1921 in music
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Overview of the events of 1921 in music
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This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1921.
Specific locations
Specific genres
Events
- January – Amelita Galli-Curci marries her accompanist, Homer Samuels, who had been named in her divorce from the Marchese Luigi Curci.
- June–July – The Harvard Glee Club takes its first trip to Europe, garnering international press attention.[1]
- November – A month before his death, Camille Saint-Saëns, 86, gives a final recital.[2]
- Clarence Williams makes his first recordings
- Mary Stafford becomes the first black woman to record for Columbia Records
- The 17-string koto, or "Jūshichi-gen", is invented by Michio Miyagi.
- Cyril Rootham dedicates his "Suite in Three Movements" for flute and piano to French flautist Louis Fleury.
Published popular music
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- "Ain't We Got Fun?" w.m. Richard A. Whiting, Raymond Egan & Gus Kahn
- "All by Myself" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "And Her Mother Came Too" w. Dion Titheradge m. Ivor Novello
- "Any Time" w.m. Herbert Happy Lawson
- "April Showers" w. B. G. De Sylva m. Louis Silvers
- "Baltimore Buzz" w.m. Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
- "Bandana Days" w.m. Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
- "Bimini Bay" w. Gus Kahn & Raymond Egan m. Richard Whiting
- "Boy Wanted" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "Dancing Time" w.(Eng) George Grossmith, Jr. (US) Howard Dietz m. Jerome Kern US words written 1924.
- "Dapper Dan" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
- "Dear Old Southland" w. Henry Creamer m. Turner Layton
- "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" w. Al Jolson, Grant Clarke, Edgar Leslie m. James V. Monaco
- "Down South" w. B. G. DeSylva m. Walter Donaldson. Introduced by Al Jolson in the musical Bombo
- "Down Yonder" w.m. L. Wolfe Gilbert
- "Everybody Step" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Hawaiian Chimes" w. Irving Bibo m. Eva Applefield
- "I Ain't Nobody's Darling" w. Elmer Hughes m. Robert A. King
- "I Found A Rose In The Devil's Garden" w.m. Fred Fisher & Willie Raskin
- "I Wonder If You Still Care For Me" w.m. Harry B. Smith & Francis Wheeler
- "I'll Forget You" w. Annelu Burns m. Ernest R. Ball
- "I'm Just Wild About Harry" w.m. Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
- "I'm Missin' Mammy's Kissin'" w. Sidney Clare m. Lew Pollack
- "I'm Nobody's Baby" w.m. Benny Davis, Milton Ager & Lester Santly
- "Jazz Me Blues" m. Tom Delaney
- "Keep Movin'" Helen Trix
- "Kitten On The Keys" m. Zez Confrey
- "Laughin' Rag" S. Moore, H. Skinner
- "Learn To Smile" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
- "Leave Me With A Smile" w.m. Charles Koehler & Earl Burtnett
- "Love Will Find A Way" w.m. Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
- "Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me" w. Sidney Clare m. Con Conrad
- "Make Believe" w. Benny Davis m. Jack Shilkret
- "Mandy 'N' Me" w. Bert Kalmar m. Con Conrad
- "My Sunny Tennessee" w.m. Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby & Herman Ruby
- "Peggy O'Neill" w.m. Harry Pease, Ed G. Nelson & Gilbert Dodge
- "Sally" w. Clifford Grey m. Jerome Kern
- "Say It With Music" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Second Hand Rose" w. Grant Clarke m. James F. Hanley
- "The Sheik of Araby" w. Harry B. Smith & Francis Wheeler m. Ted Snyder
- "She's Mine, All Mine" w.m. Bert Kalmar & Harry Ruby
- "Shuffle Along w.m. Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
- "Shimmy With Me" w. P. G. Wodehouse m. Jerome Kern from the musical The Cabaret Girl
- "Song Of Love" w. Dorothy Donnelly m. Sigmund Romberg
- "Strut Miss Lizzie" w. Henry Creamer m. Turner Layton
- "Swanee River Moon" w.m. H. Pitman Clarke
- "Sweet Lady" w. Howard Johnson m. Frank Crumit & Dave Zoob
- "Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes" w. Harry Pease & Johnny White m. Ira Schuster & Ed G. Nelson
- "There'll Be Some Changes Made" w. Billy Higgins m. Benton Overstreet
- "Tuck Me To Sleep In My Old 'Tucky Home" w. Sam H. Lewis & Joe Young m. George W. Meyer
- "Wabash Blues" w. Dave Ringle m. Fred Meinken
- "When Big Profundo Sang Low C" w. Marion T. Bohannon m. George Botsford
- "When Buddha Smiles" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
- "When Francis Dances With Me" w. Ben Ryan m. Sol Violinsky
- "When Shall We Meet Again" w. Raymond B. Egan m. Richard A. Whiting
- "Whip-poor-will" w. B. G. De Sylva m. Jerome Kern
- "Yoo-Hoo" w. B. G. De Sylva m. Al Jolson
Top Popular Recordings 1921
The following songs achieved the highest positions in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website during 1921:[3] Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.
Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart Positions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra | "Wang Wang Blues"[4] | Victor 18694 | August 19, 1920 (1920-08-19) | December 1920 (1920-12) | US Billboard 1921 #1, US #1 for 6 weeks, 17 total weeks, 457,000 sold 1921, later RCA Victor announced 1,000,000[5] |
2 | Isham Jones Orchestra | "Wabash Blues"[6] | Brunswick 5065 | August 1, 1921 (1921-08-01) | October 1921 (1921-10) | US Billboard 1921 #2, US #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,750,000 sold 1921-1922[5] |
3 | Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra | "Cherie"[7] | Victor 18758 | August 9, 1920 (1920-08-09) | July 1921 (1921-07) | US Billboard 1921 #3, US #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks, 405,647 sales |
4 | Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra | "Song of India"[8] | Victor 18777 | August 23, 1921 (1921-08-23) | September 1921 (1921-09) | US Billboard 1921 #5, US #1 for 5 weeks, 14 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold |
5 | Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra | "Say It with Music"[9] | Victor 18803 | April 21, 1921 (1921-04-21) | November 12, 1921 (1921-11-12) | US Billboard 1921 #4, US #1 for 5 weeks, 14 total weeks |
6 | Eddie Cantor | "Margie"[10] | Emerson 10301 | December 15, 1920 (1920-12-15) | January 1921 (1921-01) | US Billboard 1921 #6, US #1 for 5 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold |
7 | Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra | "My Mammy-Beautiful Faces Medley"[11] | Victor 18737 | March 1, 1921 (1921-03-01) | May 1921 (1921-05) | US Billboard 1921 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[12] |
8 | Ted Lewis and His Band | "All by Myself"[13] | Columbia 3434 | June 11, 1921 (1921-06-11) | September 1921 (1921-09) | US Billboard 1921 #8, US #1 for 4 weeks, 12 total weeks |
9 | Al Jolson | "O-H-I-O (O My! O!)"[13] | Columbia 3361 | December 13, 1920 (1920-12-13) | April 1921 (1921-04) | US Billboard 1921 #9, US #1 for 4 weeks, 7 total weeks |
10 | Nora Bayes (Charles Prince Orchestra) | "Make Believe"[14] | Columbia 3392 | March 1, 1921 (1921-03-01) | September 1921 (1921-09) | US Billboard 1921 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks |
11 | Marion Harris | "Look for the Silver Lining"[13] | Columbia 3367 | December 29, 1920 (1920-12-29) | April 1921 (1921-04) | US Billboard 1921 #11, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks |
22 | Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds | "Crazy Blues"[15] | Okeh 4169 | August 10, 1920 (1920-08-10) | November 1920 (1920-11) | US Billboard 1920 #11, US #3 for 1 week, 11 total weeks, National Recording Registry 2005 |
24 | Marion Harris | "I Ain't Got Nobody"[13] | Columbia 3371 | April 21, 1920 (1920-04-21) | May 1921 (1921-05) | US Billboard 1921 #24, US #3 for 1 weeks, 7 total weeks |
