NOTE: updates to this page have been discontinued; it has been superseded by this page
Chronology 1876-1914

 

Composition dates are in white, whilst dates of performance and publication are in yellow
Events in Brian's life are shown in pink, and other events relating to Brian in blue
Other musical events in green
Songs are not usually individually identified, see Songs by date for titles and details

1876-1914 . 1915-1944 . 1945-1972 . 1973- 

29 January 1876 William Havergal Brian is born at 35 Ricardo Street, Dresden
Berlioz died 7 years ago, Beethoven 49 years ago, Byrd 253 years ago;
Bruckner is 52 and writing his fifth symphony, Brahms is 43 and finishing his first, Stanford is 24, Elgar 19, Mahler 16, Delius 14, Strauss 12, Vaughan Williams 4, Holst 2
1876 0 First performance of Das Ring der Nibelungen at Bayreuth
1879 3 Starts at village school
1882 6 Igor Stravinsky born
1886 10 St James Parish School , Longton
1888 12 Leaves school.   Starts work at a colliery weighing coal trucks
1889 13 Leaves colliery.   Becomes apprentice joiner, later a railway office boy
Deputy organist at St James
?1892 16 Composes Canadian boat song - now lost
1892 16 Organist Holy Trinity Church, Meir.  Joins men's choir.  Plays violin in various local orchestras
1895 19 HB's paternal grandfather, Benjamin the tailor, dies aged 86
?1895 - 96 19 - 20 Writes four songs - now lost
1896 - 1902 20 - 26 Organist Odd Rode Parish Church
?1896 20 Composes Anthem - now lost
1896 20 Bruckner dies
1897 21 Brahms dies
c1899 21 Composes Requiem - now lost
3 April 1899 23 Marries Isabel (Belle) Alice Priestley
August 1899 23 HB's grandmother Mary Watson dies
22 October 1899 23 First child born - Sterndale Harold Benedict Brian - named after Sterndale Bennett
1900 24 Joins James Alcock's orchestra played cello
c1900-02 24 Composes Tragic prelude for orchestra - now lost
15 March 1900 24 Death of HB's father, Benjamin Brian - of acute pleurisy aged 48
May 1901 25 Death of grandmother - Hannah Brian - aged 90
17 June 1901 25 Birth of second child - Hector William Brian - named after Hector Berlioz
?1902-03 23 Composes Pantalon and Columbine, a short orchestral piece.  Will use it for movements 2 & 3 of English Suite 1
?1902-04 28 - 30 Composes English suite 1, incorporating Pantalon and Columbine (?1902-03) as movements 2 and 3  
18 April 1902 26 Death of second child - Hector William Brian - of tubercular peritonitus
20 September 1902  26 Birth of third child - Margery Isabelle Brian
1903   27 Leaves job at timber yard.  Becomes traveller for another timber merchant and will stay until 1910
?1903-04 27 - 28 Composes Legende for orchestra - now lost
?1903-04 28 Composes movements for string quartet, now lost
1903 27 Composes partsong Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
September 1903 27 Completes Burlesque variations on an original theme, 'composed spring and summer 1903', Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.  Full score later lost, will be rediscovered 1974
19 December 1903 27 Birth of another son - George Halford Brian - named after the Birmingham conductor who formed the Halford orchestra
1904-06 29 - 30 Composes Hero and Leander, symphonic poem for orchestra;  [full] score later lost by Sir Thomas Beecham
?1904-06 28 - 30 Composes three songs : Sorrow song, The message, Farewell
1904 28 Composes For valour, concert overture for orchestra;  will revise in 1906
c1904 28 Composes Psalm 23.  Full score later lost, will be reconstructed in 1945
1 January 1905 - February 1908 28 - 32 Critic on Musical World until the paper folds in February 1908
January 1905 28 Michael Tippett born
1905 29 Elgar invites HB to show him an orchestral work - Psalm 23
1905 29 Songs The message, Farewell performed
1905 29 Composes By the waters of Babylon;   will revise in 1909
1905 29 Composes partsong Stars of a summer night
1 September 1905 29 Elgar invites HB to Three Choirs Festival
Made Freeman of the city of Worcester
January 1906 29 Composes three songs for tenor and piano, If I could speak, When I lie ill, Day and night, (all Cumberland)
c mid Jan1906 - April 1907 30 Composes work for cello and piano - now lost
1906 30 Revises For valour
1906 30 Composes three songs for tenor and piano, texts Cumberland
1906 30 Composes songs, now lost, and six partsongs
1906 30 Composes Carmilhan, dramatic ballad for soli, chorus, orchestra - now lost
6 February 1906 30 Composes song, Soliloquy upon a dead child (Cumberland), Stoke-on-Trent
3 July 1906 30 Composes song, A faery song (Yeats), Stoke-on-Trent
October 1906 30 Meets Granville Bantock shortly after hearing premiere of Omar Khayyam Part 1 at Birmingham Triennial Festival
?1906-07 30 - 31 Composes Let God arise for soli, chorus, orchestra (Psalm 68) - now lost
