1978
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1 January 1978 The Copyright Act of 1976 goes into effect in the US. Works are now copyrighted from the moment of their creation. The length of the copyright is extended from 28 years to the life of the creator plus 50 years.
John Cage (65) begins studying intaglio techniques with Kathan Brown at Crown Point Press in Oakland, California.
3 January 1978 The United States reveals that Vietnamese forces are occupying 1,000 sq km of Cambodia.
Indira Gandhi is expelled from the Congress Party.
4 January 1978 Four Arab gunmen kill Said Hammami, the PLO representative in England, at his office in London. Hammami opposed terrorism and advocated peaceful coexistence with Israel.
5 January 1978 Mustafa Bülent Ecevit replaces Süleyman Demirel as Prime Minister of Turkey.
A PLO statement in Beirut blames the murder of Said Hammami on “agents of Zionism and imperialism.” Later, a Palestinian group takes responsibility for the killing.
Three Little Pieces op.37 for violin and piano by Henryk Górecki (44) is performed for the first time, in Katowice.
6 January 1978 Representing the US government, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance returns the Crown of St. Stephen to Hungary in a ceremony in Budapest.
7 January 1978 Richard Turner, a critic of apartheid, is shot to death in his Durban home.
8 January 1978 Hymn to Night for soprano, orchestra, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (44) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
9 January 1978 The United States grants commonwealth status to the Northern Mariana Islands.
Amour no.44, five pieces for clarinet by Karlheinz Stockhausen (49), is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
10 January 1978 The editor and publisher of the Nicaraguan opposition newspaper La Prensa, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, is shot to death in Managua by agents of President Somoza.
Sonata for cello and piano by Lejaren Hiller (53) is performed for the first time, in Rome, 23 years after it was composed.
11 January 1978 A judicial commission in India looking into the administration of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi orders her to stand trial for contempt for refusing to testify before it.
Tens of thousands riot in Managua in response to the murder of Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal. Special targets are companies wholly or partly owned by President Anastasio Somoza. Many are looted, and some, including the Bank of Central America and Plasmaferesis, are set on fire.
Amazon I for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Joan Tower (39) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
12 January 1978 Nine bombs are exploded by the IRA in downtown Belfast.
40,000 people who attend the funeral of Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal break into rioting to protest the government of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle.
13 January 1978 Introïts and Canons for nine players by Richard Wernick (43) is performed for the first time, in New York.
Midsummer Nocturne for piano by Aaron Copland (77) is performed for the first time, in Cleveland.
15 January 1978 West German opposition leader Helmut Kohl is denied entry into East Berlin.
Six Russian Folksongs for soprano, piccolo, bassoon, trumpet, domra, two violins, and cello by John Tavener (33) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Composition for piano four-hands by Arthur Berger (65) is performed for the first time, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston the composer playing one part.
16 January 1978 Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti of Italy submits the resignation of his government.
South African authorities destroy a shantytown outside Cape Town housing 10,000 blacks.
In the case of American Telephone v. MCI Telecommunications, the US Supreme Court lets stand a lower court ruling that the Federal Communications Commission may not bar MCI from providing long distance telephone service.
Concerto for symphony orchestra and jazz band with three sopranos and tape by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) to words of Fet is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
18 January 1978 President Sadat withdraws the Egyptian delegation from political talks with Israel, one day after they began in Jerusalem.
The European Court of Human Rights rules in the case of Ireland v. United Kingdom that Great Britain engaged in inhuman and degrading treatment in interrogating terrorism suspects.
19 January 1978 Volkswagen stops producing the beetle in Germany, after selling more than 19,000,000 since 1945. It has been sold longer than any car model in history. Volkswagen will continue to produce beetles in Mexico.
22 January 1978 Ambassadors from Denmark, Finland, and Sweden return to Peking after a trip to Phnom Penh and describe the Cambodian capital as a “ghost city.”
23 January 1978 Sweden becomes the first country to ban aerosol sprays which contain chlorofluorocarbons.
Business and labor leaders in Nicaragua begin a general strike against the Somoza regime.
24 January 1978 Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum for 14 players by Harrison Birtwistle (43) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer.
Glosses sobre temes de Pau Casals by Alberto Ginastera (61) is performed for the first time in the version for orchestra, in Washington. See 14 June 1976.
25 January 1978 Argentina formally rejects Queen Elizabeth’s decision of last 18 April in the Beagle Channel dispute with Chile.
26 January 1978 The government of Tunisia declares a state of emergency to deal with a general strike in opposition to President Habib Bourguiba.
A new coalition government for Portugal, led by Prime Minister Mario Soares, is sworn in.
The title music for the BBC television Shakespeare series, composed by William Walton (75), is performed for the first time, in a recording session in London. See 3 December 1978.
Percussion Symphony by Charles Wuorinen (38) is performed completely for the first time, at Somerset County College, Somerville, New Jersey the composer conducting. See 19 May 1977. On the same program is the premiere of Wuorinen’s Six Songs for two voices for counter-tenor, tenor, oboe, bassoon, two horns, violin, and cello to words of Britton.
28 January 1978 Czech playwright Vaclav Havel is detained again, along with actor Pavel Landovsky. He will be released on 13 March.
President Anastasio Somoza Debayle of Nicaragua invokes emergency powers to combat a nationwide strike against his rule. The National Guard attacks public meetings in Managua to put an end to the strike.
29 January 1978 Songs of Inanna and Dumuzi for alto and piano by Ned Rorem (54) is performed for the first time, in Van Pelt Auditorium of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
30 January 1978 As a general strike enters its second week in Nicaragua, 75% of businesses are reported closed.
31 January 1978 Israeli and Egyptian military negotiators meet in Cairo.
2 February 1978 Symphony no.1 by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
3 February 1978 The first trade agreement between China and the EEC is signed in Brussels.
4 February 1978 Junius Richard Jayawardene replaces William Gopallawa as President of Sri Lanka.
7 February 1978 Four days of fighting between mostly Syrian peace keepers and Lebanese Christians begin in Beirut.
After 17 days, the general strike in Nicaragua ends without overthrowing President Somoza.
George Perle (62) and Jacob Druckman (49) are elected to the American Institute of Arts and Letters.
8 February 1978 Agents of the PLO murder an Arab businessman in Ramallah whom they accuse of collaboration with Israel.
9 February 1978 Canada banishes 13 Soviet diplomats for espionage in the attempted recruitment of an RCMP officer.
10 February 1978 For O, the O, the Hobby-Horse is Forgot for six percussionists by Harrison Birtwistle (43) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo.
11 February 1978 US President Carter declares a state of emergency in Ohio because of dangerously low coal stocks due to the extended coal miners strike.
La legénde d’Eer for four- or eight-track tape by Iannis Xenakis (55) is performed for the first time, at the inauguration of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
13 February 1978 Fighting begins between Lebanese Christians and Palestinian guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
Fiery Wind for orchestra by Roger Reynolds (43) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
14 February 1978 Arab terrorists blow up a bus in Jerusalem. Two people are killed, 35 injured.
Red Brigades kill a judge on a street in Rome.
Ethiopian forces, supported by Cuba and the USSR, are reported to have won back Diredawa and Harar from Somali rebels.
A Paris court finds L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, guilty of raising money under false pretenses. He is sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of $7,350. Hubbard is reportedly on his yacht in the Atlantic.
15 February 1978 Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith agrees in principle with internal black leaders on a plan for majority rule.
Labor and management negotiators in the coal strike are called to the White House to help speed a resolution to the crisis. At 73 days, this strike is the longest in the history of the United Mine Workers.
16 February 1978 String Quartet in a minor by Anton Webern (†32) is performed for the first time, at the sixth International Webern Festival, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 71 years after it was composed.
17 February 1978 A bomb set by the Irish Republican Army explodes in a restaurant in a Protestant section of Belfast. Twelve people are killed, 30 injured.
After a trial of three-and-a-half years, Mogens Gilstrup, leader of the anti-tax Progress Party, is convicted of tax evasion by a court in Copenhagen. He is fined $250,000 plus court costs and back taxes amounting to $750,000.
Three chamber works by Anton Webern (†32) are performed for the first time, at the sixth International Webern Festival, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Scherzo and Trio in a minor for string quartet (1904), Trio Movement for clarinet, trumpet and violin (1920), and a String Trio Movement (Ruhig) (1925).
