411 REFERENCE · Wikipedia
1940 in music
Reference material by Wikipedia contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
none
February 2012
1940
1940 music radio television film
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1940.
Specific locations
1940 in British music
1940 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
1940 in country music
1940 in jazz
Events
January 30 – Soprano Sophie Wyss gives the first complete performance of Benjamin Britten's Les Illuminations, with Boyd Neel conducting his Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall, London.Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45. London: Faber and Faber. 0-571-160581. pp. 628, 657
February 24 – Frances Langford records When You Wish Upon a Star
March 28 – Antonio Brosa gives the first performance of Britten's Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli in Carnegie Hall, New York.Mitchell (1991): p. 629
April 26 – Woody Guthrie records most of his Dust Bowl Ballads at RCA Victor studios in Camden, New Jersey.
May 27 – Quartetto Egie perform in public for the first time.
July 20 – Billboard magazine publishes its first "Music Popularity Chart".
August – Edmundo Ros forms his own rumba band.
November 9 – Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is premièred in Barcelona.
November 13 – Première of the Walt Disney animated film Fantasia in the United States set to classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
November 23 – Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Quintet is premièred at the Moscow Conservatory with the composer at the piano.
December 6 – Arnold Schoenberg's Violin Concerto is premièred.
December 19 – Bandleader Hal Kemp's car is involved in a head-on collision. Kemp suffers a broken leg and multiple broken ribs, one of which eventually punctures a lung, causing his death a few days later.
Quartetto Egie becomes Quartetto Ritmo after a line-up change.
Heino Eller becomes professor of composition at the Tallinn Conservatory.
Alfredo Antonini and John Serry Sr. appear at the CBS network in Viva America for Voice of America.
16-year-old Doris Day joins Les Brown's band.
Gesang Martohartono, the legendary Kroncong musician from Indonesia, releases his most popular composition, "Bengawan Solo".
Albums released
Dust Bowl Ballads – Woody Guthrie
Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess – Various Artists
Bing Crosby
Star Dust
Favorite Hawaiian Songs
Ballad for Americans
Christmas Music – Bing Crosby, Kenny Baker, Men About Town
Top popular recordings
The following songs appeared in The Billboard's 'Best Selling Retail Records' chart during 1940. Each week fifteen points were awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. Regional charts determined the 11–25 rankings each week, and records that failed to score on the main chart were ranked by highest position. Additional information was obtained from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954Whitburn Joel Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954 Record Research 1986 and other sources as specified.
Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart positions 1 Artie Shaw and His Orchestra "Frenesi"Victor matrix PBS-042546. Frenesi / Artie Shaw Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200040067/PBS-042546-Frenesi 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Victor 26542 1940 3 3 1940 3 29 US BB 1940 #1, US #1 for 13 weeks, 29 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000, 1,000,000 soldMurrells Joseph http://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr The book of golden discs 1978 London : Barrie & Jenkins Internet Archive 978-0-214-20512-5 2 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Vocal Frank Sinatra "I'll Never Smile Again"Victor matrix BS-048942. I'll never smile again / The Pied Pipers; Frank Sinatra; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200043649/BS-048942-Ill_never_smile_again 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Victor 26628 1940 4 23 1940 6 7 US BB 1940 #2, US #1 for 12 weeks, 20 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold 3 Bing Crosby "Only Forever"Decca matrix DLA 2033. Only forever / Bing Crosby – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000268456/DLA_2033-Only_forever 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 3300 1940 7 3 1940 8 US BB 1940 #3, US #1 for 9 weeks, 22 total weeks 4 Glenn Miller and his Orchestra "Tuxedo Junction"Victor matrix BS-046786. Tuxedo junction / Glenn Miller Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200042209/BS-046786-Tuxedo_junction 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10612 1940 2 5 1940 2 23 US BB 1940 #4, US #1 for 9 weeks, 19 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold 5 Glenn Miller and his Orchestra "The Woodpecker Song"Victor matrix BS-046739. The woodpecker's song / Glenn Miller Orchestra; Marion Hutton – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200042169/BS-046739-The_woodpeckers_song 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10598 1940 1 29 1940 2 9 US BB 1940 #5, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks 6 Glenn Miller and his Orchestra "When You Wish Upon a Star"Victor matrix BS-046084. When you wish upon a star / Ray Eberle; Glenn Miller Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200041871/BS-046084-When_you_wish_upon_a_star 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10570 1940 1 6 1940 1 19 US BB 1940 #6, US #1 for 5 weeks, 16 total weeks 7 Glenn Miller and his Orchestra "Careless" Bluebird 10520 1939 11 18 1939 12 8 US BB 1940 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 13 total weeks 8 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Vocal Jack Leonard) "All the Things You Are"Victor matrix BS-040983. All the things you are / Jack Leonard; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200039010/BS-040983-All_the_things_you_are 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Victor 26401 1939 10 20 1939 11 3 US BB 1940 #8, US #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks 9 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Vocal Jack Leonard) "Indian Summer"Victor matrix BS-042738. Indian summer / Jack Leonard; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200040213/BS-042738-Indian_summer 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Victor 26390 1939 9 27 1939 10 20 US BB 1940 #9, US #1 for 1 week, 16 total