1778
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1 January 1778 When rival nations great in arms, an ode by William Boyce (66) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.
2 January 1778 Der Holzhauer, oder Die drey Wünsche, a comische Operette by Georg Benda (55) to words of Gotter and von Wulff after Guichard and Castet, is performed for the first time, in Gotha.
3 January 1778 Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine and Elector of Bavaria recognizes Austria’s claim to Lower Bavaria. Austrian troops will enter the country within two weeks.
8 January 1778 The French government informs Benjamin Franklin in Paris that they agree to an alliance and recognition of the United States should there be war between France and Great Britain.
10 January 1778 Carolus Linnaeus dies in Uppsala at the age of 70.
14 January 1778 After several public discourtesies towards him, Vice-Kapellmeister Georg Joseph Vogler (28) calls on the visiting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) in Mannheim. Mozart has been indiscreetly contemptuous towards Vogler.
17 January 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) first mentions Aloysia Weber in a letter.
18 January 1778 Captain James Cook first sights the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands, after the First Lord of the Admiralty.
23 January 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (21) travels without his mother from Mannheim to Kirchheimbolanden in the company of Fridolin Weber and his daughter Aloysia. They will spend several days at the court of Princess Caroline van Nassau-Weilburg where Aloysia sings and Mozart plays.
27 January 1778 Roland, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (50) to words of Marmontel after Quinault, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. It is Piccinni’s first French opera. The rehearsals were so horrendous that Piccinni has made plans to leave for Naples tomorrow. As it turns out, the performance, attended by Queen Marie Antoinette, is a success. Reviews are generally positive.
American forces capture forts overlooking New Providence (Nassau), Bahamas.
29 January 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) arrives at Worms with the Webers.
Evelina, a novel by Frances Burney, is published in London.
2 February 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) and the Webers return to Mannheim.
6 February 1778 In the Foreign Ministry, Paris, France, represented by the Comte de Vergennes, signs a treaty of aid and commerce, and an alliance with the United States, represented by Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin. It is the first international treaty signed by representatives of the United States.
Achille in Sciro, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (37) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Russian Court, St. Petersburg.
7 February 1778 Erifile, an opera seria by Antonio Sacchini (47) to words of De Gamerra, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.
14 February 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to his father about a commission he has received for flute music, “...you know that I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument which I cannot bear. Hence as a diversion I compose something else, such as duets for clavier and violin, or I work at my mass.” (Marshall, 62)
16 February 1778 An untitled intermezzo by Luigi Cherubini (17) is performed for the first time, in Teatro di Serviti, Florence.
17 February 1778 The first performance of a singspiel by a local composer takes place in Vienna. It is Ignaz Umlauf’s Die Bergknappen which is afforded a warm reception. The production is a result of a major reorganization of Viennese opera in favor of Germanic composers. See 2 March 1778.
23 February 1778 Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to begin training the United States Army. For the miracle he performs, he will be created Inspector General.
1 March 1778 Christoph Willibald Gluck (63) arrives back in Vienna from Paris.
2 March 1778 The opera buffa troupe resident at the Nationaltheater, Vienna gives its last performance. It will disband during Lent. See 17 February 1778.
5 March 1778 Thomas Augustine Arne dies in London of a “spasmodic complaint”, 67 years, eleven months and 21 days after his baptism.
9 March 1778 The demand of King Friedrich II of Prussia that Austria return Bavaria to the status quo reaches Emperor Joseph II in Austria.
11 March 1778 Spain and Portugal conclude a peace agreement at Pardo.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) dates his Duet Sonata for violin and piano K.296 in Mannheim.
13 March 1778 The French government formally informs Great Britain that it has recognized the United States of America and concluded treaties with them.
14 March 1778 After four-and-a-half months, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) and his mother depart Mannheim for Paris.
Houdon’s bust of Christoph Willibald Gluck (63) is placed in the Paris Opéra, next to those of Jean-Baptiste Lully (†90) and Jean-Philippe Rameau (†13).
15 March 1778 The mortal remains of Thomas Augustine Arne are laid to rest in the churchyard of St. Paul’s, Covent Garden.
The British ambassador withdraws from Versailles.
16 March 1778 The British Parliament adopts Lord North’s plans for reconciliation with the colonies.
Voltaire’s tragedy Irène is produced at the Théâtre-Français, Paris. The 84-year-old philosopher is present, having returned last month from an exile of 27 years.
17 March 1778 Great Britain declares war on France.
18 March 1778 Prussia and Saxony conclude an alliance against Austria.
20 March 1778 King Louis XVI of France receives Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane at Versailles as representatives of an equal, sister nation. The treaties of 6 February are made public.
