1976
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1 January 1976 A new law in Austria, outlining new rights for women, goes into effect.
The nationalization of Venezuela’s oil industry goes into effect.
2 January 1976 Great Britain grants internal self-government to the Solomon Islands.
4 January 1976 Christian militiamen blockade two refugee camps east of Beirut.
Protestants murder five Catholics in South Armagh, Northern Ireland.
A Wisconsin Symphony for orchestra by Otto Luening (75) is performed for the first time, in Milwaukee.
5 January 1976 A new constitution for Cambodia goes into effect. The country is now called Democratic Kampuchea.
MPLA forces capture Uige, headquarters of the FNLA, 240 km northeast of Luanda.
Regular nationwide television broadcasting begins in South Africa.
Catholics kill ten Protestants in South Armagh, in retaliation for the killings of two days ago.
7 January 1976 Palestinian guerrillas and their Lebanese allies begin an offensive against the Christians in eastern Beirut.
The Italian coalition government headed by Aldo Moro collapses when the Socialist Party withdraws.
8 January 1976 Prime Minister Chou En-lai of the Peoples Republic of China dies of cancer in Peking, reportedly at age 78.
Eight metal workers kidnapped by conservative terrorists in Rosario, Argentina are found shot to death today outside the city.
The Indian government suspends several rights guaranteed by the constitution, including speech, assembly, association, movement, and the right to own property.
At a conference of the International Monetary Fund in Jamaica, finance ministers agree on a plan to change the currency system of the world and provide more assistance to developing nations.
The Promises of Darkness for eleven players and slide projections by Roger Reynolds (41) is performed for the first time, in New York.
9 January 1976 Heavy fighting begins again in the hotel district of Beirut and spreads east into the suburbs.
Phaedra, a melodrama for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by George Rochberg (57) to words of Gene Rochberg after Lowell, is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Auditorium, Syracuse, New York.
10 January 1976 Mauritanian troops take Argoub, Spanish Sahara.
11 January 1976 Mauritanian forces enter Ad Dakhla, Spanish Sahara, on the coast.
A Birthday Hansel op.92 for voice and harp by Benjamin Britten (62) to words of Burns is performed for the first time, in Schloss Elmau, Upper Bavaria. This is the last recital ever given by Pears and Britten. See 19 March 1976.
The first of Leonard Bernstein’s (57) Charles Eliot Norton Lectures is broadcast over Public Broadcasting in the United States. The six lectures are shown one per week until 22 February.
12 January 1976 Odvar Nordli replaces Trygve Bratteli as Prime Minister of Norway.
The last colonial troops are withdrawn from Spanish Sahara.
Police break up strikes in Madrid for an end to price controls and release of political prisoners.
14 January 1976 The Lebanese army captures the refugee camp of Dbaiye, northeast of Beirut.
55,000 postal employees in Madrid are conscripted to end their strike.
15 January 1976 MPLA forces capture the towns of Ambriz and Abrizete on the coast north of Luanda as FNLA resistance continues to collapse.
Police wielding clubs break up a protest against high prices by housewives in Madrid.
Tashi for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Charles Wuorinen (37) is performed for the first time, in Colorado State College, Colorado Springs. See 13 October 1976.
16 January 1976 The Lebanese air force enters the civil war for the first time, bombing Palestinian and leftist Moslem positions.
Krzysztof Penderecki (42) arrives in New York to begin teaching at Yale University.
Fantasia for cello and orchestra by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) is performed for the first time, in a broadcast over RAI originating in Turin.
18 January 1976 Four Instruments for piano, violin, viola, and cello by Morton Feldman (50) is performed for the first time, in the New York Jewish Museum.
19 January 1976 70,000 railway workers in Madrid are conscripted to end their strike.
The Dreamers, a ballet by Dmitri Shostakovich (†0), is performed for the first time, at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre, Moscow.
Little Brass Music for trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Boston.
21 January 1976 The first regularly-scheduled commercial supersonic flights take place as an Air France Concorde flies from Paris to Rio de Janeiro and a British Airways Concorde flies from London to Bahrain.
About 1,400 members of the Lebanese army, supported by the PLO, create the Lebanese Arab Army and demand better conditions for Moslems in the country.
Folksong for orchestra by Lukas Foss (53) is performed for the first time, in Lyric Theatre, Baltimore.
22 January 1976 A cease-fire negotiated by Syria is announced in Lebanon.
The Argentine government decrees an 18% wage increase. It is attacked by both labor and management.
Hundreds of white students stage a sit-in at Charlestown High in Boston trapping minority students on the upper floors. Teachers form a human shield to prevent the Whites from attacking the Blacks. In the ensuing battle, a black teacher is thrown down a stairwell and rescued by police. Police manage to contain the whites while removing the minority students down the fire escape to waiting buses. Whites stone the minorities as they board the buses.
23 January 1976 Polisario guerrillas capture the Mauritanian town of Ain ben Tili after a three-day fight.
Paul Robeson dies in Philadelphia at the age of 77.
27 January 1976 UNITA forces abandon their capital of Huambo, 400 km south of Luanda, as MPLA troops approach.
28 January 1976 Phlegra for eleven instruments by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
29 January 1976 Morocco reports that they have defeated Algerian forces and Polisario guerrillas after three days of fighting in Western Sahara.
Concertmasters, a concerto for three violins and orchestra by Michael Colgrass (43), is performed for the first time, in Detroit.
31 January 1976 About 100 Palestinian terrorists attack two newspaper offices in Beirut, killing seven employees, injuring seven others and carrying off five.
La Stampa of Turin reports that since 1947, the CIA has given $75,000,000 to non-communist parties and politicians in Italy including former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, former President Giuseppe Saragat, and chief of military intelligence General Vito Miceli.
2 February 1976 Deploration for flute, cello, and percussion by Wolfgang Rihm (23) is performed for the first time, in Tübingen.
4 February 1976 French troops in their Afars and Issas Territory assault a bus carrying 30 French children which was taken over by terrorists from the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast yesterday. One child is killed, several people are injured.
An earthquake centered 50 km southwest of Guatemala City kills 22,778 people.
The Twelfth Winter Olympic Games open in Innsbruck, Austria.
A subcommittee of the US Senate reveals company documents which show that Lockheed Aircraft Corp. paid $7,100,000 in cash to Yoshio Kodama, a Japanese militarist, to promote sales of its weapons to Japan. Lockheed also paid $2,000,000 to high government officials in Italy to buy 14 transport planes, $876,000 to Turkish political parties to buy intelligence and influence, and $1,000,000 to a high Dutch official (Prince Bernhard) to buy good will.
7 February 1976 Hua Kuo-feng (Hua Guofeng) is named to replace Chou En-lai as Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of China.
8 February 1976 The UNITA capital of Huambo, 400 km south of Luanda, is captured by the MPLA.
Arab terrorists explode a bomb at the Israeli office for economic affairs in Berlin. No one is hurt.
Citizens of Mayotte vote overwhelmingly to sever ties with the Comoros and remain a French territory.
Martin Scorsese’s film Taxi Driver is released in the United States.
The Jade Garden, a cycle for voice and piano by Leslie Bassett (53), is performed for the first time, at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti.
10 February 1976 Bicentennial Symphony 1976 (Symphony no.13) for chorus and orchestra by Roy Harris (77) to words of the US Constitution, Abraham Lincoln, and himself, is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
Southern Harmony for orchestra by Ulysses Kay (59) is performed for the first time, in Kenan Auditorium at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
11 February 1976 The Indonesian government announces that East Timor is now completely under their control.
UNITA military headquarters at Silva Porto is taken by the MPLA.
The Organization of African Unity recognizes and admits to membership the MPLA government of the Peoples Republic of Angola.
Prime Minister Aldo Moro announces a new coalition minority government for Italy.
The London Times reports that in the year since the “cease-fire” declaration in Northern Ireland, 289 people have been killed by terrorism in the province.
12 February 1976 Private banks reopen in Beirut after being closed for two months due to the civil war.
IRA member Frances Stagg dies in a West Yorkshire prison after a 61-day hunger strike.
