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

  • 1921 in British music
  • 1921 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

  • 1921 in country music
  • 1921 in jazz

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.

w. — words, m. — music

  • "Ain't We Got Fun?" w.m. Richard A. Whiting, Raymond Egan and 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 and Eubie Blake
  • "Bandana Days" w.m. Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake
  • "Bimini Bay" w. Gus Kahn and 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 Found A Rose In The Devil's Garden" w.m. Fred Fisher and Willie Raskin
  • "I Wonder If You Still Care For Me" w.m. Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler
  • "I'll Forget You" w. Annelu Burns m. Ernest R. Ball
  • "I'm Just Wild About Harry" w.m. Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake
  • "I'm Nobody's Baby" w.m. Benny Davis, Milton Ager and Lester Santly
  • "Jazz Me Blues" m. Tom Delaney
  • "Keep Movin'" Helen Trix
  • "Kitten On The Keys" m. Zez Confrey
  • "Learn To Smile" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
  • "Leave Me With A Smile" w.m. Charles Koehler and Earl Burtnett
  • "Love Will Find A Way" w.m. Noble Sissle and 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 and Herman Ruby
  • "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 and Francis Wheeler m. Ted Snyder
  • "She's Mine, All Mine" w.m. Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby
  • "Shuffle Along w.m. Noble Sissle and 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
  • "Sweet Lady" w. Howard Johnson m. Frank Crumit and Dave Zoob
  • "Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes" w. Harry Pease and Johnny White m. Ira Schuster and 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 and 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 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

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
1Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra"Wang Wang Blues"[4]Victor 18694August 19, 1920December 1920US Billboard 1921 #1, US #1 for 6 weeks, 17 total weeks, 457,000 sold 1921, later RCA Victor announced 1,000,000[5]
2Isham Jones Orchestra"Wabash Blues"[6]Brunswick 5065August 1, 1921October 1921US Billboard 1921 #2, US #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,750,000 sold 1921-1922[5]
3Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra"Cherie"[7]Victor 18758August 9, 1920July 1921US Billboard 1921 #3, US #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks, 405,647 sales
4Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra"Song of India"[8]Victor 18777August 23, 1921September 1921US Billboard 1921 #5, US #1 for 5 weeks, 14 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold
5Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra"Say It with Music"[9]Victor 18803April 21, 1921November 12, 1921US Billboard 1921 #4, US #1 for 5 weeks, 14 total weeks
6Eddie Cantor"Margie"[10]Emerson 10301December 15, 1920January 1921US Billboard 1921 #6, US #1 for 5 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,000,000 sold
7Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra"My Mammy-Beautiful Faces Medley"[11]Victor 18737March 1, 1921May 1921US Billboard 1921 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[12]
8Ted Lewis and His Band"All by Myself"[13]Columbia 3434June 11, 1921September 1921US Billboard 1921 #8, US #1 for 4 weeks, 12 total weeks
9Al Jolson"O-H-I-O (O My! O!)"[13]Columbia 3361December 13, 1920April 1921US Billboard 1921 #9, US #1 for 4 weeks, 7 total weeks
10Nora Bayes (Charles Prince Orchestra)"Make Believe"[14]Columbia 3392March 1, 1921September 1921US Billboard 1921 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks
11Marion Harris"Look for the Silver Lining"[13]Columbia 3367December 29, 1920April 1921US Billboard 1921 #11, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks
22Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds"Crazy Blues"[15]Okeh 4169August 10, 1920November 1920US Billboard 1920 #11, US #3 for 1 week, 11 total weeks, National Recording Registry 2005
24Marion Harris"I Ain't Got Nobody"[13]Columbia 3371April 21, 1920May 1921US Billboard 1921 #24, US #3 for 1 weeks, 7 total weeks
28The Original Dixieland Jazz Band"Palesteena (Lena from Palesteena)"[16]Victor 18717December 4, 1920February 1921US 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
    • Bells Across the Meadows
    • In a Persian Market
  • 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

