Year 1924 in Music History

Events in Music

Music Premiere

Feb 12 George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" premieres at influential concert "Experiment in Modern Music" held by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra at the Aeolian Hall, NYC

Composer and Pianist George Gershwin — Composer and Pianist
George Gershwin

Music Premiere

Mar 24 1st performance of Jean Sibelius' 7th Symphony in C at the Konsertföreningenin in Stockholm

Composer Jean Sibelius — Composer
Jean Sibelius

Apr 19 "National Barn Dance" premieres on WLS Chicago

Event of Interest

May 8 Arthur Honegger's "Pacifica 231" premieres

Composer Arthur Honegger — Composer
Arthur Honegger

Jun 9 "Jelly-Roll Blues" is recorded by jazz pioneer pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton
Jun 26 Ziegfeld Follies opens on Broadway
Oct 14 Arnold Schoeberg's opera "Die Gluckliche Hand" premieres in Vienna
Oct 29 "Dixie to Broadway" opens at Broadhurst Theater
Dec 1 George and Ira Gershwin's musical "Lady Be Good" premieres in NYC
Dec 14 Respighi's symphony "Pini di Roma" premieres in Paris

Event of Interest

Dec 16 Noël Coward's "Vortex" premieres in London

Playwright, Director and Singer Noël Coward — Playwright, Director and Singer
Noël Coward

