Paragraph 5 of The Great Learning, for a large number of untrained musicians making gestures, performing actions, speaking, chanting, and playing a wide range of instruments, plus, optionally, ten solo singers singing “Ode Machines”, by Cornelius Cardew (35) to words of Confucius, (tr. Pound), is performed for the first time, in the Cecil Sharp House, London.
22 January 1972 Representatives of ten nations sign treaties in the Egmont Palace, Brussels for the entry of Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom into the European Economic Community, the European Atomic Energy Community, and the European Coal and Steel Community. It marks the culmination of 19 months of negotiations.
23 January 1972 Canon for 3: in memoriam Igor Stravinsky (†0) for three equal instruments by Elliott Carter (63) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
24 January 1972 The USSR becomes the first major power to recognize Bangladesh.
25 January 1972 US President Nixon proposes an eight-point plan for peace in Indochina, including the complete withdrawal of American troops in exchange for a cease-fire throughout Indochina and the return of American prisoners-of-war.
In an article in The New Yorker, Seymour Hersch charges that the US Army destroyed documents pertaining to the murder of hundreds of civilians by US troops at My Lai.
Eight Tone Poems for Two Violas by Otto Luening (71) is performed for the first time, in Albany, New York.
26 January 1972 A firebomb goes off at Columbia Artists booking agency in New York. Moments later, another firebomb goes off in Sol Hurok’s booking agency nearby. One person is killed, 13 others, including Hurok, are injured. Callers to news organizations claim that the bombs are to protest Soviet treatment of Jews. Both agencies have been involved in booking Soviet performers and artists for the United States.
27 January 1972 The French daily Paris-Jour ceases publication due to financial losses.
28 January 1972 Croatian separatists claim responsibility for the crash of a Swedish airliner and the bombing of a Vienna to Belgrade train.
Fusain for piccolo and bass flute (one player) by Betsy Jolas (45) is performed for the first time, in the Maison de Culture, Rennes.
Treemonisha, an opera by Scott Joplin (†54) to his own words, is staged for the first time, at the Memorial Arts Center in Atlanta. It was given a concert performance in 1915 but was a complete failure.
29 January 1972 Cortège for orchestra by Arnold Bax (†18) is performed for the first time, in St. John’s, Smith Square, 47 years after it was composed.
30 January 1972 Upon learning that Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand plan to recognize Bangladesh, Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth.
British troops kill 13 and injure 14 unarmed civilians during a demonstration by Catholics in Londonderry. The event, known as Bloody Sunday, sparks retaliation attacks by Republican guerrillas.
31 January 1972 Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland observe an IRA call for a general strike until the victims of yesterday are buried. After being refused permission to give an eyewitness account of the events on the floor of the House of Commons, Bernadette Devlin, MP physically attacks Home Secretary Reginald Maudling, calling him a “murdering hypocrite.” Ireland withdraws its ambassador from London.
North Vietnam makes public its nine-point plan for ending the war.
Canzona for twelve instruments by Charles Wuorinen (33) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York, the composer conducting. The work is dedicated to the memory of Igor Stravinsky (†0).
1 February 1972 British European Airways halts flights to Ireland after Irish airport workers refuse to service British planes.
Kontakion, a ballet with music by Tylman Susato arranged by Peter Maxwell Davies (37), is performed publicly for the first time, in London.
52/3 for piano and electronics by John Cage (59), David Tudor, and Gordon Mumma (36) is performed for the first time, in Brooklyn to a dance by Merce Cunningham.
2 February 1972 25,000 people surround the British embassy in Dublin and burn it to the ground. The staff was evacuated earlier after two days of firebombs.
Czechoslovak journalist Jiri Lederer is sentenced to two years in prison for criticizing Wladyslaw Gomulka, the former head of the Polish Communist Party.
3 February 1972 The Eleventh Winter Olympic Games open in Sapporo, Japan.
Soviet poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko visits the White House and meets briefly with President Nixon.
4 February 1972 President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia announces that he has outlawed the opposition United Progressive Party.
Great Britain recognizes Bangladesh as an independent country.
5 February 1972 North Vietnam formally rejects the eight-point US peace plan.
The United States reaches agreement in principle with the Greek military dictatorship making Piraeus a home port for the US Sixth Fleet.
Marianne Moore dies in New York at the age of 84.
Brazilian armed forces round up 200 leftists in four major cities.
Fantasia on Jerusalem the Golden for band by Charles Ives (†17) arranged by Brion is performed for the first time, in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
O Cool is the Valley op.118 for band by Vincent Persichetti (56) is performed for the first time, in Columbus, Ohio.
Marginal Worlds for twelve players by William Albright (27) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
6 February 1972 15,000-30,000 Roman Catholics march peacefully in Newry to protest British policy in Northern Ireland.
7 February 1972 John Ross Marshall replaces Keith Holyoake as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Laotian government troops begin an offensive into the Plaine des Jarres.
India agrees to complete military withdrawal from Bangladesh by 25 March.
Concerto for percussion and winds by Karel Husa (50) is performed for the first time, at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
9 February 1972 Exactly one week into the British coal strike, the government declares a nationwide state of emergency.
10 February 1972 Cambodian government forces begin an offensive around Angkor.
Rage Over the Lost Beethoven for piano, tape, and actors by Lejaren Hiller (47) to words of Parman is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.
11 February 1972 The last of the seven Trucial States, Ras al-Khaimah, becomes part of the United Arab Emirates.
Partita for harpsichord, electric guitar, bass guitar, harp, double bass, and chamber orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki (38) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.
12 February 1972 Homero Farina, editor of the newspaper Accion is abducted by Tupamaro guerrillas in Montevideo.
13 February 1972 The Eleventh Winter Olympic Games close in Sapporo, Japan. In eleven days of competition, 1,006 athletes from 35 countries took part.
The second of the Five Bagatelles for guitar by William Walton (69) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. See 27 May 1972.
Ni Bruit Ni Vitesse for two pianos and two percussionists or prepared piano, tape, percussion, and prepared percussion by Lukas Foss (49) is performed for the first time, in Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, conducted by the composer.
14 February 1972 A ban on about twelve books is lifted by the Chinese government.
US President Nixon orders that China be removed from some export controls.
The Trial of Mary Lincoln, a television opera by Thomas Pasatieri (26) to words of Bailey, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of television station WGBH, Boston.
16 February 1972 Psalm 122, one of the Four Pieces for Mixed Chorus by Stefan Wolpe (69), is performed for the first time, in McMillin Theatre, New York.
17 February 1972 A bill to adapt British law to EEC regulations passes the House of Commons by a vote of 309-301-11. The government is saved by members of the Liberal Party.
18 February 1972 Giulio Andreotti replaces Emilio Colombo as Prime Minister of Italy at the head of a minority government.
A court in Belfast sentences Bernadette Devlin and twelve others to six months in prison for participating in a protest march last December.
The Supreme Court of the State of California rules that the death penalty is “cruel and unusual punishment” and therefore unconstitutional.
20 February 1972 British troops battle rioters and guerrillas in the streets of Londonderry.
21 February 1972 Richard Nixon arrives in Peking for three days of meetings with Chinese leaders, the first American president to visit China.
After six weeks and winning their demands, the coal miners of Britain call off their strike.
The Soviet space probe Luna 20 makes a soft landing on the moon and begins drilling into the surface for specimens.
22 February 1972 The North Vietnamese begin a counterattack in the Plaine des Jarres, Laos.
Five Arab terrorists hijack a Lufthansa jet to Aden. They release the passengers later in the day.
The white minority government of Rhodesia releases former Prime Minister Garfield Todd and his daughter from detention but keeps them under house arrest.
An IRA bomb planted in the officers’ mess at a British Army base in Aldershot, England explodes, killing seven people. 17 others are injured.
23 February 1972 After the West German government pays a ransom of $5,000,000, Arab terrorists release the crew of the Lufthansa jet they hijacked yesterday and surrender to authorities in Aden.
Social Democrat Kustaa Rafael Paasio replaces Teuvo Ensio Aura as Prime Minister of Finland.
Eight IRA members are arrested in Dublin on orders of Prime Minister Lynch.
Septet for woodwind quintet, cello, and bass by Ben Johnston (45) is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.
24 February 1972 Panarctic Oils Ltd. announces it has struck oil on Ellesmere Island, Canada, 1,100 km south of the North Pole.
25 February 1972 US President Richard Nixon and his party tour the Forbidden City in Peking.
Israel begins four days of reprisal raids into southern Lebanon. About 60 Arab guerrillas are killed and over 100 injured.
The Soviet space probe Luna 20 returns to earth with specimens from the lunar surface.
A group of Maoists tries to force its way into a Renault plant in Boulogne-Billancourt to protest the sacking of workers there. Security guards shoot and kill Rene-Pierre Overney. The guard claims it is accidental but will be charged with murder.
John Taylor, Minister for Home Affairs in Northern Ireland, is shot and seriously injured by the Irish Republican Army, in Armagh.
The Manchester Union Leader publishes an anonymous letter alleging that Democratic presidential candidate Edmund Muskie slurred New Hampshire voters of French Canadian descent. The letter was written by deputy White House Communications Director Kenneth Clawson.
26 February 1972 US President Nixon and his party fly from Peking to Hangchow.
The Italian Senate refuses to vote confidence in the new government of Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. The government resigns.
Hexachords for flute by Joan Tower (33) is performed for the first time, at New York University, New York City.
All of George Crumb’s (42) works to the words of Federico Garcia Lorca are performed together for the first time, at Oberlin Conservatory. The works are Madrigals Books I-IV, Night Music I, Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death, Night of the Four Moons, and Ancient Voices of Children.
27 February 1972 US President Richard Nixon and his party visit Shanghai.
28 February 1972 After a week in China, US President Richard Nixon departs. The two countries issue a joint communiqué laying out their agreements and differences and pledge to work toward a normalization of relations.
Great Britain’s coal miners return to work after a 47-day strike. They have accepted recommendations of a special court of inquiry.
President Giovanni Leone dissolves the Parliament and calls early elections.
