1768
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1 January 1768 Let the Voice of Music Breathe, an ode by William Boyce (56) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.
5 January 1768 La notte critica, an opera buffa by Florian Leopold Gassmann (38) to words of Goldoni, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.
10 January 1768 The Mozart family returns to Vienna after the end of the smallpox epidemic.
12 January 1768 Johann IX, Philipp von Walderdorf, Elector-Archbishop of Trier, dies.
16 January 1768 Duke Ferdinando of Parma issues edicts attempting to take control of the church in Parma.
19 January 1768 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (11) and his family are received at the Viennese court by Maria Theresia and her son, the new Emperor Joseph II.
20 January 1768 Two works by Giovanni Paisiello (27) are performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples: the dramma per musica Olimpia, to words of Trabucco, and the cantata L’Ebone, to words of Mattei.
30 January 1768 Pope Clement XIII issues the Monitorium, nullifying edicts by Duke Ferdinando of Parma which attempted to rein in the church in his domains.
10 February 1768 Clemens Wenzeslaus, son of Elector Friedrich August II of Saxony, becomes Elector-Archbishop of Trier.
11 February 1768 Fetonte, an opera seria by Niccolò Jommelli (53) to words of Verazi, is performed for the first time, in the Ducal Theatre, Ludwigsburg.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives denounces the Townshend Acts in a resolution written by Samuel Adams. Royal authorities regard the vote as treasonable and dissolve the legislature.
21 February 1768 Der Kampf der Busse und Bekehrung, an oratorio by Michael Haydn (30), is performed for the first time.
25 February 1768 Lionel and Clarissa, a pasticcio comic opera with some music by Thomas Augustine Arne (57) and words by Bickerstaff, is performed for the first time, in Covent Garden, London.
27 February 1768 Willis Hill, First Earl of Hillsborough becomes the first Secretary of State for the Colonies in the British government.
29 February 1768 Polish nobles meeting at Bar form the Confederation of Bar, challenging the Sejm, King Stanislas Poniatowski and Russian intervention in the country.
1 March 1768 Empress Yekaterina II reopens her legislative commission in St. Petersburg, but without the hoped-for results. She intended for it to create a western style legal code but they will never pass any laws.
Emerich Josef von Breisach zu Burresheim replaces Johann Philipp von Walderdorf as Prince-Bishop of Worms.
3 March 1768 Nicola Antonio Porpora dies in Naples, in poverty, aged 81 years, six months and 15 days.
8 March 1768 Heinrich replaces Friedrich Botho as Count of Stolberg-Rossla.
17 March 1768 Reuss-Untergreiz and Reuss-Obergreiz are combined to form Reuss-Greiz.
18 March 1768 The paymaster for the Archbishop of Salzburg orders that if Leopold Mozart (48) does not report to the office by April he shall receive no more salary.
Laurence Sterne dies in London at the age of 54.
20 March 1768 Luigi Boccherini (25), along with Filippo Manfredi, makes his Parisian debut at the Salle des Suisses in the Tuileries. The evening is very successful for both.
26 March 1768 Frederick Calvert, Lord Baltimore, Lord Proprietary of the Maryland Colony, is tried at Kingston for raping Sarah Woodcock, a milliner. He claims that she consented. He is acquitted.
1 April 1768 Due to his prolonged absence from Salzburg, Archbishop Siegmund III Christoph ends Leopold Mozart’s (48) salary but not his position.
Six-year-old Wilhelm II Gustav Friedrich replaces Christian Friedrich Anton as Baron of Knyphausen under regency.
2 April 1768 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (54) begins duties as director of sacred music in Hamburg on Easter Sunday. He will not be officially inaugurated until 19 April.
6 April 1768 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (12) and his sister perform in Vienna during celebrations surrounding the wedding of Archduchess Maria Carolina to King Ferdinando of Naples.
7 April 1768 King Ferdinando IV of Naples marries Archduchess Maria Carolina in Vienna. The wedding is by proxy as the king is in Naples.
William Boyce (56) resigns his position at St. Michael’s, Cornhill after the church wardens complain that “the playing of the Organ did not give the Satisfaction to the Parish which they had a Right to expect.”
17 April 1768 Applausus, an oratorio by Joseph Haydn (36), is performed for the first time, in Zwettl.
19 April 1768 Amid great ceremony in St. Catherine’s Church, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (54) is inaugurated to his post in Hamburg as kantor of the Johanneum and director of music in the five principal churches.
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal) dies in Venice at the age of 70.
20 April 1768 Having returned from exile in France to face his accusers, John Wilkes is imprisoned at King’s Bench Prison, London.