13 February 1976 Murtala Ramat Mohammed, Nigerian head of state, is killed in an abortive coup at military headquarters on Ikoyi Island.
Lily Pons dies in Dallas at the age of 71.
14 February 1976 Olusegan Obasanjo is chosen by Nigeria’s military to be head of state.
President Suleiman Franjieh announces constitutional reforms aimed at placating Moslems and ending the Lebanese civil war.
15 February 1976 The Twelfth Winter Olympic Games close in Innsbruck, Austria. In twelve days of competition, 1,123 athletes from 37 countries took part.
A legal demonstration against forced busing in South Boston turns into a melee with pitched battles against police. 1,000 demonstrators and 80 police are injured. 13 are arrested.
16 February 1976 Twelve of 15 nations attending a conference in Barcelona agree to “prevent, abate and control pollution in the Mediterranean and to protect and enhance the marine environment in that area.”
President María Estela Martínez de Perón closes a special session of Congress. Many are urging her to resign to ward off a military takeover.
100 youths battle police in the Charlestown section of Boston. Six policemen are hospitalized. Similar battles continue for a week.
18 February 1976 Soliloquies for clarinet by Leslie Bassett (53) is performed for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
20 February 1976 In a ceremony in Manila, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization is dissolved.
Retour-Windungen for twelve cellos by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Bonn.
The Blind Fiddler, a cycle for voice, flute, clarinet, keyboards, guitar, percussion, violin, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (41) to words of Mackay Brown, is performed for the first time, in Freemason’s Hall, Edinburgh the composer directing.
Fanfare and Chorale for orchestra by Howard Hanson (79) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati.
Colloquy for solo instruments, orchestra and tape by Vladimir Ussachevsky (64) to words of XJ Kennedy is performed for the first time, in Salt Lake City.
21 February 1976 The Economist reports that up to 12,000 people have been killed in the Lebanese civil war.
22 February 1976 The last phase of the Sinai disengagement agreement is implemented. The UN hands over 230 sq km of land to the Egyptians.
24 February 1976 A Mirror on Which to Dwell, a cycle for soprano and chamber group by Elliott Carter (67) to words of Bishop, is performed for the first time, in Hunter College Playhouse, New York.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a musical by Leonard Bernstein (57) to words of Lerner, is performed for the first time, in the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia. See 8 May 1976.
25 February 1976 Over the last week, 15 western European nations, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and Japan recognized the MPLA government of Angola.
Ragtime Dance no.3 for small orchestra by Charles Ives (†21) is performed for the first time, in Sprague Hall, Yale University, over 70 years after it was composed.
26 February 1976 Leaders of the armed forces and political parties in Portugal agree to turn the country over to a democratically elected government.
The last Spanish officials depart Spanish Sahara two day ahead of schedule. They leave to avoid responsibility for a vote taken today in the general assembly of the province, ratifying its annexation by Morocco and Mauritania. 40% of the members boycott the vote.
Two days after it began near Madrid, a strike by truckers has spread throughout Spain.
Lecture on the Weather for instruments, voices, tape, and film by John Cage (63) to words of Thoreau is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
27 February 1976 In Algiers, the Polisario guerrilla movement proclaims the independence of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic.
Music When Soft Voices Die for chorus by John Harbison (37) to words of Shelley is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre of Harvard University.
Echoes from an Invisible World for orchestra by Leslie Bassett (53) is performed for the first time, in Philadelphia.
28 February 1976 Under an agreement with Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania occupy the former Spanish Sahara.
Praise, an oratorio for bass-baritone, two choruses, and chamber ensemble by Ralph Shapey (54) to words of the Bible, is performed for the first time, in Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. It ends a seven-year self-imposed moratorium on the performance of his music. Shapey began the moratorium in 1969 in a feeling of disgust over the Vietnam War and the state of the world and the musical world.
29 February 1976 Book of Hours for flute and harp by Ned Rorem (52) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
3 March 1976 Spanish police kill four people in Vitoria during an industrial strike.
4 March 1976 Mirage for orchestra by Jacob Druckman (47) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.
5 March 1976 The British government announces that the 78-member assembly designed to bring constitutional change to Northern Ireland has failed and will be disbanded. Direct rule from London will continue.
6 March 1976 Bestiarium, Klangfarbeln auf zwei Bühnen by Mauricio Kagel (44), is performed for the first time, in the Musikhochschule, Cologne.
7 March 1976 Harlekin no.42 for clarinet by Karlheinz Stockhausen (47) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
8 March 1976 Dissident Moslems in the Lebanese army begin taking over army positions in the south of the country. Fighting resumes in Beirut.
About 500,000 people in the Basque region of Spain participate in a general strike over money and to protest the killings of 3 March.
Aphorisms for flute, violin, viola, and cello by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time.
9 March 1976 Two works for solo instruments by Peter Maxwell Davies (41) are performed for the first time, at the University of Surrey, Guilford: The Door of the Sun for viola, and The Kestrel Paced Round the Sun for flute.
11 March 1976 Brigadier General Abdel Aziz al-Ahdab proclaims himself the military governor of Lebanon and sides with the Moslem dissidents. Broadcasting to the nation, he demands that the President and Prime Minister resign.
29 army officers and one civilian are publicly executed by firing squad in Lagos, Nigeria. They were found guilty of being involved in the attempted coup and the murder of the head of state last month.
In written testimony by former President Richard Nixon to a committee of the US Senate, he admits ordering efforts to undermine the presidency of Salvador Allende of Chile.
Mikka “S” for violin by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Orléans.
13 March 1976 Concerti for violin, small orchestra, and tape by Milton Babbitt (59) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Eight Etudes for piano by Ned Rorem (52) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
15 March 1976 At the request of President Anwar el-Sadat, the Egyptian Peoples Assembly ends that country’s treaty of friendship with the USSR.
Israeli authorities impose a 24-hour curfew on Ramallah after Arabs riot.
Three new chamber works are performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York: Quintet for piano and string quartet by George Rochberg (57), String Quartet no.3 by Lukas Foss (53) and String Quartet no.3 by Ben Johnston on the composer’s 50th birthday.
16 March 1976 Two piano works by Carlos Chávez (76) are performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York: Cinco Caprichos and Estudio a Rubinstein.
17 March 1976 Luchino Visconti dies in Rome at the age of 69.
Cantilena IV for soprano and trombone by Kenneth Gaburo (49) to words by Manley Hopkins is performed for the first time, in the Centre Culturel Americain, Paris.
19 March 1976 A Birthday Hansel op.92 for voice and harp by Benjamin Britten (62) to words of Burns is performed publicly for the first time, in Cardiff. See 11 January 1976.
20 March 1976 The government of Thailand orders that all United States forces be removed from their country. These are the last American troops in southeast Asia.
Heiress Patricia Hearst is found guilty of bank robbery in San Francisco. She will be sentenced to 35 years in prison but will serve only 22 months.
21 March 1976 Communal fighting in Beirut escalates as Moslem and Palestinian forces finally take the Christian stronghold at the Holiday Inn.
The Supreme Court of Israel upholds a ban on Jews praying on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Hyperion for twelve instruments by Charles Wuorinen (37) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, Adelaide, South Australia.
22 March 1976 An attempt by Christians to retake the Beirut Holiday Inn fails amidst heavy casualties.
23 March 1976 Sun for piano by Tod Machover (23) is performed for the first time, at the Juilliard School of Music, New York.
24 March 1976 The Argentine military overthrows President María Estela “Isabel” Martínez Cartas de Perón. A junta led by Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo takes power. Mrs. Perón and many other Peronist leaders are arrested.
Musique de jour for organ by Betsy Jolas (49) is performed for the first time, in Royan.
25 March 1976 Amidst widespread and persistent demands for his resignation, President Suleiman Franjieh of Lebanon is forced to flee the presidential palace when it is shelled by Moslems.
Concerto for cello and orchestra by Isang Yun (58) is performed for the first time, in Royan.
26 March 1976 Theraps for double bass by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Royan.
String Quartet no.3 by Lejaren Hiller (50) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo 23 years after it was composed.
Monodrama: Portrait of an Artist, a ballet by Karel Husa (54) based on the thoughts of James Baldwin, is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.