18 February 1978 Two Arab terrorists enter the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia and shoot to death Youssef el-Sebai, editor of the Egyptian daily Al Ahram. They then take 30 hostages into the restaurant of the hotel. They release twelve in return for safe conduct to Larnaca airport. At the airport, seven more hostages are released and the terrorists board a Cyprus Airways jet with the remaining hostages and take off.
Six people are killed, 125 injured in rioting in Tabriz, Iran. The rioters protest the government suppression of Moslem demonstrations in Qom on 9 January where six people were killed.
19 February 1978 After being refused landing rights in several countries, the commandeered Cyprus Airways jet lands in Djibouti for refueling. It finally returns to Larnaca airport. In an extremely muddled affair, Egyptian commandos attack the plane seeking to free the hostages and capture the hijackers. Cypriot forces fire on the Egyptians for invading their sovereignty. 15 people are killed, 22 injured. After the gun battle of about an hour, the terrorists release their remaining hostages and surrender.
20 February 1978 Indians in the Nicaraguan provinces of Masaya and Monimbo rise against the Somoza regime. Federal troops put down the Masaya revolt but the Sandinistas take control in Monimbo.
Romanza on the Notes of the Fourth Psalm op.38c for two violins, two violas, and strings by Alexander Goehr (45) is performed for the first time, in Edinburgh, conducted by the composer.
22 February 1978 President Anwar Sadat of Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Cyprus. At the funeral of the commandos killed on 19 February, he blames President Spyros Kyprianou personally for the deaths. The thousands attending denounce Cyprus and Palestine.
Protesters fight a five-hour gun duel with the Nicaraguan National Guard in Masaya including explosive devices used by both sides. At least eight people are killed.
Introitus for piano and chamber orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Composers’ Union, Moscow along with premieres by three other composers. Every important “unofficial” composer in the USSR is in attendance.
24 February 1978 The remains of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan are discovered during construction work in Mexico City.
The Chinese Peoples Political and Consultative Conference, which has not met since 1964, meets in Peking.
A tentative agreement is reached in the three-month long US coal strike.
Wind Quintet no.1 by Charles Wuorinen (39) is performed for the first time, in Great Hall, Cooper Union, New York.
25 February 1978 The Flower-Fed Buffaloes for baritone, chorus, and seven players by John Harbison (39) is performed for the first time, in Sanders Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
26 February 1978 The Nicaraguan National Guard uses helicopters, airplanes, and tear gas against protesters in Masaya. Unknown numbers are killed.
27 February 1978 Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat revokes privileges held by Palestinians in Egypt.
The Nicaraguan National Guard puts down an anti-government riot in Diriamba. Seven people are killed and 15 injured.
1 March 1978 Romeo and Juliet for flute and guitar by Ned Rorem (54) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
2 March 1978 Nicaraguan troops violently disperse rioters in Jinotepe and León.
Czech pilot Vladimir Remek becomes the first human space traveler who is neither Soviet nor American. He is aboard a mission to the Salyut 6 space station.
3 March 1978 Prime Minister Ian Smith of Rhodesia and three black leaders agree to transfer power to majority rule by the end of 1978. The United Nations and black guerrillas call the agreement illegal.
4 March 1978 The Chicago Daily News ceases publication.
5 March 1978 Yeh Chien-Ying (Ye Jianying) becomes Chairman of the Peoples Congress of the Peoples Republic of China. The Congress adopts a new constitution.
Ethiopian forces recapture Jijiga from invading Somalians.
A meeting takes place in the Composers’ Club, Moscow, to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Sergey Prokofiev. It is the last public appearance of Aram Khachaturian (74).
O Jerusalem for soprano and flute by Ralph Shapey (56) to words of the Bible is performed for the first time, at Chatham College Theatre, Pittsburgh.
6 March 1978 After striking coal miners reject a new contract by 2-1, US President Carter invokes the Taft-Hartley Act to force them back to work for a cooling off period.
7 March 1978 A military court in Barcelona sentences four Catalan actors to two years in prison for “insulting the armed forces.” Their play, Els Joglars, was approved by the government.
8 March 1978 Nicaraguan National Guard General Reynaldo Pérez Vega is kidnapped and killed by Sandinistas.
Kyklike kinesis for soprano, cello, chorus, and orchestra by John Tavener (34) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
9 March 1978 The Somalian government announces it will withdraw its forces from the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.
Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet lifts the state of siege in effect since 11 September 1978.
11 March 1978 Arab terrorists assault the Haifa to Tel Aviv highway and kill over 30 civilians, injuring at least 76.
After a seven-week cabinet crisis, Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti forms a new government, with support from the Communists.
A letter from the conductor Algis Ziuraitis appears in Pravda. He criticizes the upcoming production of Tchaikovsky’s (†84) Queen of Spades at the Paris Opéra in a revised version by Alfred Schnittke (43). The Soviet government will bar the travel of the three most responsible, conductor Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, stage director Yuri Lyubimov and Schnittke. The production will thereupon collapse.
La Testa d’Adriane for soprano and accordion by R. Murray Schafer (44) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
12 March 1978 Vignettes de Marseille for piano by Frank Bridge (†37) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC Radio Scotland, 53 years after it was composed.
Minstrel Man for bass trombone and percussion by TJ Anderson (49) is performed for the first time, at Brown University.
13 March 1978 Three South Moluccan terrorists take over a government building in Assen, the Netherlands, and take 70 hostages. One person is killed and five injured in the attack. They demand the release of their comrades in jail, $13,000,000 and a jet.
14 March 1978 Israeli ground troops cross into Lebanon in force to attack terrorist base camps.
Dutch military units assault a building in Assen where South Moluccan terrorists hold 70 hostages. The hostages are freed with five injuries.
The UN Security Council votes 10-0-5 to reject the 3 March Rhodesian agreement.
On the 99th day of a strike, mine operators and the United Mine Workers reach a second agreement.
Adieu, Robert Schumann for alto, orchestra, piano, and tape by R. Murray Schafer (44) is performed for the first time, in Ottawa.
15 March 1978 The USSR announces that the citizenship of cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, are revoked for “anti-Soviet activity.” The couple has been living abroad since 1974.
Israel announces a “security belt” in southern Lebanon in areas captured from the PLO.
16 March 1978 Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped in Rome by Red Brigade terrorists. Five of his bodyguards are killed.
The United States Senate ratifies a treaty ensuring the neutrality of the Panama Canal after the year 2000.
An exhibition of etchings and worksheets by John Cage (65) opens at the Carl Solway Gallery in New York.
The first movement of the Orchestral Set no.3 by Charles Ives (†23), realized by Porter, is performed for the first time, at California State University at Fullerton.
17 March 1978 The Amoco Cadiz grounds in a gale off Brittany spilling her entire cargo of 1,600,000 barrels of crude oil into the sea.
100,000 people attend funeral services in Rome for the five bodyguards killed in the abduction of Aldo Moro.
A US Congressman pleads guilty to one count of defrauding the government, in return for the dropping of 39 other charges of bribery and other crimes. The government has shown that he received over $200,000 in bribes from Korean agent Park Tong Sun.
Deaï for three orchestras and eight voices by Gunther Schuller (52) is performed for the first time, in Tokyo. The composer is one of the three conductors.
Sounds, Shapes, and Symbols for band by Leslie Bassett (55) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan.
18 March 1978 President Hafez al-Assad of Syria opens his borders to any Arab government wishing to bring supplies to Palestinian forces in Lebanon.
19 March 1978 Moderate and Conservative supporters of the government retain their hold on the French National Assembly in the second round of elections. Leftists continue to increase their share of seats.
The UN Security Council votes 12-0-2 to call on Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon and to authorize a 4,000 man force to oversee a cease-fire.
21 March 1978 Israeli forces in Lebanon announce a unilateral cease-fire after occupying the country as far north as the Litani River, except Tyre (Sour).
A four man Council of State is sworn in to oversee the transition of Rhodesia to majority rule.
The Italian government institutes emergency measures to deal with terrorism.
22 March 1978 United Nations troops move into Southern Lebanon to act as a buffer between Israel and Arab terrorists.
By today, 110 km of the coast of Brittany are covered with oil from the Amoco Cadiz. The slick covers an estimated 900 sq km of the English Channel.
The director of Spain’s prison system, Jesus Haddad Blanco, is shot to death by three men in Madrid. Leftist rebels take responsibility.
A week of fighting begins in rural El Salvador between peasants and thugs hired by large landowners. 29 people are killed.
