- Jan 3 Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia
Event of Interest
Jan 20 Bela Bartok's 6th string quartet, premieres in NYC
Béla Bartok
Event of Interest
Feb 7 Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey orchestra record "Everything Happens to Me"
Frank Sinatra
Tommy Dorsey
Music Recording
Feb 15 Duke Ellington first records "Take the A Train"
Duke Ellington
- Feb 22 Paul Creston's 1st Symphony premieres
Academy Awards
Feb 27 13th Academy Awards: "Rebecca", James Stewart & Ginger Rogers win
Ginger Rogers
James Stewart
- Mar 14 Xavier Cugat & orchestra record "Babalu"
Event of Interest
Mar 16 Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich receives the Stalin Prize
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Mar 19 Jimmy Dorsey & orchestra record "Green Eyes" & "Maria Elena"
Event of Interest
Mar 24 Glenn Miller begins work on his 1st movie for 20th Century Fox
Glenn Miller
Music Premiere
Mar 29 1st performance of Benjamin Britten's "Requiem Symphony"
Benjamin Britten
- Mar 29 WPAT radio in NJ begins broadcasting (country music format)
- May 7 Glenn Miller records "Chattanooga Choo Choo" for RCA
- May 13 Willy Lewis' US jazz band performs in Switzerland
- May 15 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbid Jewish music
- May 16 1st US radio performance of Bennett's "Symphony in D for the Dodgers"
- May 21 Singer Johan Heesters visits Dachau concentration camp
Event of Interest
Jul 2 Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit" premieres in London
Noël Coward
Event of Interest
Jul 19 BBC World Service begins playing V(ictory) ("...-" in Morse code) (opening of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th symphony)
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Oct 1 Dmitri Shostakovich evacuated by plane to Moscow
- Oct 1 H Martin/R Blane's musical "Best Foot Forward" premieres in NYC
Music Premiere
Oct 29 Cole Porter's musical "Let's Face It" premieres in New York City
Cole Porter
- Nov 17 Virgil Thomson's 2nd Symphony, premieres
- Dec 21 David Diamond's 1st Symphony premieres
- Dec 27 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 7th Symphony in Siberia