20 December:FERDINAND AVENARIUS = German poet and lyricist, relative of Richard Wagner = [died: 1923]
Timeline of Musical Events
January:EVAN JAMES and his son JAMES JAMES write the lyrics and music of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, which later becomes the Welsh national anthem.
23 March:RICHARD WAGNER completes the score of Die Walküre
15 May: Following his discovery of the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and his growing interest in Buddhist philosophy, WAGNER drafts a brief summary of a proposed Buddhist opera, called Die Sieger (The Victors). At about the same time he changes the ending of the Ring cycle, and changes the titles of Der junge Siegfried and Siegfried's Tod to Siegfried and Götterdämmerung respectively.
Undated:
Foundation of the Teatro de la zarzuela by FRANCISCO ASENJO BARBIERI.
In St Petersburg, Russia, MILY BALAKIREV (the leader) meets CÉSAR CUI, as the first 2 Russian composers of The Mighty Five.
The lyrics of the "Himno Nacional de El Salvador" are written by General JUAN JOSÉ CAÑAS; it becomes the National Anthem of El Salvador in 1953.
Published Popular Music
"Gentle Annie" = by STEPHEN FOSTER
"Darling Nelly Gray" = by BENJAMIN HANBY
Classical Music
WILLIAM B. BRADBURY
Esther, the Beautiful Queen (oratorio)
ANTONÍN DVORÁK
Polka Pomnenka
Opera
ALEXANDER DARGOMYZHSKY
Rusalka
AIMÉ MAILLART
Les Dragons de Villars
GIOVANNI PACINI
Margherita Pusterla
Musical Theatre
Opening: 22 February 1856 @ Laura Keene's Variety House, New York, NY