24 March 1978 Striking US miners vote to accept a new contract with mine owners, thus ending a 110-day walkout.
26 March 1978 A week of anti-government riots breaks out throughout Iran.
27 March 1978 A la busca del más allá for orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (76) is performed for the first time, in Jones Hall, Houston. The work was composed to honor the NASA astronauts and the bicentennial of American independence.
29 March 1978 By today, 175 km of the coast of Brittany is covered with oil from the Amoco Cadiz. Thousands of birds are dead. The fishing and seaweed harvesting industries are devastated.
31 March 1978 A former US Congressman is indicted for accepting bribes from Korean agent Park Tong Sun.
1 April 1978 Two parts of Leonard Bernstein’s (59) orchestral work CBS Music are performed for the first time, over the airwaves of CBS television. The work was commissioned by the network for its 50th anniversary.
2 April 1978 Ikhoor for string trio by Iannis Xenakis (55) is performed for the first time, at the Palais Garnier in Paris.
6 April 1978 US President Jimmy Carter signs a law raising the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70.
7 April 1978 Despite claims of cooperation by terrorist leader Yassir Arafat, Palestinian guerrillas attack United Nations troops on the Litani River, Lebanon, killing one Norwegian.
Six African National Congress members are sentenced to prison for terms of from seven to 18 years by a Pretoria court.
European Community heads of state, meeting in Copenhagen, agree to hold direct elections for the European Parliament in 1979.
US President Jimmy Carter announces that production of the neutron bomb will be deferred.
The second version of Variations VIII for any number of musicians using objects found at the performance place by John Cage (65) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
North Star: Mark di Suvero, a film with music by Philip Glass (41), is shown for the first time, at the New York Directors and New Films Festival.
8 April 1978 A federal court in Washington convicts Kim Han Cho of conspiring to bribe members of Congress and perjury.
9 April 1978 Fighting resumes in Beirut between Moslems and Christians.
10 April 1978 Octet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet by Isang Yun (60) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
A Dip in the Lake by John Cage (65) is performed for the first time, at New York University.
Sweet Was the Song the Virgin Sung: Tristan Revisited for viola and orchestra by William Bergsma (57) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.
12 April 1978 Le grand macabre, a music-theatre by György Ligeti (54) to words of Meschke and the composer after de Ghelderode, is performed for the first time, in the Royal Opera, Stockholm. It is a great success, selling out seven performances. See 21 December 1978.
Les espaces du sommeil for baritone and orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski (65) is performed for the first time, in West Berlin, conducted by the composer.
13 April 1978 After five days of fighting in Beirut, a cease-fire is announced. 102 people have been killed, 294 injured.
14 April 1978 Claudia Legare, an opera by Robert Ward (60) to words of Stambler after Ibsen, is performed for the first time, in Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis.
The Covenant for soprano and 16 players by Ralph Shapey (57) is performed for the first time, in Mandel Hall, Chicago. The work is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the State of Israel.
15 April 1978 Stances for piano and orchestra by Betsy Jolas (51) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of Radio France.
17 April 1978 Michael Colgrass (45) wins the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Deja Vu for percussion and orchestra. See 20 October 1977.
18 April 1978 Despite strong neo-colonialist pressure tactics, the United States Senate ratifies a treaty turning the Panama Canal over to Panama on 31 December 1999.
Six Pieces for violin and piano by Charles Wuorinen (39) is performed for the first time, in Town Hall, New York the composer at the keyboard.
19 April 1978 200 French Foreign Legionnaires arrive in Chad to bolster a 1,700 man French contingent helping the government against Libyan-backed rebels.
20 April 1978 The Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ (Communist) Party announces that it will shortly end subsidies on consumer products.
21 April 1978 Danton and Robespierre, a grand opera by John C. Eaton (43) to words of Creagh, is performed for the first time, in Bloomington, Indiana.
24 April 1978 Books I and II of the Freeman Etudes for violin by John Cage (65) are performed for the first time, in the Whitney Museum, New York. See 26 June 1991.
25 April 1978 Prime Minister John Vorster of South Africa says his government will accept an independence plan for Namibia sponsored by five western nations.
26 April 1978 The Spanish Chamber of Deputies repeals a ban on the sale and advertising of contraceptives.
27 April 1978 Landscape II for string trio and amplified piano by Peter Sculthorpe (48) is performed for the first time, in Queen Street Galleries, Woollahra, Sydney.
President Mohammed Daud Khan of Afghanistan is killed in a military coup.
19 Czech citizens create the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted.
28 April 1978 Lamentation, Last Prayer, and Exaltation for soprano and handbells by John Tavener (34) is performed for the first time, in Rye.
29 April 1978 The Danish Folketing abolishes the death penalty for all offenses.
Eliza Fraser Sings, a music theatre piece for soprano, flute, and piano by Peter Sculthorpe, to words of Blackman, is performed for the first time, in Walter Hall, University of Toronto, Ontario on the composer’s 49th birthday.
30 April 1978 A new government takes power in Afghanistan headed by Communist Party leader Nur Mohammad Taraki. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is proclaimed.
Israeli forces withdraw to within a 10 km buffer zone inside Lebanon.
In the last three weeks, 70,000 Moslems have fled to Bangladesh from religious violence in Burma (Myanmar).
1 May 1978 Aram Ilyich Khachaturian dies in Moscow after a long illness, aged 74 years, ten months, and 25 days. After lying in state in Bolshoy Hall of Moscow Conservatory and the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan, his mortal remains will be buried in Yerevan.
2 May 1978 Three United Nations peacekeepers are killed and twelve are injured (all from France) when they are set upon by Palestinian terrorists near Tyre (Sour).
The political parties of Rhodesian guerrilla groups are legalized by the interim government.
3 May 1978 Birthday Fanfare for Sir William Glock’s 70th for three trumpets, vibraphone, and glockenspiel by Elliott Carter (69) is performed for the first time, in London.
4 May 1978 South African forces invade Angola and kill 520 people in an attempt to destroy bases of the South West Africa Peoples Organization.
5 May 1978 Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield open an ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont.
8 May 1978 Moslem extremists begin four days of rioting in Iran to oppose policies of the Shah.
Carlos Chávez (78) appears as conductor for the last time, at the Interamerican Music Festival in the Kennedy Center, Washington where his Concerto for trombone and orchestra is performed for the first time. Also premiered is American Te Deum for vocal soloist, chorus, and orchestra by Karel Husa (56), conducted by the composer. See 5 December 1976.
9 May 1978 The body of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro is found in a car in Rome. He was murdered by the Red Brigades.
10 May 1978 For an Actor for clarinet by Shulamit Ran (28) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
11 May 1978 Separatist guerrillas once again invade Shaba Province, Zaire capturing Kolwezi and Mutshatsha.
Self-Seminar Waltz for piano by Charles Wuorinen (39) is performed for the first time, at Northwestern University, Chicago.
13 May 1978 Petite suite d’orchestre by Frederick Delius (†43) is performed for the first time, in Stratford-on-Avon, 88 years after it was composed.
14 May 1978 After two months of relative quiet, fighting resumes on the Vietnam-Cambodia border.
15 May 1978 A general strike against price rises in Peru sparks rioting in Lima which spreads to other cities in the country.
With Dadaji in Paradise for cello by Tod Machover (24) is performed for the first time, in New York by the composer.
16 May 1978 Ethiopian and Cuban troops begin a major offensive against rebels in Eritrea.
17 May 1978 Heavy fighting between Vietnam and Cambodia begins again.
Duo Sonata for two bassoons by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
18 May 1978 Yuri Orlov is sentenced in a Moscow court to seven years in prison and five years internal exile for the crime of exposing human rights violations of the Helsinki Accords by the Soviet government.
The Italian government legalizes abortion in the first 90 days, despite strong opposition from the Vatican.
Quartet Romantic for two flutes, violin and viola by Henry Cowell (†12) is performed publicly for the first time in its original setting, in Alice Tully Hall, New York, 61 years after it was composed.
19 May 1978 2,750 French and Belgian paratroopers drop into Kolwezi, Zaire to rescue about 2,500 Europeans trapped by fighting between separatist rebels and the Zairian government.
Flute and Orchestra by Morton Feldman (52) is performed for the first time, in Saarbrücken.
The second version of Chorale from a Toy Shop for brass quintet by Harrison Birtwistle (43) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. See 28 March 1979.