US Senator Sam Ervin files a brief in a Supreme Court case that shows that surveillance by the US Army on citizens is much more widespread than previously known. Among those targeted are US Senators and Representatives (all Democratic), state governors, and a Supreme Court justice.
29 February 1972 South Korea withdraws 11,000 troops from Vietnam.
About 5,000,000 Argentinians walk off their jobs in a two-day general strike to protest government economic policies. About 85% of the economy is shut down.
2 March 1972 Sonata for strings by William Walton (69), an arrangement of his String Quartet in a minor, is performed for the first time, in the Octagon Theatre, Perth, Australia.
Michael Manley replaces Hugh Shearer as Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Black Widow, an opera by Thomas Pasatieri (26) to his own words after Unamuno, is performed for the first time, in Seattle.
3 March 1972 The US government announces it intends to sell $70,000,000 of arms to the military dictatorship of Greece.
All twelve cabinet ministers and the President of the Central Bank of Argentina resign so that President Alejandro Lanusse may form a new government in the face of an economic crisis and widespread opposition.
4 March 1972 About 50,000-100,000 leftists turn out in Paris for the funeral of Rene-Pierre Overney, shot to death by a government guard on 25 February. It is the largest leftist demonstration since May of 1968.
A bomb explodes in a Belfast restaurant killing two people and injuring 136 others, 27 seriously. No one takes responsibility.
5 March 1972 The New York Times announces that Lukas Foss (49) has been named chief conductor and musical advisor to Kol Yisrael Orchestra of Jerusalem.
Mikis Theodorakis (46) announces in Melbourne that he has left the Communist Party. He intends to form a new left-wing movement.
6 March 1972 Laotian government forces call off their month-long offensive on the Plaine des Jarres in the face of North Vietnamese attacks.
President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan announces that martial law will end on 14 August and democratic government reestablished.
A bomb explodes behind a movie theatre in Belfast injuring 52 people.
8 March 1972 Cello Concerto no.1 by Krzysztof Penderecki (38) is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
9 March 1972 A day after Arab terrorists attack the Israeli villages of Sasa and Baram, Israeli forces launch strikes against guerrilla bases in southern Lebanon.
The East German Parliament approves abortion on demand during the first three weeks of pregnancy.
10 March 1972 Prime Minister Lon Nol assumes dictatorial powers in Cambodia. The constitution is abolished and the National Assembly is dissolved.
11 March 1972 Eleven South Vietnamese newspapers are closed by the Saigon authorities for printing stories embarrassing to the government.
The village of Sam Thong, Laos, northwest of Long Tieng (Longcheng), defended by Thai troops, falls to the North Vietnamese.
This House for male chorus and four pitch pipes by TJ Anderson (43) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.
The Power Within Us, an oratorio by Gunther Schuller (46) to words of Long, is performed for the first time, in Atlanta.
12 March 1972 The last Indian troops leave Bangladesh.
Venetian Journal for tape, tenor, and chamber ensemble by Bruno Maderna (51) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Mail Order Madrigals for chorus by William Schuman (61) to words of the 1897 Sears, Roebuck catalogue, is performed for the first time, in Ames, Iowa.
13 March 1972 Great Britain and China establish full diplomatic relations. Britain closes its consulate on Taiwan.
Sub-Lt. David James Bingham, a British torpedo expert, is sentenced to 21 years in prison for selling secrets to the USSR.
Introduction and Allegro for trumpet and piano by Otto Luening (71) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.
15 March 1972 Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather is shown for the first time, in New York.
Soliloquy I for guitar and tape by Thea Musgrave (43) is performed for the first time, at the German Institute, London.
16 March 1972 The Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, appointed by President Nixon, recommends that states liberalize their laws against abortion.
In an article in Nature, Paul Lauterbur of SUNY Stony Brook shows how the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei can be used to create a detailed picture of the body. It becomes known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Works by Anton Webern (†26) are performed for the first time at the Fifth International Webern Festival in Vienna: Eight Orchestra Fragments (1911-1913) and a String Trio Movement (1927).
Three Clarinets, Cello, and Piano for the instrumentation found in the title by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of the BBC originating in London.
Windows for orchestra by Jacob Druckman (43) is performed for the first time, in Chicago, conducted by Bruno Maderna (51). The work will win the Pulitzer Prize. See 1 May 1972.
17 March 1972 Vox Balaenae for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano (all masked) by George Crumb (42) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.
18 March 1972 Over 50,000 Protestants rally in Belfast. Former Home Affairs Minister William Craig tells the crowd that if the government can not resolve the situation, Protestants will have to “liquidate the enemy.”
Darius Milhaud’s (79) opera-oratorio Saint Louis, Roi de France to words of Claudel and Doublier is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of RAI. See 14 April 1972.
19 March 1972 Life magazine makes public allegations that the Nixon administration obstructed efforts of law enforcement officials in prosecuting its friends in the San Diego area.
Sonata quasi una fantasia for clarinet and piano by George Perle (56) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo, the composer at the keyboard.
20 March 1972 A car bomb goes off in downtown Belfast killing six people and injuring 147.
The US Department of the Interior issues a six-volume report admitting that any transportation of oil across Alaska will be a threat to the environment.
Olivier Messiaen (63) makes his North American debut as organist in the premiere of his Méditations sur la mystère de la Sainte Trinité at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington.
A Cenotaph for two pianos by Lejaren Hiller (48) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo.
21 March 1972 North Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge forces send 200 rockets into Phnom Penh in their heaviest bombardment yet. 50 people are killed, over 120 injured.
Georgios Christou Papadopoulos, leader of the conservative-fascist military regime of Greece, takes over the office of regent for King Konstantinos II, now in self-imposed exile, replacing Georgios Zoitakis.
22 March 1972 The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse recommends that all criminal penalties for possession of marijuana be abolished. The commission was appointed by President Nixon and Congress.
The US Congress approves an amendment to the Constitution barring discrimination on the basis of sex. It is sent to the states for ratification.
24 March 1972 British Prime Minister Edward Heath announces his plan to impose direct rule on Northern Ireland.
Aura for orchestra by Bruno Maderna (51) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
25 March 1972 Moderate leftist leader José Napoleón Duarte of El Salvador is arrested by the US backed conservative government and savagely beaten. He will be released in a few days after international diplomatic pressure.
26 March 1972 The last of the 53 Young People’s Concerts by Leonard Bernstein (53) and the New York Philharmonic is broadcast over the CBS television network.
Spaces for orchestra by Ross Lee Finney (65) is performed for the first time, in Fargo, North Dakota.
27 March 1972 Protestants stage a two-day general strike to protest the imposition of direct rule over Northern Ireland.
28 March 1972 Henryk Jablonski replaces Józef Cyrankiewicz as President of Poland.
Variations on A Happy Birthday for orchestra by Thea Musgrave (43), Peter Maxwell Davies (37), and four other British composers is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London. The variations are in honor of the 70th birthday of William Walton.
Merlino, mastro d’organi, a dramma musicale by Gian Francesco Malipiero (90) to his own words, is staged for the first time, in Palermo, 45 years after it was composed. See 1 August 1934.
29 March 1972 West Berliners are allowed to visit East Berlin over the next 30 days for the first time since 1966.
Prime Minister Edward Heath officiates at a dinner honoring the 70th birthday of William Walton. The composer is in attendance as is Queen Elizabeth and her mother, Benjamin Britten (58), Arthur Bliss, Kenneth Clark, Herbert Howells, Henry Moore and Laurence Olivier. The first three of the Five Bagatelles for guitar by William Walton are performed for the first time today, over the airwaves of BBC television originating in London. See 27 May 1972.
Dirige (Antiphonae) in memory: Igor Stravinsky (†0) for chorus by Kenneth Gaburo (45) is performed for the first time, at the University of Pittsburgh.
30 March 1972 North Vietnamese forces begin a massive offensive across the demilitarized zone and advance 35 km in five weeks of heavy fighting. Concurrent offensives take place in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta.
Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland to try to bring order to the beleaguered province. Prime Minister Heath appoints William Whitelaw to the newly created post of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
1 April 1972 In an interview in Business Week, former CIA director John McCone admits that International Telephone and Telegraph colluded with the CIA in a plan to prevent the inauguration of President Salvador Allende of Chile.
2 April 1972 Saigon government troops abandon the northern half of Quang Tri Province in the face of the North Vietnamese offensive.
3 April 1972 Laurie Anderson (24) performs part of her International Dream Series at Schermerhorn Library, Columbia University.
4 April 1972 The United States formally recognizes the government of Bangladesh.
The Soviet embassy in Stockholm refuses to issue a visa to a representative of the Swedish Academy to go to Moscow to present the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature to Alyeksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Between 13:15-13:30 Stefan Wolpe dies in his New York apartment from choking on food. However, he is a long-time sufferer of Parkinson’s Disease. Wolpe is aged 69 years, seven months, and ten days.
5 April 1972 North Vietnamese forces attack into Binh Long Province from Cambodia.
Music for harpsichord and percussion from the Collection of Mark Pekarski by Sofia Gubaidulina (40) is performed for the first time, in the October Concert Hall, Leningrad.
6 April 1972 US air and naval forces begin massive attacks on the North Vietnamese on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone in an attempt to stem the current offensive.
The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation announces cash grants to 372 scholars, scientists, and artists including Charles Wuorinen (33).
On the first anniversary of the death of Igor Stravinsky, two works in his honor are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio 3 England: Threnody I (originally Threnody Igor Stravinsky: In memoriam) for flute and string trio by Aaron Copland (71), and Canon in memoriam Igor Stravinsky (recorded 20 March 1972) for flute, clarinet, harp, and string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (37). See 17 June 1972.
7 April 1972 A North Vietnamese tank force drives Saigon government forces from Loc Ninh, eight km from the Cambodian border and 120 km north of Saigon.
The Palestine National Council organizes a Jordan Affairs Committee to plan the overthrow of King Hussein of Jordan.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland William Whitelaw frees 73 Catholics from detention signaling a “phasing out of internment.”
Dies natalis (II) for concert band by Howard Hanson (75) is performed for the first time, in Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York.
