1875 in music

Events

January 5 – Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, designed by Charles Garnier, opens as the Salle des Capucines.

March 3 – Georges Bizet's opera Carmen debuts, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.

May 6 – Richard Wagner conducts portions of Götterdämmerung in concert in Vienna (the complete opera is premiered in 1876).

October 25 – The first performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 is given in Boston, Massachusetts, with Hans von Bülow as soloist.

Robert Volkmann becomes professor of harmony and counterpoint at the National Academy of Music in Budapest, under Franz Liszt.

Composer Zdeněk Fibich marries operatic contralto Betty Hanušová, sister of his first wife Růžena Hanušová.

Published popular music

"Angels, Meet Me At the Cross Road"     w.m. Will Hays

"Carve Dat Possum" by Sam Lucas & Herbert Hershy

"Dreaming Forever of Thee"      w.m. John Hill Hewitt

"I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"     w.m. Thomas P. Westendorf

"Nancy Lee" w. Frederic Edward Weatherly, m. Stephen Adams (pseudonym of Michael Maybrick)

"A Warrior Bold" w. Edwin Thomas m. Stephen Adams (pseudonym of Michael Maybrick)

"The Witches Flight (Galop Caprice)" by Henry M. Russell

Classical music

Johannes Brahms, Fifteen Liebeslieder for piano duet; String Quartet No. 3

Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 5; Serenade for Strings; String Quintet (with double bass) (orig Op. 18); Piano Quartet in D; Piano Trio in Bb; Moravian duets (for voices and piano)

Gabriel Fauré, Allegro Symphonique (for orchestra); Suite for Orchestra; Les Djinns (for chorus and orchestra)

Edvard Grieg, incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt

Édouard Lalo, Allegro Symphonique

Jules Massenet, oratorio Eve

Modest Mussorgsky, Pesni i plyaski smerti (Songs and Dances of Death), song cycle for bass voice and piano

Amilcare Ponchielli, cantata A Gaetano Donizetti

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, String Quartet No. 1

Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 3; ballet Swan Lake

Camille Saint-Saëns – Piano Concerto No. 4

Má vlast (My Country) – Six symphonic poems by Bedřich Smetana

Opera

Carmen first performed in Paris. Music by Georges Bizet and libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.

Die Königin von Saba, music by Karl Goldmark and libretto by Salomon Mosenthal.

Angelo, music by César Cui

Musical theater

Gilbert & Sullivan – Trial By Jury

London production opens at the Royalty Theatre on March 25

Philadelphia production opens at the Arch Street Theatre on October 22

The Zoo, Lyrics and Book: Bolton Rowe Music: Arthur Sullivan, London production opened at St. James Theatre on June 5

Births

February 2 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1962)

February 8 – Georgette Leblanc, operatic soprano (d. 1941)

February 26 – Richard Wetz, German composer

February 28 – Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, Slovak composer

March 7 – Maurice Ravel, French composer

April 4 – Pierre Monteux, French conductor (d. 1964)

April 5 – Mistinguett, actress and singer (d. 1956)

May – Paul Sarebresole, ragtime composer (d. 1911)

July 17 – Donald Tovey, composer and musicologist (d. 1940)

August 9 – Albert Ketèlbey, composer (d. 1959)

August 18 – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, composer (d. 1912)

Deaths

January 25 – Leopold Jansa, violinist, composer and music teacher (b. 1795)

February 1 – William Sterndale Bennett, composer (b. 1816)

February 23 – Louise Michaëli, opera singer (b. 1830)

March 3 – Adolf Reubke, organ builder (b. 1805)

March 15 – Christian Julius Hansen, composer (b. 1814)

March 17 – Ferdinand Laub, violinist (b. 1832)

March 19 – Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, violin maker (b. 1798)

May 2 – Matthias Durst, violinist and composer (b. 1815)

June 3 – Georges Bizet, composer (b. 1838) (heart attack)

September 15 – Louise Farrenc, pianist and composer (b. 1804)

September 24 – William Walker, songwriter (b. 1809)