20 May 1978 Arab terrorists attack unarmed travelers at Orly Airport in Paris. Three terrorists are killed.
Tango Alemán, for solo voice, violin, bandoneion/accordion, and piano by Mauricio Kagel (46) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Hungarian Rock for harpsichord by György Ligeti (54) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Skating on the Sheyenne for band by Ross Lee Finney (71) is performed for the first time, in Brooklyn, New York.
21 May 1978 Narita international airport opens, serving Tokyo, despite the efforts of environmentalists and leftists.
22 May 1978 Belgian troops withdraw from Kolwezi, Zaire. French forces remain.
A week of protests, rioting, and looting ends in Peru. 20 people have been killed, 50 injured. Citizens are upset by steep price increases.
23 May 1978 Music for Orchestra by Otto Luening (77) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York conducted by Gunther Schuller, 55 years after it was composed.
24 May 1978 The Trial of the Gypsy, a dramatic cantata for boys chorus, piano and drums by Gian Carlo Menotti (66) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
Night Music for trumpet and ten instruments by Robert Erickson (61) is performed for the first time, in San Diego.
25 May 1978 French troops withdraw from Kolwezi, Zaire, leaving a token force of 150.
Anti-government rioters cause one million dollars damage in Esteli, Nicaragua.
26 May 1978 Tamara Karasavina dies in London at the age of 93. She created the role of the Firebird in 1910 and was a star ballerina in Petrushka the following year.
Resorts Hotel and Casino opens in Atlantic City. It is the first casino in the United States outside of Nevada.
27 May 1978 Two armed women manage to free notorious terrorist Till Meyer from Moabit Prison in West Berlin.
29 May 1978 Itzhak Novon replaces Ephraim Katzir as President of Israel.
Czechoslovak police arrest 15 members of the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted.
30 May 1978 Police in Italy arrest 29 opera house managers, art directors, and agents throughout the country. They are suspected of violating a law prohibiting the hiring of artists for state-supported opera through private agencies. Five more will be arrested on 1 June.
31 May 1978 Quartets I-VIII for 24 instruments by John Cage (65) is performed for the first time, in St. Paul, Minnesota. See 22 February 1977.
Parable XVIII op.133 for trombone by Vincent Persichetti (62) is performed for the first time, in Nashville, Tennessee.
1 June 1978 The French government begins removing price controls.
An Amnesty International report charges British authorities with brutal interrogation techniques in Northern Ireland.
The East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington, designed by IM Pei, opens to the public.
Joaquín Rodrigo (76) is enrolled in the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Fine Arts of Belgium to fill the vacancy left by the death of Benjamin Britten (†1).
2 June 1978 An Arab terrorist blows up a bus in Jerusalem killing six people and injuring 19.
The wife of the Turkish ambassador to Spain, her brother and their driver are killed by three men armed with pistols, on a Madrid street. An anonymous caller claims the killings were to avenge the Armenian genocide.
3 June 1978 Waterways for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, two harps, and two vibraphones by Toru Takemitsu (47) is performed for the first time, in Seibu Theatre, Tokyo.
4 June 1978 US plans begin ferrying Moroccan troops to Shaba Province, Zaire and removing French forces.
5 June 1978 China announces cuts in aid to Vietnam, in apparent retaliation for Vietnam’s expulsion of ethnic Chinese.
6 June 1978 US planes begin airlifting troops from Senegal and Gabon to Zaire.
Seven east African nations appeal to the world for help in controlling locusts now devastating Ethiopia and Somalia. Over half the land area of Ethiopia is affected.
Voters in California approve a plan to cut property taxes by 57%.
7 June 1978 Governor Edmund G. Brown announces a freeze on all hiring by the State of California because of yesterday’s vote. Los Angeles County announces that 50% of its employees will be laid off, and 29% of city employees will be sacked, including over 1,000 police. Standard and Poor’s Corp. suspends ratings on California’s outstanding bonds.
Labyrinths, a ballet by Alfred Schnittke (43) to a story by Vasilyev, is performed completely for the first time, in Leningrad.
9 June 1978 Censorship of the print media officially ends in Brazil. Censorship of broadcast media continues.
Symphony no.35 for Korean instruments and orchestra by Alan Hovhaness (67) is performed for the first time, in Seoul.
Incidental music to the play The Inspector’s Tale after Gogol by Alfred Schnittke (43) is performed for the first time, in Taganka Theatre, Moscow.
11 June 1978 A mob of young white people run amok through a largely Bengali neighborhood of East London. They throw rocks and shout racial epithets. 20 are arrested.
Re-Creation: A Liturgical Music Drama for speakers, dancer, violin, cello, trumpet, saxophone, piano, and drums by TJ Anderson (49) to words of Forrest is performed for the first time, in Chicago the composer conducting.
12 June 1978 Voters in Italy approve expanded powers for the police.
13 June 1978 Israeli forces complete their withdrawal from Lebanon.
David Berkowitz, convicted “Son of Sam” killer, receives six sentences of from 25 years to life in prison, one for each of the six random murders he committed. He also receives prison sentences for seven attempted murders.
14 June 1978 Bombs set by Red Brigades explode at an electrical power station, cutting service to part of Rome.
After 37 years of service, Olivier Messiaen (69) teaches his last class at the Paris Conservatoire. None of the hierarchy at the school mark the event.
15 June 1978 President Giovanni Leone of Italy resigns amidst charges of tax evasion and misuse of his office. Amintore Fanfani becomes provisional President.
Hal Ashby’s film Coming Home is released in the United States.
16 June 1978 The last French troops are withdrawn from Zaire.
At ceremonies in Panama City, instruments of ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties are exchanged by Presidents Carter and Torrijos.
The Two Fiddlers, a children’s opera by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) to his own words after Mackay Brown, is performed for the first time, in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Erscheinung for nine strings and piano ad.lib. by Wolfgang Rihm (26) is performed for the first time, in Baden-Baden the composer at the keyboard.
Felicia Montealegre, wife of Leonard Bernstein (59), dies of lung cancer at their home in East Hampton, Long Island.
17 June 1978 Encore for orchestra by Luciano Berio (52) is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam.
18 June 1978 Peruvians vote for a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution to return the country to civilian rule.
Le jongleur de Notre Dame, a masque for mime, baritone, flute, clarinet, keyboards, percussion, violin, cello, and children’s band by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Kirkwall, Orkney the composer conducting.
19 June 1978 Thirteen Dickinson Songs for voice and piano by George Perle (63) is performed for the first time, in Princeton, New Jersey.
21 June 1978 Jewish activist Vladimir Slepak is sentenced to five years of internal exile by a Soviet court. Slepak and his wife displayed a banner from their Moscow apartment protesting the refusal of the government to grant them exit visa to emigrate to Israel.
The US military tests a cruise missile in public for the first time. It works.
Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber opens in London.
22 June 1978 Bulgarian authorities arrest four West German terrorists and fly them to West Germany. It is the first time a Soviet satellite has returned suspected terrorists to the West.
American astronomer James Christy discovers Charon, the only known moon of Pluto, from the US Naval Observatory in Washington.
23 June 1978 29 members of the Red Brigades terrorist group are convicted of various charges in Turin and sentenced to prison terms of up to 15 years. Sixteen are acquitted. Only 15 of those on trial are actually in custody.
Eight white missionaries and four of their children are killed by Rhodesian guerrillas 17 km southeast of Umtali.
The US recalls its ambassador from Chile to protest the refusal of the Chilean government to cooperate in the investigation into the murder of Orlando Letellier.
The military government of Brazil introduces constitutional changes abolishing the death penalty and other extreme punishments, bringing back habeas corpus, ending presidential authority to dissolve Congress, and limiting presidential power to suspend political rights.
24 June 1978 A bomb carried in a briefcase by a South Yemeni envoy kills President Ahmed Hussein Ghashmi of Yemen.
25 June 1978 Argentina defeats the Netherlands 3-1 in Buenos Aires to win the eleventh FIFA World Cup™.
26 June 1978 President Salem Robaye Ali of South Yemen is overthrown and killed by the Soviet-backed National Liberation Front because of his involvement in the killing of President Ghashmi two days ago.
A bomb planted by the Breton Republican Army explodes at the Palace of Versailles, destroying three rooms and many artworks.
28 June 1978 In University of California Regents v. Bakke the US Supreme Court votes 5-4 to require the University of California Medical School to admit Allan Bakke. Bakke claimed he was denied admission because he is white. However, the court upholds the principal of using race as one factor in determining admission.
29 June 1978 A bomb planted by Arab terrorists in a Jerusalem market explodes, killing two people and injuring at least 35.