1907 31 Composes scherzo and slow movement for orchestra - originally the middle movements of Fantastic Symphony - now lost
12 January 1907 30 Brian conducts performance of English suite 1 in Leeds
7 March 1907 31 3 movements of English suite 1 are performed in Hanley
18 April 1907 31 Brian conducts Hanley performance of By the waters of Babylon
1907 31 Performance  in Hanley of work for cello and piano (1906)
24 April 1907 31 Performance   in Broadwood's Studios, London of work for cello and piano (1906)
August 1907 31 Composes Fantastic variations on an old rhyme for orchestra - at that time the first movement of Fantastic Symphony, HB's original first symphony, later (1967) to be demoted
12 September 1907 31 Sir Henry Wood conducts English suite 1 at the Proms
8 October 1907 31 Sir Henry Wood conducts For valour at the Proms
24 March 1907 31 Birth of another son - Dennis Brian - Isabel's last child
7 July 1907 31 Completes The vision of Cleopatra (Cumberland) for soli, choruses and orchestra, Stoke-on-Trent.   Vocal score published, full score now lost
18 January 1908 31 Bantock conducts English suite 1 in Liverpool
1908-09 33 Composes The soldier's dream for orchestra, or voices and orchestra - now lost
1908-09 33 Composes work for chorus and orchestra- now lost
c 1908 32 Arranges JS Bach's cantata 34 »O ewiger Feuer« for tenor and piano - now lost
August 1908 32 Completes Festal dance,  originally the fourth and last movement of Fantastic Symphony, Stoke-on-Trent
1908 32 Composes partsong Fairies' song (Cumberland)
3 December 1908 32 Beecham conducts Hero and Leander in Hanley
1909 - 1913 33 - 36 Sponsored by Herbert Minton Robinson, Secretary of the bone china firm Minton
27 February 1909 33 Bantock conducts English suite 1 in Liverpool
1909 33 Revises By the waters of Babylon.  FS now lost
25 September 1909 33 By the waters of Babylon performed in Liverpool
14 October 1909 33 The vision of Cleopatra performed at the Southport Festival
3 January 1910 33 Composes song Why dost thou wound and break my heart? (Herrick)
3 January 1910 33 Completes The mad maid's song (Herrick), mezzo and pno (or orch?),  Stoke-on-Trent - orch score now lost
6 January 1910 33 Composes song The night piece, tenor and pno (or orch?), Stoke-on-Trent - orch score now lost
1910 34 Composes partsong Daybreak (Longfellow)
27 October 1910 34 Completes In memoriam, Trentham
1911-12 35 - 36 Composes Doctor Merryheart (Comedy overture 1), Trentham
27 June 1911 35 For valour is given at the Festival of Empire, Crystal Palace
1911 35 Gustav Mahler dies
1912 36 Composes three Herrick partsongs, SSAA and orch, one now lost
14 February 1912 36 Beecham conducts For valour in Birmingham
April 1912 36 North Staffordshire performance of For valour
1913-14 37 - 38 Composes Pilgrimage to Kevlaar (Heine), ballad for chorus and orch - now lost
3 January 1913 36 Birmingham performance of Dr Merryheart
1913 37 Benjamin Britten born
7 October 1913 37 Sir Henry Wood conducts  Dr Merryheart at the Proms
1913 37 In memoriam published
1914 38 Composes The maiden and the flower garden (Cumberland), children's operetta for voices and piano - now lost
1914 38 Composes Three dances - arranged from The maiden and the flower garden (1914) - now lost
1914 38 Composes many songs and partsongs (in addition to those listed below)
2 January 1914 37 Composes partsong Grace for a child (Herrick)
c 15 January 1914 37 Composes unison song with piano, What does little birdie say? (Tennyson)
c February 1914 38 Composes unison song with piano, Robin redbreast
late March - April 1914 30 Composes unacc partsong, The sands of Dee (Kingsley)
mid April 1914 30 Composes male unacc partsongs, Legend of Altenahr, Meg Merrilies, female unacc partsong, The owl, unison song The mountain and the squirrel
25 April 1914 30 Composes unacc partsong, Clown's song (Shakespeare)
end April 1914 30 Composes unison song, Piping down the valleys wild (Blake)
1 May 1914 38 Composes unison song, The chimney sweeper (Blake)
7 May 1914 38 Commences Red May, military march for orchestra - now lost
15 May 1914 38 Completes Red May
mid-late May 1914 38 Composes unison song, The little black boy (Blake)
late May 1914 38 Composes unison song, The blossom (Blake)
early June 1914 38 Composes partsong, Summer has come, little children (Cumberland)
6 or 7 June 1914 38 Composes unison song, The fly (Blake)
?7 June 1914 38 Composes partsong, The dream (Blake)
25 August 1914 38 Private Number 1546 No 1 Company of Honorable Artillery Company. Finsbury, East London
26 November 1914 38 Brian conducts a Bournemouth perormence of English suite 1
December 1914 38 Bantock premieres Festal dance, Birmingham

continued  >

Credits   for this chronology

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