Jazz

Musical theater

  • 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 (died 2005)
  • January 17 – Lorna Cooke deVaron, choral conductor (died 2018)
  • January 22 – Arno Babajanian, composer (died 1983)
  • January 26 – Eddie Barclay, music producer (died 2005)
  • January 31
    • Carol Channing, musical comedy star (died 2019)
    • Mario Lanza, operatic tenor and film star (died 1959)
  • February 5 – Sir John Pritchard, British conductor (died 1989)
  • February 13 – Jeanne Demessieux, French organist and composer (died 1968)[17]
  • February 16 – Vera-Ellen, dancer and actress (died 1981)
  • February 20 - Ruth Gipps, composer (died 1999)
  • February 26 – Betty Hutton, actress and singer (died 2007)
  • March 2 – Robert Simpson, musicologist and composer (died 1997)
  • March 6 – Julius Rudel, conductor (died 2014)
  • March 8 – Cyd Charisse, dancer (died 2008)
  • March 11 – Ástor Piazzolla, tango composer (died 1992)
  • March 12 – Gordon MacRae, singer and actor (died 1986)
  • March 21
    • Arthur Grumiaux, violinist (died 1986)
    • Antony Hopkins, composer and music writer (died 2014)
  • March 22 – Nino Manfredi, actor and film score composer (died 2004)
  • March 27 – Phil Chess, born Fiszel Czyż, record producer (died 2016)
  • March 28 - Rostislav Berberov, music theorist and musicologist (died 1984)[18]
  • April 1
    • Douglas Allanbrook, composer (died 2003)
    • William Bergsma, composer (died 1994)
    • Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, musician and composer (died 2014)
  • April 3 – Darío Moreno, Turkish singer and composer (died 1968)[19]
  • April 8
    • Alfie Bass, actor (Tevye in West End production of Fiddler on the Roof) (died 1987)
    • Franco Corelli, operatic tenor (died 2003)
  • April 22 – Cándido Camero, percussionist (died 2020)
  • April 26 – Jimmy Giuffre, jazz musician (died 2008)
  • May 17
    • Dennis Brain, horn virtuoso (died 1957)
    • Bob Merrill, US songwriter (died 1998)
  • May 23 – Humphrey Lyttelton, English jazz musician (died 2008)
  • May 25 – Hal David – US lyricist (died 2012)
  • May 26 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (died 2018)[20]
  • June 1 – Nelson Riddle, US conductor, composer and arranger (died 1985)
  • June 3 – Betty Freeman, patron of classical music (died 2009)
  • June 21
    • Judy Holliday, US actress and singer (died 1965)
    • Jane Russell, US actress and singer (died 2011)
  • June 24 – Peggy DeCastro, US singer born in the Dominican Republic, eldest of the DeCastro Sisters (died 2004)
  • June 25 – Celia Franca, dancer and choreographer (died 2007)
  • July 12 – Hilary Corke, writer and composer (died 2001)
  • July 15 – Jack Beeson, American pianist and composer (died 2010)
  • July 17
    • George Barnes, American swing jazz guitarist (died 1977)
    • Mary Osborne, American jazz guitarist (died 1992)
  • July 20 – Carmen Carrozza, accordionist (died 2013)
  • July 24 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, opera singer (died 2008)
  • July 30 – Grant Johannesen, American pianist (died 2005)[21]
  • August 3 – Richard Adler, American composer and lyricist (died 2012)
  • August 4 – Herb Ellis, American guitarist (died 2010)
  • August 7
    • Manitas de Plata, French Gitano flamenco guitarist (died 2014)
    • Karel Husa, Czech-born classical composer (died 2016)
  • August 9 – Lola Bobesco, Belgian violinist (died 2003)
  • August 13 – Mary Lee, Scottish singer (died 2022)
  • September 3 – Thurston Dart, English musicologist, conductor and keyboard player (died 1971)
  • September 4 – Ariel Ramírez, Argentine composer (died 2010)
  • September 8 – Sir Harry Secombe, Welsh singer and comedian (died 2001)
  • September 19 – Billy Ward, R&B singer (The Dominoes) (died 2002)
  • September 21 – Chico Hamilton, jazz drummer (died 2013)
  • September 30 – Pedro Knight, Cuban musician, manager (died 2007)
  • October 1 – James Whitmore, American actor in film musicals (died 2009)
  • October 21
    • Sir Malcolm Arnold, English composer (died 2006)
    • Jarmil Burghauser, Czech conductor, composer and musicologist (died 1997)
  • October 23
    • Denise Duval, French soprano (died 2016)
    • İlhan Usmanbaş, Turkish composer (died 2025)
  • October 25 – Little Hatch, American blues musician (died 2003)
  • November 5 – Georges Cziffra, pianist (died 1994)
  • November 9 – Pierrette Alarie, soprano (died 2011)
  • November 21 – Vivian Blaine, actress and singer (died 1995)
  • November 23 – Fred Buscaglione, Italian singer, musician and songwriter (died 1960)
  • December 3 – Phyllis Curtin, soprano (died 2016)
  • December 4 – Deanna Durbin, singer and actress (died 2013)
  • December 8 – Johnny Otis, blues musician (died 2012)
  • December 15 – Alan Freed, disc jockey (died 1965)
  • December 26 – Steve Allen, musician and comedian (died 2000)