30 June 1978 The British government announces an agreement with the Sultan of Brunei for the independence of Brunei in 1983.
A court in Assen, the Netherlands, sentences three Moluccan terrorists to 15 years in prison for the murder of a hostage during their building takeover last March.
Diabelskie Skrzypce for string instrument and harpsichord by Lejaren Hiller (54) is performed for the first time, in Middleburg, the Netherlands.
1 July 1978 Limited self-government is granted to the Northern Territory of Australia.
Syrian “peace-keeping” forces in Lebanon attack Lebanese Christians in Beirut.
Piano Sonata no.6 by Lejaren Hiller (54) is performed for the first time, in Middleburg, the Netherlands.
2 July 1978 Australia announces that it will buy the Cocos Islands from John Clunies-Ross for about $7,000,000.
3 July 1978 China discontinues all economic assistance to Vietnam over claims of mistreatment of ethnic Chinese by Vietnam.
The Corsican National Liberation Front explodes 33 bombs on the island, mostly in government buildings.
Representatives of eight nations sign the Amazon Cooperation Treaty in Brasilia. They commit themselves to develop the resources of the Amazon and protect its environment.
The US Supreme Court strikes down the death penalty in the State of Ohio. They also decline to review lower court decisions striking down the death penalty in New York and Pennsylvania.
4 July 1978 Eight Bretons are charged with several recent bombings in France, including Versailles. Police claim to have smashed the Breton Republican Army.
6 July 1978 After seven days of attacks by Syrian forces on Christians in Beirut, 450 people are dead, 1,700 injured.
Bags of manure are thrown from the visitors’ gallery onto the floor of the House of Commons in London by protesters demanding the withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. Two people are arrested.
7 July 1978 The Solomon Islands, under Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Peter Kenilorea, are proclaimed independent of Great Britain.
The announcement of the discovery of Charon on 22 June is made by the Naval Observatory, Washington.
8 July 1978 Riots and demonstrations begin in the Basque region of Spain when police fire on separatists demonstrating in Pamplona.
President Carter orders American ships to pick up refugees fleeing Vietnam in small boats.
A fire destroys the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and the nearly 1,000 paintings therein, including the museum’s catalogue. The collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Klee, and Dali.
9 July 1978 Alessandro Pertini replaces Amintore Fanfani as President of Italy.
12 July 1978 The South West Africa Peoples Organization accepts the western plan to end South African rule of the province.
As a conciliatory gesture to the new government in Mauritania, the Polisario guerrillas announce a unilateral cease-fire.
13 July 1978 China introduces new immigration restrictions to try to slow the exodus of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam into the country.
China and Albania jointly announce that Chinese aid programs to Albania have been stopped.
Alyeksandr Ginzberg is convicted of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda in a Kaluga court. He is sentenced to eight years in a labor camp. Ginzberg managed a fund for the support of Soviet dissidents.
Viktoras Pyatkus is sentenced to five years in prison and ten years internal exile. He is a member of a group monitoring human rights violations of the Helsinki Accords by the Soviet government.
Two rival Palestinian factions battle in southern Lebanon killing at least 12 people.
14 July 1978 Anatoly Shcharansky is convicted of treason, espionage and anti-Soviet agitation in a Moscow court. He is sentenced to three years in prison and ten years in a labor camp. Shcharansky exposed human rights violations of the Helsinki Accords by the Soviet government.
In a military court in Moscow, office worker Anatoly Filatov is sentenced to death for sending information to a foreign country.
Auden Variations op.136 for organ by Vincent Persichetti (63) is performed for the first time, in Hartford, Connecticut.
18 July 1978 The United States cancels the sale of sophisticated computers and limits the sale of oil technology to the Soviet Union after the recent crackdown on dissidents.
The first volume of Cabaret Songs for medium voice and piano by William Bolcom (40) to words of Weinstein, is performed for the first time.
19 July 1978 Approximately 70-80% of Nicaragua’s businesses observe a general strike against the government of Anastasio Somoza.
21 July 1978 A Spanish general and his aide are shot to death in their car in Madrid. Three different groups take responsibility.
Two Sonnets of Shakespeare for bass-baritone or counter-tenor by Ben Johnston (52) is performed for the first time.
22 July 1978 Witold Lutoslawski (65) receives the State Prize for Music, first class, in Warsaw. This is the third time he has won this award.
Fighting between Syrian troops and Christian militias begins again in the Christian suburbs of Beirut.
23 July 1978 Two works for band by Carlos Chávez (79) are performed for the first time, in Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, New York: Mañanas Mexicanas and Zandunga Serenade.
24 July 1978 Three East German medical students escape over the Berlin Wall.
25 July 1978 Louise Joy Brown, the first “test tube baby”, is born in Oldham, England.
A French court sentences eight Breton separatists to prison terms from to to eight years for their parts in bombings around France. Six others are given suspended sentences. One is acquitted.
26 July 1978 Egypt orders the expulsion of the Israeli military mission based near Alexandria to protest perceived Israeli intransigence in peace talks.
Uffe Petersen of the Danish Geodetic Institute discovers the northernmost piece of land on Earth, 706.2 km from the North Pole. It is 30 meters long and named “the islet of Odaaq Ø.”
27 July 1978 The UN Security Council approves the western plan for the independence of South West Africa and its unification with Walvis Bay.
The US embassy in Beirut cuts its staff and dependents and advises all Americans to leave Lebanon.
The coalition government of Portuguese Prime Minister Mario Soares collapses and resigns.
A federal judge in Washington rules as unconstitutional a US Navy regulation barring women from serving on combat vessels.
28 July 1978 An Arab terrorist throws a hand grenade under the car of the Iraqi ambassador in London. He is uninjured, but two bystanders are hurt. Two people are held by police.
Ethiopian authorities report they have broken the rebel siege of Asmara.
29 July 1978 After eight days of Syrian shelling of a Christian suburb of Beirut, 30 people are dead, 50 injured.
Lullaby for Alexander for piano by Gian Carlo Menotti (67) is performed for the first time, at the christening of his godson in Lennoxlove, Haddington, Scotland.
31 July 1978 A newly restructured Lebanese army moves into the southern part of the country, but Christian militias refuse to allow them to take up their positions.
Rhodesian troops raid ten guerrilla camps in Mozambique.
A Palestinian terrorist bursts into the Iraqi embassy in Paris and holds eight people hostage for nine hours. He then surrenders to French police. Iraqi security guards fire on him as he is being led away. They manage to kill a French policeman and injure another. French police return fire, killing one Iraqi and injuring another. In the melee, the terrorist and an Arab League official are injured.
Musik für drei Streicher for violin, viola, and cello by Wolfgang Rihm (26) is performed for the first time, in Darmstadt.
1 August 1978 A bomb intended to kill Argentine Navy Chief of Staff Armando Lambruschini explodes in a Buenos Aires apartment building. The admiral is unhurt but the blast kills his daughter and at least one other person. Ten people are injured.
A Washington grand jury indicts three Chileans and four Cuban exiles in the 1976 murder of Orlando Letellier.
2 August 1978 Three Iraqi embassy guards who killed a French policeman 31 July are expelled from France. Diplomatic immunity precludes their prosecution.
Mycenae alpha for two-track tape by Iannis Xenakis (56) is performed for the first time, in Mycenae.
Il vitalino raddopiato for violin and chamber orchestra by Hans Werner Henze (52) is performed for the first time, in Salzburg.
Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramirez dies of a heart ailment at Mexico City, aged 79 years, one month, and 20 days.
3 August 1978 A bomb set by Arab terrorists in a market in Tel Aviv kills one person and injures 50. Israeli jets attack terrorist bases in Lebanon.
Two Arab gunmen burst into the PLO offices in Paris, kill two people and injure three. The attackers are arrested by police.
4 August 1978 Former leader of the British Liberal Party Jeremy Thorpe is arrested and charged, along with three others, with conspiring to kill Norman Scott, a former model.
5 August 1978 Two Arabs (presumably Iraqis) attack the PLO office in Islamabad, Pakistan with hand grenades and automatic weapons. Four people, including one Pakistani, are killed.
More fighting begins between Syrian peacekeepers and Lebanese Christians.
The White Cliffs in Utah are renamed Mt. Messiaen by vote of the citizens of Parowan, Utah where Oliver Messiaen (69) composed Des Canyon aux etoiles. Unfortrunately, the composer is too ill to attend.
6 August 1978 Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, Pope Paul VI, dies of a heart attack at his summer retreat, Castel Gandolfo.