Birthdays in Music

Jan 1 Arthur Prysock, American jazz and R&B singer (I Didn't Sleep a Wink Last Night), born in was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina (d. 1997) (or Jan 2, 1929)
Jan 3 Nell Rankin, American operatic mezzo-soprano (Carmen; Metropolitan Opera, 1951-76), born in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 2005)
Jan 6 Earl Scruggs, American bluegrass banjo player (Flatt & Scruggs - "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"; "Ballad of Jed Clampett"), born in Flint Hill, North Carolina (d. 2012)
Jan 8 Benjamin Lees [Lysniansky], American composer, born in Harbin, China (d. 2010)
Jan 8 Robert Starer, Austrian-born American composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2001)
Jan 8 Ron Moody [Ronald Moodnick], British composer, singer and actor (12 Chairs, Oliver!), born in London, England (d. 2015)
Jan 10 Ludmilla Chiraeff, Latvian-born Canadian ballet dancer, born in Riga, Latvia (d. 1996)
Jan 10 Max Roach, American jazz drummer, born in Newland, North Carolina (d. 2007)
Jan 11 Slim Harpo [James Moore], American blues musician (I'm a King Bee, Baby Scratch My Back), born in Lobdell, Louisiana (d. 1970)
Jan 20 Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer (Mélopées africaines), and teacher, born in Houilles, France (d. 2010)
Jan 22 J. J. Johnson, American composer and jazz trombonist, born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2001)
Jan 24 David Craighead, American organist and educator, born in Strasburg, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
Jan 26 Warren Frank Benson, American composer (The Leaves Are Falling), and educator (Eastman School, 1967-1993), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2005)
Jan 26 Alice Babs [Nilson], Swedish jazz singer (The Swe-Danes; Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts), and actress (Swing It, Teacher!), born in Västervik, Sweden (d. 2014)
Jan 27 Alexander Georgiyevich Chugayev, composer
Jan 29 Luigi Nono, Italian avant-garde composer (Canonic Variations), born in Venice, Italy (d. 1990)
Feb 2 Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American producer and musician
Feb 2 Sonny Stitt [Edward Hammond Boatner Jr], American jazz saxophonist (Blows the Blues), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1982)
Feb 7 Johnny Jordaan [Johannes van Musscher], Dutch pop and levenslied singer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1989)
Feb 9 George Guest, Welsh organist and choir director, born in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales (d. 2002)
Feb 10 Randy Van Horne, American vocalist (Nat King Cole Show, The Flintstones, The Jetsons), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 2007)
Feb 14 Arghyris Kounadis, Greek composer, born in Istanbul, Turkey (d. 2011)
Feb 17 Margaret Truman, American presidential daughter, writer (Murder at FBI) and pianist, born in Independence, Missouri (d. 2008)
Feb 23 Lejaren Hiller, American composer (Illiac Suite), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
Feb 24 Lionel Dakers, British cathedral organist (Royal School of Church Music), born in Rochester, Kent (d. 2003)
Feb 26 Mark Bucci, American composer (1959 Arts & Letters Award), born in NYC, New York
Mar 2 Alexander "Papa" Lightfoot, American blues singer and harmonica player, born in Natchez, Mississippi (d. 1971)
Mar 6 Sarah Caldwell, American conductor/opera director (Flagstaff), born in Maryville, Missouri (2006)
Mar 9 Konstantin Iliev, Bulgarian composer, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 1988)
Mar 15 Lockrem Johnson, American composer, born in Davenport, Iowa (d. 1977)
Mar 17 Stephen Dodgson, British composer, born in Chelsea, London, England (d. 2013)
Mar 21 Karl Heinz Fussl, Austrian composer, musicologist, publisher, and music critic, born in Jablonec, Czechoslovakia (d. 1992)
Mar 21 Otis Spann, American blues pianist and singer (The Blues Never Die!), born in Belzoni, Mississippi [or, perhaps, 1930 in Jackson, Mississippi] (d. 1970)
Mar 24 Eric Parkin, British classical pianist and champion of British composers, born in Stevenage, England (d. 2020)
Mar 24 "Boogie" Bill Webb, American Louisiana blues and R&B guitarist, singer and songwriter ("Bad Dog"), born in Jackson, Mississippi (d. 1990)
Mar 25 Julia Perry, American classical composer (Soul Symphony; Cask of Amontillado; Homunuclus C.F.), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 1979)
Mar 27 Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer ("Broken Hearted Melody"), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1990)
Mar 29 Jules de Corte, blind Dutch ballad singer and songwriter, born in Deurne, Netherlands (d. 1996)
Mar 29 Andrew Frierson, pioneering African American opera singer, born in Columbia, Tennessee (d. 2018)
Mar 30 Milko Kelemen, Croat composer (Archetypon), born in Slatina, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Croatia) (d. 2018)
Apr 1 Gunther Becker, composer
Apr 3 Murray Dickie, Scottish opera singer and director, born in Bishopton, Glasgow (d. 1995)
Apr 3 Joseph Kerman, American educator and musicologist ( Contemplating Music: Challenges to Musicology), born in London, England (d. 2014)
Apr 6 Charlie Rouse, American hard bop tenor saxophonist (Thelonious Monk Quartet; Sphere), born in Washington, DC (d. 1988)
Apr 7 Ikuma Dan, Japanese composer (Yūzuru), born in Toyko (d. 2001)
Apr 7 Nick Perito, American orchestra leader (Don Knotts Show, Big Show), born in Denver, Colorado
Apr 9 Harald Heilmann, German composer, born in Aue, Germany (d. 2018)
Apr 12 Sergiu Natra, Romanian-born Israeli composer, born in Bucharest, Romania
Apr 14 Shorty Rogers [Milton Rajonsky], American jazz trumpeter and composer, born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
Apr 15 Neville Marriner, English violinist (London Symphony, 1954-69), and conductor (Academy of St Martin in the Fields, 1958-2011; Minnesota Orchestra, 1979-86), born in Lincoln (d. 2016)

Henry Mancini

Apr 16 Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (Pink Panther), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1994)