Georg Benda (55) resigns as Kapelldirector to Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Gotha.
22 March 1778 An Ottoman naval attack on Russian occupiers of Akhtiar, Crimea, is repulsed by shore batteries.
23 March 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) and his mother arrive in Paris from Mannheim.
26 March 1778 Ludwig van Beethoven (7) appears in concert for the first time, with his father and another child-student of his father, in the Academy Room on the Sternengasse, Cologne.
28 March 1778 Le jugement de Midas, an opéra-comique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (37) to words of d’Hèle after O’Hara, is performed for the first time, in the apartments of Mme de Montesson in the Palais Royal, Paris. See 27 June 1778.
4 April 1778 La Clemenza di Scipione, an opera seria by Johann Christian Bach (42) to words of an unknown author, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.
5 April 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) reports to his father from Paris that François Joseph Gossec (44) has been saying nice things about his music.
7 April 1778 In the middle of a speech in the House of Lords, in which he calls for conciliation with the American colonies, but not independence, former Prime Minister William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, collapses. He will die within a month.
8 April 1778 John Adams arrives in Paris replacing Silas Deane in the United States mission.
Antonio Salieri (27) departs Vienna to return to Italy for the first time in twelve years.
22 April 1778 30 men from USS Ranger raid Whitehaven, Cumbria, England spiking the guns of two forts and setting three ships on fire.
24 April 1778 Off Carrickfergus, Ireland, USS Ranger captures HMS Drake.
1 May 1778 The mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes home from Paris that she has had a toothache, sore throat and an earache for three weeks.
4 May 1778 L’amore soldato, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Sacchini (47) to words of Andrei after Tassi, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.
11 May 1778 William Pitt, Earl of Chatham dies in Hayes, Kent at the age of 60.
12 May 1778 The County of Reuss-Greiz becomes the Principality of Reuss-Greiz.
14 May 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes from Paris that he has been offered the post of organist at Versailles.
20 May 1778 Rinaldo ed Armida, a cantata by Johann Christian Bach (42), is performed for the first time, in Hanover Square Rooms, London.
26 May 1778 Thomas-Arthur, comte de Lally is formally vindicated by the French government twelve years after he was executed for the loss of Pondicherry. This act comes about largely through the efforts of Voltaire, who is presently near death.
La fête de village, an intermezzo by François-Joseph Gossec (44) to words of Desfontaines, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
30 May 1778 Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) dies in Paris at the age of 83. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) will write to his father from Paris, “That godless, archvillain Voltaire has pegged out like a dog, like an animal--that’s his reward.” (Abert 510)
3 June 1778 King George III assents to the Catholic Relief Act for England. Catholics may now buy and inherit land legally. No longer are priests liable to arrest on the word of a common informer.
4 June 1778 Arm’d with her native force, an ode by William Boyce (66) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time, to honor the birthday of King George III.
6 June 1778 A three-man commission headed by Frederick Howard, Earl of Carlisle arrives in Philadelphia. They have been sent by Prime Minister Lord North to try to reconcile the colonies to the crown.
11 June 1778 Les petits riens, a ballet mostly by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) to a scenario after Piccinni, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. Mozart composed 13 of the 20 numbers and the overture.
The mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) is attended by a physician in Paris who bleeds her to relieve her maladies.
12 June 1778 Maria Anna Mozart writes to her husband Leopold (58) that although she has pains in her arm and eyes, she is feeling fine.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) dates his Symphony K.297 in Paris and performs it tonight before a private audience at the home of Count Sickingen. See 18 June 1778.
13 June 1778 The Carlisle Peace Commission sends proposals for reconciliation from Philadelphia to the Continental Congress in York, Pennsylvania.
17 June 1778 The United States Congress rejects the British conciliation effort.
18 June 1778 After holding the city for nine months, British troops evacuate Philadelphia making for New York.
Symphony K.297 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) is performed publicly for the first time, at a Concert spirituel, Paris. It is “exceptionally successful.” (Abert, 507) Unfortunately, his mother is too ill to attend. See 12 June 1778.
19 June 1778 While in Paris with her son, Wolfgang Amadeus (22), Maria Anna Mozart takes to bed with what is probably typhoid fever.
United States troops enter Philadelphia. Benedict Arnold is appointed military governor.
24 June 1778 Fearful of French doctors, Maria Anna Mozart is seen by Dr. Franz Joseph Haina, a German doctor in Paris.
26 June 1778 Dr. Franz Joseph Haina informs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) that his mother will not recover from her illness. She has been in bed for a week.