Paul Bunyan Overture by Benjamin Britten (†1) is performed for the first time, in Royal Albert Hall, London, 37 years after it was composed.
8 August 1978 Talks begin in Peking between China and Vietnam over the treatment of ethnic Chinese by Vietnam.
Levi blue jeans are produced in Hungary for the first time when a plant opens in Marcali pursuant to an agreement between the government and Levi Strauss & Co.
The US government announces that President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin will meet with President Carter to discuss the future of the Middle East peace process.
9 August 1978 A strike by pressmen halts publication of three New York newspapers: the Times the Daily News and the Post.
10 August 1978 Chrysler Corp. announces that it will sell its European operations to PSA Peugeot-Citroën.
Ancestors for chamber orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (40) is performed for the first time, at Reed College in Portland, Oregon the composer conducting.
11 August 1978 Michael Townley, an American working for the Chilean secret police, pleads guilty in federal court in Washington to one count of conspiracy to murder Orlando Letellier. He admits that he planted the bomb which killed Letellier in 1976.
12 August 1978 Traditional enemies China and Japan sign a ten-year treaty of peace and friendship in Peking.
13 August 1978 Explosives planted by persons unknown destroy a building in Beirut housing offices of two rival Palestinian factions. 150-200 people are killed.
14 August 1978 Marais Viljoen replaces Nicolaas Diederichs as President of South Africa.
Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith meets secretly with Patriotic Front leader Joshua Nkomo in Zambia. Also present are President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nigerian Foreign Minister Joseph Garba.
16 August 1978 Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández replaces Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo as President of the Dominican Republic. It is the first time in Dominican history that an elected incumbent cedes power to an elected successor.
17 August 1978 Max Anderson, Ben Abruzzo, and Larry Newman complete the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon when they land in a field in Miserey, France, 100 km west of Paris. The flight from Presque Isle, Maine in the Double Eagle II took 137 hours and 18 minutes.
20 August 1978 430 people are killed when unknown terrorists set fire to a movie theatre in Abadan, Iran. The government blames Moslem extremists and the Moslem extremists blame the government.
Arab terrorists attack an El Al crew in London, killing a flight attendant and injuring nine others. Seven of those injured are British civilians.
21 August 1978 On the tenth anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Charter 77 condemns it as illegal. Students gather in Wenceslas Square for a silent vigil.
22 August 1978 One of the leading figures on the African continent, President Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, dies of heart failure in Mombassa. He is succeeded by Daniel arap Moi.
Two days of anti-government riots break out in Abadan, Iran during mourning ceremonies for those who died in the 20 August fires.
Sandinista guerrillas seize the National Palace of Nicaragua and take 1,500 hostages. They demand $10,000,000, the release of all political prisoners, the broadcasting of messages, and safe conduct out of the country.
23 August 1978 Four Lessons for two keyboards by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) is performed for the first time, in Dartington, Devon.
24 August 1978 President Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua pays $500,000 ransom and frees 59 political prisoners to the guerrillas holding 1,500 hostages in the National Palace, Managua. After riding to the airport amidst cheering crowds, the guerrillas and their hostages are flown to Panama.
25 August 1978 Sunday Morning for orchestra by Ned Rorem (54) is performed for the first time, in the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, New York.
A general strike begins in Nicaragua led by business and labor leaders invigorated by the Sandinista exploits of the past three days.
26 August 1978 Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, is elected Pope John Paul I.
27 August 1978 Nicaraguan businessmen vote to support a strike aimed at the resignation of President Somoza.
Threnody for Carlos Chávez (†0) for viola and Sundanese gam degung by Lou Harrison (61) is performed for the first time, in Santa Cruz, California.
28 August 1978 Sigmund Jähn becomes the first East German in space aboard Salyut 6.
Alfredo Nobre da Costa replaces Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares as Prime Minister of Portugal.
1 September 1978 Olafur Johanesson replaces Geir Hallgrimsson as Prime Minister of Iceland.
The Nicaraguan National Guard moves into Matagalpa, killing 50 people and wounding 200.
3 September 1978 Pope John Paul I is enthroned in the Vatican before a worldwide television audience.
Rhodesian guerrillas shoot down a Rhodesian commercial airliner killing 38 people. Ten survivors are killed by guerrillas after the crash.
6 September 1978 Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and United States President Jimmy Carter meet at the presidential retreat Camp David, north of Washington. A news blackout is imposed.
Willy Peter Stoll, a terrorist suspected in the 1977 kidnapping and murder of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, is shot to death by police in a Düsseldorf restaurant.
Runes from a Holy Island for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (43) is performed for the first time, in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, directed by the composer. See 6 November 1977.
7 September 1978 100,000 people demonstrate in Teheran demanding the return of exiled religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Bulgarian exile Georgi Markov is stabbed on a London street by an agent of the Bulgarian government using the tip of his umbrella. The umbrella contains poison. Markov becomes seriously ill. (the KGB later admitted giving support to the assassination)
8 September 1978 The government of Iran declares martial law. In Teheran, troops fire into crowds protesting the declaration and 95 people die. Unofficial estimates place the death toll at at least 250.
9 September 1978 The Chinese government ends restrictions on its citizens having contacts with foreigners residing in China.
Sandinista guerrillas begin a “final offensive” to overthrow the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. They take control of most of León and parts of Managua, Masaya, Esteli, Chinandega, and Granada.
10 September 1978 In heavy fighting, the Nicaraguan National Guard gains the upper hand in Managua, León, and Chnandega.
11 September 1978 Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian exile working for the BBC and Radio Free Europe, dies four days after being stabbed by a man with an umbrella on a London street.
12 September 1978 Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza calls up the reserves of the National Guard to deal with the ongoing fighting.
13 September 1978 The French government files a $300,000,000 law suit against Amoco International Oil Company for the Amoco Cadiz pollution cleanup.
The Somoza regime reinstitutes martial law in Nicaragua. President Rodrigo Carazo Odio of Costa Rica expropriates all Somoza holdings in his country.
A grand jury in Elkhart County, Indiana indicts Ford Motor Company with reckless homicide and criminal recklessness in the deaths of three teenagers. The girls were burned to death when the gas tank in their Pinto exploded on rear impact. The indictment charges that Ford officials knew this was likely to happen.
14 September 1978 The Portuguese National Assembly rejects the program of Prime Minister Alfredo Nobre da Costa and his 17-day-old government falls.
Ex-Positionen by Mauricio Kagel (46) is performed for the first time, in Høvikodden, near Oslo.
Third Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber (68) is performed for the first time, in New York.
16 September 1978 An earthquake centered 700 km southeast of Tehran kills 25,000 people.
Mohammed Zia ul-Haq replaces Fazal Elahi Chaudry as President of Pakistan.
Nicaraguan government troops recapture the city of León from Sandinista rebels using heavy artillery on the city. Eyewitnesses report widespread atrocities by government soldiers.
Te salutant for large pops orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
17 September 1978 At the White House, President Anwar el-Sadat, Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and President Jimmy Carter sign the Camp David Accords, a framework for peace in the Middle East.
The Sandinistas make two unsuccessful assaults on Penas Blancas.
18 September 1978 Palestinian terrorist leader Yassir Arafat threatens that American interests will be attacked in revenge for the Camp David Accords. The USSR says calls the agreement “a complete surrender.”
The Nicaraguan National Guard takes control of Chinandega after air strikes and street by street fighting.
The Gamblers, an unfinished opera by Dmitri Shostakovich (†3) after Gogol, is performed for the first time, in Leningrad Philharmonic Bolshoy Hall, 36 years after it was composed.
19 September 1978 The Solomon Islands are admitted to the United Nations.
The Indian government announces that 1,200 people died in the recent flooding of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers.
The Egyptian cabinet approves the Camp David peace agreement.
PLO leader Yasir Arafat calls the Camp David peace agreement a “dirty deal.”
20 September 1978 President Hafez al-Assad of Syria says President Sadat has “defected to the enemy” and has abandoned “the whole Arab cause.”
South African Prime Minister John Vorster announces his resignation and that his government has withdrawn from the UN plan for the independence of South West Africa.
21 September 1978 Nigerian Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo lifts the 12-year-old state of emergency and allows the formation of political parties.
Chorals for violin by John Cage (66) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
22 September 1978 Nicaraguan National Guard troops using tanks and rockets complete the recapture of Esteli. The town is in ruins.
