Overview of the events of 1920 in music
Overview of the events of 1920 in music
List of years in music
(table )
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1920.
Specific locations [ ]
Specific genres [ ]
Events [ ]
January 19 – The Salzburg Festival is revived.[1]
September 4 – City of Birmingham Orchestra (England) first rehearses (in a city police bandroom). Later this month, its first concert, conducted by Appleby Matthews , opens with Granville Bantock 's overture Saul ; in November it gives its "First Symphony Concert" when Edward Elgar conducts a programme of his own music in Birmingham Town Hall .
November 15 – First complete public performance of Gustav Holst 's suite The Planets given in London by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates .
December 4 – Première of the opera Die tote Stadt by 23-year-old Erich Wolfgang Korngold . It later becomes known that the librettist, "Paul Schott", is Korngold's father Julius .
December 30 – Pearl Hamilton (later with the Three X Sisters ), plays piano with small jazz ensemble to appreciative audience at the Star Theater in New York City.
Mamie Smith 's first blues recordings become a hit, alerting record companies to the African American market.
Hamilton Harty is appointed resident conductor of the Hallé Orchestra .
Henri Sauguet forms Groupe des Trois (the Group of Three) along with and .
The Central Band of the Royal Air Force is formed in Britain.
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra launches its Mahler festival.
Gabriel Fauré retires from the Paris Conservatoire, and is awarded the Grand-Croix of the Légion d'Honneur .
Publications [ ]
Stewart Macpherson – Melody and Harmony , Book 1. London: Stainer & Bell.
Published popular music [ ]
"After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" w.m. Irving Berlin
"All She'd Say Was "Umh Hum"" w.m. King Zany, Mac Emery, Gus Van & Joe Schenck
"All The Boys Love Mary" Gus Van & Joe Schenck
"Aunt Hagar's Blues" w.m. W. C. Handy
"Avalon " w.m. B. G. DeSylva , Al Jolson & Vincent Rose
"Blue Jeans " w. Harry D. Kerr , m. Lou Traveller
"Bright Eyes" w. Harry B. Smith m. Otto Motzan & M. K. Jerome
"Broadway Rose" w. Eugene West m. Martin Fried & Otis Spencer
"Chanson" m. Rudolf Friml
"Chili Bean" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
"Crazy Blues " w.m. Percy Bradford
"The Cuckoo Waltz" w. Arthur Kingsley m. J. E. Jonasson
"Daddy, You've Been A Mother To Me" w.m. Fred Fisher
"Do You Ever Think Of Me?" w. John Cooper & Harry D. Kerr m. Earl Burtnett
"Down By The O-HI-O (I've Got The Sweetest Little O, My ! O ! )" w. Jack Yellen m. Abe Olman
"Feather Your Nest" w.m. James Kendis, James Brockman & Howard Johnson
"The Gipsy Warned Me" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
"Great Camp Meeting Day" w. Noble Sissle
"He Went In Like A Lion (And Came Out Like A Lamb)" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry von Tilzer
"Home Again Blues" w.m. Harry Akst & Irving Berlin
"I Belong to Glasgow " w.m. Will Fyffe
"I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You" w.m. Tom Pitts, Raymond B. Egan & Roy Marsh
"I Used To Love You, But It's All Over Now" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
"I'd Love To Fall Asleep And Wake Up In My Mammy's Arms" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Fred E. Ahlert
"I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time " w. Neville Fleason m. Albert Von Tilzer
"I'll See You In C-U-B-A" w.m. Irving Berlin
"In a Persian Market " m. Albert William Ketèlbey
"The Japanese Sandman " w. Raymond B. Egan m. Richard A. Whiting
"Jellybean " by Jimmie Dupre, Sam Rosen, and
Jellybean
"Kalua" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
"La Veeda" w. m. John Alden
"Left All Alone Again Blues" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
"Little Town In The Ould County Down" w. Richard Pascoe m. Monte Carlo & Alma Saunders
"Look for the Silver Lining " w. B. G. DeSylva m. Jerome Kern
"The Love Boat" by Gene Buck
"Love Nest" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
"Margie " w. Benny Davis m. Con Conrad & J. Russel Robinson
"Mary" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
"My Little Bimbo Down On A Bamboo Isle" w. Grant Clarke w. Walter Donaldson [2]
"My Mammy" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Walter Donaldson
"My Man" w. (Eng) Channing Pollock (Fr) Albert Willemetz & Jacques Charles m. Maurice Yvain
"O'er The Hills To Ardentinny" w.m. Harry Lauder