weeks 10 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (Vocal Ray Eberle) "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)"Victor matrix BS-048489. Fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) / Ray Eberle; Glenn Miller Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200043323/BS-048489-Fools_rush_in_where_angels_fear_to_tread 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10728 1940 3 31 1940 5 24 US BB 1940 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 15 total weeks 11 Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (Vocal Mildred Bailey) "Darn That Dream" Columbia 35331 1939 12 3 1940 1 4 US BB 1940 #11, US #1 for 1 week, 11 total weeks 12 The Ink Spots "Maybe"Decca matrix 67863. Maybe / Ink Spots – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000295976/67863-Maybe 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 3258 1940 6 11 1940 7 US BB 1940 #12, US #2 for 6 weeks, 17 total weeks 13 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (Vocal Ray Eberle) "Blueberry Hill"Victor matrix BS-053132. Blueberry Hill / Ray Eberle; Glenn Miller Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200045349/BS-053132-Blueberry_Hill 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10768 1940 6 13 1940 7 US BB 1940 #13, US #2 for 4 weeks, 19 total weeks 14 Will Bradley and His Orchestra Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar Columbia 35530 1940 5 21 1940 6 28 US BB 1940 #14, US #2 for 1 week, 21 total weeks 15 Bing Crosby "Trade Winds" Decca 3299 1940 3 19 1940 4 US BB 1940 #15, US #2 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks 16 Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra The Breeze and IDecca matrix 67584. The breeze and I / Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000295697/67584-The_breeze_and_I 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 3150 1940 4 18 1940 5 US BB 1940 #16, US #2 for 6 weeks, 11 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold 17 The Ink Spots "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)"Decca matrix 67928. We three (My echo, my shadow and me) / Ink Spots – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000296041/67928-We_three_My_echo_my_shadow_and_me 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 3379 1940 7 16 1940 9 US BB 1940 #17, US #3 for 1 week, 15 total weeks 18 Bing Crosby "Sierra Sue" Decca 3133 1940 3 22 1940 4 US BB 1940 #18, US #3 for 1 week, 14 total weeks 19 Bob Crosby and His Orchestra "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair"Decca matrix 67189. With the wind and the rain in your hair / Bob Crosby Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000295302/67189-With_the_wind_and_the_rain_in_your_hair 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 3018 1940 2 13 1940 3 US BB 1940 #19, US #2 for 3 weeks, 14 total weeks 20 Tony Martin "It's a Blue World"Decca matrix 66989. It's a blue world / Tony Martin – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000295102/66989-Its_a_blue_world 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Decca 2932 1939 12 19 1940 1 US BB 1940 #20, US #2 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks 21 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (Vocal Ray Eberle) "Say It"Victor matrix BS-047095. Say it / Ray Eberle; Glenn Miller Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200042372/BS-047095-Say_it 2022-06-11 adp.library.ucsb.edu Bluebird 10631 1940 2 24 1940 3 8 US BB 1940 #21, US #2 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks
Published popular music
"Ain't It A Shame About Mame" words: Johnny Burke, music: James V. Monaco
"All Over The Place" w. Frank Eyton m. Noel Gay. Introduced by Tommy Trinder in the film Sailors Three
"All This And Heaven Too" w. Eddie De Lange m. Jimmy Van Heusen, First recorded by Charlie Barnet and His Orchestrahttps://secondhandsongs.com/work/183852/all Song: All This and Heaven Too written by Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange | SecondHandSongs secondhandsongs.com August 20, 2024
"Along The Santa Fe Trail" w. Al Dubin & Edwina Coolidge m. Will Grosz
"April Played The Fiddle" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
"The Bad Humour Man" w. Johnny Mercer m. Jimmy McHugh
"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" w.m. Don Raye, Hughie Prince & Eleanore Sheehy
"Because Of You" w. Arthur Hammerstein m. Dudley Wilkinson
"Bengawan Solo" – Gesang Martohartono
"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
"Bless 'Em All" w.m. Jimmie Hughes, Frank Lake & Fred Godfrey
"Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind" Arthur Young, William Shakespeare, Evans
"Blueberry Hill" w.m. Al Lewis, Larry Stock & Vincent Rose
"Boog It" w.m. Jack Palmer, Cab Calloway & R. "Buck" Ram
"The Breeze And I" w. Al Stillman m. Ernesto Lecuona
"Buds Won't Bud" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
"Cabin In The Sky" w. John Latouche m. Vernon Duke
"The Call Of The Canyon" w.m. Billy Hill
"Can't Get Indiana Off My Mind" w. Robert De Leon m. Hoagy Carmichael
"Concerto For Cootie" m. Duke Ellington
"Contrasts" m. Jimmy Dorsey
"Cotton Tail" m. Duke Ellington
"Den Of Iniquity" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
"Devil May Care" w. Johnny Burke m. Harry Warren
"Do It the Hard Way" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by June Havoc, Claire Anderson and Jack Durant in the musical Pal Joey
"Dolores" w. Frank Loesser m. Louis Alter
"Down the Road a Piece" w.m. Don Raye
"Falling Leaves" w. Mack David m. Frankie Carle
"Ferry Boat Serenade" w. (Eng) Harold Adamson (Ital) Mario Panzeri m. Eldo Di Lazzaro
"Flamingo" w. Edmund Anderson m. Ted Grouya
"Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" w. Johnny Mercer m. Rube Bloom
"Friendship" w.m. Cole Porter
"Give a Little Whistle" w.m. Ned Washington & Leigh Harline, from the film Pinocchio
"Harlem Nocturne" w. Dick Rogers m. Earle Hagen
"Hear My Song, Violetta" w. (Ger) Ermenegildo Carosio & Othmar Klose (Eng) Buddy Bernier & Bob Emmerich m. Rudolf Luckesch & Othmar Klose
"Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee" w.m. Ned Washington & Leigh Harline, from the film Pinocchio
"High On A Windy Hill" w.m. Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer
"Honey in the Honeycomb" w. John Latouche m. Vernon Duke. Introduced by Katherine Dunham in the musical Cabin in the Sky. Performed in the 1943 film version by Ethel Waters and Lena Horne.
