Music history, daily

On This Day in Music

Composers born, composers lost, and pieces that met the world for the first time — and every name here is playable in the library.

July 16

  • 1729Johann David Heinichen died — German composer and theorist. source 297 years ago
  • 1858Eugène Ysaÿe was born — Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor. source 168 years ago
  • 1904Goffredo Petrassi was born — Italian composer and conductor. source 122 years ago
  • 1912Amy Patterson was born — Argentine composer, singer, poet, and teacher. source 114 years ago
  • 1917Philipp Scharwenka died — German composer and educator. source 109 years ago
  • 1932John Chilton was born — English trumpet player and composer. source 94 years ago
  • 1954Herms Niel died — German soldier, trombonist, and composer. source 72 years ago
  • 1959James MacMillan was born — Scottish composer and conductor. source 67 years ago

Every entry is drawn from our source-cited composer biographies and piece notes — dates come from published references, not from memory. Browse any composer to read the full biography, or the library to play their music.

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