"Old Pal Why Don't You Answer Me" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. M. K. Jerome
"Pale Moon " w. Jesse Glick m. Frederick Knight Logan
"Palesteena" w.m. Con Conrad & J. Russell Robinson
"Polly" w. Leo Wood m. Jack Richmond
"Pretty Kitty Kelly" w. Harry Pease m. Ed G. Nelson
"Rose Of Washington Square" w. Ballard MacDonald m. James F. Hanley
"San" w.m. Lindsay McPhail & Walter Michels
"So Long, Oo Long" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby
"Tell Me Little Gypsy" w.m. Irving Berlin
"That Old Irish Mother Of Mine" w. William Jerome m. Harry Von Tilzer
"Wang Wang Blues " w. Leo Wood m. Gus Mueller, Buster Johnson & Henry Busse
"When My Baby Smiles At Me" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Billy Munro
"Where Do They Go When They Row, Row, Row?" w. Bert Kalmar & George Jessel , m. Harry Ruby
"Whispering " w. Malvin Schonberger m. John Schonberger
"White Army, Black Baron " w. , m. Samuel Pokrass
"Whose Baby Are You?" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
"Wild Rose" w. Clifford Grey m. Jerome Kern
"A Young Man's Fancy" w. John Murray Anderson & Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager
Top hits on record [ ]
"Crazy Blues " by Mamie Smith
"Dardanella " by Ben Selvin 's Novelty Orchestra
"I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now " by Al Jolson
"Love Nest" by John Steel
"O (Oh!) " by Ted Lewis and His Band
"Palesteena" by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
"Whispering" by Paul Whiteman 's Orchestra
Classical music [ ]
Granville Bantock – Arabian Nights
Béla Bartók – Eight Improvisations on Peasant Songs
Arnold Bax – Phantasy for viola and orchestra
Arthur Bliss – The Tempest , overture and interludes;
Concerto for piano, tenor voice, strings and percussion
Rout (for soprano and chamber orchestra)
Ernest Bloch – Violin Sonata No. 1
Max Bruch - String Octet
Ferruccio Busoni – Piano Sonatina No. 6 (Fantasia da camera super Carmen ),
Divertimento for flute and orchestra
Frederick Delius – Hassan
George Enescu – String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 22, No. 1
Gabriel Fauré – Masques et Bergamasques
Johan Halvorsen – Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2
Arthur Honegger – Pastorale d'été
Viola Sonata
Cello Sonata
Leoš Janáček – Ballad of Blanik (symphonic poem)
Darius Milhaud – Ballade (for piano and orchestra)
Le Boeuf sur le toit (ballet),
Francis Poulenc – Five Impromptus for Piano , Suite in C Major for Piano
Sergei Prokofiev – Five Songs without Words (for voice and piano)
Maurice Ravel – La Valse
Sonata for violin and cello
Erik Satie – La Belle excentrique
Dmitri Shostakovich – Five Preludes for piano
Igor Stravinsky – Concertino for string quartet,
Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending
Heitor Villa-Lobos – Symphony No. 5 , "A paz" (Peace)
Opera [ ]
Vincent D'Indy – The Legend of St. Christoper
– Li-Tai-Pe
Henry Hadley – Cleopatra's Night
Leoš Janáček – The Excursions of Mr. Broucek on the Moon and in the 15th Century
Erich Korngold – Die tote Stadt
Ruggiero Leoncavallo – Edipo Re
Jazz [ ]
Musical theatre [ ]
Afgar Broadway production opened at the Central Theatre on November 8 and ran for 168 performances
Broadway revue by Arthur Wimperis opened at the Central Theatre on January 27 and ran for 143 performances. Starring Sam Bernard , Irene Bordoni , Clifton Webb and .
The Beggar's Opera London production opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith on June 5 and ran for 1,463 performances
Die Blaue Mazur (The Blue Mazurka ) (Music by Franz Lehár ), Vienna
George White's Scandals Of 1920 Broadway revue opened at the Globe Theatre on June 7 and ran for 134 performances
The Gingham Girl Broadway production (music by Albert Von Tilzer ) at the Central Theatre ran for 322 performances
Irene London production opened at the Empire Theatre on April 7 and ran for 399 performances
London production opened at the Alhambra Theatre on June 1 and ran for 349 performances
London revue opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on December 16 and ran for 176 performances
London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on March 26 and ran for 332 performances
Der letzte Walzer (The Last Waltz ) (Music by Oscar Straus ), Berlin
opened at the Lyric Theatre on December 1 and ran for 207 performances
The Night Boat Broadway production opened at the Liberty Theatre on February 2 and ran for 318 performances. Jeanette MacDonald made her first Broadway appearance as a member of the chorus.