9 April 1972 North Vietnamese forces attack Saigon government troops west of Quang Tri city but are repulsed with heavy losses.
Rothko Chapel for soprano, alto, chorus, viola, percussion, and celesta by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Houston.
10 April 1972 US B-52s begin heavy bombing inside North Vietnam for the first time since 1967.
The Geneva Biological Weapons Convention is signed by over 70 countries in London, Moscow, and Washington.
An earthquake in southern Iran near Ghir, kills over 5,000 people.
Two urban guerrilla groups kill General Juan Carlos Sanchez in Rosario, Argentina. Fiat executive Oberdan Sallustro, who was kidnapped by urban guerrillas on 21 March, is found shot to death in a suburb of Buenos Aires.
Antiphony VI (Cogito) for string quartet, slides, and tape by Kenneth Gaburo (45) to words of Hommel is performed for the first time.
A service in memory Stefan Wolpe is held at The Riverside Funeral Home, Amsterdam Avenue, New York. Among the speakers are Milton Babbitt (55), John Cage (59), and Elliott Carter (63). Wolpe’s earthly remains are cremated.
11 April 1972 A concert by the League of Composers-ISCM, planned to be a 70th birthday tribute to Stefan Wolpe, becomes a memorial concert. Wolpe died one week ago.
12 April 1972 Divan i Shams i Tabriz for seven voices, orchestra, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (38) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
13 April 1972 North Vietnamese forces take half of the provincial capital of An Loc.
14 April 1972 The National Assembly of Pakistan completes an interim constitution and agrees to lift martial law on 21 April.
Concertino for chamber orchestra by Roger Sessions (75) is performed for the first time, in Chicago conducted by Ralph Shapey (75).
Darius Milhaud’s (79) opera-oratorio Saint Louis, Roi de France to words of Claudel and Doublier is staged for the first time, in Rio de Janeiro. See 18 March 1972.
15 April 1972 Heracles, a grand opera by John C. Eaton (37) to words of Fried after Sophocles and Seneca, is performed for the first time, in Bloomington, Indiana.
16 April 1972 American planes bomb military supply facilities near Hanoi and Haiphong for the first time in three years. The USSR announces that four Soviet ships were damaged by American bombs in Haiphong harbor.
12:54 Apollo 16 blasts off from Cape Kennedy for the moon.
Biogramma for orchestra by Bruno Maderna (51) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.
17 April 1972 Ferit Sadi Melen replaces Ismail Nihat Erim as Prime Minister of Turkey.
For the first time, women take part in the Boston Marathon with official sanction.
Battles begin between police and students at the University of Maryland who are protesting the bombing of North Vietnam.
Vendanges, a ballet by Darius Milhaud (79) to a scenario by Rothschild, is performed for the first time, at the Nice Opéra, 20 years after it was composed.
18 April 1972 2,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops begin an offensive in Binh Dinh province, capturing much of it within two days.
The governor of Maryland orders 800 National Guard troops on to the campus of the University of Maryland and imposes a curfew.
19 April 1972 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops take Hoai Nhon, the district capital of Binh Dinh province.
20 April 1972 North Vietnamese forces capture an 80 km stretch of Route One in Cambodia, 65 km northwest of Saigon.
02:23 UTC John Young and Charles Duke of Apollo 16 become the ninth and tenth humans to walk on the Moon after touching down in the Descartes highlands.
Lord Byron, an opera by Virgil Thomson (75) to words of Larson, is performed for the first time, in the Juilliard Theatre, New York. After being rejected by its commissioner, the Metropolitan Opera, the director of the Juilliard School, Peter Mennin (48), offers the venue to Thomson. The director is John Houseman, who leads the school’s theatre department. Reviews are strongly mixed. See 14 April 1969.
21 April 1972 President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan signs a new interim constitution and is sworn in as president under it.
Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke exit their lunar module. They spend over six hours exploring the surface of the moon.
22 April 1972 Four North Vietnamese divisions strike across the Cambodian border into the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.
Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spend seven hours, 23 minutes exploring the surface of the moon.
Protests against the war in Indochina take place across the United States. 30,000-60,000 march in New York, 30,000-40,000 in San Francisco, over 10,000 in Los Angeles.
Jubilate Deo for chorus and organ by William Walton (70) is performed for the first time, at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
23 April 1972 Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spend five hours, 40 minutes exploring the surface of the moon. They then blast off from the moon and rejoin fellow astronaut Ken Mattingly orbiting the moon.
A referendum in France favors expansion of the EEC by a vote of 68%-32%. However, only 60% of the electorate vote.
Fool’s Fanfare for male speaker, two trumpets, two trombones, ukulele, and two percussionists by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) to words of Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in Southwark Cathedral, London, the composer conducting. Also premiered is Epilogue for baritone, horn, four trombones, and six tam-tams by Harrison Birtwistle (37) to words of Shakespeare.
24 April 1972 Chronometer for 2x4 track tape by Harrison Birtwistle (37) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
26 April 1972 US President Nixon announces 20,000 more troops will be withdrawn from Vietnam over the next two months.
Linaia-Agon for horn, trombone, and tuba by Iannis Xenakis (49) is performed for the first time, in London.
Three vocal works with words by Frank O’Hara are performed for the first time, in the Whitney Museum, New York: From “Sneden’s Landing Variations” for voice and piano by Virgil Thomson (75), I Will Always Love You, a song by Ned Rorem (48), and Three Airs for Frank O’Hara’s Angel for speaker, soprano, female chorus, four instruments, and tape ad lib by Lukas Foss (49).
27 April 1972 North Vietnamese forces advance to within five km of Quang Tri.
Kwame Nkrumah dies in Bucharest.
Vietnam peace talks resume in Paris a month after President Nixon suspended them.
19:45 UTC Astronauts Don Young, Charles Duke, and Ken Mattingly return to earth aboard their spacecraft Apollo 16, in the Pacific Ocean 350 km southeast of Christmas Island, less than two km from their target.
28 April 1972 Two Sonnets from Michelangelo for orchestra by Karel Husa (50) is performed for the first time, in Evanston, Illinois.
29 April 1972 The provincial capital of Kon Tum is surrounded by North Vietnamese troops.
After five years under a ban by the mayor of Buenos Aires on moral grounds, Alberto Ginastera’s (56) dramatic cantata Bomarzo is given its Argentine premiere in the Teatro Colón.
30 April 1972 Declaration Chorale for chorus by William Schuman (61) to words of Whitman, is performed for the first time, in New York.
1 May 1972 North Vietnamese forces capture the city of Quang Tri after five days of heavy bombardment, the first provincial capital to come under their control.
Jacob Druckman (43) wins the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Windows. See 16 March 1972.
Olivier Messiaen (63) and his wife Yvonne Loriod begin an eleven-day visit to Utah. See 20 November 1974 and 5 August 1978.
2 May 1972 J. Edgar Hoover dies at the age of 77 after 48 years as the FBI’s first director.
3 May 1972 Saigon government troops fleeing Quang Tri rampage through the streets of Hue, looting and intimidating civilians.
4 May 1972 The United States and the Saigon government suspend the Paris peace talks indefinitely.
A court in Karditsa sentences Demetrios Partsaldidis, leader of the Greek Communist Party, to life in prison.
Carnival Music, a suite for piano by George Rochberg (53), is performed for the first time, in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia.
5 May 1972 The Portuguese government institutes new censorship rules, including heavy fines and prison sentences for offenders.
Intervall, no.6 of Für kommende Zeiten no.33 by Karlheinz Stockhausen (43) is performed for the first time, in London.
Link for specialized and non-specialized performers by Pauline Oliveros (39) is performed for the first time, at Palomar College, Oceanside, California.
6 May 1972 About 25 Viet Cong rockets hit downtown Phnom Penh. Two people are killed, 44 injured.
Dunstable: Veni Sancte Spiritus for alto flute, clarinet, keyboards, glockenspiel, viola, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the composer conducting.
7 May 1972 General elections in Italy result in gains for the Communists and neo-fascists at the expense of the Socialist Party. The Christian Democrats hold steady and continue to form the coalition.
Trio for violin, guitar, and piano by Arthur Berger (59) is performed for the first time, in London.
8 May 1972 US President Nixon announces that he has ordered that Haiphong and other North Vietnamese ports be mined.
10 May 1972 President Nguyen Van Thieu of the Saigon government declares martial law throughout South Vietnam.
The Soviet freighter Grisha Akopyan is struck by US planes in the port of Cam Pha, North Vietnam. One sailor is killed and two injured.
A national referendum in Ireland approves entry into the EEC.
11 May 1972 Several explosions go off at a US Army headquarters in Frankfurt. One US soldier is killed, 13 others are injured. The Red Army Faction claims responsibility saying it is in retaliation for the bombing of North Vietnam.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announces in Washington that for the first time, women will be recruited as special agents.
12 May 1972 Diplomatic sources report that much of the population of Hanoi has been evacuated due to increased US bombing raids.
Programm (Gespräche mit Kammermusik) by Mauricio Kagel (40) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR, Cologne.
13 May 1972 Saigon government forces attempt a counterattack in Quang Tri Province and the Central Highlands with limited results.
A bomb explodes in a pub in the Catholic Ballymurphy district of Belfast. As people rush to give aid, they are fired on by shots from the nearby Protestant Springmartin district. Catholics return the fire. 60 people are injured in the original blast. One person is killed by gunfire.
Cheap Imitation for orchestra by John Cage (59) is performed for the first time, in Amsterdam. This is called a “public rehearsal” by the composer.
L’Invitation au Voyage for chorus by John Corigliano (34) to words of Beaudelaire (tr. Wilbur) is performed for the first time, in San Antonio, Texas.
14 May 1972 Violin Variations for violin solo by Charles Wuorinen (33) is performed for the first time, in Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, New York.
Concerto for piano and orchestra by Alexander Goehr (39) is performed for the first time, in Brighton, England.
Gunther Schuller’s (46) arrangement of The Entertainer by Scott Joplin is performed for the first time, in Jordan Hall, Boston conducted by the arranger.