"How High the Moon" w. Nancy Hamilton m. Morgan Lewis. Introduced by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock in the revue Two for the Show.
"I Concentrate on You" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Douglas McPhail (and danced to by Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire) in the film Broadway Melody of 1940
"I Could Make You Care" w. Sammy Cahn m. Saul Chaplin. Introduced by Rosemary Lane in the film Ladies Must Live.
"I Haven't Time To Be A Millionaire" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
"I Hear A Rhapsody" w.m. George Fragos, Jack Baker & Dick Gasparre
"I Hear Music" w. Frank Loesser m. Burton Lane
"I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" w.m. William Weldon & Andy Razaf
"I'm Looking For A Guy Who Plays Alto And Baritone And Doubles On A Clarinet And Wears A Size 37 Suit" w.m. Ozzie Nelson
"I'm Stepping Out With A Memory Tonight" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel
"Imagination" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" w.m. Billy Austin & Louis Jordan
"It Never Entered My Mind" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
"It Shows You What Love Can Do" w. Sammy Cahn m. Saul Chaplin. Introduced by Rosemary Lane in the film Ladies Must Live.
"It Was A Lover And His Lass" w. William Shakespeare m. Arthur Young
"It's a Great Day for the Irish" w.m. Roger Edens
"It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow" w.m. Irving Berlin
"It's Always You" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"I've Got No Strings" w.m. Ned Washington & Leigh Harline, from the film Pinocchio
"Java Jive" w. Milton Drake m. Ben Oakland
"Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina" w.m. Sunny Skylar, Bette Cannon & Arthur Shaftel
"The Last Time I Saw Paris" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
"Let The People Sing" w.m. Noel Gay, Ian Grant & Frank Eyton
"Let There Be Love" w. Ian Grant m. Lionel Rand
"Let's Be Buddies" w.m. Cole Porter
"Louisiana Purchase" w.m. Irving Berlin
"Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Panama Hattie
"Make-Believe Island" w. Charles Kenny & Nick Kenny m. Will Grosz & Sam Coslow
"Mamma" w. B. Cherubini m. C. A. Bixio
"Mister Meadowlark" w. Johnny Mercer m. Walter Donaldson
"Never No Lament" m. Duke Ellington
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" w. Eric Maschwitz m. Manning Sherwin. Introduced in the revue New Faces by Judy Campbell.
"On Behalf Of The Visiting Firemen" w. Johnny Mercer m. Walter Donaldson
"Only Forever" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
"Our Love Affair" w. Arthur Freed m. Roger Edens
"Outside Of That, I Love You" Irving Berlin
"The Pessimistic Character" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
"Playmates" w.m. Saxie Dowell
"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Remind Me" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Allan Jones in the film One Night in the Tropics
"Room 504" w.m. Erich Maschwitz & George Posford
"San Antonio Rose" w.m. Bob Wills
"Say It (Over And Over Again)" w. Frank Loesser m. Jimmy McHugh
"Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat" w.m. Don Raye
"Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga" w. Charles Newman m. James V. Monaco
"Sometime" m. Glenn Miller & Chummy MacGregor w. Mitchell Parish
"The Stars Remain" w. Henry Myers m. Jay Gorney. From the musical Meet the People.
"Summit Ridge Drive" m. Artie Shaw
"Taking A Chance On Love" w. John Latouche & Ted Fetter m. Vernon Duke
"There'll Always Be an England" w.m. Ross Parker & Hughie Charles
"Trade Winds" w. Charles Tobias m. Cliff Friend
"Two Dreams Met" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
"Waltzing In The Clouds" w. Gus Kahn m. Robert Stolz
"We Could Make Such Beautiful Music" w. Robert Sour m. Henry Manners
"We Three" w.m. Nelson Cogane, Sammy Mysels & Dick Robertson
"Well, Did You Evah?" w.m. Cole Porter
"When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" w.m. Leon René
"When You Wish Upon a Star" w.m. Ned Washington & Leigh Harline. Introduced by Cliff Edwards in the animated film Pinocchio
"Whispering Grass" w. Fred Fisher m. Doris Fisher
"The Woodpecker Song" w. (Eng) Harold Adamson (Ital) C. Bruno m. Eldo di Lazzaro
"Worried Mind" w.m. Jimmie Davis & Ted Daffan
"Yes, Indeed!" w.m. Sy Oliver
"Yes, My Darling Daughter" w.m. Jack Lawrence
"You and Your Kiss" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Allan Jones in the film One Night in the Tropics.