Deaths

  • January 23 – Władysław Żeleński, pianist, organist and composer (born 1837)
  • February 8
    • George Formby Sr, singer (born 1875; pulmonary tuberculosis)
    • Francisco D'Andrade, opera singer (born 1856)
  • March 14 – Gustave Barnes, artist and musician (born 1877)
  • March 24 – Déodat de Séverac, composer (born 1872)
  • April 3 – Annie Louise Cary, operatic contralto (born 1842)
  • April 5 – Alphons Diepenbrock, composer and writer (born 1862)
  • April 7 – Víctor Mirecki Larramat, cellist (born 1847)
  • April 20 – Tony Jackson, pianist, singer and composer (born 1876; cirrhosis of the liver)
  • May 4 – Max Kalbeck, music writer and critic (born 1850)
  • June 8 – Natalie Bauer-Lechner, viola player (born 1858)
  • July 9 – Marianne Brandt, operatic contralto (born 1842)
  • August 2 – Enrico Caruso, operatic tenor (born 1873; peritonitis)
  • August 8 – Arthur Pougin, music critic (born 1834)
  • September 27
    • Engelbert Humperdinck, composer (born 1854; heart attack)
    • Zdzisław Birnbaum, violinist and conductor (born 1878)
  • September 28 – Princess Pauline von Metternich, patron of composers including Wagner and Smetana (born 1836)
  • October 4 – Sophie Stehle, operatic soprano (born 1838)
  • November 20 – Christina Nilsson, operatic soprano (born 1843)
  • November 25 – Théodore Lack, pianist (born 1846)
  • November 29 – Ivan Caryll, composer of operettas (born 1861; haemorrhage)
  • December 10 – Victor Jacobi, composer of operettas (born 1883; illness)
  • December 16 – Camille Saint-Saëns, composer (born 1835; tuberculosis)
  • December 25 – Hans Huber, composer (born 1852)

References

  1. ↑ Harvard Glee Club: About Archived March 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 10 March 2014
  2. ↑ 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)
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
  4. ↑ "Victor matrix B-24392. Wang-wang blues / Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The book of golden discs. Internet Archive. London : Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 978-0-214-20512-5.
  6. ↑ "BRUNSWICK 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 series". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Victor matrix B-25049. Cherie / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Victor matrix B-25322. Song of India / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Victor matrix B-25471. Say it with music / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ "EMERSON 78rpm numerical listing discography: 10000 - 10500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Victor matrix B-24863. My mammy / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Jazz History: The Standards (1920s)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Columbia A Series 78rpm numerical listing discography: A3000 - A3500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Columbia matrix 79723. Make believe / Nora Bayes - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ "OKEH 78rpm numerical listing discography: 4000 - 4500". www.78discography.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Victor matrix B-24590. Palesteena / Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Grigory Pantyelev Paisov (2001). "Berberov, Rostislav Nikolayevich". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.48266.
  19. ↑ Evelyn Mack Truitt (1977). Who was who on Screen. Bowker. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-8352-0914-4.
  20. ↑ Ewen, David (1978). Musicians Since 1900: Performers in Concert and Opera. New York: Wilson. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-82420-565-2.
  21. ↑ "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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