On this date, two great composers were born, one unjustly infamous one died and two masterpieces of yet another had their first performances. Two were German, one was Italian who spent most of his life in Vienna and was considered a German composer; the fourth was Russian.

Johannes Brahms was born May 7, 1833 in Hamburg. His father was a musician and gave his son musical training from the age of seven. As a teenager, Johannes added to the family’s modest income by playing the piano in restaurants and theaters. He had his first piano concert tour at age 19. He also conducted choirs.

Some Brahms’ compositions first came to public attention during a concert tour in 1853. It was the 1868 premiere of his “German Requiem,” however, that brought him fame as a Romantic composer. Many works he had begun earlier were completed after that: piano concertos, four symphonies and many others. He had settled in Vienna in the late 1860s and died there in 1897.

Half a continent away, in Votkinsk, Russia, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on this date in 1840. His goal was to write music that was distinctly Russian, but with a high enough professional standard to be accepted by European audiences. He succeeded. He had his first piano lessons at the age of five. Packed off to boarding school at age 12, Peter formed several lifelong friendships. After graduation, he became a junior civil servant in the Ministry of Justice. In 1861, he turned to music classes and composition.

Many critics now believe that Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality and his ill-starred brief marriage led to the romantic intensity of his music. Though Russian in its roots, his music became intensely personal and often poignant, such as the Sixth Symphony (“Pathetique”). He died in 1893, officially from cholera, though it has long been rumored that he took poison because his sexual proclivity was about to be made public. He left behind a body of music that has remained popular for over a century.

Antonio Salieri died on this date in 1825 at the age of 75. Born in Italy, he moved to Vienna when he was 16 and ultimately became the Austrian Imperial “kapellmeister.” He was one of the most famous musicians of his day. His works, which lacked the creative spark of Mozart, are nevertheless pleasant to listen to even today. There is evidence of some jealousy toward Mozart on his part, but they did collaborate on at least one project. It is not true that he poisoned Mozart, as the play and film “Amadeus” implied.

And, on this date, two of the greatest works of Ludwig von Beethoven had their premiere, the Ninth Symphony and the “Missa Solemnis.”

Fate took quite a turn on that date.