Fascinating Facts of t.

he (The Early Period)

1770: 1, Marie Antoinette, 15, marries the future King Louis XVI; 2, Edward
Naime develops the widely-marketable rubber eraser, saving future
composers from having to either pour out their ideas perfected, like Mozart,
or waste a lot of extra paper, the start of an efficiency-improving and paper-
saving processes that modern composers have perfected by hardly ever
writing anything at all; 3, Publication of The System of Nature or, the Laws
of the Moral and Physical World, a radical materialistic work arguing
against God, free will, and the eternal soul. 4. Johann Gottfried Herder and
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe meet for the first time in France, and
presumably exchange sublime limericks.
1771: 1. Mozarts Patron Prince Archbishop Sigismund Christoph of
Schrattenback passes away, to be replaced by an artistically unenlightened
ruler; 2. The Battle of Alamance occurs between colonial militia and rebels
in what is now North Carolina. 3. Messier creates list of M-objects ,
celestial bodies, - typical of the catalogue classification based approaches
like Linnaeus ; 4. Spain releases control of the Falkland Isles to Britain.
1772: 1. In England,Enlightenment thinker and 1st Earl of Mansfield William
Murray rules against the legality of slavery in England, an important
decision though this did not immediately abolish slavery altogether; 2.
American revolutionaries attack, loot, and torch the British schooner
Gaspee when it runs aground off of Rhode Island. 3. Gustav III of Sweden
effectively restores monarchy, which had been subject to Parliament for 52
years prior. 4. Samuel Taylor Coleridge born on Oct 21st, grows up to be a
poet and philosopher.
1773: 1. The Parliament of GB passes the Tea Act, driving many Americans
to party; 2. Benji Franklin authors satirical Rules by Which A Great Empire
May Be Reduced To A Small One ; 3. James Burnett publishes The Origin
and Progress of Language, analyzing the structure of language from an
evolutionary perspective. 4. John Harrison creates first effective marine
chronometer for measuring time at sea.
1774: 1. An angry mob in Boston tars and feathers British loyalist John
Malcolm for striking a boy and shoemaker with his cane. 2. Louis XVI
becomes King of France on May10. 3. Britain orders Boston ports closed in
retaliation for their subversive and revolutionary behavior. 4. 1st Continental
Congress assembles in Philadelphia.
1775: 1. The American Revolution begins. 2. James Watts builds a
successful prototype of a steam engine. 3. Catherine the Great of Russia
orders that freed serfs can not be returned to serfdom. 4. John Wilkinson
invents and patents a new kind of boring machine, but I cant think of
anything exciting to say about it.
1776: 1. The drafting of the Declaration of Independence, wherein Thomas
Jefferson invented freedom. 2. Austria outlaws witch burnings and torture in
a progressive reform that is later reversed. 3. Adam Smiths The Wealth of
Nations sees publication. 4. Benjamin Franklin had a birthday this year.
1777: 1. Marquis de Lafayette land sin USA. 2. Vermont abolishes slavery.
3. France recognizes USA as independent. 4. Mozart leaves the
Tanzmeisterhaus to travel with his mother to Mannheim and Paris.
1778: 1. Mozarts mother dies in Paris. 2. King Louis XVI of France
declares War on Great Britain. 3. Beethoven gives his first public
performance at Cologne. 4. Voltaire crowned with laurel wreath.
1779: 1. Mozart returns to Salzburg alone, his mother dead, and takes up a
position as court organist. 2. Captain James Cook dies on his 3rd voyage,
after discovering almost everything. 3. The worlds first iron bridge is
erected in England, and leaves little budget room for creative titles. 4.
Benedict Arnold is courst marshalled; popularity of name Benedict never
recovers.
1780: 1.Jeremy Bentham writes a treatise on utilitarian ethics which is
printed in london. 2. Elizabeth Fry is born on May 21st. 3. Mozarts future
librettist Emanuel Schikaneders troupe appears in Salzburg for the first
time. 4. Beethoven studies music theory with Tobias Pfeiffer, an oboist
staying with the family.
1781: 1. Will Pit the Younger first enters Parliament. 2. Immanuel Kant
publishes The Critique of Pure Reason, an important philosophical work. 3.
Mozart moves to Vienna. 2. Beethoven travels to Rotterdam in autumn to
appear as a child prodigy performer. 3. The Iron Bridge opens for travellers.
4. Josef II abolishes serfdom.
1782: 1. Beethoven sits in as assistant court organist when Neefe leaves
Bonne. 2. Beethoven begins to teach piano. 3. Helene von Breuning &
family begins introducing beethoven to cultured society. 4. The preliminary
peace articles for the Treaty of Paris are signed, ending the American
revolutionary war.
