– The Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn premieres in Leipzig, with Ferdinand David as soloist. July 7, 1845 – Jules Perrot presents the ballet divertissement Pas de Quatre to an enthusiastic London audience. June 28, 1846 – The Saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax. March 14, 1847 – Verdi's opera Macbeth premieres at Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Italy. 1848 – The Shaker song Simple Gifts is written by Joseph Brackett in Alfred, Maine. 1848 – Richard Wagner begins writing the libretto that will become Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). Sports March 2, 1842 – Gaylad, ridden by Tom Olliver, wins the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse. September 25 – September 27, 1844 – The first ever international cricket match is played in New York City, United States v Canadian Provinces. Baseball – During the 1840s, "town ball" evolved into the modern game of baseball, with the development of the "New York game" in the 1840s. The New York Knickerbockers were founded in 1845, and played the first known competitive game between two organized clubs in 1846. The "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, by a score of 23 to 1. Fashion Fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by a narrow, natural shoulder line following the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the later 1820s fashion and 1830s fashion. The narrower shoulder was accompanied by a lower waistline for both men and women. Art 1840 – J. M. W. Turner first displays his painting The Slave Ship. Religion and philosophy The American Transcendentalism movement is in full form mostly during this decade. February 1840 – The Rhodes blood libel is made against the Jews of Rhodes. February 5, 1840 – The murder of a Capuchin friar and his Greek servant leads to the Damascus affair, a highly publicized case of blood libel against the Jews of Damascus. June 6, 1841 Marian Hughes becomes the first woman to take religious vows in communion with the Anglican Province of Canterbury since the Reformation, making them privately to E. B. Pusey in Oxford. July – Scottish missionary David Livingstone arrives at Kuruman in the Northern Cape, his first posting in Africa. May 18, 1843 – The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland. October 16, 1843 – Søren Kierkegaard's philosophical book Fear and Trembling is