27 June 1778 Le jugement de Midas, an opéra-comique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (37) to words of d’Hèle after O’Hara, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Théâtre Italien, Paris. See 28 March 1778.
The United States Congress adjourns in York, Pennsylvania.
28 June 1778 The Battle of Monmouth Courthouse takes place near Freehold, New Jersey 40 km east of Trenton. It is a pitched battle with heavy losses and an inconclusive result, although the British concede the field to the Americans.
2 July 1778 Jean-Jacques Rousseau dies in Ermenonville, France at the age of 66.
The United States Congress convenes in Philadelphia.
3 July 1778 Prussia declares war on Austria.
2230 The mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) dies in Paris, probably of typhoid fever. A few hours later, the composer writes to his father, telling him that Frau Mozart is very ill.
4 July 1778 0200 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to a family friend in Salzburg, Abbé Bullinger, informing him of his mother’s death.
Loyalists and Indians destroy Wyoming, Pennsylvania killing 360 militiamen.
American forces capture Kaskaskia (Illinois).
5 July 1778 Prussian troops enter Imperial territory in Bohemia near Náchod 130 km northeast of Prague.
6 July 1778 When news of the declaration of war on France reaches India, British forces occupy the French possession of Chandernagore.
8 July 1778 After an encounter between a French ship and a British ship off Brest results in the flight of the British and the grounding of the French, the French fleet is ordered to sea.
A French fleet arrives in Delaware Bay.
9 July 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to his father from Paris, “If only the confounded French language weren’t so damned impossible where music is concerned. It’s hopeless. German is divine in comparison. And then there are the singers! In fact, they shouldn’t be called singers at all, as they don’t sing but scream and howl at the tops of their voices.” (Abert, 499)
10 July 1778 France declares war on Great Britain.
13 July 1778 Abbé Bullinger informs Leopold Mozart (58) that his wife has died in Paris.
17 July 1778 The Continental Congress in York, Pennsylvania, in the person of its president Henry Laurens, responds negatively to the Carlisle Peace Commission, until the British government recognizes the independence of the United States of America.
20 July 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to his father from Paris, “Well, what are you hearing about the war? For the last three days I have been dreadfully sad and depressed. True, it doesn’t really concern me, but I am so sensitive, that I immediately feel interested in any matter. I hear that the Emperor has been defeated...Second, it was said that the King had attacked the Emperor and completely surrounded him and that if General Laudon had not come to his rescue with eighteen hundred cuirassiers, he would have been taken prisoner; that sixteen hundred cuirassiers had been killed and Laudon himself shot dead.. Today, however, I was told that the Emperor had invaded Saxony with forty thousand men; but I don’t know whether this is true...”
American forces take Vincennes (Indiana).
24 July 1778 Giovanni Paisiello’s (38) dramma giocoso Lo sposo burlato to words of Casti is performed for the first time, at the Russian Court, St. Petersburg.
27 July 1778 The British and French fleets engage 110 km off Ushant (Île d’Ouessant), at the westernmost tip of Brittany, resulting in the retirement of the British. 533 people are killed, 1203 wounded.
29 July 1778 Five-year-old Konstantine Alexander Joseph replaces Ludwig Otto Karl Prince of Salm-Salm under regency.
3 August 1778 L’Europa riconosciuta, a dramma per musica by Antonio Salieri (27) to words of Verazi, is performed for the first time, for the opening of Teatro alla Scala, Milan. The audience reaction is mixed. The theatre has been built to replace the Royal Ducal Theatre which burned down two years ago. It is named after Regina della Scala who built a church here in the 1300s.
8 August 1778 Canadians and Indians lay siege to Boonesboro (Kentucky).
9 August 1778 A hurricane hits Rhode Island damaging many French and British ships. The planned combined US-France attack on the British in Newport is abandoned.
17 August 1778 Ludwig Engelbert replaces Karl II as Duke of Aremberg.
20 August 1778 The siege of Boonesboro is lifted.
27 August 1778 Shortly after seeing Johann Christian Bach (42) in Paris for the last time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to his father saying “I love him (as you know) with all my heart and respect him highly; and as for him, there is no doubt that he has praised me, not only to my face, but to others also, not in an exaggerated way like some, but seriously, truly.”
31 August 1778 Leopold Mozart (58) writes to his son (22) in Paris informing him that the post of court organist in Salzburg is open.
1 September 1778 Kalafat Mehmed Pasha replaces Darendeli Cebecizade Mehmed Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
Elector Karl Philipp Theodor decrees that a national theatre be created in Mannheim with an annual court grant.
4 September 1778 A treaty of friendship and commerce is signed by representatives of the United States and the Netherlands.