15 May 1972 The United States formally repatriates Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands to Japan. Okinawa was captured by American forces in 1945 at grievous loss.
100,000 people march in Tananarive demanding that Malagasy President Philibert Tsiranana release student leaders recently arrested after three days of violence.
A bomb severely injures Mrs. Gerta Buddenberg in her car in Karlsruhe. She is the wife of Judge Wolfgang Buddenberg who has been investigating the Red Army Faction.
While campaigning for his party’s presidential nomination in Laurel, Maryland, Governor George Wallace of Alabama is shot and seriously wounded by Arthur Bremer. Bremer’s bullets also hit and wound three others. Bremer, a deranged man, is subdued and arrested. Wallace will survive but will be paralyzed.
String Quartet no.3 by George Rochberg (53) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
19 May 1972 The West German Parliament ratifies treaties with the USSR and Poland. They renounce force to settle disputes and recognize current borders, including the Oder-Neisse border between East Germany and Poland.
A bomb planted by the Weather Underground goes off in the Pentagon. It causes extensive damage but no injuries.
Most Reverend Paul F. Leibold, Archbishop of Cincinnati holds that Leonard Bernstein’s (53) Mass is “a blatant sacrilege against all we hold as sacred.”
21 May 1972 Shouting “I am Jesus Christ”, Laszlo Toth, a deranged man, attacks the Pieta of Michelangelo in the Vatican. He causes “grave damage” to the sculpture before being subdued by onlookers.
15,000 people demonstrate in Washington for two days against the war in Indochina. 400 people are arrested today.
Meditation III from Mass for orchestra by Leonard Bernstein (53) is performed for the first time, in Jerusalem, conducted by the composer. See 8 September 1971.
22 May 1972 Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka. Governor-General William Gopallawa becomes the first President.
US President Nixon arrives in Moscow for talks with Soviet leaders and treaty signings. It is the first visit of an American president to Moscow.
24 May 1972 Two car bombs explode at the US Army European headquarters in Heidelberg. One person is killed, seven injured.
Pioneer 10 becomes the first Earth vehicle to cross the orbit of Mars.
25 May 1972 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces fight their way into Kon Tum.
British Overseas Airways Corporation announces it will buy five Concordes.
26 May 1972 US President Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev sign agreements in the Kremlin limiting both offensive and defensive nuclear weapons.
27 May 1972 China begins an effort to “remold” its writers and artists to create truly revolutionary works of art.
Five Bagatelles for guitar by William Walton (70) is performed completely for the first time, in the Bath Assembly Rooms.
28 May 1972 Former King Edward VIII of Great Britain, the Duke of Windsor, dies in Paris of cancer at the age of 77.
US President Richard Nixon makes a nationwide television address to the Soviet people from Moscow.
29 May 1972 The official wing of the IRA orders an immediate cease-fire in Northern Ireland. Military activities are to be defensive only.
Blind Man’s Buff, a masque for soprano, mezzo-soprano, mime, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) to his own words after nursery rhymes and Büchner, is performed for the first time, at Round House, London conducted by Pierre Boulez (47).
30 May 1972 Three Japanese terrorists in the employ of a Palestinian group fire automatic weapons and throw hand grenades indiscriminately into a crowd at Lod Airport, Tel Aviv. 30 people are killed, including two of the criminals and 76 are injured. The third attacker is subdued by an Israeli airline mechanic. He will be sentenced to life imprisonment on 18 July.
Leonard Bernstein (53) defends his Mass before the National Press Club in Washington. He reads two letters from the Kennedy family praising the work.
31 May 1972 The ashes of the earthly remains of Stefan Wolpe are interred at Springs Cemetery, Amagansett, Long Island.
1 June 1972 Iraq nationalizes the western-owned Iraq Petroleum Company. Syria then does the same for the company’s assets on its territory.
West German police capture Andreas Baader and two other members of the Baader-Meinhof gang (Red Army Faction) after a gun battle in Frankfurt.
The Triumph of Time for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (37) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
2 June 1972 The Senate of the Saigon government refuses a request by President Nguyen Van Thieu to rule by decree.
The Federal Republic of Cameroon changes its name to the United Republic of Cameroon.
I Met Heine on the Rue Fürstenberg for female voice, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
3 June 1972 A United States Army investigation into the massacre at My Lai is published in the New York Times. It finds the entire command structure of the Americal division, the unit involved in the crime, guilty of misconduct. 43 separate acts of misconduct are cited against the two division commanders. The investigation found that even though at least 300 civilians had been murdered by American soldiers, many high ranking officers did nothing about it. Completed on 9 March 1970, the report is still classified.
Protestants attack barricades surrounding Catholic areas in Londonderry but are beaten back by British troops with water hoses and rubber bullets.
4 June 1972 North Vietnamese forces are beaten back from Phu My after a two day assault.
Lon Nol is elected to a five-year term as President of Cambodia.
Angela Davis is acquitted on all counts of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in a court in Santa Clara, California.
7 June 1972 The Saigon government army announces it is beginning to clear North Vietnamese troops from Kon Tum in the Central Highlands. A relief force fighting up Highway 13 reaches the besieged garrison of An Loc.
Two works for piano by Charles Koechlin (†21) are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio 3: La prière de l’homme op.149/8, 37 years after it was composed, and Danses pour Ginger op.163, five dances for piano in homage to Ginger Rogers, 35 years after it was composed. See 12 September 1986.
Three Latin American Sketches for chamber orchestra by Aaron Copland (71) is performed completely for the first time, in New York.
8 June 1972 Soviet Jewish poet Iosif Brodsky arrives in Vienna having been released from a prison sentence for “social partisanism.”
Canciones Españolas, a cycle for two counter-tenors, two flutes, percussion, organ, and harpsichord by John Tavener (28) to various Spanish authors, is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
9 June 1972 After weeks of fighting, a relief force reaches the besieged Saigon government troops in An Loc.
Pájaros de primavera for guitar by Joaquín Rodrigo (70) is performed for the first time, in Japan.
14 June 1972 The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces a total ban on the use of the pesticide DDT.
A federal judge orders desegregation of Detroit city and suburban schools. It is the most extensive desegregation plan ever ordered.
15 June 1972 During a visit by Soviet President Nikolay Podgorny to Hanoi, the United States suspends air attacks on the city.
Ulrike Meinhof and another member of the Baader Meinhof gang are arrested by West German police near Hannover.
16 June 1972 The World Conference on the Human Environment ends in Stockholm after approving a 26-point Declaration on the Human Environment. They endorse the elimination of nuclear weapons, protection of wildlife and the oceans, and the establishment of a permanent body at the United Nations to oversee environmental issues.
17 June 1972 New works by British composers in honor of Igor Stravinsky (†1) are performed for the first time, in St. John’s Smith Square, London on the 90th anniversary of Stravinsky’s birth: In memoriam Magistri for flute, clarinet, and string quartet by Michael Tippett (67), the first live performance of Canon in memoriam Igor Stravinsky for flute, clarinet, harp, and string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (37), and Tombeau in memoriam Igor Stravinsky for flute, clarinet, harp, and string quartet by Harrison Birtwistle (36). See 6 April 1972.
“...explosante-fixe...” (first realization) for flute, clarinet, and trumpet by Pierre Boulez (47) is performed for the first time, in London.
Five men are arrested after they break into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate building in Washington.
18 June 1972 Harry Partch (70) signs a contract for a documentary about him which has already been filmed. Partch receives $3,000 and 10% of the profits.
19 June 1972 Airline pilots stage a 24-hour worldwide strike to press demands for more penalties against hijacking and sabotage of aircraft.
20 June 1972 Deuxième Symphonie pour seize groupes de haut-parleurs by Pierre Henry (44) is performed for the first time, in the Cirque d’Hiver, Paris.
Kitharaulos for oboe, harp, piano, percussion, and strings by Ernst Krenek (71) is performed for the first time, in The Hague.
Arab terrorists cross into Israel from Lebanon and kill two civilians in a tourist bus.
21 June 1972 Israeli forces enter Lebanon and capture five Syrian and four Lebanese military personnel. Four people are killed.
Parable VI op.117 for organ by Vincent Persichetti (57) is performed for the first time, in Fort Worth, Texas.
22 June 1972 Over a week of protests and riots against the military government begins in Argentina.
Symphony no.3 by Michael Tippett (67) for soprano and orchestra is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
Samuel Adler’s (44) sacred opera The Wrestler to words of Stampfer is performed for the first time, in Dallas.
23 June 1972 Arab terrorists send rockets into the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona from Lebanon. Israel responds with air and artillery attacks on guerrilla bases in Lebanon.
The British government announces it will allow the pound to float.
Exotica for non-European instruments by Mauricio Kagel (40) is performed for the first time, in the Haus der Kunst, Munich as part of the Games of the XX Olympiad.
Parable VII op.119 for harp by Vincent Persichetti (57) is performed for the first time, in San Diego, California.
24 June 1972 A French court orders Olivier Messiaen (63) to pay FF20,000 compensation to the choreographer Hubert Devillez. Messiaen and Devillez had worked together briefly on a scenario for a ballet to Messiaen’s Turangalîla. When a ballet on the music was staged by Roland Petit in 1968, Devillez sued.
25 June 1972 At a convention in Buenos Aires, the Justicialista Party nominates Juan Domingo Perón as its candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.
Despite widespread condemnation, France begins a series of nuclear weapons explosions at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific.
26 June 1972 The US military completes a transfer of 2,000 pilots and 150 planes from Da Nang to Thailand.
A five-month Italian government crisis ends with the swearing in of a three-party coalition led by Giulio Andreotti.
A cease-fire called by the provisional wing of the IRA goes into effect in Northern Ireland.
27 June 1972 26 Senate members approve a bill giving President Nguyen Van Thieu power to rule by decree. The vote was taken after a 22:00 curfew when opposition members are not present.
In an agreement between Lebanese Prime Minister Saeb Salam and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, the Palestinians agree not to attack Israel from Lebanon.
The Socialist and Communist parties of France agree on a common front in upcoming elections.