28 | The Original Dixieland Jazz Band | "Palesteena (Lena from Palesteena)"[16] | Victor 18717 | December 4, 1920 (1920-12-04) | February 1921 (1921-02) | US Billboard 1921 #28, US #3 for 1 weeks, 5 total weeks |
Classical music
- Agustín Barrios – La Catedral
- George Enescu – Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 21 (revised version)
- Gabriel Fauré
- Cello Sonata No. 2
- Piano Quintet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115
- John Foulds – A World Requiem (1919–21; premiered 1923)
- Howard Hanson – Before the Night
- Albert Ketèlbey
- Rued Langgaard – Music of the Spheres
- Carl Nielsen – Moderen (stage music)
- Henrique Oswald – String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 46
- Willem Pijper
- Symphony No. 2
- Trio No. 2 for violin, violoncello & piano
- Sergei Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major
- Camille Saint-Saëns
- Oboe Sonata, Op. 166
- Clarinet Sonata, Op. 167
- Bassoon Sonata, Op. 168
- Edgard Varèse
- Offrandes
- Amériques (1918–21)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
- The Lark Ascending, version for violin & orchestra
- A Pastoral Symphony
- Heitor Villa-Lobos – Fantasia de Movimentos Mistos, for violin & orchestra
- Arnold Schoenberg – Suite for Piano Op. 25
- John Ireland – Two Pieces for Piano
Opera
- Franco Alfano – La leggenda di Sakùntala
- Nicolae Bretan – Luceafarul
- Paul Hindemith – Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen and Das Nusch-Nuschi (premiered together June 4 at Württembergisches Landestheater, Stuttgart)
- Leoš Janáček – Káťa Kabanová
- Hans Jelmoli – Die Badener Fahrt
- Emmerich Kálmán – Die Bajadere
- Pietro Mascagni – Il piccolo Marat
Film
- Paul Hindemith - Im Kampf mit dem Berge
![]() "I'm Just Wild About Harry" Instrumental version of "I'm Just Wild About Harry" from the musical Shuffle Along by Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake. Recorded May 17, 1922. Problems playing this file? See media help. |
- Bombo, Broadway production opened at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre on October 6 and ran for 213 performances
- The Broadway Whirl, Broadway revue opened at the Times Square Theatre on June 8 and ran for 85 performances
- The Golden Moth (Music: Ivor Novello) London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on October 5. Starring Bobbie Comber and Thorpe Bates.
- Good Morning, Dearie, Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on November 1 and ran for 347 performances
- Pot Luck London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on December 24.
- The League of Notions London revue opened at the Oxford Theatre on January 17
- The Rebel Maid London production opened at the Empire Theatre on March 12 and ran for 114 performances.
- The Rose Girl (Music: Anselm Goetzl Book & Lyrics: William Carey Duncan) Broadway production opened at the Ambassador Theatre on February 11 and ran for 99 performances. Starring Mabel Withee, Charles Purcell and May Boley.
