Music History on April 13

Messiah

1742 George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" performed for the 1st time at New Music Hall in Dublin

1896 John Philip Sousa's "El Capitan" premieres at the Tremont Theatre in Boston

1957 Musical "Shinbone Alley", starring Eartha Kitt, opens at Broadway Theater NYC; runs for 49 performances
1958 Classical pianist Van Cliburn (23) is the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, USSR
1961 "Carnival!" opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 719 performances
1965 7th Grammy Awards: "The Girl From Ipanema", The Beatles win
1965 The Beatles record their single "Help!"

1970 5th Academy of Country Music Awards: Merle Haggard and Tammy Wynette win

1970 Greek composer and counter-revolutionary Mikis Theordorakis freed from Oropos concentration camp, and allowed to be exiled to France
1980 Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's musical "Grease" closes at Majestic Theatre, NYC, after 3,388 performances (including Broadhurst and Royale Theatre runs)
1980 Musical "Reggae", starring Philip Michael Thomas, closes at Biltmore Theater, NYC, after 21 performances
1989 "Welcome to the Club" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 12 performances
1992 "2 Trains Running" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC for 160 performances
1993 "3 Men on a Horse" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 40 performances
1997 "American Daughter" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 88 performances

2000 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin, Billy Joel, Gladys Knight, Percy Sledge, Tom Jones, Martha Reeves, Macy Gray, Sam Moore, and The Impressions

2002 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Nina Simone, Smokey Robinson, Lulu, Patti Labelle, Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Beck, Wynonna Judd, and Rebecca Del Rio