7 September 1778 French forces capture the British island of Dominica in the Caribbean.
14 September 1778 British forces occupy St. Pierre and Miquelon.
The Continental Congress names Benjamin Franklin their sole minister to France. Hitherto, there has been a three-man team.
17 September 1778 Publication of two piano duets op.15 by Johann Christian Bach (43) is announced in the Public Advertiser in London.
18 September 1778 British forces capture the French outpost of Pondicherry, India.
26 September 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) departs Paris for Salzburg. One of his fellow travellers is a man who openly admits he suffers from “the French disease.”
12 October 1778 La partie de chasse, an opéra comique by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (32) to words of Desfontaines, is performed for the first time, at the Comédie-Italienne. It is a hit with audience and critics.
14 October 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) arrives in Strasbourg from Paris.
17 October 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) performs the first of three concerts in Strasbourg. They are well received but attendance is low.
24 October 1778 Christian Friedrich replaces Heinrich Ernst II as Count of Stolberg and Wernigerode.
27 October 1778 Joseph Haydn (46) sells his house in Eisenstadt. He lives at Esterháza most of the time.
2 November 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) writes to his father from Strasbourg, “Kapellmeister (Franz Xaver) Richter (68)...now lives very economically, for instead of forty bottles of wine a day he swills about twenty.” (Marshall, 351)
3 November 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) departs Strasbourg for Mannheim. His departure has been delayed by flooding.
6 November 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) reaches Mannheim on his way back to Salzburg from Paris.
The Lenoir Ordinance renews the prohibition of prostitution in France. However, if prostitutes insist on plying their trade they must not do so in public places. If they insist on public places, they must confine themselves to certain parts of Paris.
13 November 1778 Barely a month after the death of his son, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach (64) sends the manuscript for the first volume of Sechs Clavier-Sonaten für Kenner und Liebhaber to his publisher Breitkopf.
14 November 1778 Johann Nepomuk Hummel is born in Pressburg (Bratislava), the only child of Johannes Hummel, violinist and conductor, and Margaretha Sommer, widow of a wig maker.
20 November 1778 André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry’s (37) opéra-comique Les fausses apparences, ou L’amant jaloux, to words of d’Hèle after Centlivre is performed for the first time, at Versailles.
24 November 1778 L’avaro deluso, o Don Calandrino, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Sacchini (48) to words of Andrei after Bertati, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.
26 November 1778 On his second visit to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), Captain Cook reaches Maui.
27 November 1778 The Carlisle Peace Commission departs North America to return to Britain, having failed in their mission.
30 November 1778 Captain Cook reaches the island of Hawaii and marvels at the snow-capped mountains.
7 December 1778 Niccolò Piccinni’s (50) opera buffa La buona figliuola is performed at the Paris Opéra. It proves to be his greatest success in Paris. See 6 February 1760.
The Independent Ledger, Boston reports as “just published” the collection by William Billings (32) entitled The Singing Master’s Assistant.
8 December 1778 This is the approximate date of the appearance in Cheshire, Connecticut, of Andrew Law’s (29) first publication, the Select Harmony.
9 December 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) departs Mannheim on his way to Salzburg.
10 December 1778 John Jay replaces Henry Laurens as President of the Congress of the United States.
13 December 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) reaches the Abbey of Kaysersheim on his way back to Salzburg from Paris.
British forces land on St. Lucia.
14 December 1778 British forces capture Morne Fortune, the capital of St. Lucia, as well as all important ports on the island.
15 December 1778 French forces from Martinique land on St. Lucia.
17 December 1778 British and Indians retake Vincennes (Indiana) from the Americans.
18 December 1778 French forces attack the British at St. Lucia but are repulsed.
24 December 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) departs the Abbey of Kaysersheim making for Munich.
25 December 1778 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (22) reaches Munich on his way from Paris to Salzburg. He will lodge with the Weber family.
26 December 1778 Quinto Fabio, a dramma serio by Dmitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky (27) to words of Zeno, is performed for the first time, in the Court Theatre, Modena.
27 December 1778 La scuola de gelosi, a dramma giocosa by Antonio Salieri (28) to words of Mazzolà, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Moisè, Venice. The work achieves great success.
28 December 1778 French forces abandon St. Lucia and retire to Martinique.
29 December 1778 British and loyalists defeat hastily assembled Americans defending Savannah, Georgia. They take the town.
31 December 1778 Aloise Mocenigo IV, Doge of Venice, dies.
Ignaz Joseph Graf von Spaur replaces Leopold Maria Joseph Graf von Spaur as Prince-Bishop of Brixen.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
3 June 2012
Last Updated (Sunday, 03 June 2012 04:52)