"You Are My Sunshine" w.m. Jimmie Davis & Charles Mitchell
"You Stepped Out Of A Dream" w. Gus Kahn m. Nacio Herb Brown
"Zip" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. In the role of reporter Melba Snyder in the Broadway production of Pal Joey, Jean Casto explained that the musings of a striptease artiste may be on a somewhat higher intellectual plane than those of her devotees.
Classical music
Premieres
Composer Composition Date Location Performers Britten, Benjamin Les Illuminations 1940-01-30 London Wyss / Neel String Orchestra – Neel22695 Les Illuminations, Benjamin Britten Britten, Benjamin Violin Concerto 1940-03-29 New York City Brosa / New York Philharmonic – Barbirolli22694 Violin Concerto, Benjamin Britten Carpenter, John Alden Symphony No. 1 (2nd version) 1940-10-24 Chicago Chicago Symphony – Stockhttp://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.559065&catNum=559065&filetype=About+this+Recording&language=English Carpenter: Adventures in a Perambulator / Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 www.naxos.comChávez, Carlos Xochipilli-Macuilxóchitl 1940-05-16 Museum of Modern Art, New York City Ensemble – Chávez Creston, Paul Symphony No. 1 1940-02-22 New York City NYA Symphony – Mahlerhttps://books.google.com/books?id=F5gdiyIQ6hgC&q=Paul+Creston+Symphony+1+New+York+1941&pg=PA42 Paul Creston: A Bio-bibliography February 9, 1994 Greenwood Publishing Group 9780313253362 Google Books Ginastera, Alberto Malambo for piano 1940-09-11 Montevideo, Uruguay Balzo31593 Malambo, Alberto Evaristo Ginastera Ginastera, Alberto Three Pieces for Piano 1940-10-16 Montevideo, Uruguay Balzo31592 Tres Piezas, Alberto Evaristo Ginastera Hartmann, Karl Amadeus Concerto funebre 1940-02-29 St. Gallen, Switzerland Neracher / St. Gallen Chamber Orchestra – Klughttp://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67547 Hartmann: Concerto funebre Hyperion RecordsHindemith, PaulViolin Concerto (1939)1940-03-14AmsterdamConcertgebouw Orchestra Khachaturian, Aram Violin Concerto 1940-11-16 Moscow Oistrakh / USSR State Symphony – Gaukhttp://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/violin-concerto-d-minor-aram-khachaturian Los Angeles Philharmonic July 19, 2015 July 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150722213721/http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/violin-concerto-d-minor-aram-khachaturian dead Krenek, Ernst Little Concerto for Piano, Organ and Chamber Orchestra 1940-05-23 Poughkeepsie, New York Williams, Geer / Vassar Orchestra – Krenek 33713 Little Concerto, Ernst Krenek Krenek, Ernst Symphonisches Stück 1940-06-11 Basel Basel Chamber Orchestra – Sacher33739 Symphonisches Stück, Ernst Krenek Larsson, Lars-Erik God in Disguise 1940-04-01 Stockholm Torlind, Hasslo, Molander / Swedish Radio Symphony – Larsson http://www.norrlandsoperan.se/eng/events/0528-foerklaedd-gud/7446 Norlands Operan July 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150724212035/http://www.norrlandsoperan.se/eng/events/0528-foerklaedd-gud/7446 July 24, 2015 dead mdy-all Lilburn, Douglas Aotearoa, overture 1940-04-15 London Sadler's Welles Orchestra – Braithwaitehttps://sounz.org.nz/works/12102 Overture: Aotearoa – SOUNZ sounz.org.nz August 20, 2024 Milhaud, Darius Symphony No. 1 1940-10-17 Chicago Chicago Symphony – Milhaud https://cso.org/uploadedFiles/8_about/History_-_Rosenthal_archives/world_premieres.pdf Chicago Symphony Orchestra July 24, 2015 July 17, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150717065206/http://cso.org/uploadedFiles/8_about/History_-_Rosenthal_archives/world_premieres.pdf dead Myaskovsky, Nikolai Symphony No. 20 1940-11-28 Moscow USSR Radio Symphony – Golovanovhttp://www.myaskovsky.ru/?id=4&id1=0&id2=58&sf=0&so=0 N. Myaskovsky » Works www.myaskovsky.ru Piston, Walter Violin Concerto No. 1 1940-03-18 New York City Posselt / National Orchestral Association – Barzinhttp://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.559003&catNum=559003&filetype=About+this+Recording&language=English PISTON, W.: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra (Buswell, Ukraine National