1785
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1 January 1785 The Russian Committee of Theatres terminates the contract of Giovanni Paisiello (44). His leave of absence ends today. The composer is presently in Italy.
John Walter begins publication of The Daily Universal Register in London. It will soon be known as The Times.
Delusive is the poet’s dream, an ode by John Stanley (72) to words of Whitehead, is performed for the first time.
3 January 1785 Baldassare Galuppi dies in Venice, aged 78 years, two months and 16 days. He mortal remains will be buried in the church of San Vitale.
7 January 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) achieves the second rank of Freemasonry: journeyman at the Lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht.”
John Jeffries, an American, and Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a Frenchman, cross from Dover to Calais in a balloon, the first to do so. To stay aloft, they are forced to eject all ballast, including their clothes. The only thing they save is a packet of mail, making this the first international air mail delivery.
10 January 1785 In an attack on the idea of pasticcio, an article in the London Morning Post advises a young composer at the King’s Theatre, Luigi Cherubini (24), to “collate less and compose more.” The next opera he conducts will be his own La finta principessa.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dates the score to his String Quartet K.464.
11 January 1785 The United States Congress convenes in New York City.
12 January 1785 Antigono, a dramma per musica by Giovanni Paisiello (44) to words of Metastasio, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples, to celebrate the birthday of King Ferdinando IV. In the wake of this success, Paisiello will approach the King for a regular stipend.
13 January 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) achieves the rank of Master Mason at the Lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht”, Vienna.
14 January 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dates the score to his String Quartet K.465.
15 January 1785 The six string quartets K.387, 421, 428, 458, 464 and 465 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (28) dedicated to Franz Joseph Haydn (52) are performed for the dedicatee in Mozart’s Vienna home. Mozart finished K.465 just yesterday. (Some sources say only 387, 421, and 458 are performed today) See 12 February 1785.
17 January 1785 An article appearing in The Gazeteer and New Daily Advertiser, London, laments the fact that Joseph Haydn (52), the “Shakepeare of Music”, is “doomed” to reside in Austria and suggests that the best thing for him would be to be kidnapped and brought to England.
25 January 1785 Panurge dans l’île des lanternes, a comédie lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (43) to words of Morel de Chédeville after Parfaict, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra.
28 January 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) leaves Salzburg to join his son in Vienna.
31 January 1785 Emperor Joseph II writes to the President of the Government of Lower Austria forbidding a planned performance of Le mariage de Figaro in Vienna.
3 February 1785 William Herschel’s groundbreaking On the Construction of the Heavens is read to the Royal Society in London. He suggests that the Milky Way is made up of individual stars, describes how star clusters form and he uses statistics for the first time to justify his theories.
The premiere performance of Johann Rautenstrauch’s translation of Beaumarchais’ Die Hochzeit des Figaro scheduled for today in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna is cancelled. Emperor Joseph II has personally forbidden its production until objectionable sections are excised.
7 February 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) departs Munich with his pupil, Heinrich Marchand, heading for Vienna.
11 February 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) makes formal application to join the Tonkunstler-Societät in Vienna. It will come to nothing.
Leopold Mozart (65) arrives in Vienna to visit his son and daughter-in-law.
Joseph Haydn (52) is admitted to Freemasonry in a ceremony at Lodge “zur wahren Eintracht”, Vienna. After today, Haydn never again attends a Freemason meeting. WA Mozart (29) does not attend as he is giving the first of his six subscription concerts at the Vienna Casino. His Piano Concerto no.20 K.466 is performed for the first time, the composer at the keyboard. His father is in attendance.
12 February 1785 At a party in Vienna given by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) in honor of Franz Joseph Haydn (52), three of the six string quartets dedicated to Haydn are performed, possibly for the first time. Haydn informs Leopold Mozart (65) that “I tell you before God and as an honest man, that your son is the greatest composer I know, either personally or by reputation. He has taste and apart from that, the greatest knowledge of composition.” See 15 January 1785.
13 February 1785 Piano Concerto no.18 K.456 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is performed for the first time, in Vienna, the composer at the keyboard, before Emperor Joseph II and Leopold Mozart (65).
17 February 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) dines at the Vienna home of Caecilia Weber, Constanze’s mother, who he meets for the first time. Also present are Wolfgang (29) and Constanze and two others.
22 February 1785 British Prime Minister William Pitt introduces the Irish Resolutions to the House of Commons in an attempt to liberalize trade between England and Ireland.
6 March 1785 An article written by Beaumarchais in the Journal de Paris, in which he censures his noble and clerical critics in withering terms, is brought to the attention of King Louis XVI. The King orders the imprisonment of the playwright, but not in the Bastille. Beaumarchais is carried off to a facility for juvenile delinquents.
7 March 1785 Joseph Black reads the first part of Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land upon the Globe by his friend James Hutton to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Hutton postulates uniformitarianism, that is, the present surface of the earth is a result of long ages of uniform change, mostly under the sea, rather than catastrophic events.