The French Parliament approves a reorganization of the ORTF in the wake of a scandal involving commercialization of the state monopoly.
28 June 1972 Saigon government forces begin a counteroffensive to retake Quang Tri province.
The State of Mysore, India is renamed Karnataka.
Como una ola de fuerza y luz for soprano, piano, orchestra, and tape by Luigi Nono (48) to words of Huasi, is performed for the first time, in Teatro alla Scala, Milan.
29 June 1972 In the case of Furman v. Georgia the US Supreme Court rules that, as presently applied, the death penalty constitutes a violation of the constitution.
30 June 1972 The Provisional IRA dismantles three barricades protecting Catholic areas of Londonderry.
1 July 1972 John Cage (59), Lois Long, and Alexander Smith publish Mushroom Book.
2 July 1972 President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India sign the Simla Agreement, ending the 1971 war. They agree to respect the current line of control in Kashmir.
5 July 1972 Pierre Mesmer replaces Jacques Chaban-Delmas as Prime Minister of France.
After conferring with the military dictators of Greece in Athens, US Secretary of State William Rogers asserts President Nixon’s positive view of his country’s “close relationship” with Greece.
6 July 1972 Kakuei Tanaka replaces Eisaku Sato as Prime Minister of Japan.
7 July 1972 A Saigon government offensive into Quang Tri Province reaches Quang Tri city.
Laotian Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma agrees to talks with the Pathet Lao.
The assembly of Sind Province, Pakistan adopts a measure making Sindhi the official language of the province. This sets off several days of violence in which 50 people are killed, mostly by police.
8 July 1972 The US government announces it is extending $750,000,000 in credit to the USSR to purchase American grain.
Ketjak for six male voices by Peter Sculthorpe (43) to nonsense syllables is performed for the first time, in Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham.
Watermelon for piano by TJ Anderson (43) is performed for the first time, in Bloomington, Indiana.
9 July 1972 The IRA truce ends as fighting between Catholics, Protestants, and British troops resumes in Belfast, south Armagh, and Londonderry. Ten people are killed.
11 July 1972 The world championship of chess begins in Reykjavik between Soviet champion Boris Spassky and American challenger Bobby Fischer.
12 July 1972 The New York Times announces that Leonard Bernstein (53) will take a year off from conducting to devote full time to composition.
Taverner, an opera by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Among the audience is Peter Sculthorpe (43).
13 July 1972 Vietnam peace talks resume in Paris after a suspension of ten weeks.
The House of Commons passes a bill altering British law to conform to EEC requirements.
The IRA uses rocket launchers to attack British soldiers in Belfast. Troops are ordered into the mixed Suffolk housing project in the city.
15 July 1972 Saigon government soldiers fight their way into Quang Tri city.
Pakistan withdraws from SEATO.
Pioneer 10 becomes the first Earth vehicle to enter the asteroid belt.
16 July 1972 Five Pianos for five pianos, one doubling celesta, by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Berlin. The five pianists are John Cage (59), Cornelius Cardew (36), Frederic Rzewski (34), David Tudor, and the composer.
17 July 1972 Kozo Okamoto, the sole surviving terrorist from the Lod Airport massacre of 30 May, is convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a court near Tel Aviv.
18 July 1972 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat orders the removal of the 5,000 Soviet military advisors from his country.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco clarifies the succession to be followed after his death. Prince Juan Carlos is to become king.
19 July 1972 Saigon government troops begin a counteroffensive in Binh Dinh Province.
The East German Council of Ministers reports that the country’s economy is 99.4% nationalized.
Government troops occupy and close the National University of El Salvador on orders of President Arturo Armando Molina. He claims it has “fallen into the hands of Communists.”
Variations on Fugue and Chorale Fantasy for organ and electronic tape by Otto Luening (72) is performed for the first time, in Hertz Hall of the University of California at Berkeley.
Phantom Fathom (II) by Pauline Oliveros (40) is performed for the first time, at the California State University at Long Beach.
20 July 1972 The government of Dutch Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel resigns when the coalition loses a parliamentary majority.
21 July 1972 The Saigon government offensive in Binh Dinh Province captures the district capital of Hoai Nhon.
At least 20 IRA bombs go off within an hour in Belfast. Nine people are killed, 130 injured.
The six present and four future members of the EEC sign industrial trade treaties with the five remaining members of the European Free Trade Association.
A federal appeals court stays a lower court order to desegregate the public schools of Detroit pending further hearings.
22 July 1972 2,000 British troops move into IRA districts in Belfast searching for weapons. Over 100 people are detained.
The Soviet space probe Venera 8 makes a soft landing on Venus and sends back data for 50 minutes before being destroyed by the heat of the planet’s surface.
23 July 1972 The Saigon government offensive in Binh Dinh Province captures the district capital of Tam Quan.
25 July 1972 Senator Thomas Eagleton, nominee of the Democratic Party for US Vice President, reveals he has been hospitalized three times for treatment of depression.
26 July 1972 North Vietnamese forces capture Fire Base Bastogne, guarding the approaches to Hue.
28 July 1972 Air France and BOAC sign contracts in London and Paris for the purchase of nine Concorde supersonic jets.
29 July 1972 Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark arrives in Hanoi along with the International Commission of Inquiry into alleged US war crimes in Indochina.
Little Requiem for Father Malachy Lynch for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by John Tavener (28) is performed for the first time, in Winchester Cathedral.
30 July 1972 Hsinhua, the official Chinese news agency, and the Associated Press agree to exchange news and photographs. It is the first regular contact with mainland China by a US-based news agency since 1949.
31 July 1972 Saigon government troops begin a preemptive offensive near Kompong Trabek, Cambodia.
British forces destroy barricades and occupy areas of Belfast and Londonderry designated as Irish Republican Army strongholds.
Senator Thomas Eagleton withdraws as the candidate of the Democratic Party for Vice President of the United States because of revelation that he underwent treatment for depression.
The Washington Post reports that a check from President Nixon’s campaign committee was deposited in the account of one of the Watergate burglars.
1 August 1972 Sim Tjong, an opera by Isang Yun (54) to words of Kunz, is performed for the first time, in the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich.
2 August 1972 France lifts the ban on sea traffic around Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia. This indicates that their recent nuclear tests have concluded.
3 August 1972 Saigon government troops recapture Fire Base Bastogne on the approaches to Hue.
4 August 1972 Concerto for amplified violin and orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (34) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
5 August 1972 President Idi Amin of Uganda orders that Asians with British passports must leave the country within three months.
Vintage Alice for amplified soprano, folk group, and chamber orchestra by David Del Tredici (35) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga, California.
6 August 1972 North Vietnamese troops begin an offensive against Kompong Trabek, Cambodia.
Egypt and the USSR announce that all but 3,000 of the 15,000-20,000 Soviet military personnel have been removed from Egypt.
7 August 1972 Heavy fighting rages near Long Thanh, 27 km east of Saigon.
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin orders all Asians out of the country within 90 days.
8 August 1972 Lufthansa decides not to exercise its option to buy three Concorde supersonic jets. They cite economic and environmental concerns.
The Democratic National Committee names Sargent Shriver to replace Thomas Eagleton as candidate for Vice President.
Giardino Religioso for chamber orchestra by Bruno Maderna (52) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts. Also premiered is Tre Invenzione for five groups of instruments by Gunther Schuller (46) conducted by the composer.
Rose for chorus by Ben Johnston (46) to words of Sibyl Johnston is performed for the first time, at the University of Illinois.
9 August 1972 President Idi Amin of Uganda modifies his expulsion order for Asians. Those in certain professions will be allowed to remain.
11 August 1972 The last American combat troops in Vietnam are withdrawn from action.
A confidant of President Anwar Sadat reports in Al Ahram that Israeli planes shot down five Egyptian jets piloted by Soviets in 1970.
Voices and Instruments for chorus and nine players by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Dartington.
La Koro Sutro (The Heart Sutra) for chorus, organ, harp, and gamelan by Lou Harrison (55) is performed for the first time, at San Francisco State University.
12 August 1972 The New York Times reports widespread torture of thousands of suspected communist sympathizers by the Saigon government throughout South Vietnam since the beginning of the communist offensive on 30 March.
13 August 1972 Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark returns to the US at San Francisco after a two-week visit to North Vietnam. He reports on the results of US bombing of civilian areas in Hanoi and Haiphong.
16 August 1972 Moroccan air force jets fire on a plane carrying King Hassan II. The plane is damaged but lands safely. As the king is welcomed at Rabat airport, planes strafe the area killing eight people, including four ministers, and wounding 47. King Hassan is then transported to the palace and planes fire on that. Through all the attempted coup, the king is unharmed.
17 August 1972 Moroccan Minister of Defense Mohamed Oufkir, suspected to be behind yesterday’s attempted coup, kills himself.
19 August 1972 After a furious assault, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces take Que Son in Quang Nam Province.
20 August 1972 “Goldstaub” from Aus den sieben Tagen by Karlheinz Stockhausen (43) is performed for the first time, in Kürten.
21 August 1972 Violent demonstrations take place in Santiago de Chile over food shortages. President Allende declares a state of emergency in the province.
Ecloga VIII for six male voices by Krzysztof Penderecki (38) to words of Virgil, is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh.
22 August 1972 The International Olympic Committee forbids Rhodesia from taking part in the upcoming games after a threatened boycott by African nations.
A bomb explodes prematurely at a customs station in Newry, Northern Ireland. Nine people are killed, five injured.
23 August 1972 Patria II: Requiems for the Party-Girl for mezzo-soprano, chorus, actors, dancers, chamber orchestra, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (39) is performed for the first time, in Stratford, Ontario.
24 August 1972 Oscar Levant dies in Beverly Hills at the age of 72.
25 August 1972 In a Security Council vote, China vetoes the entry of Bangladesh into the UN.
Tenebrae super Gesualdo for mezzo-soprano, guitar, and instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (37) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London the composer conducting.
26 August 1972 The Games of the Twentieth Olympiad of the Modern Era open in Munich.
The General Accounting Office finds violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act by the Committee to Reelect the President. The findings are sent to the Justice Department.