Symphony, T. Kuchar) www.naxos.com Price, Florence Symphony No. 3 (Price) 1940-11-06 Little Rock, US Detroit Civic Orchestra – Valter PoolePrice Florence Florence Price January 1, 2008 1932 Brown Rae Linda Shirley Wayne D. Symphonies nos. 1 and 3 A-R Editions xlvi–lii 978-0895796387 Prokofiev, Sergei Piano Sonata No. 6 1940-04-08 Moscow Prokofievhttp://ljms.org/ai1ec_event/an-evening-with-yefim-bronfman/?instance_id= https://web.archive.org/web/20150725130641/http://ljms.org/ai1ec_event/an-evening-with-yefim-bronfman/?instance_id= dead July 25, 2015 An Evening with Yefim Bronfman – La Jolla Music Society Olivia Espinosa Rodrigo, Joaquín Concierto de Aranjuez 1940-11-09 Barcelona Saenz de la Maza / Barcelona Philharmonic – Mendoza-Lasallehttp://www.joaquin-rodrigo.com/index.php/en/concierto-de-aranjuez-2/estrenos Joaquín Rodrigo official website August 20, 2024 September 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150916012253/http://www.joaquin-rodrigo.com/index.php/en/concierto-de-aranjuez-2/estrenos dead Schoenberg, Arnold Chamber Symphony No. 2 1940-12-15 New York City Friends of New Music Orchestra – Stiedry11854 Zweite Kammersymphonie op. 38, Arnold Schoenberg Schoenberg, Arnold Violin Concerto (finished 1936) 1940-12-06 Philadelphia Krasner / Philadelphia Orchestra – Stokowski23759 Concerto pour violon et orchestre op. 36, Arnold Schoenberg Shostakovich, Dmitri Piano Quintet 1940-11-23 Moscow Shostakovich, Beethoven Quartet7379 Quintette avec piano, Dimitri Chostakovitch Shostakovich, Dmitri Four Romances on Verses by Pushkin 1940-12-08 Moscow Baturin, Shostakovich 7362 Quatre romances sur des vers de Pouchkine, Dimitri Chostakovitch Strauss, Richard Japanese Festival Music 1940-12-14 Tokyo Tokyo Broadcast Orchestra – Fellmerhttps://books.google.com/books?id=zoa3AwAAQBAJ&q=strauss+%22japanische+festmusik%22+december+1940&pg=PA321 The Hutchinson Concise Dictionary of Music Barrie Jones June 3, 2014 Routledge 9781135950187 Google Books Stravinsky, Igor Symphony in C 1940-11-07 Chicago Chicago Symphony – Stravinsky http://cso.org/uploadedfiles/1_tickets_and_events/program_notes/programnotes_stravinsky_symphony_in_c.pdf Chicago Symphony Orchestra July 24, 2015 December 12, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141212030048/http://cso.org/uploadedfiles/1_tickets_and_events/program_notes/programnotes_stravinsky_symphony_in_c.pdf dead Tippett, Michael Concerto for Double String Orchestra 1940-04-21 London South London Orchestra – Tippett 12384 Concerto pour double orchestre à cordes, Sir Michael Tippett Webern, Anton Fünf Lieder, Op. 4 (1909) 1940-02-10 Basel, Switzerland Gradmann-Lüscher, Schmid12633 Fünf Lieder, Op. 4, Anton Webern
Compositions
Granville Bantock – Celtic Symphony
Samuel Barber – Violin Concerto
Lennox Berkeley – Symphony No. 1
Benjamin Britten – Sinfonia da Requiem
Carlos Chávez –
Concerto for piano and orchestra
Xochipilli-Macuilxóchitl
Aaron Copland – Episode, Music for Our Town
Paul Creston – Symphony No. 1
David Diamond – Concerto for Small Orchestra, String Quartet No. 1
Hanns Eisler – Chamber Symphony
George Enescu – Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 29
Evaristo Fernández Blanco – Dramatic Overture
John Fernström – Symphony No. 6, Op. 51
Vivian Fine – Suite in E Flat
Jakov Gotovac – Guslar, Op. 22
Roy Harris – Folksong Symphony
Paul Hindemith – Cello Concerto, Symphony in E-flat
Aram Khachaturian – Violin Concerto
Gideon Klein – String Quartet, Op. 2
László Lajtha – Cello Concerto
Igor Markevitch – Lorenzo il Magnifico
Frank Martin – Ballade for Trombone and Piano
Olivier Messiaen – Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time)
Darius Milhaud – String Quartet No. 10
Gösta Nystroem – Viola Concerto
Willem Pijper – Six Adagios, for orchestra
Walter Piston – Suite from The Incredible Flutist
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances
Roger Sessions – From My Diary, for piano
Igor Stravinsky – Symphony in C
Eduard Tubin – Prelude Solennel
William Walton – The Wise Virgins (ballet)
Heitor Villa-Lobos – Five Preludes for guitar
Opera
Luigi Dallapiccola – Volo di notte, Florence, Teatro della Pergola, May 18.
