1711 William Boyce baptized – English composer (d.1779); one of the most important English-born composers of the 18th century; best known for his set of eight symphonies, his anthems and his odes.
1786 Friedrich Kuhlau – German-born Danish composer (d.1832); immortalized in Danish cultural history through his music for Elves' Hill, the first true work of Danish National Romanticism.
1840 German composer Robert Schumann gives his fiancée, Clara Wieck, his new song-cycle, Liederkreis (literally, 'Song Cycle' Op 39) as a gift on the eve of their wedding.
1935 Arvo Pärt – Estonian composer (89 years old); since the late 1970s, has worked in a minimalist style using his self-invented compositional technique, tintinnabuli; his music also takes inspiration from Gregorian chant; often associated with the New Simplicity movement.
1951 premiere of Igor Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice, conducted by the composer; according to Opera America, one of the most frequently produced American operas