This Week in
Music History
March 31
- 1685 Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (Mattheus-Passion) [OS 21 Mar], born in Eisenach, Germany (d. 1750)
- 1841 1st performance of Robert Schumann's 1st Symphony in B
- 1923 First dance marathon in New York City; Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hours with 6 different partners
March 31
April 1
- 1917 Scott Joplin, American ragtime composer (The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag), dies at 48
- 1930 "The Blue Angel" starring Marlene Dietrich in her breakthrough role premieres in Germany
April1
April 2
- 1800 1st performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 1st Symphony in C
- 1977 Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks
- 1987 "Mikado" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 46 performances
April 2
April 3
- 1922 Doris Day [Kappelhoff], American singer, animal welfare activist and actress known as the "girl next door" actress (Pillow Talk, The Man Who Knew Too Much), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1947 "Barefoot Boy with Cheek" opens at Martin Beck NYC for 108 performances
- 1954 "Me & Juliet" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 358 performances
- 1958 "Say, Darling" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 332 performances
- 1960 Elvis Presley records ‘It's Now Or Never’, ‘Fever’ and ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ at RCA studios in Nashville, Tennessee
April 4
- 1859 Opera "Dinorah" is produced (Paris)
- 1929 "New Moon" musical opens in London
- 1964 Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
April 4
April 5
- 1803 1st performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 2nd Symphony in D
- 1954 Elvis Presley records his debut single "That's All Right"
- 1965 37th Academy Awards: "My Fair Lady", Rex Harrison & Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) win awards
April 5
April 6
- 1937 Merle Haggard, country singer (Death Valley Days), born in Bakersfield, California (d. 2016)
- 1971 Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (Le Sacre du Printemps), dies of pneumonia at 88
- 1998 Tammy Wynette, American country singer, dies at 55
- 2016 Merle Haggard, American country music singer (Death Valley Days), dies at 79
April 6