27 March 1976 South Africa withdraws its forces from Angola.
28 March 1976 Official records released today reveal that between 1960 and 1966, the FBI burglarized the New York office of the Socialist Workers Party 92 times.
Sofia Gubaidulina (44) appears on stage in the Concert Hall of the House of Scientists in Moscow, along with Vyacheslav Petrovich Artyomov and Viktor Yevseyevich Suslin in a group which will one day have the name Astraea. They improvise on traditional instruments.
Voices for mezzo-soprano, harpsichord, harp, piano, and percussion by Peter Mennin (52) to words of Dickinson, Melville, Thoreau, and Whitman, is performed for the first time, in New York.
Orfeo II for flute and 15 strings by Thea Musgrave (47) is performed for the first time, in the Ambassador College Auditorium, Pasadena, California the composer conducting.
29 March 1976 Arab communists riot and battle Israeli police in the Galilee region. Six people are killed, 70 injured, including 31 Israeli security forces.
A press conference in Madrid to announce the creation of the Democratic Coordination, a coalition of 13 anti-government groups, is cancelled by the authorities and six of its leaders are arrested.
Lt. General Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo assumes power as President of Argentina.
In the case of Doe v. Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, the US Supreme Court affirms the right of states to ban homosexual acts and other sexual activities between consenting adults.
Piano Sonata in E by Thea Musgrave (47) is performed for the first time, in Jordan’s Music Club near London.
30 March 1976 The US Supreme Court upholds a Virginia law which prohibits homosexual acts, even between consenting adults.
Ines de Castro, an opera by Thomas Pasatieri (30) to words of Stambler, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore.
Parable XIX op.134 for piano by Vincent Persichetti (60) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.
31 March 1976 The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that the parents of Karen Anne Quinlan may remove the respirator that is keeping her alive. She has been in a vegetative state since last April.
Seven Pious Pieces for chorus and optional organ or piano by Donald Martino (44) to words of Herrick is performed for the first time, at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston.
Love Songs, a cycle for voice and piano by Leslie Bassett (53) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Dallas.
Violin Concerto no.2 by Ross Lee Finney (69) is performed for the first time, in Dallas.
1 April 1976 Warring factions in Lebanon agree to a truce sponsored by Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Max Ernst dies in Paris at the age of 84.
US President Gerald Ford presents Arthur Rubinstein with the Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, calling him “one of the giants of our time.”
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne found Apple Computer in Cupertino, California.
Fanfare for the National for brass by William Walton (74) is performed for the first time, in DeLane Studios, Wembley.
Concerto for violin and orchestra no.3 by David Diamond (60) is performed for the first time, in New York, conducted by Leonard Bernstein (57).
2 April 1976 A new constitution for Portugal is approved by the constituent assembly.
4 April 1976 Thousands of Chinese gather at the memorial to the martyrs of the Chinese revolution in Tienanmen Square, Peking. They leave wreaths and other remembrances of Chou En-lai.
5 April 1976 100,000 Chinese protest the removal of yesterday’s remembrances to Chou En-lai in Tienanmen Square. They are dispersed by police. 388 marchers are arrested.
Cambodian Chief of State Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns his position.
The United States Supreme Court refuses to review the conviction of Lt. William Calley for murdering innocent Vietnamese civilians. Army sources announce that Calley will be released on parole, having served three years of what was originally a life sentence.
Leonard James Callaghan replaces James Harold Wilson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
6 April 1976 Two Sacred Songs op.30 for baritone and orchestra by Henryk Górecki (42) to words of Skwarnicki is performed for the first time, in Poznan.
Three works by William Schuman (65) are performed for the first time, in Washington: Symphony no.10 “American Muse”, Casey at the Bat, a cantata for soprano, chorus and orchestra revised from his opera, and The Young Dead Soldiers for soprano, horn, woodwinds and strings, to words of MacLeish. See 4 May 1953.
7 April 1976 Hua Kuo-feng (Hua Guofeng) is confirmed as Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of China and he is also named first deputy chairman of the Communist Party.
Robert Swanson and Herbert Boyer found Genentech in San Francsico. It is the first genetic engineering company.
9 April 1976 Syrian troops enter Lebanon to enforce a truce.
Peter Hain, leader of the Young Liberals, and a vocal anti-apartheid campaigner, is acquitted in a London court on charges of bank robbery. There is evidence to suggest he was framed by South African agents.
12 April 1976 About 250,000 students at most of France’s universities strike against changes in the educational system.
13 April 1976 Block Songs for soprano and musical toys by TJ Anderson (47) to words of Lomax is performed for the first time, at the Busch-Reisinger Museum of Harvard University.
14 April 1976 Representatives of Morocco and Mauritania sign a new agreement in Rabat to divide Western Sahara between themselves.
15 April 1976 The Spanish General Workers Union holds a congress in Spain for the first time since 1932. The socialist union meets in Madrid.
16 April 1976 The Indian government announces policies to slow population growth. The minimum age for marriage is raised and cash incentives for sterilization of both men and women are introduced.
17 April 1976 Rival factions fire large amounts of mortar and artillery shells into Beirut. At least 50 people are reportedly killed.
18 April 1976 108 people are reported killed by shelling in Beirut.
19 April 1976 A white motorist is pulled from his car and savagely beaten by black youths in Boston. He will die in a few months.
21 April 1976 Over 100 people are reported killed in Beirut today.
Platinum Spirals for violin by Joan Tower (37) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
22 April 1976 Seni Pramoj replaces Kukrit Pramoj as Prime Minister of Thailand.
The UN Security Council condemns Indonesia for their takeover of East Timor.
Ragtime Dance no.1 by Charles Ives (†21) is performed for the first time, in New Haven.
Jenny, or The Hundred Nights, an opera by Hugo Weisgall (63) to words of Hollander after Mishima, is performed for the first time, in New York.
23 April 1976 Independent reports indicate that Moroccan troops have driven Polisario guerrillas from their last stronghold, Galtat Zammour, with heavy casualties.
In a Procession Against Violence, 50,000 people march to City Hall Plaza in Boston asking for an end to the battles surrounding court-ordered desegregation.
24 April 1976 President Suleiman Franjieh signs a constitutional amendment allowing the choosing of his successor before the end of his term in September.
Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich (39) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York.
A Dylan Thomas Trilogy for soloists, chorus, and orchestra by John Corigliano (61) is performed for the first time, in the National Cathedral, Washington. See 11 March 1999.
The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, an opera by Dominick Argento (48) to words of Nolte, is performed for the first time, in O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota. It was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States. The press is very positive.
25 April 1976 The first democratic elections under the new constitution take place in Portugal. Socialists win a plurality of the vote and 107 of 263 seats, followed by the Social Democrats with 73.
Paraphrase for cello, percussion, and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (24) is performed for the first time, in Witten.
28 April 1976 Fantasy for three pianos by Lejaren Hiller (52) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo 25 years after it was composed.
30 April 1976 As parliamentary support evaporates, the minority Italian government of Prime Minister Aldo Moro resigns.
The Lebanese Parliament decides to postpone the choosing of a new president from tomorrow to 8 May. This causes increased fighting between Christians and Moslems.
1 May 1976 Symphony no.5 “Canticles of America” for narrator, vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Robert Ward (58) to words of Whitman and Longfellow is performed for the first time, in Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Psappha for percussion by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in London.
New Land, New Covenant for soprano, baritone, narrator, chorus, children’s chorus, and organ by Howard Hanson (79) to words of Watts, Eliot, Newton, the Bible, and Jefferson is performed for the first time, in Bryn Mawr Church, Pennsylvania.
The Cloisters, a cycle for voice and orchestra by John Corigliano (38) to words of Hoffman, is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
2 May 1976 Several works for solo cello are performed for the first time, in the Tonhalle, Zürich, to celebrate the 70th birthday of Paul Sacher. Mstislav Rostropovich asked Benjamin Britten to write a theme on which other composers would create variations. However, the other composers ended up writing individual compositions. They will be published by Universal Edition as 12 Hommages à Paul Sacher. Among the works premiered today are Tema “Sacher” by Benjamin Britten (62), Sacher Variation by Witold Lutoslawski (63), and Puneña no.2 “Hommage à Paul Sacher” op.45 by Alberto Ginastera (60). See 3 July 1977.