Ekecheiria for tape by Krzysztof Penderecki (38) to words of Pindar is performed for the first time, at the opening ceremonies.
Music for a Silent Film for two pianos and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (37), Simon Bainbridge, and Oliver Knussen is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
27 August 1972 US ships shell the port of Haiphong, three kilometers from the city limits.
Saigon authorities seize three daily newspapers in the capital for publishing criticism of the government.
Automotive for car horns by Laurie Anderson (25) is performed for the first time, on the green of Rochester, Vermont.
Prometheus Bound, a cantata for soprano, speakers, chorus, and orchestra by Carlos Chávez (73) to words of Trevelyan after Aeschylus is performed for the first time, in Aptos, California.
29 August 1972 President Nixon announces a reduction in US troop levels in Vietnam from 39,000 to 27,000 by 1 December. This does not include 100,000 US military involved in air operations from outside Vietnam.
30 August 1972 Three more Saigon newspapers are seized for criticizing the government.
The Transamazonian Highway is opened.
31 August 1972 Pianos and Voices for five pianos and five female voices by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Munich, commissioned for the Olympic Games. Among the performers are Cornelius Cardew (36), Christian Wolff (38) and the composer.
1 September 1972 The government of Pakistan nationalizes 176 private colleges as part of an education reform plan.
Uruguayan authorities capture Raoul Sendic, founder of the Tupamaro guerrillas, in Montevideo.
Bobby Fischer defeats Boris Spassky to win the world chess championship in Reykjavik.
2 September 1972 The Indian Parliament votes to nationalize insurance companies.
Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, dass geschah unter der Sonne, an ecclesiastical action for two speakers, bass, and orchestra by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (†2) to words from the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Kiel.
Time Spans for orchestra by Earle Brown (45) is performed for the first time, in Munich during the Olympic Games.
3 September 1972 Musique pour San Francisco op.436 for orchestra by Darius Milhaud is performed for the first time, in San Francisco on the eve of the composer’s 80th birthday.
4 September 1972 Tasito Kalevi Sorsa replaces Kustaa Rafael Paasio as Prime Minister of Finland.
5 September 1972 Eight Arab terrorists invade the Olympic Village in Munich. They kill two Israeli athletes as they break into their living quarters, and then take nine others hostage. The terrorists threaten to kill hostages unless 200 Arabs held in Israeli prisons are released.
6 September 1972 A decree by the Saigon government of 22 August becomes public today. All elected hamlet officials are sacked. Henceforth, local officials will be appointed by the military.
After 23 hours of negotiation, the Arab terrorists and their athlete hostages are flown from the Olympic Village in Munich to Fürstenfeldbruck Airport by helicopter. Faced with an Israeli refusal to accede to the terrorist demands and believing that allowing them to leave the country would constitute a death sentence for the hostages, German security personnel attempt a rescue by force. In the ensuing gun battle, all nine hostages, five terrorists, and one German policeman are killed. The remaining three Arab killers are captured by German police.
7 September 1972 Citizens of Phnom Penh attack food shops during an acute food shortage. Police and troops are called out and battles ensue.
A gun battle between Protestant militants and British soldiers in Belfast results in the deaths of two civilians and injuries to two others.
8 September 1972 Police and troops refuse to interfere in the looting of food stores in Phnom Penh. Some join in the looting.
Dozens of Israeli warplanes attack Arab guerrilla bases inside Syria and Lebanon in retaliation for the killing of eleven Israeli athletes in Munich.
9 September 1972 North Vietnamese forces capture the district capital of Kompong Trabek, 75 km southeast of Phnom Penh.
In the first air battles over Syria since 1970, Israeli planes shoot down three Syrian jets.
10 September 1972 E vò for soprano and chamber orchestra by Luciano Berio (46) is performed for the first time, in Arco, directed by the composer.
11 September 1972 The Games of the Twentieth Olympiad of the Modern Era close in Munich. In 16 days of competition, 7,134 athletes from 121 countries took part. Eleven of them died.
Passenger service begins on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, in and around San Francisco.
12 September 1972 Michael Morris, Baron Killanin of Ireland replaces Avery Brundage of the United States as President of the International Olympic Committee.
John Tilbury gives a performance of Cornelius Cardew’s (36) piano music in the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice, Venice. At a discussion afterwards, statements by Tilbury and Cardew about the lack of class-consciousness of the avant-garde and the parasitic nature of avant-garde composers causes a near riot among the 400 listeners. Among the audience is John Cage (60). Cardew and Tilbury survive unhurt.
14 September 1972 West Germany establishes diplomatic relations with Poland.
15 September 1972 Saigon government forces complete their recapture of Quang Tri, capital of the northernmost province of South Vietnam, after three months of vicious fighting.
14 Saigon newspapers cease operations when they fail to meet a government deadline to post a $47,000 bond against possible censorship fines. None of the folded papers are pro-government.
Five Watergate burglars and two former White House aides are indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington for conspiring to break into the headquarters of the Democratic Party.
Strict new censorship is imposed on the press in Brazil following criticism of the military government in conservative newspapers.
Luis Buñuel’s film Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie is released in France.
16 September 1972 North Vietnamese troops begin a new offensive in Quang Ngai Province.
Israeli forces begin a major incursion into Lebanon against Arab terrorist bases.
Protestant mobs attack Catholics with gasoline bombs in Larne, Northern Ireland. One person is killed by gunfire.
Double Concerto for flute, oboe, and orchestra by György Ligeti (49) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
17 September 1972 Three US prisoners of war are released and handed over to anti-war activists in Hanoi.
After a 33-hour incursion into southern Lebanon, Israeli forces return across the border. At least 60
Arab guerrillas have been killed. In light of the invasion of their country, the Lebanese government orders guerrillas to evacuate all towns in southern Lebanon.
18 September 1972 The first Asian refugees expelled from Uganda arrive in London by plane.
Ara coeli: Lullaby for Ilian Rainbow for guitar by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
19 September 1972 30 Jewish activists are arrested outside the Supreme Soviet in Moscow as they protest an exit tax on emigration.
A mail bomb explodes at the Israeli embassy in London killing an Israeli diplomat. Two mail bombs found at the Israeli embassy in Paris are made safe.
The Swiss Nationalrat approves an amendment ending the constitutional ban on the Jesuits.
The Progressive Liberal Party, led by Lynden Pindling, wins elections in the Bahamas. Among his campaign pledges is independence from Great Britain.
A program of music by contemporary Soviet composers during the Warsaw Autumn Music festival is scheduled to include compositions by Sofia Gubaidulina (40), Vitaly Geviksman, Edison Denisov, and Roman Ledenyov. Through the intervention of Tikhon Khrennikov, General Secretary of the Soviet Composers Union, none of their music is played on the final program.
20 September 1972 After a three-day incursion, anti-government soldiers are beaten back into Tanzania by Ugandan troops.
Entry into the EEC is approved by the British House of Lords.
Half a Minute It’s All I’ve Time For for clarinet, trombone, piano, and cello by Morton Feldman (46) is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
21 September 1972 William Whitelaw, the British administrator for Northern Ireland, announces the end of internment without trial. All 241 current detainees will be tried before a special court.
Gabriel Aranda, who used to be press secretary for former French Minister of Housing and Equipment Albin Chalandon, produces, in a Paris court, photocopies of 136 documents allegedly showing 48 politicians are corrupt. President Pompidou denounces Aranda as emotionally unstable and criticizes him for revealing secret documents.
Symphony no.3 by Arvo Pärt (37) is performed for the first time, in Tallinn.
Enchantress for soprano, flute, and eight cellos by R. Murray Schafer (39) is performed for the first time, in Vancouver.
22 September 1972 Ugandan war planes bomb the town of Mwanza, Tanzania. Two people are killed, 17 injured.
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt engineers a vote of no confidence in his government in the Bundestag, in order to have early elections.
Parliamentary elections in Finland see the Rural Party lose all but two of its seats. Center-right parties make modest gains.
23 September 1972 President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines declares martial law, claiming it is necessary to fight a communist insurgency.
Alphabet für Liège no.36, 13 musical scenes for soloists and duos by Karlheinz Stockhausen (44) is performed for the first time, in Liège. It lasts four hours.
Sonic Images for narrator and audience by Pauline Oliveros (40) is performed for the first time, at California State University, Los Angeles.
24 September 1972 Ad matrem op.29 for soprano, chorus, and orchestra by Henryk Górecki (38) to his own words is performed for the first time, in Warsaw.
25 September 1972 In a national referendum held yesterday and today, the Norwegian electorate rejects membership in the EEC.
Nine eminent artists and academicians are appointed distinguished professors by the City University System of New York. Among them is Ulysses Kay (55), who is appointed to Lehman College.
26 September 1972 The Irish Parliament votes to impose the EEC value added tax.
27 September 1972 Two people are killed by a car bomb in Phnom Penh but the intended target, US charge d’affaires Thomas Enders, escapes injury.
In light of the results from the referendum held two days ago, Norwegian Prime Minister Trygve Bratteli announces that his government will resign on 6 October.
29 September 1972 Prime Ministers Chou En-lai of China and Kakuei Tanaka of Japan sign agreements in Peking ending their joint state of war and establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Japan and the Republic of China end diplomatic relations reciprocally.
The Washington Post reports that former Attorney General John Mitchell and former Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans are among five people in control of a secret cash fund used by Republicans for information gathering about Democrats.
30 September 1972 Up to 100,000 Protestants march peacefully through Belfast demanding an end to violence. Many wear masks and military uniforms.
The Öland Bridge is inaugurated linking Öland Island with the Swedish mainland. At 6,072 meters it is among the longest in Europe.
Grand Bamboula for string orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (34) is performed for the first time, in Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
2 October 1972 Danish voters approve the country’s membership in the EEC.
700,000 small businessmen strike in Belgium for two days protesting taxes and bureaucracy.
5 October 1972 Representatives of Uganda and Tanzania sign an agreement to end hostilities, in Mogadishu.
Anker Jørgensen replaces Jens Otto Krag as Prime Minister of Denmark.