- Sally, London production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 10 and ran for 387 performances
- Shuffle Along, Broadway production opened at the Daly's 63rd Street Theatre on May 23 and ran for 504 performances
- Sybil, London production opened at Daly's Theatre on February 19 and ran for 346 performances
Births
- January 10 – Helen Bonchek Schneyer, folk musician (d. 2005)
- January 17 – Lorna Cooke deVaron, choral conductor (d. 2018)
- January 22 – Arno Babajanian, composer (d. 1983)
- January 26 – Eddie Barclay, music producer (d. 2005)
- January 31
- Carol Channing, musical comedy star (d. 2019)
- Mario Lanza, operatic tenor and film star (d. 1959)
- February 5 – Sir John Pritchard, British conductor (d. 1989)
- February 13 – Jeanne Demessieux, French organist and composer (d. 1968)[17]
- February 16 – Vera-Ellen, dancer and actress (d. 1981)
- February 20 - Ruth Gipps, composer (d. 1999)
- February 26 – Betty Hutton, actress and singer (d. 2007)
- March 2 – Robert Simpson, musicologist and composer (d. 1997)
- March 6 – Julius Rudel, conductor (d. 2014)
- March 8 – Cyd Charisse, dancer (d. 2008)
- March 11 – Ástor Piazzolla, tango composer (d. 1992)
- March 12 – Gordon MacRae, singer and actor (d. 1986)
- March 21
- Arthur Grumiaux, violinist (d. 1986)
- Antony Hopkins, composer and music writer (d. 2014)
- March 22 – Nino Manfredi, actor and film score composer (d. 2004)
- March 27 – Phil Chess, born Fiszel Czyż, record producer (d. 2016)
- March 28 - Rostislav Berberov, music theorist and musicologist (d. 1984)[18]
- April 1
- Douglas Allanbrook, composer (d. 2003)
- William Bergsma, composer (d. 1994)
- Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, musician and composer (d. 2014)
- April 3 – Darío Moreno, Turkish singer and composer (d. 1968)[19]
- April 8
- Alfie Bass, actor (Tevye in West End production of Fiddler on the Roof) (d. 1987)
- Franco Corelli, operatic tenor (d. 2003)
- April 22 – Cándido Camero, percussionist (d. 2020)
- April 26 – Jimmy Giuffre, jazz musician (d. 2008)
- May 17
- Dennis Brain, horn virtuoso (d. 1957)
- Bob Merrill, US songwriter (d. 1998)
- May 23 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English jazz musician (d. 2008)
- May 25 – Hal David – US lyricist (d. 2012)
- May 26 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (d. 2018)[20]
- June 1 – Nelson Riddle, US conductor, composer and arranger (d. 1985)
- June 3 – Betty Freeman, patron of classical music (d. 2009)
- June 21
- Judy Holliday, US actress and singer (d. 1965)
- Jane Russell, US actress and singer (d. 2011)
- June 24 – Peggy DeCastro, US singer born in the Dominican Republic, eldest of the DeCastro Sisters (d. 2004)
- June 25 – Celia Franca, dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
- July 12 – Hilary Corke, writer and composer (d. 2001)
- July 15 – Jack Beeson, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
- July 17
- George Barnes, American swing jazz guitarist (d. 1977)
- Mary Osborne, American jazz guitarist (d. 1992)
- July 20 – Carmen Carrozza, accordionist (d. 2013)
- July 24 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, opera singer (d. 2008)
- July 30 – Grant Johannesen, American pianist (d. 2005)[21]
- August 3 – Richard Adler, American composer and lyricist (d. 2012)
- August 4 – Herb Ellis, American guitarist (d. 2010)
- August 7
- Manitas de Plata, French Gitano flamenco guitarist (d. 2014)
- Karel Husa, Czech-born classical composer (d. 2016)
- August 9 – Lola Bobesco, Belgian violinist (d. 2003)
- August 13 – Mary Lee, Scottish singer (d. 2022)
- September 3 – Thurston Dart, English musicologist, conductor and keyboard player (d. 1971)
- September 4 – Ariel Ramírez, Argentine composer (d. 2010)
- September 8 – Sir Harry Secombe, Welsh singer and comedian (d. 2001)
- September 19 – Billy Ward, R&B singer (The Dominoes) (d. 2002)
- September 21 – Chico Hamilton, jazz drummer (d. 2013)
- September 30 – Pedro Knight, Cuban musician, manager (d. 2007)
- October 1 – James Whitmore, actor in film musicals (d. 2009)
- October 21
- Sir Malcolm Arnold, composer (d. 2006)
- Jarmil Burghauser, conductor, composer and musicologist (d. 1997)
- October 23 – Denise Duval, soprano (d. 2016)
- October 25 – Little Hatch, blues musician (d. 2003)
- November 5 – Georges Cziffra, pianist (d. 1994)