Sergei Prokofiev – Semyon Kotko (libretto by Prokofiev and Valentin Kataev), Moscow, Stanislavsky Opera Theatre, 23 June 1940.
Geirr Tveitt – Dragaredokko (score lost: only a piano transcription exists)
Film
Aaron Copland – Our Town (1940 film)
Leigh Harline – Pinocchio (1940 film)
Erich Korngold – The Sea Hawk (1940 film)
Miklós Rózsa – The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)
Dmitri Shostakovich – The Adventures of Korzinkina
Franz Waxman – Rebecca
Jazz
1940 in jazz
Musical theatre
Apple Sauce (Music and Lyrics: Michael Carr & Jack Strachey). London production opened at the Holborn Empire on August 27 and moved to the London Palladium on March 5, 1941, when the Holburn Empire was destroyed in the blitz. Total run 462 performances.
The Beggar's Opera (Music and Lyrics: John Gay adapted by Frederic Austin). London revival opened at the Haymarket Theatre on March 5.
Cabin in the Sky (Music: Vernon Duke Lyrics: John Latouche Book: Lynn Root). Broadway production opened on October 25 at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 156 performances
Higher and Higher (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan) opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 4 and ran for 84 performances. It returned to the same theatre on August 5 for a further 24 performances.
Hold On To Your Hats (Music: Burton Lane Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg Book: Eddie Davis, Guy Bolton and Matt Brooks). Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on September 11 and ran for 158 performances
Keep Off The Grass (Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Al Dubin and Howard Dietz). Broadway revue opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on May 23 and ran for 44 performances
Louisiana Purchase (Music and Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Morrie Ryskind). Broadway production opened on May 28 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 444 performances
Meet the People Broadway production opened at the Mansfield Theatre on December 25 and ran for 160 performances.
New Faces London revue opened at the Comedy Theatre on April 11 and moved to the Apollo Theatre on March 14, 1941.
Pal Joey (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: John O'Hara) – Broadway production opened on December 25 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and ran for 374 performances
Panama Hattie (Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva). Broadway production opened on October 30 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 501 performances
Two for the Show Broadway revue opened at the Booth Theatre on February 11 and ran for 124 performances
Walk With Music (Music: Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Book: Guy Bolton, Parke Levy and Alan Lipscott). Broadway production opened on June 4 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and ran for 55 performances
The White Horse Inn (Music: Ralph Benatzky Lyrics and Book: Harry Graham). London revival opened on March 20 at the London Coliseum and ran for 268 performances until ended by bombing raids.http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/London%20Musicals%201940-1944.pub.pdf London performances – White Horse Inn (1st Revival) 1940 overthefootlights.co.uk June 19, 2014 February 11, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150211233927/http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/London%20Musicals%201940-1944.pub.pdf dead
Musical films
The Boys from Syracuse, based on the 1938 Broadway play, starring Allan Jones, Irene Hervey, Martha Raye and Rosemary Lane
Broadway Melody of 1940, starring Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell
Canto de amor, Argentine musical directed by Julio Irigoyen
El Cantor de Buenos Aires, Argentine musical
Gül Baba, Hungarian musical starring Sándor Kömíves and Zita SzeleczkyVárkonyi Vilmos Jávor Pál: és a magyar film aranykora Zima Szabolcs 2013 52
If I Had My Way, starring Bing Crosby and Gloria Jean
Irene, starring Anna Neagle, Ray Milland and Billie Burke
It All Came True starring Ann Sheridan and Humphrey Bogart
La canción del milagro, Mexican musical drama starring José Mojica
Lillian Russell (film), starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Henry Fonda and Eddie Foy Jr.
Little Nellie Kelly, starring Judy Garland, George Murphy and Charles Winninger. Directed by Norman Taurog.
New Moon, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard.Medved Harry The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time (and how They Got that Way) 1978 Angus & Robertson 9780207958915 288 First https://books.google.com/books?id=WpQHAQAAIAAJ 16 May 2021
A Night at Earl Carroll's, released December 6Crowther Bosley https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/127766/A-Night-at-Earl-Carroll-s/overview https://web.archive.org/web/20150402193833/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/127766/A-Night-at-Earl-Carroll-s/overview dead 2015-04-02 A-Night-at-Earl-Carroll-s – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times Bosley Crowther 2015 August 1, 2024
No, No, Nanette, starring Anna Neagle, Richard Carlson, Victor Mature, Roland Young, Helen Broderick, Zasu Pitts and Eve Arden
One Night in the Tropics, starring Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Directed by A. Edward Sutherland.
Pinocchio Walt Disney animated film
Spring Parade, starring Deanna Durbin remake of 1934 film
Too Many Girls, based on 1939 Broadway musical, starring Lucille Ball, Richard Carlson, Frances Langford, Ann Miller, Eddie Bracken and Desi Arnaz.
Two Girls on Broadway, remake of 1929 film The Broadway Melody, starring Lana Turner, Joan Blondell and George Murphy.
Young People, starring Shirley Temple. Directed by Allan Dwan.