A Night Out London production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 18 and ran for 309 performances
Sally Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on December 21 and ran for 570 performances
The Shop Girl London revival opened at the Gaiety Theatre on March 25 and ran for 327 performances
Tickle Me ( Music: ) Broadway production opened at the Selwyn Theatre on August 17 and ran for 207 performances. Starring Louise Allen, Allen Kearns and Frank Tinney .
Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on October 5 and ran for 241 performances
Ziegfeld Follies of 1920 Broadway revue opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 22 and ran for 123 performances, but ran most years until 1927.
Births [ ]
January 1
José Antonio Bottiroli , Argentine composer and poet (d. 1990 )[3]
Virgilio Savona , Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra ) (d. 2009)
Mahmoud Zoufonoun , Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)
January 3 – Renato Carosone , Italian musician and singer (d. 2001 )
January 5 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli , pianist (d. 1995 )[4]
January 8 – Josef Josephi , Polish-born singer and actor (b. 1852 )
January 14
Cris Alexander , American actor, singer, dancer, designer, and photographer (d. 2012 )
Salvador Flores Rivera , Mexican composer and singer (d. 1987 )[5]
January 16 – Claude Abadie , French jazz clarinetist (died 2020)
February 2
February 7 – Oscar Brand , Canadian-born American folk singer, songwriter and author (d. 2016 )
February 12 – Yoshiko Yamaguchi , Chinese-Japanese actress and singer (d. 2014 )[6]
February 13
Boudleaux Bryant , American songwriter (d. 1987)
Eileen Farrell , American soprano (d. 2002)
February 14 – Albert J. McNeil , American choral conductor, ethnomusicologist and author
February 18 – Rolande Falcinelli , organist, pianist and composer (d. 2006)
February 23 – Hall Overton , composer, jazz pianist and music teacher (d. 1972)
February 26 – Henri Crolla , jazz guitarist and film composer (d. 1960)
February 28 – Albert Elms , light music composer (d. 2009 )[7]
March 10 – Boris Vian , French writer, poet, singer and musician (d. 1959 )[8]
March 16 – John Addison , British film composer (d. 1998 )[9]
March 17 – John La Montaine , American composer (d. 2013 )
March 22 – Fanny Waterman , pianist and music educator (d. 2020)
March 23 – Geoffrey Bush , British composer, writer and broadcaster (d. 1998 )
April 7 – Ravi Shankar , Indian sitarist (d. 2012)[10]
April 12
The Cox Twins , music hall entertainers (Frank, d. 2007; Fred, d. 2013)
Anita Ellis , Canadian-American singer and actress (d. 2015 )[11]
April 21 – Bruno Maderna , conductor and composer (d. 1973)
April 23 – Louis Barron , film composer (d. 1989 )[12]
April 27 – Guido Cantelli , Italian conductor (d. 1956 )[13]
April 29 – Harold Shapero , composer (d. 2013)
May 2 – Jean-Marie Auberson , violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
May 4 – Ronald Chesney , harmonica player and comedy scriptwriter (d. 2018)
May 13 – Gareth Morris , flautist (d. 2007 )[14]
May 18 – Lucia Mannucci , Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra ) (d. 2012)
May 20 – Betty Driver , British singer and actress (d. 2011 )[15]
May 21 – Bill Barber , jazz musician (d. 2007)
May 23 – Helen O'Connell , American big band singer (d. 1993 )[16]
May 26 – Peggy Lee , singer and songwriter (d. 2002)[17]
June 6
June 10 – Bonnie Davis , R&B singer (d. 1976)
June 11 – Hazel Scott , jazz/classical pianist and singer (d. 1981)
June 19 – Johnny Douglas , film composer and conductor (d. 2003)
June 20 – Danny Cedrone , American guitarist and bandleader (d. 1954 )
June 25 – Ozan Marsh , American concert pianist (d. 1992)
June 26 – Leonid Hambro , pianist (d. 2006)
July 1 – Amália Rodrigues , Portuguese singer and actress (d. 1999)
July 13
Anna Halprin , American dancer (d. 2021)
Don Ralke , American music arranger (d. 2000 )
July 14 – Marijohn Wilkin , country and gospel songwriter (d. 2006)
July 19 – Robert Mann , violinist (d. 2018)[19]