24 September 1978 Leaders of Algeria, Libya, Syria, South Yemen, and the PLO end four days of meetings in Damascus and announce that they are severing all relations with Egypt in retaliation for the Camp David peace agreement.
Swiss voters approve the creation of a new canton, Jura. The 23rd canton is the first to be created in 130 years.
New fighting erupts in Beirut between Christian militias and Syrian “peacekeepers.” Heavy damage is done to all sectors of the capital.
25 September 1978 A federal judge in New York rules that accredited women reporters must be admitted to locker rooms after athletic contests.
26 September 1978 The Chinese delegation breaks off talks with the Vietnamese and leaves Hanoi.
27 September 1978 An untitled sound work by Max Neuhaus (39), is inaugurated at Stichting De Appel in Amsterdam. It exists for four days.
Instantané-Simultané for tape by Pierre Henry (50) is performed for the first time, in the Palais des Arts, Paris.
28 September 1978 The Israeli Knesset votes to endorse the Camp David agreements, including the removal of Jewish settlements in the Sinai.
Pieter Willem Botha replaces John Vorster as Prime Minister of South Africa.
Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, dies in his apartments in the Vatican, of an apparent heart attack.
Sonata Serenata for piano quartet by Gunther Schuller (52) is performed for the first time, in New York.
29 September 1978 British officials rule the death of Bulgarian exile Georgi Markov a murder. An autopsy revealed poison in his system. The Bulgarian government is suspected.
Variations on a Theme by Alban Berg for viola and piano by TJ Anderson (50) is performed for the first time, at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
30 September 1978 After a cease-fire is broken, fighting between Syrian peacekeepers and Lebanese Christians escalates, killing many civilians.
Seven Arab terrorists are seized by Israeli security forces off the coast of Elath. They planned to drive their ship, laden with explosives, into the port of Elath.
1 October 1978 Tuvalu, under Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Toarlipi Lauti, is declared independent of Great Britain.
Christophorus, oder Die Vision einer Oper, an opera by Franz Schreker (†44) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Freiburg, approximately 50 years after he composed it.
4 October 1978 Turkey allows the reopening of four US bases in the country, now that the US has rescinded its arms embargo.
5 October 1978 Israeli warships strike a Palestinian amphibious staging area in West Beirut.
The first non-socialist Swedish government in almost 50 years resigns over nuclear energy.
The New York Post breaks from its two sister newspapers and resumes publication after 56 days of a strike by pressmen.
Letter to Erik Satie 2 (†53) by John Cage (66) is performed for the first time, at City Center Theatre, New York. It is performed simultaneously with Merce Cunningham’s solo dance Tango.
6 October 1978 The UN Security Council votes unanimously to call on all sides in the Lebanese war to cease-fire.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Chile’s land reform program, begun 16 years ago, will be terminated by the Pinochet dictatorship.
Dances from The Two Fiddlers for piccolo, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion by Peter Maxwell Davies (44) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. See 16 June 1978.
7 October 1978 Syria declares a unilateral cease-fire in Lebanon. They blockade all movement in and out of Christian areas of Beirut.
The United Nations begins a $500,000 campaign to promote the Arab position in the Middle East conflict and improve the image of the PLO.
8 October 1978 Protestants attack a march by Sinn Fein and police in Londonderry. Rioting ensues wherein 41 people are injured.
10 October 1978 Balthazar Vorster replaces Marais Viljoen as President South Africa.
The government of Belgian Prime Minister Leo Tindemans resigns over the federal reforms regarding language communities.
The transitional Rhodesian government removes all racial discrimination.
11 October 1978 The UNHCR reports that 7,300 people fled Vietnam by boat in September, the highest number yet.
Quartet for four flutes by Sofia Gubaidulina (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
12 October 1978 Three bombs explode on a train entering Belfast station. One person is killed, six injured.
Egyptian and Israeli negotiators open talks in Washington on a peace treaty.
Popular music entertainer Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols is charged with second degree murder for stabbing his girlfriend to death in New York.
Klavierstück nr.6 by Wolfgang Rihm (26) is performed for the first time, in Graz.
13 October 1978 Ola Ullsten replaces Thorbjörn Falldin as Prime Minister of Sweden.
About 1,000 members of the Lebanese army take up positions between the two sides in Beirut.
16 October 1978 Karol Józef Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow, is elected Pope John Paul II.
17 October 1978 Concerto pastoral for flute and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo (76) is performed for the first time, in Royal Festival Hall, London.
20 October 1978 Saudi troops replace Syrians at several key positions in Beirut.
Paul Van den Boeynants replaces Leo Tindemans as Prime Minister of Belgium.
In the face of increasing wage and benefit demands by workers, the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile bans seven unions.
Music for flute and orchestra by Leon Kirchner (59) is performed for the first time, in Indianapolis.
21 October 1978 The complete IRCAM building, with the “Salle de projection” goes into operation in Paris. See 18 May 1976.
Mirages for 16 musicians and tape by Jean-Claude Risset (40) is performed for the first time, in the Sportshalle, Donaueschingen.
Why Patterns? for flute/alto flute, piano, and percussion by Morton Feldman (52) is performed for the first time, in Berlin, the composer at the keyboard.
“Michaels Reise um die Erde” no.48, a scene from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s (50) opera Donnerstag aus Licht for trumpet and orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Donaueschingen.
Parable XXI op.140 for guitar by Vincent Persichetti (63) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York.
22 October 1978 Representatives of Egypt and Israel tentatively agree on a peace plan in Washington.
23 October 1978 The treaty of peace and friendship between Japan and China goes into effect.
Pope John Paul II is installed in a ceremony at the Vatican.
25 October 1978 The Iranian government releases 1,126 political prisoners on the Shah’s birthday.
28 October 1978 The Socialist Party of Belgium splits along language lines.
A federal judge in São Paulo rules that the Brazilian government is responsible for the death of television journalist Vladimir Herzog in jail in 1975.
29 October 1978 In an attempt to calm unrest, the Iranian government sacks or retires 34 members of Savak, the secret police.
In Sweet Music for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, and harp by William Schuman (68) to words of Shakespeare is performed for the first time, in New York.
31 October 1978 40,000 oil workers in Iran go on strike in opposition to the Shah.
The Tanzanian government announces that Ugandan forces have moved 32 km inside Tanzania to the Kagera River. Uganda claims the river as its natural boundary.
1 November 1978 Employees of Iran Air go on strike in opposition to the Shah.
US President Carter announces emergency actions to shore up the dollar. The New York Stock Exchange responds with its largest one-day rise to date.
2 November 1978 Vladimir Kovalyonok and Alyeksandr Ivanchenkov return to earth aboard their Soyuz 31 spacecraft after setting a space endurance record of 139 days, 15 hours.
Concerto for viola and orchestra by Jacob Druckman (50) is performed for the first time, in New York.
3 November 1978 Dominica, under interim President Louis Colls-Lartigue and Prime Minister Patrick Rowland John, is proclaimed independent of Great Britain. Princess Margaret gives the new nation its constitution in ceremonies in Roseau.
5 November 1978 Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi returns to the Indian Parliament by winning a seat in Karnataka.
Iranian troops fire into demonstrating students at the University of Teheran, killing at least three people. In response to the incident, the government of Prime Minister Jaffar Sharif Emami resigns.
A four-day summit meeting of the Arab League concludes in Baghdad with a call on Egypt to refrain from making peace with Israel.
A referendum in Austria results in a small majority to stop the country’s first nuclear power plant.
6 November 1978 The Shah of Iran institutes a military government led by Gholam Reza Azhari.
The New York Times and the New York Daily News resume publication after an 88-day strike by pressmen.
They Knew What They Wanted for speaker, oboe, piano, percussion, and tape by Ernst Krenek (78) to his own words is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York directed by the composer.
7 November 1978 Sandinista gunmen kill Senator Ramiro Granera, a confidant of Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza, in León.
In Congressional elections in the United States, the ruling Democratic Party loses three seats in the Senate and 15 in the House of Representatives, but retains control of both.
Samuel Chapter for voice, flute, clarinet (or percussion or piano or viola), and cello by John Harbison (39) is performed for the first time, in Cambridge, Massachusetts directed by the composer.
9 November 1978 Muak, a dance fantasy for orchestra by Isang Yun (61), is performed for the first time, in Mönchengladbach.
The second version of Gabriella di Vergy, an opera by Gaetano Donizetti (†130) to words of unknown hands, is performed for the first time, in Whitla Hall, Belfast approximately 140 years after it was composed.
