1933 in music

Events

• January 23 - Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 is premiered in Frankfurt
• National Association for American Composers and Conductors is founded by Henry Hadley.
• Billie Holiday is "discovered" singing at Monette's club.
• Perry Como begins singing with the Freddie Carlone orchestra
• Gorni Kramer forms his first jazz band
• John Serry, Sr. performs as the first on stage concert accordion soloist at the Radio City Music Hall.
• Georges Bizet's Symphony in C is rediscovered in the library of the Paris Conservatory

Published popular music

• "After All, You're All I'm After" words: Edward Heyman music: Arthur Schwartz. Introduced by John Beal in the play She Loves Me Not.
• "Ah, But Is It Love?" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jay Gorney. Introduced by Lillian Miles and Roger Pryor in the film Moonlight And Pretzels
• "Annie Doesn't Live Here Any More" w. Joe Young & Johnny Burke m. Harold Spina
• "Are You Makin' Any Money?" w.m. Herman Hupfeld. Introduced by Lillian Miles in the film Moonlight And Pretzels
• "Beautiful Girl" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Going Hollywood.
• "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" w.(English language) Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin (Yiddish) Jacob Jacobs m. Sholem Secunda
• "Black Moonlight" w.m. Arthur Johnston & Sam Coslow. Introduced by Kitty Kelly in the film Too Much Harmony.
• "Blue Jazz" m. Gene Gifford
• "Blue Lou" w.m. Edgar Sampson & Irving Mills
• "Blue Prelude" w.m. Joe Bishop & Gordon Jenkins
• "Build a Little Home" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "By a Waterfall" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain. Introduced by Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in the film Footlight Parade.
• "Carioca" w. Gus Kahn & Edward Eliscu m. Vincent Youmans. Introduced by Etta Moten in the film Flying Down to Rio.
• "Close Your Eyes" w.m. Bernice Petkere
• "Coffee in the Morning, Kisses in the Night" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "The Day You Came Along" w.m. Arthur Johnston & Sam Coslow
• "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "Dinner at Eight" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Doin' the Uptown Lowdown" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "Don't Blame Me" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Down the Old Ox Road" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
• "Drop Me Off in Harlem" w. Nick Kenny m. Duke Ellington
• "Dusty Shoes" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jay Gorney. From the film Moonlight And Pretzels
• "Easter Parade" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Everything I Have Is Yours" w. Harold Adamson m. Burton Lane
• "Experiment" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Flying Down to Rio" w. Edward Eliscu & Gus Kahn m. Vincent Youmans. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Flying Down to Rio
• "Forty-Second Street" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Gimme a Pigfoot" w.m. Wesley Wilson
• "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Love" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger. Introduced by Claudette Colbert in the film Torch Singer
• "Gotta Get Up and Go to Work" w.m. Herman Hupfeld. From the film Moonlight and Pretzels
• "A Guy What Takes His Time" w.m. Ralph Rainger. Introduced by Mae West in the film She Done Him Wrong.
• "Happy as the Day Is Long" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
• "Harlem on My Mind" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Waters in the musical As Thousands Cheer.
• "Heat Wave" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Waters in the revue As Thousands Cheer. Performed by Marilyn Monroe in the 1954 film There's No Business Like Show Business.
• "Hey, Young Fella" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Honeymoon Hotel" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in the film Footlight Parade
• "How Could We Be Wrong?" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Gertrude Lawrence in the musical Nymph Errant
• "How's Chances?" w.m. Irving Berlin, Introduced by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb in the musical As Thousands Cheer
• "A Hundred Years from Today" w. Ned Washington & Joe Young m. Victor Young
• "Hustlin' and Bustlin' for Baby" w.m. Harry M. Woods
• "I Cover the Waterfront" w. Edward Heyman m. John Green
• "I Found a New Way to Go to Town" Dubois, Ellison, Harvey
• "I Just Couldn't Take It Baby" w. Mann Holiner m. Alberta Nichols
• "I Like Mountain Music" w. James Cavanaugh m. Frank Weldon
• "I Took My Harp to a Party" w. Desmond Carter m. Noel Gay
• "I Wanna Be Loved" w. Edward Heyman & Billy Rose m. John Green
• "I'm No Angel" w.m. Gladys Du Bois, Ben Ellison & Harvey O. Brooks
• "I'm Satisfied" w. Mitchell Parish m. Duke Ellington
• "Inka Dinka Doo" w.m. Jimmy Durante & Ben Ryan
• "Isn't It a Pity?" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by George Givot and Josephine Houston in the musical Pardon My English
• "Isn't It Heavenly" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Joseph Meyer
• "It Isn't Fair" w.m. Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer & Sylvester Sprigato
• "It's Only a Paper Moon" w. E. Y. Harburg & Billy Rose m. Harold Arlen