Births
January 8 – Anthony Gourdine, American R&B vocalist (Little Anthony & the Imperials)
January 9 – Al Downing, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2005)
January 11 – Sydney Devine, Scottish singer (died 2021)
January 18 – Lindsay L. Cooper, Scottish jazz string player (died 2001)
January 19 – Rudolf Jansen, Dutch pianist (died 2024)
January 22 – Addie "Micki" Harris, American R&B vocalist (The Shirelles) (died 1982)
January 23
Jimmy Castor, African-American funk, R&B and soul saxophonist (died 2012)Martin Douglas January 17, 2012 Jimmy Castor, Musician Who Mastered Many Genres, Dies at 71 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/arts/music/jimmy-castor-musician-who-mastered-many-genres-dies-at-71.html The New York Times
Joe Dowell, American singer (died 2016)
Johnny Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2001)
January 28 – Trebor Jay Tichenor, American pianist and composer (died 2014)
January 30 – David C. Johnson, American composer, flautist and live-electronic performer
February 2 – Alan Caddy, English musician (The Tornados) (died 2000)
February 3 – Angelo D'Aleo, American singer (Dion and the Belmonts)
February 10
Jimmy Merchant, American singer (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers)
Kenny Rankin, American jazz and pop singer-songwriter (died 2009)
February 11 – Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, American singer (died 2007)
February 12 – Gilda Cruz-Romo, Mexican operatic soprano (died 2025)Obituary: Mexican Soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo Dies at 85
February 19 – Smokey Robinson, American soul singer (The Miracles)
February 20 – Barbara Ellis, American pop singer (The Fleetwoods)
February 25 – Jesús López Cobos, Spanish conductor (died 2018)
February 28 – Joe South, American singer songwriter (died 2012)
February 29 – Gretchen Christopher, pop singer (The Fleetwoods)
March 2 – Juraj Beneš, composer (died 2004)
March 10 – Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean)
March 12 – Al Jarreau, singer (died 2017)
March 13 – Daniel Bennie (The Reflections)
March 15 – Phil Lesh, rock bass guitarist (Grateful Dead) (died 2024)
March 16 – Rock-Olga (Birgit Jacobsson), rock singer (died 2010)
March 25
Anita Bryant, singer (died 2024)
Mina, singer
March 27 – Derrick Morgan, ska musician
March 29
Ray Davis, funk bass singer (Parliament, Funkadelic) (died 2005)
Astrud Gilberto, bossa nova singer (died 2023)
April 1 – Annie Nightingale, radio music presenter (died 2024)
April 12 – Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist and composer
April 13 – Lester Chambers, soul rock singer (The Chambers Brothers)
April 17 – Billy Fury, singer (died 1983)
April 24 – Bayan Northcott, music critic and composer (died 2022)
April 26 – Giorgio Moroder, record producer
May 3
Conny Plank, sound engineer (died 1987)
Leif Rygg, Hardanger fiddle player (died 2018)
May 8
Ricky Nelson, singer and actor (The Nelsons) (died 1985)
Toni Tennille (Captain & Tennille)
May 15
Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
Lena Martell, Scottish singer (died 2026)
May 19 – Mickey Newbury, songwriter (died 2002)
May 21 – Tony Sheridan, rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2013)
May 26 – Levon Helm, American rock vocalist/drummer (The Band) (died 2012)
June 7 – Tom Jones, singer
June 8
Sherman Garnes (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers) (died 1977)
Nancy Sinatra, singer
June 13 – Bobby Freeman, soul singer (died 2017)
June 23
Adam Faith, born Terry Nelhams, pop singer, screen actor and financial journalist (died 2003)
Stuart Sutcliffe, rock bass guitarist (The Beatles) and artist (died 1962)
Diana Trask, Australian-born country and pop singer
July 4
Helen Quach, Vietnamese-born orchestral conductor (died 2013)
Dave Rowberry, rock pianist and songwriter (The Animals) (died 2003)
July 6 – Jeannie Seely, American singer-songwriter and actress
July 7 – Ringo Starr, rock drummer (The Beatles)
July 16 – Tony Jackson, singer and bass guitarist (The Searchers) (died 2003)
July 22 – Thomas Wayne, American singer (died 1971)
August 10 – Bobby Hatfield, singer (The Righteous Brothers) (died 2003)
August 12 – Tony Allen, Afrobeat drummer (died 2020)
August 14 – Dash Crofts, Seals and Crofts
August 19
Roger Cook, songwriter
Johnny Nash, reggae singer (died 2020)
August 31 – Wilton Felder, jazz saxophonist (The Crusaders) (died 2015)
September 2 – Jimmy Clanton, singer
September 6 – Jackie Trent, born Yvonne Burgess, songwriter (died 2015)
September 9 – Joe Negroni (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers) (died 1978)
September 10 – Dickie Rock, singer
September 17 – Lamonte McLemore, vocalist (The 5th Dimension)
September 19 – Bill Medley, singer (The Righteous Brothers)
September 30 – Dewey Martin, rock drummer (Buffalo Springfield) (died 2009)
October 1 – Atarah Ben-Tovim, flautist and children's concert promoter (died 2022)
October 8 – Fred Cash, soul singer (The Impressions)
October 9 – John Lennon, rock singer-songwriter (murdered 1980)
October 14 – Cliff Richard, singer
October 17 – Stephen Kovacevich, pianist
October 18 – Cynthia Weil, songwriter (died 2023)
October 19 – Larry Chance, doo-wop singer (The Earls)
October 21
Jimmy Beaumont, doo-wop singer (The Skyliners) (died 2017)
Manfred Mann, born Manfred Lubowitz, rock keyboardist and singer-songwriter (Manfred Mann)
October 23 – Ellie Greenwich, songwriter (died 2009)
October 31 – Eric Griffiths, skiffle guitarist (The Quarrymen) (died 2005)
November 2 – Hugo Raspoet, folk singer (died 2018).