Apr 18 Buxton Orr, Anglo-Scottish composer, born in Glasgow (d. 1997)
Apr 18 Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, American blues singer ("Mary Is Fine"), born in Vinton, Louisiana (d. 2005)
Apr 20 Gerhard Samuel, American conductor and composer, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 2008)
Apr 21 Ira Louvin, Rainsville Ala, country singer, Louvin Brothers)
Apr 23 Arthur Frackenpohl, American composer (Natural Superiority of Music), born in Irvington, New Jersey
Apr 24 Yehoshua Lakner, composer, born in Bratislava, Slovakia (d. 2003)
Apr 24 Ruth Kobart [Kahn], American actor and singer (King's Quest VII, Forum), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2002)
Apr 25 Erzsébet Szőnyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2019)
Apr 25 Franco Mannino, Italian composer, born in Palermo, Italy (d. 2005)
Apr 28 Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer and pianist, born in East Durnham, New York (d. 2009)
Apr 29 Renée Jeanmaire, dancer (Hans Christian Anderson), born in Paris, France
Apr 29 Zizi Jeanmaire, French dancer, singer and actress (Carmen), born in Paris, France (d. 2020)
Apr 30 Sheldon Harnick, American lyricist (Fiorello, Fiddler on the Roof), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 1 Earl George, American composer and pedagogue, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1994)
May 1 Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
May 2 Aafje Heynis, Dutch singer (contralto), born in Krommenie, Netherlands (d. 2015)
May 2 Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American folk singer and actor (The Russians Are Coming), born in Vienna (d.2015)
May 2 Lynn Evans [Carolyn Hargate], American pop vocalist (The Chordettes - "Mr. Sandman"; "Lollipop"), born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 2020)
May 4 Tatiana Nikolayeva, Russian pianist and composer, born in Bezhitsa, Russia (d. 1993)
May 5 Theo Olof, German-Dutch violinist and concert master, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 2012)
May 6 Mimi Benzell, American operatic soprano (Gilda-Rigoletto), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1970)
May 6 Denny Wright, British jazz guitarist, born in Bromley, Kent, England (d. 1992)
May 9 Connie Russell, American singer (Club Embassy, Garroway at Large), born in NYC, New York (d. 1990)
May 14 Joly Braga Santos, composer
May 17 Frantisek Kovaricek, composer
May 19 Sandy Galbraith Wilson, composer
May 21 Robert Parris, American composer (Book of Imaginary Beings), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
May 22 Charles Aznavour [Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian], French-Armenian singer (Monsieur Carnavel, Tin Drum), born in Paris, France (d. 2018)
May 22 Claude André François Ballif, French composer, born in Paris (d. 2004)
May 22 Rita Vidaurri, American Ranchera singer, born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2019)
May 23 Desmond Carrington, British radio host (The Music Goes Round), born in Bromley (d. 2017)
Jun 1 Paula Hinton, English ballet dancer, born in Ilford, Essex (d. 1996)
Jun 1 Herbie Lovelle, America drummer, studio musician (Hot Lips Page) and actor (Law & Order), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2009)
Jun 3 Jimmy Rogers, American blues musician (Muddy Waters' Band), born in Ruleville, Mississippi (d. 1997)
Jun 6 Serge Nigg, French composer, born in Paris (d. 2008)
Jun 7 Dolores Gray [Sylvia Dolores Finkelstein], American singer and actress (Designing Woman, Kismet), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2002)
Jun 8 Sheldon Allman, American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter (Nevada Smith, Harris Against the World), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2002)
Jun 16 Lucky [Eli] Thompson, American jazz musician (Cuban Fire!), born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2005)
Jun 20 Chet Atkins, American guitarist (Me & My Guitar), born in Luttrell, Tennessee (d. 2001)
Jun 21 Wally Fawkes, British-Canadian cartoonist and jazz clarinetist, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
Jun 26 Syd Lawrence, British bandleader (Syd Lawrence Orchestra), born in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England (d. 1998)
Jun 29 Ezra Laderman, American composer (Jacob & the Indians), born in NYC, New York (d. 2015)
Jun 29 Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (won Sanremo Music Festival-Viale d'autunno), born in Vicenza, Italy (d. 2006)
Jul 2 Rick Besoyan, American singer, actor, playwright, composer and director (Little Mary Sunshine), born in Reedley, California (d. 1970)
Jul 5 János Starker, Hungarian-American cellist, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2013)
Jul 6 Louie Bellson, American jazz drummer and orchestra leader (Pearl Bailey Show), born in Rock Falls, Illinois (d. 2009)
Jul 7 Dieter Nowka, composer
Jul 7 Mary Ford [Iris Colleen Summers], American vocalist, guitarist and actress (Les Paul, Queen of Outer Space), born in l Monte, California (d. 1977)
Jul 8 Johnnie Johnson, American blues and jazz piano player (Chuck Berry's band), born in Fairmount, West Virginia (d. 2005)

