Events in Music in 1939

  • Feb 24 Roy Harris' 3rd Symphony premieres in Boston
  • Mar 25 Billboard Magazine introduces hillbilly (country) music chart

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Apr 9 Marian Anderson sings before 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Singer Marian Anderson
Singer
Marian Anderson
  • Apr 23 1st performance of Béla Bartok's 2nd Concerto for violin
  • May 6 1st performance of Honegger/Claudel's "Jeanne d'Arc Ouch B-cher"

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 23 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed professor at conservatory of Leningrad

Composer Dmitri Shostakovich
Composer
Dmitri Shostakovich
  • Jun 3 Beer Barrel Polka hits #1 on the pop singles chart by Will Glahe

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jul 13 Frank Sinatra makes his recording debut

Singer and Actor Frank Sinatra
Singer and Actor
Frank Sinatra

Film PremierThe Wizard of Oz

Aug 17 "The Wizard of Oz" opens at Loews Capitol Theatre in NY
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Publicity still of the Wizard of Oz, showing the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Cowardly Lion
Publicity still of the Wizard of Oz, showing the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Cowardly Lion
  • Aug 28 Sammy Fain and Jack Yellen's musical "George White's Scandals" premieres
  • Oct 14 BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) formed

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Oct 16 George Kaufman and Moss Hart's "The Man Who Came to Dinner" premieres in NYC, running until 1941 for 739 performances

Playwright Moss Hart
Playwright
Moss Hart
  • Oct 18 Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Harts musical "Too Many Girls" premieres in NYC
  • Oct 24 Benny Goodman records "Let's Dance"

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Nov 11 Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"

Composer and Lyricist Irving Berlin
Composer and Lyricist
Irving Berlin
  • Dec 3 Dmitri Shostakovich's 6th Symphony premieres
  • Dec 6 Cole Porter's musical "Du Barry was a Lady" premieres in NYC
  • Dec 7 William Walton's violinist concert premieres in Cleveland