July 20
July 21
Isaac Stern , Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001 )<ref">Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (6 October 2001). Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 8. </ref>
Manuel Valls , composer (d. 1984)
July 23 – Amália Rodrigues , Portuguese fado singer and actress (d. 1999 )[20]
July 31 – Walter Arlen , American composer
August 7 – Françoise Adret , French ballet dancer, choreographer (d. 2018 )
August 8
Leo Chiosso , Italian lyricist (d. 2006)
Jimmy Witherspoon , blues singer (d. 1997 )
August 26 – Emil Cadkin , film composer (d. 2020 )
August 29 – Charlie Parker , jazz musician (d. 1955)[21]
September 3 – Chabuca Granda , Peruvian singer and composer (d. 1983 )
September 7 – Al Caiola , American guitarist, composer, arranger (d. 2016 )[22]
September 14 – Cascarita [a.k.a. Orlando Guerra ], Cuban music singer (d. 1975 )
September 17 – Jean Perrin , composer (d. 1989)
September 23
Alexander Arutiunian , Armenian composer (d. 2012 )[23]
Mickey Rooney , actor and entertainer (d. 2014)
September 25 – Anne Triola , American actress, singer and musician (d. 2012 )
September 28 – Irma Baltuttis , singer and entertainer (d. 1958)
October 5 – Vincent DeRosa , American musician
October 9 – Yusef Lateef , American jazz musician and composer (d. 2013 )[24]
October 13 – Albert Hague , songwriter (d. 2001)
October 24 – Steve Conway , British singer (d. 1952)[25]
October 27 – Nanette Fabray , actress and singer (d. 2018)
October 31 – Joseph Gelineau , French composer (d. 2008 )
November 23 – Enrico De Angelis , Italian singer and entrepreneur (d. 2018 )
December 6 – Dave Brubeck , jazz pianist (d. 2012)[26]
December 13 – Teo Usuelli , Italian film composer (d. 2009 )
December 14 – Clark Terry , American jazz musician and composer (d. 2015 )[27]
December 19 – Little Jimmy Dickens , American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2015 )[28]
December 31 – Rex Allen , American actor, singer and songwriter (d. 1999 )[29]
date unknown – Jan Van Halen , musician, father of Eddie and Alex Van Halen
Deaths [ ]
January 8 – Maud Powell , violinist (b. 1867)
January 16 – Reginald De Koven , US music critic and composer (b. 1859 )[30]
January 18 – Giovanni Capurro , poet, co-writer of "O Sole Mio" (b. 1859)
January 21 – John Henry Maunder , composer (b. 1858)
January 24 – William Percy French , songwriter (b. 1854)
February 2 – Theo Marzials , singer and composer (b. 1850)
February 11 – Gaby Deslys , dancer and actress (b. 1881)
February 12 – Émile Sauret , violinist and composer (b. 1852)
February 23 – Alexander Ilyinsky , music teacher and composer (b. 1859)
March 20 – Eva Mylott , operatic contralto (b. 1875) (domestic accident)
April 4 – Carl Bohm , pianist and composer (b. 1844 )
April 8 – Charles Griffes , composer (b. 1884 ; Spanish flu)[31]
April 19 – Mathilde Mallinger , lyric soprano (b. 1847)
May 6 – Hortense Schneider , operatic soprano (b. 1833)
May 25 – Georg Jarno , composer of operettas (b. 1868)
May 28 – Hardwicke Rawnsley , hymn-writer (b. 1851)
June 27 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier , lyricist (b. 1839)
June 28 – Pauline Rita , singer and actress (b. c.1842)
July 17 – Dorothy Goetz , first wife of Irving Berlin (b. 1892) (typhoid)
July 26 – Carlos Troyer , composer (b. 1837)
August 13 – Carlos Hartling , German-born composer of the Honduras national anthem (b. 1869)
August 29 – Gustav Jenner , composer and conductor (b. 1865)
October 1 – Vladimir Rebikov , Russian pianist and composer (b. 1866 )
October 2 – Max Bruch , composer (b. 1838 )[32]
October 16 – Alberto Nepomuceno , composer and conductor (b. 1864)
November 6 – Maria Waldmann , operatic mezzo-soprano associated with Verdi (b. 1844)
December 14 – George J. Gaskin , singer (b. 1863)
December 31 – Paloke Kurti , Albanian composer (b. 1860 )[33]
References [ ]
^ Christopher Fifield (1993). True Artist and True Friend: A Biography of Hans Richter . Clarendon Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-19-816157-8 .