21 April 1768 Secretary of State for Colonies, Lord Hillsborough, threatens colonial legislatures with dissolution if they endorse the actions of Massachusetts.
28 April 1768 In the Drillhaus, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (54) directs the first of many public concerts he will give in Hamburg, often performing on harpsichord and clavichord.
2 May 1768 Ifigenia in Tauride, an opera seria by Baldassare Galuppi (61) to words of Coltellini, is performed for the first time, at the Russian Court in St. Petersburg.
4 May 1768 Trattenimento sagro drammatico by Nicola Porpora (†0) to words of di Gennaro, Duca di Belforte, is performed for the first time, in Naples.
6 May 1768 Six weeks of voting conclude in the British general election.
Die Hochzeit auf der Alm, a dramatisches Schäfergedicht by Michael Haydn (30), is performed for the first time.
10 May 1768 At the opening of Parliament, thousands of supporters of John Wilkes gather in St. George’s Fields, outside the prison where he is held, hoping he will be released and resume his seat. Troops open fire on the crowd, killing seven and wounding 15.
15 May 1768 The Most Serene Republic of Genoa sells Corsica to France.
18 May 1768 Die Liebe auf dem Lande, a comische Oper by Johann Adam Hiller (39) to words of Weisse after Favart and Anseaume, is performed for the first time, in Theater am Rannstädter Thore, Leipzig.
31 May 1768 Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (32) marries Rosalia Weiss, daughter of a sculptor, in Vienna.
Giovanni Paisiello’s (28) Festa teatrale in musica to words of Basso-Bassi is performed for the first time, at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples for the wedding of King Ferdinando IV and Maria Carolina. The date could be 25 May.
2 June 1768 At a concert at the Thatched House Tavern in St. James’ St., London, Johann Christian Bach (32) plays a “solo on the Piano Forte.” This is one of the first times that the piano is publicly used as a solo instrument in London.
6 June 1768 The New York Assembly agrees to provide £3,000 for the British regulars quartered in New York.
9 June 1768 French troops occupy the Papal lands of Avignon.
10 June 1768 Construction on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland begins.
Li napoletani in America, an opera buffa by Niccolò Piccinni (40) to words of Cerlone, is performed for the first time, in the Teatro Fiorentini, Naples.
A Boston mob assaults customs agents, protesting the seizure of John Hancock’s ship Liberty for evading customs duties. Customs officials escape to Castle William in Boston harbor.
13 June 1768 Publication of six harpsichord sonatas by Johann Stamitz (†11) is advertised in Annonces, Paris.
18 June 1768 Sentence is passed on John Wilkes in a London court. He receives ten months for seditious libel (he has already served two months) and one year for obscene libel.
23 June 1768 Prepare, prepare your songs of praise!, an ode by William Boyce (56) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time, in honor of the birthday of King George III. The King’s birthday is actually 4 June, but this performance was postponed because of the death of the King’s sister, Princess Louisa Anne, on 13 May.
24 June 1768 Gib mir dein Herz for chorus and strings by Johannes Herbst (32) is performed for the first time.
11 July 1768 José de Nebra, maestro di clavicordio to the Spanish infante Don Gabriel, dies. He will be replaced by Padre Antonio Soler (38).
18 July 1768 Le jardinier de Sidon, an opéra comique by François-André Danican-Philidor (41) to words of de Pleinchesne after Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris. The work is received well, despite the inordinately warm weather.
24 July 1768 Ludwig replaces Wilhelm Heinrich as Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken.
2 August 1768 Joseph Haydn’s (36) neighborhood in Eisenstadt is destroyed by fire. He loses his furnishings and many scores. There was not enough time to save them.
5 August 1768 A performance of Lo speziale by Joseph Haydn (36) opens the new Esterháza opera house, on the name day of Princess Marie Louise.
7 August 1768 Silahdar Mahir Hamza Pasha replaces Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
15 August 1768 Il tre vecchi innamorati, a pasticcio with music by Niccolò Jommelli (53) to words of Martinelli, is performed for the first time, in the Hunting Palace, Grawenech.
17 August 1768 Johann Michael Haydn (30) marries Maria Magdalena Lipp, singer in the Hofkapelle and daughter of the local Cathedral organist, in Salzburg.
20 August 1768 Clemens Wenzeslaus von Sachsen replaces Joseph Landgraf von Hesse-Darmstadt as Prince-Bishop of Augsburg.
André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (27) opéra comique Le huron to words of Marmontel after Voltaire is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris. It is a success, due largely to the music.