A Ring of Time, an orchestral suite by Dominick Argento (44), is performed for the first time, in O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, Minneapolis.
6 October 1972 A week of communist attacks near Saigon begins with fighting 30 km north of the city in Binh Duong Province.
A ten-year treaty of friendship and cooperation between France and Poland is signed in Paris.
7 October 1972 A federal appeals court orders the Atlanta school board to desegregate its schools within seven weeks.
8 October 1972 The French government bans the Basque separatist organization ETA and orders seven Basque exile leaders out of the country.
9 October 1972 The Atlanta school board votes to appeal the court ruling of 7 October to the US Supreme Court.
10 October 1972 A nationwide strike against the government by truckers begins in Chile. 159 people are arrested.
The Washington Post reports that the Watergate break-in was only a small part of a much wider Republican plot to spy on and sabotage Democratic candidates.
11 October 1972 US bombs fall on the French mission in Hanoi. Several French and Vietnamese are killed. Among the many injured are the French charge d’affaires Pierre Susini and the Albanian charge d’affaires Qemal Rahmanaji, who happens to be in the building at the time.
Police withdraw from Madrid University, which they have occupied since January 1969.
Aulokithara for oboe, harp, and tape by Ernst Krenek (72) is performed for the first time, in the Hilton Hotel, Mainz.
12 October 1972 Saigon government troops capture the district capital of Bato in Quang Ngai Province.
President Idi Amin of Uganda orders the British High Commissioner out of the country.
Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings by Witold Lutoslawski (59) is performed for the first time, in Graz.
13 October 1972 Most small businessmen in Chile join the anti-government strike by truckers.
Two works by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) are performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London: Hymn to St. Magnus for flute, clarinet, keyboards, viola, cello, and percussion; and JS Bach: Prelude and Fugue in c# minor Book I for instrumental ensemble.
Polytope de Cluny for eight-track tape and lights by Iannis Xenakis (50) is performed for the first time, in Musée de Cluny, Paris.
14 October 1972 Globtik Tokyo is launched in Japan. It is the largest supertanker in the world and 30% larger than the Nisseki Maru lanched in April 1971.
The earthly remains of Alyeksandr Glazunov (†36) are transported from Paris to reinterrment in Leningrad.
Two rival Arab guerrilla factions battle each other in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
One of dozens of letter bombs sent by Arab terrorists explodes in a New York post office injuring a postal worker.
Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Last Tango in Paris is shown for the first time, at the New York Film Festival.
15 October 1972 Israeli war planes attack Arab guerrilla bases in Syria and Lebanon.
Commiato for soprano and chamber ensemble by Luigi Dallapiccola (68) is performed for the first time, in the Festsaal der Staatgemeinde, Murnau.
Day Music for violin and piano by Ned Rorem (48) is performed for the first time, at Iowa State University in Ames.
16 October 1972 After a British army truck strikes and kills a man and a boy, Protestants in Belfast go on a two-day rampage.
Police begin using force against striking shopkeepers and anti-government demonstrators in Chile.
17 October 1972 President Park Chung Hee of South Korea proclaims martial law to “reform the political structure” of the country.
Lars Korvald replaces Trygve Bratteli as Prime Minister of Norway.
Physicians and private school students join the nationwide anti-government strikes in Chile.
18 October 1972 The US and USSR reach agreement on a three-year trade pact which includes settlement of the Soviet Union’s lend-lease debt to the US.
19 October 1972 Pierre Susini, French charge d’affaires in Hanoi, dies of wounds suffered in the US bombing of the French mission on 11 October.
North Vietnamese forces occupy Binh Hoa, 13 km north of Saigon.
21 October 1972 Leaders of the nine nations comprising the enlarged EEC agree in Paris to the goal of economic and some political union by 1980.
23 October 1972 US war planes cease bombing North Vietnam north of the 20th parallel. This is a direct result of concessions made by North Vietnam at the Paris peace talks.
An article in the issue of Time magazine dated today links a Republican sabotage effort against the Democrats directly to the White House.
25 October 1972 A report in the Washington Post lists five men in charge of a secret Republican cash fund which pays for undercover activities against Democrats. Among those listed are HR Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, and Herbert Kalmbach, personal attorney to President Nixon. The report is denied by all those named.
Amidst widespread violence Chilean President Salvador Allende reaches agreement with striking truckers to stop the nationwide walkout.
Gagok for voice, guitar, and percussion by Isang Yun (55) is performed for the first time, in Barcelona.
26 October 1972 Hanoi Radio reports that a nine-point plan for peace is in its final negotiating stages in Paris. Advisor to President Nixon, Henry Kissinger, does not dispute the report and announces “peace is at hand.” Communists launch 113 attacks throughout South Vietnam, the largest number for any day since the Tet Offensive of 1968.
Les momies d’Egypte op.439 for chorus by Darius Milhaud (80) to words of Régnard, is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio Graz.
Dinah and Nick’s Love Song for three melody instruments and harp by Harrison Birtwistle (38) is performed publicly for the first time, in Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield. Also premiered is Birtwistle’s La Plage: Eight Arias of Remembrance to words of Robbe-Griller for soprano, three clarinets, piano, and marimba to words after Robbe-Grillet.
27 October 1972 Mikka for violin by Iannis Xenakis (50) is performed for the first time, in the Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris.
Voyage for orchestra by William Schuman (62) is performed for the first time, in Rochester, New York.
28 October 1972 Musique de théâtre for band op.334b by Darius Milhaud (80) is performed for the first time, in Drancy.
29 October 1972 After Arab terrorists hijack a German plane and threaten to blow it up in midair, the German government releases the three surviving killers of Israeli athletes in Munich. The three are flown to Zagreb where they are picked up by the hijacked plane. They then fly to Libya, which welcomes them warmly as heroes.
30 October 1972 Israeli war planes attack four Arab guerrilla camps near Damascus and a Syrian army camp.
National elections in Canada result in a rebuke to the Liberal government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who lose almost one-third of their seats and are reduced to a minority government.
31 October 1972 East Germany releases 5,000 prisoners from jail.
A deadline set by North Vietnam to sign a peace agreement passes today without action.
4,000,000 workers strike in and around Milan demanding social reforms.
1 November 1972 15 letter bombs addressed to Jewish businesses and organizations in Britain are discovered at the Kuala Lampur post office and made safe by the Malaysian army. A local Arab organization is responsible for them and 20 others found in Malaysia.
Ezra Pound dies in Venice at the age of 87.
Concerto for piano and orchestra no.2 by Ross Lee Finney (65) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
2 November 1972 Three Basque separatists enter the French consulate in Saragossa. They tie up the consul and two embassy employees and plant a bomb before exiting. The bomb explodes, injuring all three, the consul mortally.
The New York Times reveals that Secret Service agents assigned to Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern have been giving confidential information about his movements and meetings to the White House.
About 500 Indian protesters barricade themselves in the offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington.
Violin Concerto no.2 for violin, tape, bass-baritone, and 33 instruments by Hans Werner Henze (46) to words of Enzensberger is performed for the first time, in Basel.
3 November 1972 In the last 24 hours, communist forces have carried out 142 attacks throughout South Vietnam.
5 November 1972 Nationwide strikes end in Chile after President Allende shuffles his cabinet.
Landscapes remembered for chamber orchestra by Ross Lee Finney (65) is performed for the first time, at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
6 November 1972 Agreement is reached in Bonn between East and West Germany for eventual diplomatic relations and admission to the UN.
The British government imposes a 90-day freeze on wages, prices, rents, and dividends.
In its issue dated today, Time magazine discloses that the FBI has been enlisted in the reelection effort of President Nixon.
7 November 1972 Eleven air force officers are sentenced to death for their parts in the attempt to overthrow King Hassan II of Morocco.
Voting in the United States ensures the reelection of President Richard Nixon over Senator George McGovern. His Republican Party loses two seats in the Senate but picks up twelve in the House of Representatives. The opposition Democratic Party retains control of both houses.
La Fauvette des Jardins for piano by Olivier Messiaen (63) is performed for the first time, in L’Espace Cardin, Paris.
Parable VIII op.120 for horn by Vincent Persichetti (57) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
8 November 1972 President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto withdraws Pakistan from SEATO.
The governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic sign a treaty of accommodation, just short of official recognition.
A weeklong occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington by about 500 Indians ends when government officials agree to some Indian demands. When the Indians leave, officials find damage and theft of art works estimated at $2,200,000.
10 November 1972 Music With Changing Parts for small ensemble by Philip Glass (35) is performed for the first time, in New York.
13 November 1972 Meeting in London, the representatives of 91 countries approve a treaty to curtail the dumping of pollutants in oceans.
After a flight from Paris and a concert of his music in Leningrad, the mortal remains of Alyeksandr Konstantinovich Glazunov (†36) are interred in the Alyeksandr Nevsky Cemetery.
Last Poems of Wallace Stevens, a cycle for soprano, cello, and piano by Ned Rorem (49) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.
Festive Movement for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Lou Harrison (55) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
Quintet for piano and strings by David Diamond (57) is performed for the first time.
14 November 1972 Chase Manhattan Bank announces that its plans to open an office in Moscow have been approved by the Soviet government.
16 November 1972 Cambodian government troops reopen Route 4 reconnecting Phnom Penh with the port of Kompong Som.
Pepsico, Inc. announces that it has been granted the right to manufacture and sell its products in the Soviet Union beginning next year.
Two students are shot to death at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by sheriff’s deputies during campus disturbances.
Heliogabalus Imperator for orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (46) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
17 November 1972 Juan Domingo Perón returns to Argentina after 17 years of exile, landing in Buenos Aires after a flight from Spain. He is expected to take part in upcoming presidential elections.
Four Quartets for flute, clarinet, keyboards, percussion, violin, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) after Guillaume de Machaut (†595), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio 3, conducted by the composer. The music, recorded on 2 November 1972, provides incidental music to a reading by Alec Guiness of Four Quartets by TS Eliot.