10 November 1978 The UNHCR reports that 12,186 refugees from southeast Asia reached ports in other countries in October, a monthly record.
Salome, a ballet by Peter Maxwell Davies (44) to a scenario by Flindt, is performed for the first time, in the Circus Building, Copenhagen.
13 November 1978 Most Iranian oil workers begin returning to work, bringing the oil industry to near normalcy.
14 November 1978 The IRA begins a new offensive with a wave of bombings throughout Northern Ireland.
Olivier Messiaen (69) and his wife, along with Mistislav Rostropovich, are received at the White House by President and Mrs. Carter.
16 November 1978 A Spanish Supreme Court justice is shot to death in Madrid, presumably by Basque separatists.
Spatial Concerto “Questions from Genesis” for eight sopranos, eight altos, piano, and orchestra by Henry Brant (65) is performed for the first time, in Tucson.
17 November 1978 The Danish Folketing votes to grant home rule to Greenland.
The Organization of American States charges the Nicaraguan regime with “grave” violations of human rights.
18 November 1978 A Pakistani judge orders the release of Nusrat Bhutto, wife of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, currently in prison.
19 November 1978 100,000 conservatives rally in Madrid to mark the third anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco.
Guyanan soldiers find the bodies of 911 members of an American religious cult who have apparently committed suicide at Jonestown, near Port Kaituma. Also found dead, killed by cult members, is US Congressman Leo Ryan and four others in his visiting party.
Arab terrorists explode a bomb on a tourist bus near Jerusalem. Four people are killed, 40 injured.
The IRA explodes 17 firebombs throughout Northern Ireland, bringing the total of bombings over 50 since the latest offensive began on 14 November. 13 other bombs are diffused by police.
20 November 1978 Basque separatists open fire on a police exercise area in Basauri near Bilbao. Two policemen are killed, eleven injured.
Giorgio DeChirico dies of a heart attack in Rome at the age of 90.
21 November 1978 Costa Rica severs diplomatic relations with Nicaragua.
22 November 1978 Carlos da Mota Pinto replaces Alfredo Nobre da Costa as Prime Minister of Portugal.
Ethiopian government forces capture the Eritrean capital of Asmara.
Symphony no.4 by Easley Blackwood (45) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
26 November 1978 US military personnel complete the removal of 911 bodies from Jonestown, Guyana to the United States.
27 November 1978 Counterattacking Tanzanian troops have reduced the Kagera salient and crossed into Uganda.
San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk are shot to death in City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White.
28 November 1978 Ethiopian government forces recapture Keren, the last city in the hands of Eritrean rebels.
29 November 1978 Blue jeans made by Levi Strauss & Co. go on sale in East Berlin at $74 a pair.
Paradise Lost, a sacra rappresentazione by Krzysztof Penderecki (45) to words of Fry after Milton, is performed for the first time, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. See 8 April 1979 and 10 August 1979.
30 November 1978 19 IRA bombs go off in eleven towns in Northern Ireland.
3 December 1978 The title music for the BBC television Shakespeare series, composed by William Walton (76), is broadcast for the first time, over the airwaves of BBC-2 television. See 26 January 1978.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird for soprano, flute, piano, percussion, and tape by Lukas Foss (56) to words of Stevens is performed for the first time, in Baird Recital Hall, State University of New York at Buffalo.
William Grant Still dies in Los Angeles, aged 83 years, six months, and 22 days.
4 December 1978 The American space probe Venus Pioneer enters orbit around Venus.
Malaysia rescinds its ban on refugee boat people from Vietnam. 600 land today.
In response to calls from Ayatollah Khomeini, thousands of Iranian workers strike or stage job actions to hasten the downfall of the Shah. The walkouts seriously reduce oil output.
Soviet conductor Kiril Kondrashin defects to the West in the Netherlands.
O caro m’é il sonno for chorus by Thea Musgrave (54) to words of Michelangelo, is performed for the first time, at the State College of Memphis, Tennessee.
5 December 1978 Leaders of Afghanistan and the USSR sign a friendship and cooperation treaty in Moscow.
European Community members agree in Brussels to establish a new European Monetary System on 1 January. A new European Currency Unit (ECU) is established.
On the eve of a national referendum, Basque separatists enter a bar in San Sebastián and shoot three off-duty policemen to death.
6 December 1978 Spanish voters approve a new constitution creating parliamentary monarchy.
7 December 1978 Masayoshi Ohira replaces Takeo Fukuda as Prime Minister of Japan.
Under pressure from the United States, Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza lifts martial law.
8 December 1978 Michael Cimino’s film The Deer Hunter is released in the United States.
10 December 1978 Bacchanal for soprano, saxophone quartet, bayan, and percussion by Sofia Gubaidulina (47) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
Syringa for mezzo-soprano, bass, and eleven players by Elliott Carter to words of Ashbery and ancient Greek texts, is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York on the eve of the composer’s 70th birthday.
11 December 1978 Two days of anti-government rioting break out in Isfahan, Iran. At least 50 people are killed and 500 injured.
Guerrillas destroy the central oil storage depot in Salisbury, Rhodesia causing a massive fire.
Two-part Symphony for orchestra by Charles Wuorinen (40) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
14 December 1978 30 people are killed by anti-government rioting in three cities in Iran.
15 December 1978 Pursuant to the referendum of 5 November, the Austrian Parliament outlaws the use of nuclear power to generate electricity.
The United States severs ties with the Taiwan government as President Carter announces mutual recognition with the Peoples Republic of China effective 1 January.
The United Nations General Assembly condemns Nicaragua for internal repression and incursions into Costa Rica.
Under pressure from the United States, Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza declares an amnesty for political prisoners.
The laserdisc is first marketed to the public, in Atlanta.
The city of Cleveland, Ohio defaults on its debt.
17 December 1978 Meeting in the UAE, OPEC decides to end its 18-month price freeze and begin raising prices on 1 January.
Arab terrorists explode a bomb on a Jerusalem bus injuring 21 people.
IRA bombs explode in five British cities.
National elections in Belgium take place resulting in slight changes in the party strength. The Socialist Party contests the election broken up on language lines for the first time.
18 December 1978 Iranian opponents to the Shah stage a nationwide strike.
Dominica is admitted to the United Nations.
Archangel for bass trombone and string quartet by Charles Wuorinen (40) is performed for the first time, in Borden Auditorium, New York.
Triple Concerto for clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and chamber orchestra by Donald Martino (47) is performed for the first time, at the Manhattan School of Music, New York.
19 December 1978 The Indian Parliament expels former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and imprisons her for contempt and abuse of privilege.
Paris and most of France are shut down for two hours due to an electrical failure.
20 December 1978 Workers at the BBC shut down its two television channels and curtail radio broadcasts over a wage dispute.
21 December 1978 A Soviet space probe makes a soft landing on Venus. It sends back information for 110 minutes before being destroyed by the 480° surface temperature.
European Community and Greek negotiators agree on the entry of Greece into the EC.
Scenes and Entr’actes from Le Grand Macabre for soprano, mezzo-soprano, buffo tenor, character baritone, chorus, and orchestra by György Ligeti (55) is performed for the first time, in Berlin. See 12 April 1978.
22 December 1978 The South African government accepts the UN plan for the independence of Namibia.
23 December 1978 Iranian security forces open fire on a crowd in Meshed. 29 people are killed, 30 injured.
Spain abolishes the death penalty, except for crimes committed in the military during war.
24 December 1978 The Central Arbitration Committee resolves the wage dispute and the BBC returns to normal programming after four days.
25 December 1978 A second Soviet space probe makes a soft landing on Venus. It sends back information for 95 minutes.
Vietnamese and rebel Cambodian forces begin an offensive in eastern Cambodia.
Three works for chorus by Ned Rorem (55) are performed for the first time, in St. Stephens’, New York: O magnum mysterium, The Oxen to words of Hardy, and Shout the Glad Tidings to words of the Muhlenberg Hymnal.
26 December 1978 With the adjournment of the Indian Parliament, Indira Gandhi is released from jail.
27 December 1978 A mob of angry students attack vehicles carrying a US delegation from the airport in Taipei.
President Houari Boumedienne of Algeria dies of a blood disease.
King Juan Carlos signs the new constitution of Spain.
29 December 1978 The Shah of Iran names Shapur Bakhtiar to form a civilian government.
30 December 1978 The United States recalls its ambassador from Nicaragua.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
23 January 2012
Last Updated (Monday, 23 January 2012 07:45)