Today in History

Today in Music History for Sept. 30: In 1791, Mozart's last opera, "The Magic Flute," was performed for the first time in Vienna. In 1935, singer Johnny Mathis was born in San Francisco.

Today in History for Sept. 30: In 1399, King Henry IV ascended the throne of England. He had usurped the crown from Richard II, beginning the Lancastrian dynasty and planting the seeds of the "Wars of the Roses.

Today in Music History for Oct. 14: In 1904, the McGill Conservatorium of Music was officially opened at the Montreal university.

Today in Music History for Oct. 9: In 1929, singing cowboy Gene Autry made his first recordings during a visit to New York. In 1937, Pat Burke, saxophonist and flutist with the mid-'60s British pop band "The Foundations," was born.

Today in Music History for Oct. 10: In 1813, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in Le Roncole. Among Verdi's major successes were "Rigoletto," produced in 1851, and "Il Trovatore" and "La Traviata," both staged in 1853. Verdi died in 1901.

Today in Music History for Oct. 11: In 1882, composer and music educator Nathaniel Dett was born in Drummondville, now Niagara Falls, Ont. Dett, who spent most of his life in the U.S., was dedicated to the cause of black music in America.

Today in Music History for Oct. 12: In 1609, "Three Blind Mice," believed to be the earliest printed secular song, was published in London.

Today in Music History for Oct. 13: In 1941, singer Paul Simon was born in Newark, N.J. Between 1962 and 1970, he and partner Art Garfunkel were the most popular duo in rock music. "Simon and Garfunkel's" No.

Today in Music History for Oct. 8: In 1931, conductor, violinist and music teacher Luigi von Kunits, the founder of the New Symphony Orchestra, died in Toronto at the age of 61. The New Symphony became the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927.

Celebrity Birthdays for Oct. 7: Quebec singer and songwriter Raymond Levesque is 89. Filmamker Graeme Ferguson, co-inventor of IMAX, is 88. Retired South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu is 86. Author Thomas Keneally is 82.