1700
Composers’ Lives and Careers
Sammartini born in Milan
Contemporary Events
Bach and Handel are 15 years old, Vivaldi is 12
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Sebastiano Ricci Venus and Cupid (c. 1700)
Historical Timeline: Spanish Steps
The life and careers of our featured composers and the contemporary events of the time. This timeline was prepared by Lynne Murray.
1732
Composers' Lives and Careers
Haydn born in Rohrau (Austria); Sammartini composes his first opera Memet
Contemporary Events
George Washington born in Virginia
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Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin Lady Sealing a Letter (c. 1732)
1743
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini born in Lucca
Contemporary Events
Handel’s oratorios Messiah and Samson premiére in London; Haydn is 11 years old
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Canaletto Rome, View of the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine (c. 1743)
1761
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini meets Gluck in Vienna
Contemporary Events
Earthquake in north Atlantic Ocean causes major damage to Lisbon and creates a tsunami with waves over two metres causing further damage along the coasts of Spain and England
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Joshua Reynolds David Garrick between Tragedy and Comedy (c. 1761)
1766
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini travels to Paris following his father's death
Contemporary Events
10-year-old Mozart returns with his family to Salzburg after their European tour
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Joseph Wright of Derby A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery (c. 1766)
1767
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini moves to Madrid
Contemporary Events
King of Spain issues decree expelling Jesuits from the dominions of the Spanish Empire
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Pompeo Batoni Portrait of Luigi Boccherini (c. 1764-1767)
1770
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini starts working for the infante Don Luis, brother of the King of Spain
Contemporary Events
Sammartini meets Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart in Milan, as well as music historian Charles Burney
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Artist unknown Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona (c. 1770)
1771
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini writes symphony La Casa del Diavolo
Contemporary Events
Premiére of Mozart’s opera Ascanio in Alba in Milan; Captain Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific comes to an end
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Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin Self-portrait in spectacles (c. 1771)
1772
Composers' Lives and Careers
Haydn writes Farewell symphony
Contemporary Events
Nitrogen discovered by Scottish scientist Daniel Rutherford; Mozart composes opera Lucio Silla
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George Stubb The Kongouro from New Holland (c. 1772)
1775
Composers' Lives and Careers
Sammartini dies in Milan
Contemporary Events
American Revolutionary War begins in Lexington and Concord
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John Trumbull The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill (c. 1775)
1777
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini moves to remote Spanish town with Don Luis
Contemporary Events
Stars and Stripes adopted as the American flag; Mozart resigns his position in Salzburg, falls in love with Aloysia Weber during his time in Mannheim
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Francisco Goya The Parasol (c. 1777)
1780
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini composes La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid (Night Music of the Streets of Madrid)
Contemporary Events
An anti-Catholic mob marches on the Parliament of Great Britain leading to riots; Mozart’s opera Idomeneo premieres in Munich
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Jacques-Louis David Saint Roch Interceding with the Virgin for the Plague-Stricken (c. 1780)
1782
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini composes Cello concerto in B-flat major, G 482
Contemporary Events
The Montgolfier brothers successful with first hot air balloon tests in Avignon
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Antonio Canova Theseus and the Minotaur (c. 1782)
1785
Composers' Lives and Careers
Infante of Spain dies. Boccherini stays in Spain but works remotely for his new employer King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia
Contemporary Events
First aviation disaster when a hot air balloon crashes causing a fire in Tullamore, Ireland
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George Romney Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante (c. 1785)
1788
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini composes Fandango as part of Guitar Quintet in D major, G 448
Contemporary Events
First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay; Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte premieres in Vienna
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Edmund Le Bihan Lithograph of the First Fleet entering Port Jackson, 26 January 1788 (c. 1888)
1791
Composers' Lives and Careers
Mozart dies in Vienna
Contemporary Events
Mozart's operas The Magic Flute and La clemenza di Tito premiered; Titanium is discovered in Cornwall by local amateur geologist and clergyman William Gregor
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Henri-Pierre Danloux The Baron de Besenval in his Salon de Compagnie (c. 1791)
1805
Composers' Lives and Careers
Boccherini dies in Madrid
Contemporary Events
Thomas Jefferson president of the United States; British navy defeats the French and Spanish in the Battle of Trafalgar; Beethoven’s 3rd symphony Eroica premieres in Vienna
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James Gillray The Plumb-pudding in danger (c. 1805)