3 May 1976 A bomb explodes in the business district of Jerusalem, injuring 30 people.
Ned Rorem (52) wins the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Air Music. See 5 December 1975.
4 May 1976 Varii capricci for orchestra by William Walton (74) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London. The work is a free transcription of the composer’s Five Bagatelles for Guitar and was commissioned by the Greater London Council for the 25th anniversary of the opening of Royal Festival Hall. See 27 May 1972.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a musical by Leonard Bernstein (57) to words of Lerner, is performed for the first time in New York at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. It is a popular and critical disaster. See 24 February 1976.
5 May 1976 Increased fighting in Beirut over the last week begins to subside.
Khoaï for harpsichord by Iannis Xenakis (53) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Wind Music for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and alto saxophone by Leslie Bassett (53) is performed for the first time, at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.
6 May 1976 An earthquake in the Friuli region of Italy kills about 1,000 people.
The West German Bundestag approves a measure allowing abortion under certain circumstances.
Concerto for bassoon and low strings by Sofia Gubaidulina (44) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Union of Soviet Composers, Moscow.
A suite of music from the film Katharina Blum for chamber orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (49) is performed for the first time, in Brighton, Sussex.
8 May 1976 The Lebanese Parliament elects Elias Sarkis President under mortar and small arms fire in Beirut.
Radical leftist Ulrike Meinhof hangs herself in her cell in Stuttgart.
9 May 1976 Ringings for chorus, slides, tape, and film by Kenneth Gaburo (49) is performed for the first time, at Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.
11 May 1976 Symphony no.2 “Voyages” by William Bergsma (55) is performed for the first time, in Great Falls, Montana.
13 May 1976 Christian militias begin a major offensive in the eastern mountains of Lebanon. At the same time, Lebanese Moslems and Palestinians attack near Mt. Lebanon.
Trio for violin, cello and piano by Isang Yun (58) is performed for the first time, in Mannheim. See 23 February 1973.
14 May 1976 Landscapes and Remembrances, a cantata for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee.
15 May 1976 The IRA attacks a police station at Belcoo, Northern Ireland. Five policemen are killed.
The first public performance of Studies for Player Piano nos.27, 35, 36, 40 by Conlon Nancarrow (63) takes place in Bremen.
Monument, Selbstportrait, Bewegung for two pianos by György Ligeti (52) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Epigrams and Hymn for chorus and organ by Ulysses Kay (59) to words of Whittier, Murray, and Longfellow is performed for the first time, in New York.
16 May 1976 Six Miniatures for ten winds by György Ligeti (52), in collaboration with Fridrich K. Warek, is performed for the first time, in Schwetzingen.
Frammenti da Al gran sole carico d’amore for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra and tape by Luigi Nono (52) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
17 May 1976 Artillery and rocket duels in Beirut kill 239 people, injure 346.
Protestants attack Catholic pubs in four towns in Northern Ireland. Five people are killed, 40 injured.
18 May 1976 Iannis Xenakis (53) defends his doctorate at the Université de Paris. Among the jury members is Olivier Messiaen (67).
The official opening of the new IRCAM building takes place in Paris. See 21 October 1978.
19 May 1976 Samuel Barber (66) is awarded the Gold Medal for music by the National Institute of Arts and Letters of the United States.
Zählen und Erzählen, Musiktheater für Unerwachsene, by Mauricio Kagel (44) is performed for the first time, in the Beethovenhalle, Bonn.
20 May 1976 Percussion Loops by Robert Erickson (59) is performed for the first time, at the University of California at San Diego.
21 May 1976 Vom Tao, choruses from the opera Sim Tjong for chorus, organ, and percussion by Isang Yun (58) to words of Kunz is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
23 May 1976 Serenade on Five English Poems for solo voice, violin, viola, and piano by Ned Rorem (52) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in the Akron Art Institute.
24 May 1976 The first SST flights from Europe to North America land at Washington.
25 May 1976 Arab terrorists explode a bomb in Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv. Two people are killed, ten injured.
The Spanish Cortes severely curtails the ban on assembly.
Anti-busing mobs attack downtown Boston breaking windows and throwing firebombs.
Fanfare for Charleston by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) is performed for the first time, at the opening of the first Spoleto USA Festival, in Charleston, South Carolina.
26 May 1976 Lament for Strings by Peter Sculthorpe (47) is performed for the first time, in City Hall, Wollongong, New South Wales.
27 May 1976 Colonial Variants for orchestra by Norman Dello Joio (63) is performed for the first time, in Wilmington, Delaware.
America, We Hear Your People for chorus and band by Roy Harris (78) to his own words is performed for the first time, at Citrus College, Azusa, California.
28 May 1976 In ceremonies in Moscow and Washington, leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement limiting the size of underground nuclear explosions.
Klavierstück nr.5 by Wolfgang Rihm (24) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
30 May 1976 Steve Reich (39) marries Beryl Korot.
Fanfare for trumpet and four small bands by TJ Anderson (47) is performed for the first time, in Norfolk, Virginia.
31 May 1976 Several thousand Syrian troops enter northern and eastern Lebanon.
1 June 1976 The Hero, a comic opera by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) to his own words, is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia.
2 June 1976 Oboe and Orchestra for oboe and orchestra by Morton Feldman (50) is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam. Also premiered is Feldman’s vocalise Voice, Violin, and Piano for female voice, violin, and piano.
3 June 1976 As Queen Elizabeth II arrives to open the new Lion Terraces at the London Zoo, Roaring Fanfare for brass by William Walton (74) is performed for the first time.
4 June 1976 The Argentine government bans 48 student, workers, and political organizations and outlaws any political activity.
8 June 1976 Polisario guerrillas carry out a raid on Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. There are no reported injuries.
9 June 1976 A truce goes into effect between Syrian forces and the combined Lebanese Moslems and Palestinian guerrillas.
The Spanish parliament legalizes political parties, banned since the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco took power in 1939.
An untitled sound work by Max Neuhaus (36) is inaugurated at the Institute for Art and Urban Resources in New York. It will exist until 26 June.
A Merciful Coincidence for three vocalists and electroacoustic sound by Roger Reynolds (41) to words of Beckett is performed for the first time, in Bourges. See 11 December 1976.
Versions 3 and 4 of Algorithms II for nine instruments and tape by Lejaren Hiller (52) and Ravi Kumra are performed for the first time, in Buffalo.
12 June 1976 Benjamin Britten (62) is created a life peer as Baron Britten of Aldeburgh in the County of Suffolk, the first composer so honored.
Alexanderlieder for mezzo-soprano, baritone and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (24) to words of Herbeck is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
14 June 1976 Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals for string orchestra by Alberto Ginastera (60) is performed for the first time, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. See 24 January 1978,
15 June 1976 Pièce concertante for chamber ensemble by Isang Yun (58) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
16 June 1976 Rioting breaks out in Soweto, South Africa, over a government demand that Afrikaans be used in schools.
Francis Meloy, the United States ambassador to Lebanon, Robert Waring, his economic advisor, and their Lebanese driver are kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen and killed, in Beirut.
Phaedra op.93, a dramatic cantata for voice, strings, percussion, cello, and harpsichord by Benjamin Britten (62) to words of Racine (tr. Lowell), is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings.
17 June 1976 The Egg, a church opera by Gian Carlo Menotti (64) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Washington Cathedral.
18 June 1976 After three days of rioting in several black townships around Johannesburg, 100 people are believed dead and over 1,000 injured.
The US embassy in Beirut “strongly urges” its citizens to leave Lebanon.
A leftist bomb kills the Argentine federal police chief, General Cesareo Cardozo, in Buenos Aires.
19 June 1976 The Spanish periodical Cambio 16 reports that the Argentine military is abducting leftists and throwing them out of airplanes flying at 2,000 meters.
20 June 1976 The Italian Communist Party wins its highest share of the vote ever in national elections, almost reaching the total of the Christian Democrats. However, the Christian Democrats will once again form a coalition.