Weddings in Music

Wedding of Interest

Jan 11 Novelist Hermann Hesse (36) weds singer Ruth Wenger

Nobel Laureate Novelist Hermann Hesse — Nobel Laureate Novelist
Hermann Hesse

Wedding of Interest

Feb 4 Jazz musician Louis Armstrong (22) weds pianist Lil Armstrong (26)

Deaths in Music

Jan 2 Sabine Baring-Gould, English composer & novelist, dies at 89
Jan 4 Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist, composer (b. 1852)
Jan 15 Geza Zichy, Hungarian composer and one-armed pianist, dies at 74
Jan 29 Joseph Ludwig, composer, dies at 79
Feb 5 Alexis Hollander, composer, dies at 83
Feb 15 Lionel Monckton, British composer (Edwardian musical comedy), dies at 62
Feb 17 Oskar Merikanto, Finnish composer, dies at 55
Feb 21 Salvatore Auteri Manzocchi, composer, dies at 78
Mar 18 Frederick Bridge, English organist and composer, dies at 79
Mar 26 Augusto (de Oliveira) Machado, Portuguese composer (Lauriane; Camões es os Luziadas), dies at 78
Mar 27 Walter Parratt, British organist and composer, dies at 83
Mar 29 Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish organist, conductor, composer, and music teacher (Royal College of Music, 1882-1924), dies at 71
Apr 15 Eduardo Caudella, Romanian opera composer, dies at 82
Apr 26 Josef Labor, Austrian composer, dies at 82
May 12 Charles Henri Marechal, composer, dies at 82
May 25 Theodore F. Morse, American composer, dies at 51
May 26 Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, dies at 67
May 26 Victor Herbert, American cellist, composer, and conductor (Babes in Toyland; Eileen), dies of a heart attack at 65
Jun 11 Theodore Dubois, French composer, dies at 86
Jun 23 Cecil Sharp, British collector of English folk music and dance, dies at 64
Jul 27 Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist/composer, dies at 58
Aug 6 John Henry Roberts, composer, dies at 76
Aug 7 Camille Zeckwer, American composer, dies at 49
Aug 13 Julian Aguirre, composer, dies at 56
Sep 11 Mieczyslaw Surzynski, Polish organ virtuoso and composer (1904 Organ Concerto), dies at 57
Sep 13 P. J. Hannikainen, Finnish composer, dies at 69
Sep 15 Anthony Johnson Showalter, American gospel composer, dies at 66
Sep 25 Karel Burian (also Carl Burrian), Czech operatic tenor, dies at 54
Oct 5 Joseph Vezina, composer, dies at 75
Oct 12 Monroe Althouse, American composer, dies at 71
Oct 21 Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick, Belgian composer, dies at 76
Nov 4 Gabriel Urbain Fauré, French organist, composer (Requiem; Ballade), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1905-20), dies at 79
Nov 8 Sergei Lyapunov, Russian pianist and composer (Lezghinka), dies at 64
Nov 16 Edward Everett Rice, composer, dies at 75
Nov 16 Alexander Andreyevich Archangel'sky, Russian composer, dies at 78

Giacomo Puccini

Nov 29 Giacomo Puccini, Italian opera composer (La bohème; Tosca; Madame Butterfly), dies in Brussels at 65

Dec 8 Franz X Scharwenka, German pianist/composer (Mataswintha), dies at 74
Dec 9 Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer (Gisbertus of Aemstel, To My Fatherland), dies at 70