Antheil, Böske

Biographical Note

Entries refer to the activities of George Antheil unless otherwise specified.

• 1900 July 8: Born, Trenton, New Jersey
• 1906: Begins piano studies
• 1916: Begins studies in music theory and composition with Constantin von Sternberg in Philadelphia
• 1919: Begins studies in composition with Ernest Bloch in New York City
• 1920: Begins work on Symphony No. 1
• 1921: Meets Mary Louise Curtis Bok, who acts as his benefactress for nineteen years
• 1922: Embarks on European concert tour with stops in Budapest, Dresden, Munich, Vienna, and Berlin
• 1922: Meets Igor Stravinsky
• 1923: Moves to Paris, where he lives above Silvia Beach’s bookshop Shakespeare and Company
• 1925: First private performance of Ballet Mécanique is held at the Maison Pleyel
• 1925 November 4: Marries Böske Markus in Budapest
• 1926 June 19: First public performance of Ballet Mécanique at the Champs Elysées Theatre, with Vladimir Golschmann conducting
• 1927 April 10: American premiere of Ballet Mécanique at Carnegie Hall, produced by Donald Friede, with backdrops by Joseph Mullen
• 1928: Moves to Vienna to work on Transatlantic (originally titled Glare)
• 1930 May 25: Premiere of Transatlantic in Frankfurt
• 1933: Returns to the United States
• 1934 February 28: First performance of Helen Retires at Juilliard School of Music
• 1935: First synchronized film scores produced, including The Scoundrel and Once in a Blue Moon
• 1936: Antheil family settles in Hollywood, California
• 1937 June 8: Son Peter born in Los Angeles
• 1940s: Writes numerous articles for Esquire and other publications on various topics, including music, romance, endocrinology, and World War II, while also composing film scores
• 1944 February 13: Premiere of Symphony No. 4 by the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski
• 1945: Publication of autobiography, Bad Boy of Music
• 1953 December 27: Stage premiere of Capitol of the World at the Metropolitan Opera House, with choreography by Eugene Loring
• 1959 February 12: Dies of a heart attack in New York City

From the guide to the George and Böske Antheil Papers, circa 1875-1984, (bulk 1920-1958), (Music Division Library of Congress)