21 June 1976 Rioting spreads from Johannesburg to black townships around Pretoria. At least ten people are killed, many more injured.
A token Arab League peacekeeping force enters Beirut.
In Algiers, the Polisario Front announces the death of its Secretary General Sayed el-Wali.
The act legalizing abortion in West Germany goes into effect.
22 June 1976 Fighting between Moslems and Christians resumes around refugee camps in Beirut.
A Romance for cello and piano by Frederick Delius (†42) is performed for the first time, in Helsinki, 80 years after it was composed.
23 June 1976 In a Security Council vote, the United States vetoes the admission of Angola to the UN. They cite the continued presence of Cuban troops in the country.
Pravda announces that a “magnificent monument” has been erected over Babi Yar with the inscription: “Here in 1941-42 German fascist invaders executed over 100,000 citizens of the city of Kiev and prisoners of war.” The erection of the monument is due to the fantastic popularity of Yevgeny Yevtushenko’s poem Babi Yar which begins “No monument stands over Babi Yar.” The poem was one of five Yevtushenko poems set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich (†0) in his Symphony no.13. The official Soviet monument fails to mention that the vast majority of those murdered at Babi Yar were Jews.
The Golden Pavilion, an opera by Toshiro Mayuzumi (47) to words of Henneberg after Mishima, is performed for the first time, at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.
24 June 1976 Triptych for organ by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Old West Church, Boston.
Sky Music for harp by Ned Rorem (52) is performed for the first time, at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
25 June 1976 An earthquake in central Papua, Indonesia causes 5,000 deaths.
26 June 1976 The Argentine military dictatorship reinstates the death penalty.
The Canadian National Tower in Toronto opens to the public.
Waves for clarinet, horn, two trombones, and percussion by Toru Takemitsu (45) is performed for the first time, in Seibu Theatre, Tokyo.
27 June 1976 Shelling by Christian militiamen closes the Beirut Airport.
General António Ramalho Eanes, the army chief of staff, wins election as Portugal’s first freely elected president in 50 years.
Seven pro-Arab terrorists hijack an Air France jet with 258 passengers and twelve crew and fly it to Uganda.
Canada joins the Group of Six (G-6) industrialized nations, making it the Group of Seven (G-7).
Symphony no.2 by Wolfgang Rihm (24) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
28 June 1976 String Quartet no.3 op.37 by Alexander Goehr (43) is performed for the first time, at St. John’s, Smith Square, London.
29 June 1976 The Republic of the Seychelles, under President James Richard Macham and Prime Minister France-Albert René, is proclaimed independent of Great Britain. Britain returns the Aldabra, Farqhuar, and Des Roches Islands to the Seychelles. They were made part of the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965.
Christian forces take the Jisr al-Pasha refugee camp in Beirut.
The pro-Arab hijackers of an Air France jet, now in Uganda, demand the release of Arab prisoners.
30 June 1976 A conference of 29 European Communist Party leaders ends in East Berlin. They refrain from naming the USSR as the center of Communism and instead issue a statement calling on each national party to find its own way to socialism.
1 July 1976 The Peruvian government declares a nationwide state of emergency in the face of rioting by workers and students protesting the devaluation of the sol and price increases.
The first and third acts of Manuel de Falla’s (†29) unperformed comic opera Fuego fatuo, orchestrated by Ros-Marbá, are performed for the first time, in Granada.
2 July 1976 After decades of battling foreign invaders, the dream of an independent, unified Vietnam is realized with the union of North and South Vietnam. Ton Duc Thang becomes President and Pham Van Dong is named Prime Minister.
The US Supreme Court rules that the death penalty does not violate the constitution. However, two state laws requiring mandatory executions are struck down.
3 July 1976 Adolfo Suárez González replaces Carlos Arias Navarro as Prime Minister of Spain.
A violin concerto entitled Ode to Freedom by Alan Hovhaness (65) is performed for the first time, at Wolf Trap Farm Park near Washington.
Midnight Carnival for a principal tape and an indeterminate number of subsidiary tapes and other events in an urban environment by Lejaren Hiller (52) is performed for the first time, in St. Louis.
4 July 1976 Israeli commandos fly to Uganda and free 103 passengers of a hijacked Air France jet held by seven pro-Arab guerrillas and the Ugandan government. In the gun battle, three hostages, one commando, all the hijackers and 20 Ugandan soldiers are killed.
The United States of America celebrates 200 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Orfeo I for flute and tape by Thea Musgrave (48) is performed for the first time, in Chichester Cathedral.
5 July 1976 Communist Pietro Ingrao is elected speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
6 July 1976 The South African government rescinds its requirement to use Afrikaans in schools after five days of riots in black townships.
The ban on political parties in Spain is lifted.
8 July 1976 Christian militias and Syrian troops capture Amioun, capital of Koura Province in northern Lebanon.
Psalm IV op.38a for soprano, alto female chorus, viola, and organ by Alexander Goehr (43) is performed for the first time, in London. Also premiered is Goehr’s Fugue on the Notes of the Fourth Psalm op.38a for strings.
10 July 1976 A chemical plant in Meda, Italy releases dioxin gas into the air. Over 3,000 animals are found dead within days. 80,000 farm animals will be killed to prevent the dioxin from entering the food chain. Over 400 people suffer from skin lesions. Many women will choose to have an abortion.
11 July 1976 American manufacturer Keuffel & Esser make their last slide rule. They donate it to the Smithsonian Institution.
12 July 1976 2,000,000 Australian workers participate in a 24-hour general strike to protest changes in the national health system.
Christian counterattacks reach the outskirts of Tripoli, Lebanon.
The European Council, meeting in Brussels, agrees on apportionment of seats in the new European Parliament.
We Come to the River, actions for music by Hans Werner Henze (50) to words of Bond, is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden. It is largely ignored by the public and the press.
13 July 1976 Syrian forces enter Baalbek, Lebanon to strong Palestinian resistance.
Giulio Andreotti replaces Aldo Moro as Prime Minister of Italy.
14 July 1976 António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes replaces Francisco da Costa Gomes as President of Portugal.
The Canadian House of Commons votes to end the death penalty for civilian crimes.
15 July 1976 Two white administrators of Soweto are shot by a black man in their offices in Krugersdorp. One is killed, the other seriously injured.
Parts of Sirius no.43 for soprano, bass, trumpet, bass clarinet, and electronics by Karlheinz Stockhausen (47) are performed for the first time, in Washington.
16 July 1976 West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt reveals that his country, France, Great Britain, and the United States have agreed not to loan Italy any more money if Communists gain cabinet positions.
In what French police call the biggest bank robbery in history, thieves relieve the Société Générale of Nice of about $8,000,000-10,000,000 in cash and objects.
17 July 1976 Indonesia formally annexes the former Portuguese colony of East Timor. This action is not recognized by the United Nations.
St. Pierre and Miquelon is made an overseas département of France.
The Games of the Twenty-First Olympiad of the Modern Era open in Montreal amidst a boycott by mostly African countries.
19 July 1976 The leader of the Peoples Revolutionary Army, Mario Roberto Santucho, is shot to death by police in a suburb of Buenos Aires.
Visions of Terror and Wonder for mezzo-soprano and orchestra by Richard Wernick (42) to words of the Bible and the Koran is performed for the first time, in Aspen Colorado. See 18 April 1977.
20 July 1976 The United States closes its last two major military installations in Thailand.
The American space probe Viking I makes the first soft landing by an Earth craft on Mars. It begins sending back pictures of the surface of Mars.
Other Voices for brass quintet by Jacob Druckman (48) is performed for the first time, in Aspen, Colorado.
21 July 1976 Christopher Ewart-Biggs, British ambassador to Ireland, and his secretary are killed when a mine explodes beneath their car near Dublin.
23 July 1976 Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares is sworn in at the head of the first democratically elected Portuguese government in 50 years.
The US Environmental Protection Agency orders New York City and other municipalities to stop dumping sewage in the Atlantic Ocean by 1982.
24 July 1976 A convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia closes. Within days, some attenders will begin dying, and others require hospitalization, from a mysterious flu-like illness which will come to be called Legionnaire’s Disease.
