1576 baptism of Thomas Weelkes – English composer and organist (d.1623); best known for his vocal music, especially his madrigals and church music.
1815 Camillo Sivori – Italian composer & virtuoso violinist (d.1894); pupil of Nicolò Paganini.
1823 premiere of Carl Maria von Weber's opera Euryanthe in Vienna; acknowledged as one of Weber's most important operas, but rarely staged because of the weak libretto by Helmina von Chézy (who also wrote the failed play Rosamunde, for which Franz Schubert wrote music).
1825 Johann Strauss Jr – Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas (d.1899); known as ‘The Waltz King’, was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.
1838 Georges Bizet – French composer (d.1875); in a career cut short by an early death, achieved few successes did not live long enough to see his final work, Carmen, become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the entire repertory.
1864 Alexander Gretchaninov – Russian composer (d.1956); his vocal works achieved great success within Russia, and his instrumental works enjoyed even wider acclaim; by 1910, he was considered a composer of such distinction that the Tsar awarded him an annual pension; remained in Russia for several years after the Revolution, but ultimately emigrated, first to France and then, at the age of 75, to the United States where he remained the rest of his life.
1875 first performance of Peter Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Music Hall in Boston, by the orchestra of the Harvard Musical Association conducted by B.J. Lang, with Hans von Bülow as soloist.
1885 first performance of Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 4 in Meiningen with the composer conducting; last movement is notable as a rare example of a symphonic passacaglia; for the repeating theme, Brahms adapted the chaconne theme in the closing movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata No. 150.
1923 premiere of Darius Milhaud's La création du monde (The Creation of the World) in Paris; by the Ballets Suédois at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; influenced by Milhaud's exposure to American jazz during a 1922 trip to the US.
1949 first performance of Frank Martin's Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion & Strings by the orchestra of the Bern Musickgesellschaft; the work was immediately successful.
1971 Midori – Japanese American violinist (53 years old); made her debut at the age of 11 in a last-minute change of programming during a concert highlighting young performers by the New York Philharmonic; when she was 21, formed the philanthropic group Midori and Friends to help bring music to children in New York City; in 2007, selected as a UN Messenger of Peace.