November 4 – Delbert McClinton, singer-songwriter
November 17 – Luke Kelly, folk musician (The Dubliners) (died 1984)
November 25 – Percy Sledge, singer (died 2015)
November 28 – Bruce Channel, singer
November 29
Seán Cannon, Irish folk musician
Mark James, born Francis Zambon, songwriter (died 2024)
Chuck Mangione, flugelhorn player and composer (died 2025)
December 9 – Clancy Eccles, Jamaican ska/reggae singer (died 2005)
December 11 – David Gates, American singer-songwriter (Bread)
December 12 – Dionne Warwick, American singer
December 19 – Phil Ochs, American protest singer (died 1976)
December 21
Ray Hildebrand, American singer (Paul & Paula)
Frank Zappa, American guitarist and composer (died 1993)
December 23
Tim Hardin, American folk singer (died 1980)
Jorma Kaukonen, American guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
Eugene Record, American singer (The Chi-Lites) (died 2005)
December 28
Lonnie Liston Smith, American jazz and funk musician
Kurt Widmer, Swiss opera singer and voice coach (died 2023)
Deaths
January 7
Carl Boberg, hymn-writer, 80J. Irving Erickson Twice-born Hymns Covenant Press 1976 9780910452304 90
Effie Crockett, composer of "Rock-a-Bye Baby", 83
February 2 – Nikolay Kedrov Sr., composer, 68
February 4 – Albert Ham, English and Canadian organist, choral conductor, and composer, 81https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/albert-ham-emc Albert Ham Ruth Pincoe The Canadian Encyclopedia December 16, 2013
February 17 – Gus Elen, music hall singer, 77
February 28 – Arnold Dolmetsch, musical instrument maker, 82
March 18 – Lola Beeth, operatic soprano, 78
March 25 – Nonna Otescu, composer, 51
April 9 – Rosa Newmarch, music writer, 82
April 18 – Florrie Forde, Australian-born English music hall singer, 64
April 28 – Luisa Tetrazzini, soprano, 68
May 23 – Andrey Rimsky-Korsakov, musicologist, 61
May 29 – Mathilda Grabow, operatic soprano, 88https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=13121 Mathilda E E Grabow SBL 5 July 2025
June 8 – Frederick Converse, composer, 69
June 19 – Albert Reiss, operatic tenor, 70
June 20
Jehan Alain, organist and composer, 29 (killed in action)
Emma Nevada, operatic soprano, 81
July 10 – Sir Donald Francis Tovey, musicologist and composer, 64
August 8
Alessandro Bonci, operatic tenor, 70
Johnny Dodds, jazz musician, 48 (heart attack)
August 10 – Alessandro Bonci, lyric tenor, 70
August 16 – Eduard Sõrmus, Estonian violinist, 62
August 21 – Paul Juon, composer and teacher, 68
August 29 – Arthur De Greef, pianist and composer, 77
September 2 – Giulio Gatti-Casazza, director of the Metropolitan Opera, 71
September 30 – Walter Kollo, operetta composer, 62
October 5 – Silvestre Revueltas, composer, 40 (pneumonia)
November 6 – Ivar F. Andresen, operatic bass, 44 Kutsch K.-J. Karl-Josef Kutsch Riemens Leo Leo Riemens https://books.google.com/books?id=dsfq_5dFeL0C&pg=PA107 Andresen, Ivar Großes Sängerlexikon De Gruyter 4th de 2012 107–108 978-3-59-844088-5
November 12 – Alejandro García Caturla, composer, 34
November 22 – Jorge Bravo de Rueda, pianist and composer, 45
November 23 – Billy Jones, US singer, 51
December 3 – Walborg Lagerwall, Swedish cellist, 89https://www.sophie-drinker-institut.de/lagervall-valborg Lagervall, Lagerwall, Valborg, Walborg (Koncordia Conkordia Maria) Sophie Drinker Institut de 5 July 2025
December 5 – Jan Kubelik, violinist, 60
December 11 – J. Harold Murray, baritone, 49 (nephritis)
December 15 – Blanche Marchesi, mezzo-soprano and voice teacher, 77
December 16 – William Wallace, composer, 80
December 21 – Hal Kemp, jazz musician and bandleader, 36 (complications following car accident)
December 24 – Billy Hill, songwriter, 41
date unknown – Marguerite Ugalde, operatic mezzo-soprano (born 1862)
References
Category:20th century in music
Category:Music by year