On This Day

Events in Music in 1952

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Jan 1 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 5th string quartet

Composer Dmitri Shostakovich
Composer
Dmitri Shostakovich
  • Jan 2 "Pal Joey" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 542 performances
  • Jan 30 Paul Creston's 4th Symphony premieres

Music release#1 in the Charts

Feb 2 B.B. King's “3 O’Clock Blues” hits #1 on the US Billboard's R&B hit parade to become his first national hit

Blues Musician B.B. King
Blues Musician
B.B. King
  • Mar 15 "2 in the Aisle" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 276 performances
  • Mar 21 "3 Wishes for Jamie" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 94 performances
  • Mar 21 Alan Freed presents Moondog Coronation Ball at old Cleveland Arena, 25,000 attend 1st rock & roll concert ever

Film release premierFilm Premier

Mar 27 "Singin' in the Rain", musical comedy directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC

Actor and Dancer Gene Kelly
Actor and Dancer
Gene Kelly
  • Apr 16 "4 Saints in 3 Acts" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 15 performances
  • Apr 27 "4 Saints in 3 Acts" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 15 performances
  • May 2 John Cage's "Water Music" (for a solo pianist, using a piano, a radio, whistles, water containers, and a deck of cards) premieres in New York City
  • May 3 "Call Me Madam" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 644 performances
  • May 8 "Of Thee I Sing" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 72 performances
  • May 8 "Shuffle Along" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 4 performances
  • May 10 "Shuffle Along" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 4 performances
  • May 16 "New Faces of 1952" opens at Royale Theater, NYC; runs for 365 performances

Event of interestEvent of Interest

May 30 Darius Milhaud's "West Point Suite" premieres

Composer Darius Milhaud
Composer
Darius Milhaud
  • Jun 7 "3 Wishes after Jamie" closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 94 performances
  • Jul 19 "Paint Your Wagon" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 289 performances

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Sep 12 Noël Coward's "Quadrille," premieres in London

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

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Sep 23 "Kaw-Liga" single recorded by Hank Williams

Country Music Singer and Songwriter Hank Williams
Country Music Singer and Songwriter
Hank Williams
  • Oct 4 "Top Banana" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 356 performances
  • Oct 14 "Buttrio Square" opens at New Century Theater NYC for 7 performances
  • Oct 18 "Buttrio Square" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 7 performances
  • Oct 27 "My Darlin' Aida" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 89 performances
  • Nov 6 Dmitri Shostakovich's cantata "About our Fatherland" premieres
  • Nov 14 First regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express
  • Dec 15 "Two's Company" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 90 performances

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in history.