American Cantata for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Lukas Foss (53) to words of various authors is performed for the first time, in Interlochen, Michigan directed by the composer.
25 July 1976 Einstein on the Beach, an opera by Philip Glass (39) and Robert Wilson to a story by Knowles, Johnson, and Childs, is performed for the first time, in Avignon.
27 July 1976 Former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is arrested and charged with receiving bribes from Lockheed Corporation.
Over 300 foreigners, half of them Americans, are evacuated from Lebanon by the US Navy.
World second-ranked chess player, Soviet Viktor Korchnoi, asks for political asylum in the Netherlands.
John Cage (63) attends a court session in New York which will result in the issuing of a residence permit to John Lennon.
Amaryllis for strings by William Schuman (65) is performed for the first time in this setting, in Philadelphia. See 31 October 1964.
28 July 1976 An earthquake centered in Tangshan, China kills 242,000 people.
Great Britain severs diplomatic relations with Uganda, the first time with a Commonwealth country.
29 July 1976 Syria and the PLO sign a cease-fire agreement in Lebanon.
30 July 1976 The Spanish government announces an amnesty for most political prisoners.
1 August 1976 Don Chisciotte, an opera by Hans Werner Henze (50) after Paisiello to words of Lorenzi and Paisiello, is performed for the first time, in Montepulciano.
The Games of the Twenty-First Olympiad of the Modern Era close in Montreal. In 16 days of competition, 6,084 athletes from 92 countries took part.
2 August 1976 Fritz Lang dies in Beverly Hills at the age of 85.
4 August 1976 334 wounded civilians are removed from the Tel Zaatar refugee camp in Beirut yesterday and today. The Christian militia besieging the camp allow the Red Cross to take them out.
Nine days of rioting begins in Soweto and other black townships in South Africa. 35-40 people will die.
81 people charged with involvement in a coup against Sudanese President Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiry are executed in Khartoum. 17 more will be killed on 5 August.
The Spanish government announces an amnesty for all political prisoners and exiles not convicted of any terrorist acts.
Symphony no.1 “The Halcyon” by Gian Carlo Menotti (65) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga, New York.
5 August 1976 After three days of raids on Makerere University in Kampala by Ugandan troops, over 100 students are reported killed, over 700 missing.
6 August 1976 Gregor Piatigorsky dies in Los Angeles at the age of 73.
Amicizia! for seven players by Hans Werner Henze (50) is performed for the first time, in Montepulciano.
8 August 1976 Illustrated Alice, nos. 1, 4, and 5 from An Alice Symphony for amplified soprano and orchestra by David Del Tredici (39) to words of Carroll, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
11 August 1976 About 12,000 people flee the refugee camp of Tel Zaatar today and tomorrow.
Thwarted from boarding an El Al airliner in Istanbul, four Arab terrorists open fire on waiting passengers killing two and injuring 30. Two terrorists are killed and two captured by Turkish security forces.
12 August 1976 After a siege of 51 days, Lebanese Christian forces capture the Tel Zaatar refugee camp, ending all hope of a negotiated settlement.
14 August 1976 Bomba for percussion by Lou Harrison (59) is performed for the first time, in Aptos, California, 37 years after it was composed.
16 August 1976 Former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is indicted in a Tokyo court for accepting $1,600,000 in bribes from Lockheed.
17 August 1976 An earthquake and tsunami centered on Mindanao kills about 8,000 people.
Palestinian guerrillas begin raids against Syrian forces in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon.
Roots by Alex Haley is published by Doubleday in the United States.
18 August 1976 Rioting begins in black townships near Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
19 August 1976 Kinloche His Fantassie for flute, clarinet, harpsichord, glockenspiel, violin, and cello by Peter Maxwell Davies (41) is performed for the first time, in Dartington, Devon.
Symphonic Tribute to Duke Ellington (†2) for drums, bass, and orchestra by Gunter Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts conducted by the composer.
20 August 1976 The Belgian government institutes jail terms for anyone defying restrictions on water use during a crippling drought.
47 people are murdered in Buenos Aires suburbs. The killings are part of a widespread campaign against leftists by conservative death squads.
21 August 1976 Fanfare for the National, composed by William Walton (74) for the opening of the National Theatre, is performed publicly for the first time, over the airwaves of London Weekend Television.
24 August 1976 The British government announces emergency measures to deal with the worst drought in 200 years.
25 August 1976 Raymond Barre replaces Jacques Chirac as Prime Minister of France.
Concerto for violin and orchestra by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne, the composer conducting.
26 August 1976 Dutch Prime Minister Joop den Uyl tells Parliament of the results of an inquiry into the actions of Prince Bernhard, husband of Queen Juliana. The Prime Minister says that Prince Bernhard did not take a bribe from Lockheed but that his actions “have damaged the national interest.” Prince Bernhard resigns almost all his military, commercial, and charitable positions.
Lotte Lehmann dies in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 88.
Routine Investigations for oboe, trumpet, piano, viola, cello, and double bass by Morton Feldman (50) is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.
27 August 1976 Alone for violin by Peter Sculthorpe (47) is performed for the first time, in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
2 September 1976 A report by the European Commission on Human Rights in Strasbourg finds Great Britain guilty of torture in Northern Ireland.
Riots break out in downtown Cape Town, South Africa as 3,000 colored and black demonstrators clash with police.
After two weeks in custody of the Argentine authorities, Father James Weeks says that clergy and lay workers helping the poor in Argentina are in constant fear of their lives from conservative death squads linked to the police and military.
3 September 1976 American space probe Viking II makes the second soft landing of an Earth craft on Mars.
Continued fighting in Beirut causes 150 deaths today, and 200 injuries.
4 September 1976 Three Arab sympathizers hijack a KLM jet over Nice and force it to Tunis, then Larnaca, Cyprus.
5 September 1976 Three Arab sympathizers force the KLM jet they hijacked yesterday to fly from Cyprus to Tel Aviv. When Israeli fighters intercept the plane it returns to Cyprus where the hijackers release the 80 hostages and surrender.
8 September 1976 In the heaviest fighting in a month, 170 people are killed in Beirut.
A third year of court ordered desegregation begins in Boston with school buses stoned throughout the city.
9 September 1976 JVC introduces the VHS home video system.
Chairman of the Communist Party of the Peoples Republic of China Mao Tse-tung dies in Peking.
16 people are killed in black townships around Cape Town as protests against apartheid in South Africa, begun 2 September, reach a peak.
10 September 1976 The Spanish government announces a plan to hold elections by next June.
12 September 1976 String Quartet no.3 by Hans Werner Henze (50) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
15 September 1976 A bomb explodes at the offices of The Belfast Telegraph inuring nine people.
The Episcopal Church of the United States approves the ordination of women to the priesthood.
17 September 1976 Anakreontika for mezzo-soprano, alto flute, harpsichord, cello, and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (42) to ancient Greek texts is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, the composer directing.
18 September 1976 The constant battles in Lebanon grow worse with residential areas of Beirut targeted by artillery.
Melancolia I for clarinet, harp, and two string orchestras by Harrison Birtwistle (42) is performed for the first time, in Bute Hall at Glasgow University. Also premiered is Orchestra for orchestra by Morton Feldman (50).
In Swedish parliamentary elections, center and rightist groups win enough seats to oust the Social Democratic government of Prime Minister Olof Palme.
20 September 1976 Members of the European Community agree to hold direct elections to the European Parliament next May or June.
Royal Winter Music: “first sonata on Shakespeare characters” for guitar by Hans Werner Henze (50) is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
21 September 1976 The Republic of the Seychelles is admitted to the United Nations.
Orlando Letelier, former Chilean cabinet minister and ambassador to the US, is killed by a bomb in his car in Washington. An associate is also killed. The bomb was planted by agents of the US-backed Chilean dictatorship.
23 September 1976 Elias Sarkis replaces Suleiman Franjieh as President of Lebanon. He is sworn in under Syrian protection in Chtaura, east of Beirut.
A Prague court sentences four rock musicians to prison for “anti-social behavior, anarchism, decadence and rowdyism.”