^ Arnold Shaw (1989). The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920's . Oxford University Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-19-506082-9 .
^ Otero, Ana María (1999). Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana (PDF) . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE). p. 661. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-11 .
^ Bryce Morrison (20 January 2001). "Michelangeli, Arturo Benedetti". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi :10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.18592 .
^ "Chava Flores's 97th Birthday" . Google . 14 January 2017.
^ Yoshiko Yamaguchi; Sakuya Fujiwara (28 February 2015). Fragrant Orchid: The Story of My Early Life . University of Hawaii Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8248-5404-1 .
^ "Albert Elms: light music composer" . The Times . 11 November 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2020 .
^ Alfred Cismaru (1974). Boris Vian . Twayne Publishers. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8057-2951-1 .
^ Randel, Don Michael, ed. (1996). "Addison, John" . The Harvard biographical dictionary of music . Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press. pp. 5 . ISBN 0-674-37299-9 .
^ Ram Avtar (1987). History of Indian Music and Musicians . Pankaj Publications. p. 92. ISBN 978-81-87155-64-5 .
^ Roger D. Kinkle (1997). Leading Musical Performers (popular Music and Jazz) 1900-1950: 2150 Biographies Updated to 1996 with Additions and Corrections . Windmill Publications. p. 100.
^ "Louis Barron; Made Music Electronically". The New York Times . November 17, 1989.
^ Walter Legge (1998). Walter Legge: Words and Music . Psychology Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-415-92108-4 .
^ "Gareth Morris" . The Daily Telegraph . London. 10 March 2007.[dead link ]
^ Betty Driver; Daran Little (2000). Betty: The Autobiography . Granada Media. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-233-99780-3 .
^ The Annual Obituary - Louise Mooney Collins, Roland Turner - 1993 Page 693 "HELEN O'CONNELL American Singer Born Lima, Ohio, 23 May 1920 Died San Diego, California, 9 September 1993 A ... O'Connell was also the affable host of the Miss Universe Pageant for nine years, and was the longtime television ... "
^ Robert Strom (2005). Miss Peggy Lee: A Career Chronicle . McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7864-1936-4 .
^ John A. Willis (1997). John Willis' Theatre World . Crown Publishers. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-55783-250-4 .
^ New York Philharmonic (1956). Programs . Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York.
^ Harris M. Lentz (1998). Obituaries in the Performing Arts . McFarland & Company. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-7864-0748-4 .
^ Johnson Publishing Company (January 1989). Ebony . Johnson Publishing Company. p. 132.
^ Norm N. Nite; Wolfman Jack (1982). Rock on: The solid gold years . Harper & Row. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-06-181642-0 .
^ Overture: The Magazine of the Baltimore Symphony . Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Association. 1979. p. 8.
^ Jack Salzman; David L. Smith; Cornel West (1996). Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History . Macmillan Library Reference. p. 1579. ISBN 978-0-02-897365-4 .
^ "Steve Conway Biography, Songs, & Albums" . AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-09-23 .
^ The Book of Golden Discs . Barrie & Jenkins. 1978. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-214-20480-7 .
^ Neela Debnath (February 22, 2015). "Clark Terry dead: Grammy-winning trumpet player dies aged 94" . The Independent . Retrieved February 23, 2015 .
^ Kurt Wolff (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide . Rough Guides. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-85828-534-4 .
^ Michael McCall; John Rumble; Paul Kingsbury (1 February 2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music . Oxford University Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-19-992083-9 .
^ David Mason Greene; Constance Green (1985). Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers . Reproducing Piano Roll Fnd. p. 857. ISBN 978-0-385-14278-6 .
^ University of Michigan. School of Music (1945). School of Music Programs . University of Michigan School of Music. p. 83.
^ Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1947). Program Notes . Orchestral Association. p. 513.
^ Eno Koço (2004). Albanian Urban Lyric Song in the 1930s . Scarecrow Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8108-4889-4 .