Giovanni Paisiello (44) is informed that King Ferdinando IV of Naples has awarded him an annual stipend of 1,200 ducats for the rest of his life in return for one opera per year for Teatro San Carlo and other occasional music.
10 March 1785 Thomas Jefferson is appointed Minister to France from the United States, replacing Benjamin Franklin.
Piano Concerto no.21 K.467 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is performed for the first time, at the Burgtheater, Vienna.
12 March 1785 The General Chamber of Manufacturers announce its opposition to the entirety of Prime Minister William Pitt’s Ireland policy.
13 March 1785 Davidde penitente K.469, an oratorio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) to words by da Ponte, is performed for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna.
I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me, We Will Go Into The House Of Ye Lord, an anthem by William Billings (38), is performed for the first time, in First Church, Boston.
15 March 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) applies for a second time for acceptance into the Tonkunstler-Societät, Vienna.
28 March 1785 Domenico Cimarosa (35) is promoted to the post of second organist at the Royal Chapel, Naples. He now receives a salary.
2 April 1785 La finta principessa, an opera buffa by Luigi Cherubini (24) to words of Livigni, is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London.
4 April 1785 Edmund Cartwright receives a British patent for a power loom.
James Hutton reads the second part of his Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land upon the Globe to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
5 April 1785 Hellsteigenter Tag, a cantata by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (49) to words of Petrack, is performed for the first time, in Melk.
6 April 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) is initiated into the Freemasons at the Lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht” in Vienna.
14 April 1785 Violin Concerto in B flat by Samuel Wesley (19) is performed for the first time, in London, the composer as soloist.
15 April 1785 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (70) sends the manuscript of Clavier-Sonaten und Freye Fantasien nebst einigen Rondos für Fortepiano für Kenner und Liebhaber to his publisher Breitkopf.
16 April 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) achieves the Journeyman Degree of Freemasonry at the Lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht” in Vienna. It is possible that the Lied zur Gesellenreise “Die ihr einem neuen Grade” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is premiered on this occasion.
22 April 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) becomes a Master Mason in Vienna.
24 April 1785 Friedrich Franz I replaces Friedrich the Pious as Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (29) cantata Die Maurerfreude K.471 to words of Petran is performed for the first time, at Lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht”, Vienna.
25 April 1785 Leopold (65), Wolfgang Amadeus (29) and Constanze Mozart go to Burkerstorf (Purkersdorf), twelve km from Vienna, for lunch. Wolfgang and Constanze return to Vienna while Leopold goes on to Salzburg. Father and son will never see each other again.
30 April 1785 Sahin Ali Pasha replaces Halil Hamid Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
12 May 1785 A greatly revised bill embodying the Irish Resolutions passes the British Parliament. It is so compromised it will be rejected by the Irish Parliament.
15 May 1785 Leopold Mozart (65) arrives in Salzburg from Vienna.
20 May 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) dates the score to his Fantasia for piano K.475.
21 May 1785 Three Sonatas for harpsichord or piano by Leopold Kozeluch (37) are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
23 May 1785 Benjamin Franklin writes from Passy, France about the success of the bifocal lenses he recently invented.
24 May 1785 Armide, an opera by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (25) to words of Bock after Bertati, is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
26 May 1785 The six piano sonatas op.13 by Muzio Clementi (33) are registered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
27 May 1785 A Concerto for harpsichord or piano by William Crotch (9) is performed for the first time, in London.
30 May 1785 Ifigenia in Aulide, an opera by Ignaz Pleyel (27) to words of Zeno, is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Carlo, Naples for the name day of King Ferdinando IV.
1 June 1785 Former revolutionary John Adams presents himself to King George III as the first minister from the United States of America to the Court of St. James. It goes well.
4 June 1785 Amid the thunder of war, an ode by John Stanley (73) to words of Warton, is performed for the first time, to honor the birthday of King George III.
6 June 1785 Giovanni Carlo Pallavicini replaces Giovanni Battista Airoli as Doge of Genoa.
15 June 1785 The first fatalities in aviation history are recorded when the balloon of Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Pierre de Romain precipitously deflates as they attempt to cross the English Channel. They crash near Wimereux, near Calais.
1 July 1785 Birmingham physician William Withering dates the preface to his book An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses. He describes digitalis as the active ingredient in foxglove and describes his treatment of heart patients with this drug.
6 July 1785 Peter Friedrich Ludwig Duke of Holstein-Gottorp replaces Friedrich August Duke of Holstein-Gottorp as Prince-Bishop of Lübeck. Wilhelm replaces him as Duke of Oldenburg under the regency of Peter Friedrich Ludwig.
23 July 1785 King Friedrich II of Prussia forms the North German League to oppose the plan of Emperor Joseph II to exchange Bavaria for the Austrian Netherlands.
7 August 1785 Infante Don Luis of Spain, employer of Luigi Boccherini (42), dies shortly after the death of Boccherini’s wife. The two losses cause severe depression in the composer.