1783: 1. Britain acknowledge American independence. 2. Neefe advertises
Beethovens prowess in Magizin der Musik. 3. George Washington
dismantles Newburgh Conspiracy. 4. The worlds first hydrogen-filled
balloon flies in Paris.
1784: 1. Experiments on Air, a paper revealing the composition of water is
published. 2. Britain receives its first imported goods from American post-
revolution (cotton bales... wonder how we were making THOSE so much
more cheaply...) 3. Mozarts piano concerto KV. 449 in Eb ushers in a two
year period of exceptional masterworks from this master. 4. A review in the
Musikalischer Almanack compares beethovens efforts with those of rank
beginners.
1785: 1. Mozarts Haydn string quartets are published. 2. The affair of the
necklace in France becomes apparent, Cardinal de Rohan arrested. 3. First
hot air balloon disaster burns down 100 houses. 4. Louis XVI mandates
legally that handkerchiefs be square.
1786: 1. Premier of The Marriage of Figaro. 2. Sir William Jones gives a
speech on the formal similarity of ancient languages, foreshadowing the
field of linguistic analysis 3. Grand Duke of Tuscany abolishes the death
penalty. 4. The last wolf in Ireland is hunted down and killed.
1787: 1. Beethoven meets and impresses 30-year old Mozart. 2.
Beethoven leaves Vienna upon learning of his mothers illness. Beethoven
exhibits signs of melancholia. 3. Freed slave Ottobah Cugoana publishes
his thoughts on the evils of slavery. 4. Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate
their slaves.
1788: 1. Day of the Tiles in France signals to some the start of the French
Revolution. 2. Count Waldstein arrives in Bonn. 3. Mozart completes his
two final symphonies, 40 and 41. 4. Frederick William issues a religious
edict forbidding ministers from teaching anything not contained in the letter
of their official books.
1789: 1. Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes publishes What Is The Third Estate?,
an influential pamphlet of the time. 2. George Washington is elected the
President of the United States. 3. National Assembly declares at the
Estates-General. 4. The storming of the Bastille on July 14.
1790: 1. Death of Josef II is followed by the reversal of his enlightenment
reform, and the operation of an oppressive secret police. 2. King Louis
accepts a constitutional monarchy. 3. Leopold II starts his rule as Holy
Roman Emperor. 4. Mozarts opera Cosi Fan Tutte premieres in Vienna.
1791: 1. Mozart dies. 2. Quakers petition the US Congress for abolition of
Slavery. 3. The French royal family is captured as they attempt to flee. 4.
Joseph Haydn awarded an honorary doctorate of music.
1792: 1. King Louis is arrested and taken into custody. 2. Thomas Paine
flees England amidst claims of treason. 3. Beethoven leaves Bonn for
Vienna, never to return. 4. Beethoven begins his studies with Haydn in
November.
1793: 1. Louis sentenced to death. 2. Reign of Terror begins. 3. Beethoven
began his secret counterpoint lessons with Schenk. 4. Paganini debuts at
age 11.
1794: 1. The French Republic abolishes slavery. 2. Translation of the
French Declarations of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. 3. El Whitney
patents cotton gin. 4. French forces defeat the Austrians at the Battle of
Fleurus.
1795: 1. Haydn returns to Vienna. 2. Sweden recognizes the French
Republic. 3. French republic annexes Austrian netherlands. 4. Birth of poet
John Keats. 5. Death of Louis XVII, age 10
1796: 1. Beethoven tours Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin. 2.
Vortigern and Rowena, a Shakespeare hoax, premiers and is derided by
the audience. 3. First Smallpox vaccination. 4. Jane Austen writes first draft
of Pride and Prejudice.
1797: 1. Birth of Schubert. 2. John Hetherington is arraigned for causing a
riot after wearing the first top hat in public.
1798: 1. Napoleon invades Egypt. 2. The US passes the Alien and Sedition
Act, liberty be damned. 3. Publication of Lyrical Ballads; 4. Publication of
An Essay on the Principle of Population.
1799: 1. Prime Minister William Pitt introduces the income tax. 2. New York
passes a law to abolish slavery in the state over time. 3. Captain Pierre
Bouchard finds the Rosetta stone. 4. Discovery of the yellow rock that later
led to the gold rush in North Carolina.
1800: 1. Ireland and Great Britain pass the act to unite them as one
Kingdom starting in 1801. 2. Napoleon invades Italy. 3. Beethoven premiers
his first symphony. 4. Volta invents first chemical battery.
1801: 1. Thomas Jefferson elected President of USA. 2. Punchcard loom
developed by Joseph-Marie Jacquard. 3. Benedict Arnold dies in London.
4. First census in Great Britain.
1802: 1. Beethoven premiers Moonlight Sonata. 2. French Protestants
become state-controlled. 3. Napoleon declared Counsel for life. 4.
Napoleon reinstated slavery in the French colonies.