The Young Peoples Guide to the Six-tone Scale for concert band and piano by Howard Hanson (76) is performed for the first time, in Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York.
Collaboration One by Kenneth Gaburo (46) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.
18 November 1972 Petitions signed by 51 Soviet citizens, including Andrei Sakharov and Mstislav Rostropovich, are made available to the western press. They are addressed to the Soviet government and ask for the release of political prisoners and the abolition of the death penalty.
19 November 1972 In elections to the West German Bundestag, both parties in the ruling the Social Democrat/Free Democrat coalition increase the number of their seats.
20 November 1972 Private negotiations between Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho resume in Paris.
Toccata for piano by George Perle (57) is performed for the first time, in New York.
21 November 1972 A referendum in South Korea reportedly approves a new constitution giving unlimited power to President Park. In the run up to the election, criticism of the constitution or of President Park was banned.
Israeli and Syrian forces battle for eight hours along the Golan Heights truce line.
On the recommendation of West Germany, East Germany is admitted to UNESCO.
A federal appeals court overturns the convictions of the “Chicago 7” because of the presiding judge’s “contempt for the defense.”
22 November 1972 The coalition government of Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens resigns over the continuing language dispute.
Wedding Telegram (for Gary Kettel) for soprano and instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) to his own words is performed for the first time, at The Place, London conducted by the composer.
24 November 1972 Finland recognizes both East and West Germany.
An alternative version of Blind Man’s Buff, a masque for soprano, mezzo-soprano, mime, and orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (38) to his own words after nursery rhymes and Büchner, is performed for the first time, at The Place, London, conducted by the composer.
25 November 1972 Israeli and Syrian forces battle once again over the truce line on the Golan Heights.
The reputed leader of the Provisional Wing of the IRA, Sean MacStiofain, is convicted in a Dublin court of belonging to an outlawed organization. He is sentenced to six months in prison.
26 November 1972 Five people are wounded when eight armed gunman attempt to rescue IRA leader Sean MacStiofain from a Dublin hospital. They fail. MacStiofain has been hospitalized as a result of a hunger strike.
A bomb explodes in a Dublin movie theatre. 25 people are injured. No one takes responsibility.
Three sacred works by Ned Rorem (49) are performed for the first time at the Chapel of the Intercession, New York: Gloria for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and piano the composer at the keyboard, Canticle of the Lamb for chorus to words of the composer, and Canticles for chorus to liturgical words.
27 November 1972 IRA leader Martin Meehan is convicted in a Belfast court, without jury, of belonging to the IRA. He is sentenced to three years in prison.
28 November 1972 Martial law is lessened in South Korea enough to allow schools and universities to reopen.
The IRA begins a new offensive with rocket attacks in Belfast, Londonderry, and at the border with the Irish Republic.
29 November 1972 The left makes gains in parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. The Labor Party gains four seats to remain the largest party, while the Catholic Peoples Party drops eight seats.
A new arcade game called “Pong”, recently built by Al Alcorn for Atari, is installed in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California. It is an instant hit.
2 December 1972 The Australian Labor Party gain eight seats in voting for the House of Representatives and take power for the first time in 23 years.
A few hours after a bomb kills two people in downtown Dublin, the Dail Eireann grants widely expanded powers to the government to combat the IRA.
3 December 1972 Swiss voters approve a free trade agreement with the EEC.
4 December 1972 After a nine-day recess, Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho resume private negotiations near Paris.
5 December 1972 E. Gough Whitlam replaces William McMahon as Prime Minister of Australia.
The East is Red for violin and piano by Cornelius Cardew (36) is performed for the first time, at the Studio for New Music, Munich.
6 December 1972 53 rockets hit Tan Son Nhut airport at Saigon. Eight people are killed. It is the heaviest attack on the air base in four years.
Capriccio stravagante for orchestra by Gunther Schuller (47) is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
7 December 1972 At a public event in Manila, Carlo Dimailig attacks Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos with a knife. He manages to slash her hands before being shot to death by her guards. The wounds require 75 stitches.
India and Pakistan reach agreement on a truce line in Kashmir and the withdrawal of forces behind it.
00:33 Apollo 17 blasts off from Cape Kennedy with three astronauts aboard.
The Belgian Parliament approves the expansion of the EEC to include Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark.
Voters in Ireland overwhelmingly approve the removal of the special status of the Roman Catholic Church from the constitution.
8 December 1972 Norman Kirk replaces John Ross Marshall as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announces his country will not accept visits from racially segregated athletic teams.
Cambodian government forces lift a siege of Trapeang Kraleng, 60 km from Phnom Penh.
The Lebanese army battles guerrillas in the southern part of the country today and tomorrow.
Momente (1972 version) for soprano, four choruses, and chamber ensemble by Karlheinz Stockhausen (44) is performed for the first time, in Bonn the composer conducting.
Sextet for two violins, two violas, cello, and piano by Leslie Bassett (49) is performed for the first time, in Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, Washington.
10 December 1972 National elections in Japan result in victory for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, with a reduced majority.
Laurie Anderson (24) performs part of her International Dream Series aboard the Lettie G. Howard at South Street Seaport, New York.
11 December 1972 19:55 UTC Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 land on the surface of the moon in the Taurus-Littrow Valley southeast of the Sea of Serenity.
12 December 1972 Just after midnight UTC, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt become the eleventh and twelfth humans to walk on the moon. They explore outside their spacecraft for over seven hours.
The US Federal Trade Commission accuses Xerox Corp. of monopolizing the office copier market and unfair marketing and patent practices.
The MCA videodisc (laserdisc) is first demonstrated.
13 December 1972 President Park Chung Hee of South Korea ends martial law after two months.
The British Labour Party decides to boycott the European Parliament for at least one year.
Six weeks after announcing “peace is at hand”, Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho adjourn their negotiations near Paris without agreement. They return to their respective capitals.
14 December 1972 As Eugene Cernan climbs into his lunar lander to prepare for blast off, he becomes the last human to walk on the moon. At 22:54 UTC, he and Harrison Schmitt blast off from the lunar surface.
Juan Perón refuses the nomination for President of Argentina of the Justicialista Liberation Front and leaves the country after four weeks.
The Cave of the Winds for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and french horn by Lukas Foss (50) is performed for the first time, in Hunter College Playhouse, New York.
15 December 1972 The Australian Arbitration Commission rules in favor of equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of the gender of the worker.
01:04 UTC The lunar module of Apollo 17 docks with the command-service module.
A new interim constitution goes into effect in Thailand, ending 15 months of rule by decree by Thanom Kittiachorn. Martial law remains in effect.
Vincent Persichetti (57) is contacted by the organizers of the presidential inauguration upcoming on 20 January. They ask him for a work for narrator and orchestra based on the Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln. After some hesitation, he agrees.
16 December 1972 King Phumiphol Aduldet of Thailand appoints a new National Assembly largely made up of military officers.
The Greek military government ends marital law in Thessaloniki but continues it in Athens and environs.
Portuguese troops murder 70-80 people in the western Tete district of Mozambique.
18 December 1972 US President Nixon orders the heaviest bombing of the Indochina war. B-52s are used for the first time against Hanoi. 15 are shot down.
The last Australian troops leave Vietnam.
The Ugandan government seizes several British firms and tea plantations in the country.
19 December 1972 19:24 UTC Apollo 17, carrying Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, splashes down in the Pacific Ocean about 550 km southeast of Samoa. All are safe.
Electrikaleidoscope for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and electric piano by George Rochberg (54) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York. The third movement is dedicated to the Israeli Olympic athletes murdered by Arab terrorists last September.
20 December 1972 Great Britain agrees to end its colonial rule over the Bahamas next July.
Twelve countries agree in principle to work towards a European space program at a meeting in Brussels.
Bombs explode at six businesses in Rosario, Argentina.
The Sunshine Boys, a play by Neil Simon, opens in New York.
On about this date, the organizers of the upcoming presidential inauguration decide that a work being composed by Vincent Persichetti (57) based on Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address will be inappropriate, given the resumption of bombing in Vietnam. They apparently fear the words of peace contained within the Lincoln text and the less than favorable comparison between the two presidencies which the audience would inevitably draw. They do not immediately inform Persichetti who is working on the score.
21 December 1972 Agence France-Presse reports that the Cuban embassy in Hanoi has been heavily damaged by US bombs. Today, the embassy of India is damaged by bombs.
India and Pakistan announce that they have withdrawn their forces behind the cease-fire line in Kashmir and all along their common border.
A treaty between East and West Germany is signed in East Berlin.
22 December 1972 Australia and New Zealand establish diplomatic relations with China.
15 bombs explode in Buenos Aires at various establishments including the military, unions, political parties, and banks. No injuries are reported.
23 December 1972 An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale strikes Nicaragua. The epicenter is downtown Managua and the city is flattened. About 10,000 people are killed. Three-quarters of the city’s residents are homeless.
26 December 1972 Former US President Harry S. Truman dies in Independence, Missouri.
Agence France-Presse reports that bombing raids on Hanoi today are the heaviest of the war.
27 December 1972 President Nguyen Van Thieu of the Saigon government signs a decree instituting regulations designed to eliminate opposition parties in the country.
The Australian government announces it is stopping all military aid to South Vietnam and its program to train the Cambodian military.
Israeli planes attack Arab guerrilla bases and Syrian army positions inside Syria.
President Alejandro Lanusse of Argentina abolishes the death penalty.
28 December 1972 The Australian Maritime Union institutes a boycott of US ships to protest the bombing of North Vietnam.
Arab terrorists seize the Israeli embassy in Bangkok and hold six Israelis hostage for 19 hours.
29 December 1972 After negotiations with Thai officials, Arab terrorists release their Israeli hostages in Bangkok and are flown to Cairo.
Life magazine ceases publication.
Laurie Anderson (24) performs part of her International Dream Series at Night Court, 100 Center Street, New York.
30 December 1972 US President Nixon orders a halt to bombing of North Vietnam north of the 20th Parallel. The US government simultaneously announces the resumption of peace talks between Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger on 8 January.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
23 May 2012
Last Updated (Wednesday, 23 May 2012 04:55)