- November 9 – Pierrette Alarie, soprano (d. 2011)
- November 21 – Vivian Blaine, actress and singer (d. 1995)
- November 23 – Fred Buscaglione, Italian singer, musician and songwriter (d. 1960)
- December 3 – Phyllis Curtin, soprano (d. 2016)
- December 4 – Deanna Durbin, singer and actress (d. 2013)
- December 8 – Johnny Otis, blues musician (d. 2012)
- December 15 – Alan Freed, disc jockey (d. 1965)
- December 26 – Steve Allen, musician and comedian (d. 2000)
Deaths
- January 23 – Władysław Żeleński, pianist, organist and composer (b. 1837)
- February 8
- George Formby Sr, singer (b. 1875; pulmonary tuberculosis)
- Francisco D'Andrade, opera singer (b. 1856)
- March 14 – Gustave Barnes, artist and musician (b. 1877)
- March 24 – Déodat de Séverac, composer (b. 1872)
- April 3 – Annie Louise Cary, operatic contralto (b. 1842)
- April 5 – Alphons Diepenbrock, composer and writer (b. 1862)
- April 7 – Víctor Mirecki Larramat, cellist (b. 1847)
- April 20 – Tony Jackson, pianist, singer and composer (b. 1876; cirrhosis of the liver)
- May 4 – Max Kalbeck, music writer and critic (b. 1850)
- June 8 – Natalie Bauer-Lechner, viola player (b. 1858)
- July 9 – Marianne Brandt, operatic contralto (b. 1842)
- August 2 – Enrico Caruso, operatic tenor (b. 1873; peritonitis)
- August 8 – Arthur Pougin, music critic (b. 1834)
- September 27
- Engelbert Humperdinck, composer (b. 1854; heart attack)
- Zdzisław Birnbaum, violinist and conductor (b. 1878)
- September 28 – Princess Pauline von Metternich, patron of composers including Wagner and Smetana (b. 1836)
- October 4 – Sophie Stehle, operatic soprano (b. 1838)
- November 20 – Christina Nilsson, operatic soprano (b. 1843)
- November 25 – Théodore Lack, pianist (b. 1846)
- November 29 – Ivan Caryll, composer of operettas (b. 1861; haemorrhage)
- December 10 – Victor Jacobi, composer of operettas (b. 1883; illness)
- December 16 – Camille Saint-Saëns, composer (b. 1835; tuberculosis)
- December 25 – Hans Huber, composer (b. 1852)
References
- ^ Harvard Glee Club: About Archived March 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 10 March 2014
- ^ Prod'homme, Jacques-Gabriel (October 1922). "Camille Saint-Saëns". The Musical Quarterly. 8 (4): 469–486. doi:10.1093/mq/viii.4.469. ISSN 0027-4631. JSTOR 737853. (subscription required)
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-24392. Wang-wang blues / Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The book of golden discs. Internet Archive. London : Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 978-0-214-20512-5.
- ^ "BRUNSWICK 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 series". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-25049. Cherie / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-25322. Song of India / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-25471. Say it with music / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "EMERSON 78rpm numerical listing discography: 10000 - 10500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-24863. My mammy / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Jazz History: The Standards (1920s)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Columbia A Series 78rpm numerical listing discography: A3000 - A3500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Columbia matrix 79723. Make believe / Nora Bayes - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "OKEH 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4000 - 4500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Victor matrix B-24590. Palesteena / Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ Randel, Don Michael (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-67437-299-3.
- ^ Grigory Pantyelev Paisov (2001). "Berberov, Rostislav Nikolayevich". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.48266.
- ^ Evelyn Mack Truitt (1977). Who was who on Screen. Bowker. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-8352-0914-4.
- ^ Ewen, David (1978). Musicians Since 1900: Performers in Concert and Opera. New York: Wilson. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-82420-565-2.
- ^ "Grant Johannesen – Obituaries – News". The Independent. April 30, 2005. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
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