25 August 1768 Captain James Cook sets sail aboard His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour on his first voyage of exploration. In three years he will explore the Society Islands and chart the coasts of New Zealand and Western Australia. His primary mission is to travel to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus, predicted by Edmund Halley in 1679 to occur 3 June 1769. The ship is manned and outfitted for scientific and naturalist discoveries.
8 September 1768 A Concert Spirituel in Paris records one of the first public uses of a piano in France.
15 September 1768 Giovanni Paisiello (28) marries Donna Cecilia Pallini in Naples. She is pregnant, or is feigning pregnancy, and the Queen of Naples imprisoned the composer until he fulfilled his contract to marry her.
The regency over Elector Friedrich August III of Saxony ends and he rules in his own right.
21 September 1768 In the course of an audience with Emperor Joseph II, Leopold Mozart (48) requests that the Emperor order the production of Wolfgang’s (12) La finta semplice in Vienna. The Emperor is either unwilling or unable to do this.
22 September 1768 Florian Leopold Gassmann (39) marries Barbara Damm, daughter of the Imperial hosiery knitter, in Vienna.
Niccolò Jommelli’s (54) serenata L’unione coronata to words of Martinelli is performed for the first time, in Solitude, in an improvised theater.
23 September 1768 Representatives of 96 Massachusetts towns meet in Boston to discuss the refusal of the royal governor to call the General Assembly back into session. They protest the coming troops and taxation without representation. It is fairly moderate.
25 September 1768 The Kingdom of Nepal is unified under King Prithivi Narayan Shah Deva.
29 September 1768 The convention of Massachusetts towns disperses when British troop ships appear off Boston harbor.
30 September 1768 British warships enter Boston Harbor, their decks cleared for action, their guns trained on the town.
1 October 1768 Two regiments of British troops disembark in Boston, their guns loaded. They are quartered in the State House and Fanueil Hall.
6 October 1768 Encouraged by France, the Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia by locking the Russian envoy, Aleksey Obreskov, in the Castle of the Seven Towers. He refused a Turkish ultimatum to remove Russian troops from Poland.
14 October 1768 Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton replaces William Pitt, Earl of Chatham as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
17 October 1768 Ludwig VIII, Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt dies and is succeeded by his son, Ludwig IX.
19 October 1768 Pope Clement XIII rejects the demand of Spain, France, and Naples that he rescind the Monitorium of last 30 January.
20 October 1768 Yaglikçizade Nisani Mehmed Emin Pasha replaces Silahdar Mahir Hamza Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
23 October 1768 Empress Yekaterina II of Russia is innoculated against smallpox by British physician Dr. Thomas Dinsdale. Her son will also be innoculated on 13 November. The dates of their recovery will become national holidays and the young man who donated the innoculant is enobled.
27 October 1768 French residents of New Orleans, resenting the territory’s transfer to France, riot, causing the Spanish governor to seek the protection of the navy in the harbor. He will flee to Havana.
31 October 1768 1900 Francesco Maria Veracini dies in Florence, aged 78 years, eight months and 30 days.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (54) gives his first subscription concert in Hamburg.
1 November 1768 The earthly remains of Francesco Maria Veracini are placed in the family sepulchre in Florence.
5 November 1768 Adriano in Siria, a dramma per musica by Ignaz Holzbauer (57) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in the Mannheim Hoftheater.
8 November 1768 Giovanni Battista Sammartini (67) becomes maestro di cappella of the Regia Ducal Corte, Milan.
1 December 1768 The first volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica is published in Edinburgh.
7 December 1768 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (12) Mass K.139/47a is performed, probably for the first time, before the Imperial Court, at the dedication ceremony of the Waisenhauskirche, Vienna, directed by the composer. Also premiered is Mozart’s Trumpet Concerto K.47c.
10 December 1768 The Royal Academy of Arts is founded by King George III to promote British art and artists.
Les agréments d’Hylas et Silvie, a pastorale by François-André Gossec (34) to words of Rochon de Chabannes, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Française, Paris.
13 December 1768 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (12) dates his Symphony no.8 K.48, in Vienna.
18 December 1768 La schiava liberata, a dramma serio-comico by Niccolò Jommelli (54) to words of Martinelli, is performed for the first time, in the Ducal Theatre, Ludwigsburg.
22 December 1768 Baldassare Galuppi (62) is appointed maestro di coro at the Ospedale degli Incurabili, Venice.
27 December 1768 The Mozart family departs Vienna for Salzburg on approximately this date.
©Paul Scharfenberger 2004-2012
2 June 2012
Last Updated (Saturday, 02 June 2012 04:42)