Classical Music and American History

By smithlw

  • The First Great Classical Piece

    Haydn composes a Triptych (Morning, Noon, and Evening) fully in the new classical style, regarded as the “first great” Classical piece.

  • Boston Massacre

    British militants open fire on a group of protesting colonizers, causing a violent conflict.

  • Haydn’s Opus 20

    Haydn releases his Opus 20 set of six string quartets, which many regard as the beginning of the “mature” Classical era.

  • The Boston Tea Party

    Colonists disguised as Native Americans sneak aboard a British ship and throw crates of tea overboard to protest new taxes placed by the British government.

  • Mozart Arrives in Vienna

    Mozart moves to Vienna to continue his musical career.

  • General Cornwallis Surrenders to Washington

    British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to American general George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia. This was in the midst of the Revolutionary War, which began in 1775 and ended in 1783.

  • Luigi Cherubini Publishes Lodoiska

    Composer Luigi Cherubini moved to Paris in 1788 and wrote and published the opera Lodoiska in 1791, the opera which rose him to fame.

  • Beethoven Enters the Scene

    Beethoven releases his first music, a set of three piano trios which are still held in high regard.

  • The Capital of the U.S. is Relocated

    The capital of the United States is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.

  • Thomas Jefferson Becomes President

    Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third President of the United States.

  • The Viennese School

    The term “Viennese School” is coined by Raphael Georg Kiesewetter, a musicologist, to describe music written by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.

  • Texas Declares Independence

    The region of Texas declares its independence from the country of Mexico.