Conservative terrorists kidnap Adriano Hipolito, Bishop of Nova Iguacu, Brazil. They relieve him of his clothes, paint him red, and release him on the street. His car is blown up in front of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops in Rio de Janeiro. They accuse him of being a “progressive priest.” Other conservative terrorists explode a bomb on the roof of the home of Roberto Marinho, owner of the Rio newspaper O Globo.
The first televised debate in 16 years between candidates for the US Presidency takes place in Philadelphia between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Towards the end the sound is lost and the candidates remain standing behind their lecterns for 27 minutes until it is restored.
24 September 1976 Prime Minister Ian Smith of Rhodesia accepts a British plan to turn over power to majority rule within two years.
26 September 1976 Palestinian terrorists attack a hotel in Damascus and hold 90 hostages while fighting a seven-hour gun battle with Syrian troops. One terrorist and four hostages are killed. The other terrorists are taken into custody.
Rorate Coeli for chorus by Thea Musgrave (48) to words of Dunbar is performed for the first time, in St. Alfege’s Church, Greenwich.
28 September 1976 Syrian and Lebanese Christian forces launch a major offensive against PLO positions east of Beirut.
30 September 1976 Polonaise, Adagio & Finale for four winds and string quintet by Werner Egk (75) is performed completely for the first time, in Munich. See 20 October 1975.
Two works for orchestra by John Cage (64), Renga and Apartment House 1776, are performed for the first time, simultaneously, in Boston. Renga was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra largely through the efforts of Seiji Ozawa.
1 October 1976 Washington Square, a chamber opera by Thomas Pasatieri (30) to words of Elmslie after James, is performed for the first time, in Detroit.
2 October 1976 By today the Syrian/Christian offensive has taken most of the PLO/Moslem positions north of the Beirut to Damascus highway.
Piano Sonata no.2 by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed for the first time, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington.
3 October 1976 In elections to the West German Bundestag, the Social Democrat/Free Democrat coalition is returned to power, but with a reduced majority.
4 October 1976 Basque separatists murder royal advisor Juan María de Araluce Villar, his driver and three bodyguards in San Sebastián, Spain. Ten bystanders are injured.
US Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz resigns after making a lewd, racist slur against African-Americans.
6 October 1976 The military of Thailand, led by Sagnad Chaloryu, overthrow the government and abolishes the constitution.
The “Gang of Four”, Chang Chung-kiao (Zhang Chunqiao), Chiang Ching (Jiang Qing), Wang Hong-wen (Wang Hongwen) and Yao Wen-yuan (Yao Wenyuan), are arrested by the military commander of Peking under the orders of Hua Kuo-feng (Hua Guofeng).
A bomb placed by Cuban exiles explodes in a Cuban commercial jet after takeoff from Barbados. All 73 people aboard are killed.
7 October 1976 Thorbjörn Falldin of the Center Party replaces Social Democrat Sven Olof Joachim Palme as Prime Minister of Sweden.
Final Alice for amplified soprano and folk group by David Del Tredici (39) to words of Carroll and Mee is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
8 October 1976 The new military government of Thailand names Sagnad Chaloryu as Chairman of the Administration Reform Council and Thanin Kraivichien as Prime Minister.
9 October 1976 Hua Kuo-feng (Hua Guofeng) is named Chairman of the Communist Party of the Peoples Republic of China, succeeding Mao Tse-tung.
Playwright Vaclav Havel is denied a passport to attend the premieres of two of his works in Vienna.
Etude Fantasy for piano by John Corigliano (38) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
10 October 1976 Marginalia for orchestra by Toru Takemitsu (46) is performed for the first time, in NHK Hall, Tokyo.
Rejoice and Sing for bass, string quartet, and piano by Roy Harris (78) to words of the Bible and Whitman is performed for the first time, in Murphy Auditorium, New Harmony, Indiana.
11 October 1976 Palestinian terrorists attack Syrian embassies in Rome and Islamabad. In Islamabad, one terrorist is killed, five people are injured. Police prevent them from entering the embassy. In Rome, terrorists enter the building, take five hostages and surrender two hours later.
12 October 1976 Six former members of the security police are found guilty of torture during the Greek dictatorship and are sentenced to prison.
Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga and Father Joao Bosco Penido Burnier go into a police station in Ribeirao Bonito, Mato Grosso to ask for leniency for two women prisoners who have been tortured. Police shoot Fr. Penido Burnier in the head. He will die tomorrow.
Syrians begin a major offensive against guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
The Western Paradise for narrator and orchestra by Ulysses Kay (59) to words of Dorr is performed for the first time, in Washington.
Concerto for Orchestra no.2 by Gunther Schuller (50) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
13 October 1976 Syrian forces begin a major offensive against guerrillas near Beirut.
Tashi for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and orchestra ad lib by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed for the first time, in Severence Hall, Cleveland, the composer conducting. See 15 January 1976.
14 October 1976 Edouard Ghorra, ambassador of Lebanon to the UN, tells the world body that Palestinians and their supporters in other Arab countries are solely to blame for the civil war in Lebanon.
15 October 1976 The new military government of Thailand announces mass arrests of academics, writers and educators.
16 October 1976 Five Klee Pictures for school orchestra by Peter Maxwell Davies (42) is performed for the first time, at St. John’s Smith Square, London.
17 October 1976 Dream Sequence (Images II) for violin, cello, piano, percussion, and glass harmonica by George Crumb (46) is performed for the first time, in Brunswick, Maine.
18 October 1976 Six Arab leaders meeting in Riyadh agree to a peace plan in Lebanon.
Psalm no.8 for chorus and organ by John Corigliano (38) is performed for the first time, in San Antonio, Texas.
21 October 1976 As a result of the Riyadh agreement, a cease-fire goes into effect in Lebanon.
22 October 1976 President Cearbhal O’Dalaigh of Ireland resigns in the face of criticism for sending an anti-terrorism bill to the Supreme Court for their opinion.
Mi-Parti for orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (63) is performed for the first time, in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam conducted by the composer.
23 October 1976 Sub-Kontur for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (24) is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
24 October 1976 29 of the 31 parts of Coro for 40 voices and 40 instruments by Luciano Berio to words of Neruda and folk texts are performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen on the composer’s 51st birthday. See 16 November 1977.
25 October 1976 Former Argentine President María Estela “Isabel” Martínez Cartas de Perón and five former high government officials are indicted on charges of embezzlement.
26 October 1976 The Xhosa Republic of the Transkei is declared independent of South Africa. No other nations recognize the move.
Concerto for string quartet, winds, and percussion by Walter Piston (82) is performed for the first time, in Portland, Maine.
27 October 1976 French police arrest seven suspects in last July’s “robbery of the century.”
Still for electroacoustic sound by Roger Reynolds (42) is performed for the first time, in Las Vegas.
28 October 1976 A conference including all important Rhodesian parties on majority rule opens in Geneva.
Protestant terrorists enter a Belfast hospital and shoot to death one of the patients, Maire Drumm, a former Vice President of Sinn Fein.
Former Presidential advisor John Ehrlichman enters federal prison in Safford, Arizona.
On her way to school, Nina Bernstein reads about her parents in the following headline in the New York Daily News: “Bernstein (58) and wife split!” It is the first she has heard of it.
29 October 1976 Erich Honecker replaces Erich Stoph as Chairman of the Council of State of the German Democratic Republic.
Six Etudes for piano by George Perle (61) are performed for the first time, in Boston.
2 November 1976 Voting in the United States ensures the election of Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia, as President over the incumbent Gerald Ford. The party standings in the two houses of Congress are virtually unchanged, leaving his Democratic Party in control.
3 November 1976 Dissatisfied with the progress so far, Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith leaves the Geneva conference and returns home.
4 November 1976 Women’s Voices, a cycle for solo voice and piano by Ned Rorem (53) to words of various authors, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
6 November 1976 Angle of Repose, an opera by Andrew Imbrie (55) to words of Hall after Stegner, is performed for the first time, in San Francisco.
10 November 1976 Japan marks the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Hirohito.
About 5,000 Syrian troops enter the outskirts of Beirut to help enforce the Arab League truce for Lebanon.