15 August 1785 Just over a year after the original assignation, the Queen’s Necklace Affair is brought into the open. Immediately before he is to say Assumption Day mass, Cardinal de Rohan is detained and brought before King Louis to be questioned by him personally. He is placed in the Bastille. The Cardinal purchased a diamond necklace worth 1,600,000 livres in the name of Queen Marie Antoinette. He has been duped by his mistress Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, Madame de La Motte who has been taking money from him in the name of the Queen.
24 August 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is informed that his petition of 15 March for acceptance into the Vienna Tonkunstler-Societät has been deferred until he can produce a baptismal certificate. He will never be accepted.
25 August 1785 Emperor Joseph II extends his abolition of serfdom to Hungarian lands.
The Salon of 1785 opens at the Louvre in Paris. It contains Jacques-Louis David’s The Oath of the Horatii.
1 September 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) writes the dedication to the publication of his “Haydn” (53) string quartets (K.387, 421, 428, 458, 464, 465): “A father, having resolved to send his sons into the great world, finds it advisable to entrust them to the protection and guidance of a highly celebrated man, the more so since this man, by a stroke of luck, is his best friend.--Here, then, celebrated man and my dearest friend, are my six sons.”
Andrew Law’s (36) new singing school opens “opposite the brick Presbyterian church” in New York City.
10 September 1785 A commercial treaty is signed between Prussia and the United States.
17 September 1785 Publication of the six “Haydn” (53) quartets of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.
28 September 1785 Suddenly unemployed, Luigi Boccherini (42) petitions King Carlos III of Spain for a job.
6 October 1785 Giovanni Paisiello’s (45) cantata Il ritorno di Perseo, to words of Serio, is performed for the first time, at the Accademia degli Amici, Naples.
12 October 1785 La grotta di Trofonio, an opera comica by Antonio Salieri (35) to words of Casti, is performed publicly for the first time, at the Burgtheater, Vienna. It has been performed already at the Castle of Laxenburg.
Die Weinlese, a singspiel by Johann Schenk (31) to words of Wiest, is performed for the first time, in Theater in der Leopoldstadt, Vienna.
13 October 1785 Thémistocle, a tragédie lyrique by François-André Danican-Philidor (59) to words of Morel de Chédeville, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.
16 October 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) dates his Piano Quartet K.478.
A singspiel company, revived by Emperor Joseph II, gives its first performance, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.
18 October 1785 François-André Danican-Philidor’s (59) opéra-comique L’amitié au village to words of Desforges (pseud. of Choudard) is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.
26 October 1785 At Esterháza Palace, Kapellmeister Joseph Haydn (53) receives a visit from General Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan revolutionary who is carrying letters for him. Haydn gives him a tour of the palace.
31 October 1785 Friedrich II, Duke of Hesse-Kassel, dies and is succeeded by his son Wilhelm IX.
2 November 1785 Pénélope, a tragédie lyrique by Niccolò Piccinni (57) to words of Marmontel, is performed for the first time, at Fontainebleau.
8 November 1785 The Treaty of Fontainebleau is signed. The Netherlands recognizes Emperor Joseph’s sovereignty over part of the Scheldt River. Joseph gives up claims to Maastricht, renounces his right to free navigation of the Scheldt outside his lands, in return for 10 million guilders.
10 November 1785 An alliance is signed between France and the Netherlands.
17 November 1785 The Masonic Funeral Music K.477 for winds and strings by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) is performed, possibly for the first time, in memory of Duke Georg August zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Count Franz Esterházy von Galántha, in Vienna.
22 November 1785 A ceremony opening the new Hermitage Theatre takes place in St. Petersburg. Designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, it will not be finished for two years.
23 November 1785 King Carlos III of Spain agrees to give Luigi Boccherini (42) the first cello position to open and to support him in the interim.
John Hancock replaces Richard Henry Lee as President of the Congress of the United States.
28 November 1785 Two vocal ensembles by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) to words of Bertati are performed for the first time, as part of Francesco Bianchi’s La villanella rapita in the Vienna Burgtheater: the quartet Dite almeno in che mancai K.479 and the terzetto Mandina amabile K.480.
9 December 1785 Martinho de Melo e Castro replaces Aires de Sá e Melo as Secretary of State (prime minister) of Portugal.
11 December 1785 Fearing the power of the Masons, Emperor Joseph II reduces the number of Viennese lodges from eight to three. The lodge “Zur gekrönten Hoffnung”, including member Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29), is merged with two others, “Zur Wohlthätigkeit” and “Zu den drei Feurern” to form the new lodge “Zur Neugekrönten Hoffnung.”
16 December 1785 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (29) dates the score to his Piano Concerto no.22 K.482 and his Violin Sonata K.481 in Vienna.
20 December 1785 Anton replaces Karl Friedrich as Count and Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, under regency.
24 December 1785 Publication of Two Symphonies in D and B flat B.126-127 by Ignaz Pleyel (28) is announced in the Berlinische Nachrichten.
26 December 1785 The Religious Freedom Act is passed in Virginia, ending religious tests.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
4 June 2012
Last Updated (Monday, 04 June 2012 04:46)