11 November 1976 Alexander Calder dies in New York at the age of 78.
12 November 1976 Walter Hamor Piston dies of a heart attack at his home in Belmont, Massachusetts, aged 82 years, nine months, and 23 days. His ashes will be spread in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge.
The revised version of William Walton’s (74) opera Troilus and Cressida to words of Hassall is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden. See 13 December 1954.
13 November 1976 I turcs tal Friúl, musica di scena, by Luigi Nono (52) to words of Pasolini, is performed for the first time, in Chiesa San Lorenzo, Venice.
Three Harp Songs for tenor and harp by John Harbison (37) to words of Fried, Hamilton, and Snyder are performed for the first time, in Pickman Auditorium of the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
15 November 1976 Syrian troops begin a six-day operation that ends in their complete control of Beirut, temporarily ending the factional fighting.
In Quebec provincial elections the Parti Quebecois, advocating independence from Canada, wins control of the government.
Black Topaz for seven players by Joan Tower (38) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.
Symphony no.4 by George Rochberg (58) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.
16 November 1976 East German poet and songwriter Wolf Biermann, currently in West Germany on a concert tour, is denied re-entry into East Germany. He is a well-known dissident poet.
17 November 1976 Four Palestinian terrorists attack the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman and take hostages. Jordanian security forces defeat them after a four-hour gun battle. Nine people are killed.
18 November 1976 The Spanish Cortes votes itself out of existence and creates a new, largely democratically elected, bicameral parliament.
Man Ray dies in Paris at the age of 86.
19 November 1976 Round, a sound work by Max Neuhaus (37), is inaugurated in the Rotunda of the Old US Customs House, New York. It exists for three days.
Trio for violin, cello, and piano by Lejaren Hiller (52) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo, 29 years after it was composed.
20 November 1976 Jubilee, an opera by Ulysses Kay (59) to words of Dorr after Walker, is performed for the first time, in Jackson, Mississippi.
21 November 1976 Syrian forces occupy Tripoli and Saida, giving them control over almost all of Lebanon.
The first of two performances of Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass (39) takes place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It is an unexpected hit.
23 November 1976 Andre Malraux dies in Paris at the age of 75.
24 November 1976 An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale strikes near Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. At least 4,000 people are killed.
String Quartet no.2 “Waves” by R. Murray Schafer (43) is performed for the first time, in Vancouver.
26 November 1976 Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe accept the British plan for black majority rule in Rhodesia and independence by 1 March 1978.
The trade name "Microsoft" is registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.
27 November 1976 The PLO in Lebanon refuses to turn in their weapons to Arab peacekeepers.
Sonata for guitar op.47 by Alberto Ginastera (60) is performed for the first time, in Washington.
29 November 1976 O Notte for baritone and chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (24) to words of Michelangelo is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe.
O that I had ne’er been married for voice and piano by Benjamin Britten (63) to words of Burns is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Thames Television, Britain. It was pre-recorded last 20 May. The song was composed in the 1920s and revised in 1967 or 68.
30 November 1976 Six women are ordained as priests by the Anglican Church of Canada in four dioceses across the country.
1 December 1976 Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam of Syria and his wife are shot and seriously wounded by Palestinian gunman who attack their car in Damascus.
José López Portillo replaces Luis Echeverria Alvarez as President of Mexico.
Angola is admitted to the United Nations.
Letter from Mozart by Michael Colgrass (44) is performed for the first time, in New York.
3 December 1976 Patrick John Hillery replaces a presidential commission to become President of Ireland.
4 December 1976 04:15 Edward Benjamin Britten dies of heart disease, in his home at Aldeburgh, aged 63 years and twelve days, in the arms of Peter Pears.
President Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic proclaims himself Emperor Bokassa I and changes the name of the country to Central African Empire.
Partita-Variations for piano by George Rochberg (58) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
5 December 1976 National elections in Japan see the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lose their majority for the first time. They remain the largest party.
IRA bombs destroy about half of the shopping district in Londonderry causing about $2,500,000 in damage.
10,000 Catholics and Protestants march for peace at Drogheda, Ireland at a new bridge crossing the River Boyne.
The Danish government freezes wages, prices, and rents for three months.
American Te Deum for vocal soloist, chorus,and winds by Karel Husa (55), to words of various sources, is performed for the first time, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, conducted by the composer. See 9 May 1978.
7 December 1976 The funeral for Benjamin Britten takes place in Aldeburgh Parish Church. A procession passes through the town as bells toll. The guard of honor is made up of local lifeboatmen. The choir sings Hymn to the Virgin composed by Britten at the age of 16. Burial takes place in the churchyard attended only by close family and friends.
Federico Fellini’s film Il Casanova di Federico Fellini is released in Italy.
9 December 1976 Epeï for english horn, clarinet, trumpet, two trombones, and double bass by Iannis Xenakis (54) is performed for the first time, in Montreal.
10 December 1976 Politican and journalist Zdenek Mlynar, poet and playwright Pavel Kohout, psychologist Jiri Nemec, historian Vendelin Komeda, and playwright Vaclav Havel meet in Havel’s Prague apartment and begin to compose Charter 77.
A truce is announced between Moslem and Christian militias in southern Lebanon.
11 December 1976 Basque separatists kidnap Antonio María de Oriol y Urquijo, President of the Council of State of Spain, from his Madrid office. They demand the release of 15 of their colleagues.
The first performance of the electroacoustic version of A Merciful Coincidence for quadraphonic tape by Roger Reynolds (42) to words of Beckett takes place in Los Angeles. See 9 June 1976.
12 December 1976 For a second time, Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith leaves the Geneva conference on the future of his country, saying he sees no hope for a change in the deadlock.
Ritorno for orchestra by Donald Martino (45) is performed for the first time, in Plainfield, New Jersey.
14 December 1976 Evanghelos Mallios, former head of the Greek security police, is shot outside his Athens home. He will die tomorrow. The Revolutionary Organization of 17 November claims responsibility. Police will determine that he was killed by the same gun that killed Richard Welch last December.
15 December 1976 The Independent State of Western Samoa is admitted to the United Nations.
Syrian troops occupy three newspaper offices in Beirut in an attempt to stop criticism of their occupation of Lebanon. The three go elsewhere to publish.
A referendum on a proposal for free elections in Spain next year wins the approval of 94% of those voting.
The Argo Merchant runs aground off Nantucket spilling its cargo of 30,000,000 liters of fuel oil.
17 December 1976 Fighting breaks out in Beirut and Tripoli between rival Palestinian factions.
Le trièdre fertile for tape by Pierre Schaeffer (66) is performed for the first time, in Salle de l’Ancien Conservatoire, Paris.
18 December 1976 The sole surviving member of a Palestinian terrorist attack on a hotel in Amman on 17 November is hanged by Jordanian authorities.
Ave Rex angelorum for chorus by Peter Maxwell Davies (42) is performed for the first time, in St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney.
19 December 1976 String Quartet no.3 by Benjamin Britten (†0) is performed for the first time, at Snape Maltings.
21 December 1976 More fighting between Palestinian factions breaks out in Beirut.
24 December 1976 Takeo Fukuda replaces Takeo Miki as Prime Minister of Japan.
Former deputy foreign minister Prince Jean de Broglie is shot to death outside the home of Pierre de Varga, with whom de Broglie has had shady business deals. Varga will be convicted of ordering the killing although he will maintain his innocence.
Rubáiyát, a canata for solo voice and chamber orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (45) to words of medieval Persian poets (tr. Derzhavin), is performed for the first time, in Moscow. Up to the opening down beat, no one is sure if the authorities will let it be heard.
26 December 1976 Incidental music to Shaw’s play Caesar and Cleopatra by Alfred Schnittke (42) is performed for the first time, in Mossoviet Theatre, Moscow. Also premiered is incidental music to Schiller’s dramatic poem Don Carlos by Schnittke.
Symphony no.3 by Virgil Thomson (80) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
27 December 1976 Die Umkehrung Amerikas, an episches Hörspiel by Mauricio Kagel (45), is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WDR.
30 December 1976 Rupert Murdoch takes control of the New York Post.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
23 January 2012
Last Updated (Monday, 23 January 2012 07:43)