• "It's the Talk of the Town" w. Marty Symes & Al J. Nieburg m. Jerry Livingston
• "I've Found the Right Girl" w.m. Stanley Lupino & Noel Gay
• "I've Got the World on a String" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
• "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Keep Young and Beautiful" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "The Last Round-Up" w.m. Billy Hill
• "Lazybones" w.m. Johnny Mercer & Hoagy Carmichael
• "Learn to Croon" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
• "Let's Begin" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by George Murphy in the musical Roberta.
• "Let's Fall in Love" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
• "Let's Make Love Like the Crocodiles" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jay Gorney. From the film Moonlight and Pretzels
• "Lorelei" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "Love Locked Out" w. Max Kester m. Ray Noble
• "Love Me" w. Ned Washington m. Victor Young
• "Maria Elena" w. (Eng) S. K. Russell m. Lorenzo Barclelata
• "The Moment I Saw You" w.m. Noel Gay
• "Moonlight and Pretzels" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jay Gorney. From the film Moonlight and Pretzels
• "Moonstruck" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
• "My Hat's on the Side of My Head" w.m. Harry M. Woods & Claude Hurlburt
• "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii" w.m. Billy Cogswell, Tom Harrison & Johnny Noble
• "My Moonlight Madonna" w. Paul Francis Webster m. William Scotti
• "My Shawl" w. (Eng) Stanley Adams (Sp) Pedro Berrios m. Xavier Cugat
• "My Song Goes 'Round the World" w.m. Hans May, Ernst Neubach & Jimmy Kennedy
• "Not for All the Rice in China" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Nymph Errant" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Oceans of Time" w. Douglas Furber, Clifford Grey & Greatrex Newman m. Johnny Green
• "Old Father Thames" w.m. Raymond Wallace & Betsy O'Hogan
• "Old Man Harlem" w.m. Rudy Vallee & Hoagy Carmichael
• "On the Trail" w. Harold Adamson m. Ferde Grofe
• "One Morning in May" w. Mitchell Parish m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Oodles of Noodles" m. Jimmy Dorsey
• "Pettin' in the Park" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "The Physician" w.m. Cole Porter
• "The Pig Got Up and Slowly Walked Away" w.m. Benjamin Hapgood Burt
• "Remember My Forgotten Man" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Roll Up the Carpet" w. Raymond Klages m. Raymond Klages, Al Goodhart & Al Hoffman
• "Shadow Waltz" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Shanghai Lil" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "She Loves Me Not" w. Edward Heyman m. Arthur Schwartz from the musical She Loves Me Not
• "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
• "Snowball" w.m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Solomon" w.m. Cole Porter from the musical Nymph Errant
• "Song of Surrender" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Sophisticated Lady" w. Mitchell Parish & Irving Mills m. Duke Ellington
• "Stormy Weather" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
• "Sweetheart Darlin'" w. Gus Kahn m. Herbert Stothart. Inroduced by Marion Davies in the film Peg o' My Heart
• "Temptation" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
• "Thanks" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
• "There's a Cabin in the Pines" w.m. Billy Hill
• "There's a Little Bit of You in Every Love Song" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Sammy Fain. From the film Moonlight and Pretzels
• "There's Something About a Soldier" w.m. Noel Gay
• "They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk" w.m. Gladys DuBois, Ben Ellison & Harvey O. Brooks
• "Tony's Wife" w. Harold Adamson m. Burton Lane
• "The Touch of Your Hand" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
• "Twenty Million People" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston from the film Hello, Everybody!
• "We'll All Go Riding on a Rainbow" Harry M. Woods
• "We'll Make Hay While the Sun Shines" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
• "We're in the Money" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren introduced by Ginger Rogers in the film Gold Diggers of 1933
• "Weep No More, My Baby" w. Edward Heyman m. John Green. Introduced by Billy House and Una Vilon in the musical Murder at the Vanities
• "When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley" w.m. Joe Lyons, Sam C. Hart & The Vagabonds
• "White Jazz" m. Gene Clifford
• "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" w. Frank Churchill & Ann Ronell m. Frank Churchill
• "Yesterdays" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
• "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" w.m. Al Lewis, Al Sherman & Buddy Fields
• "You Ought to See Sally on Sunday" w.m. Harry M. Woods
• "Young and Healthy" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Your Mother's Son-In-Law" w. Mann Holiner m. Alberta Nichols
• "You're My Thrill" w. Sidney Clare m. Jay Gorney
• "You've Got Me Crying Again" w. Charles Newman m. Isham Jones

Biggest hit songs

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1933.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Duke Ellington	Sophisticated Lady	1933		RYM 1 of 1933, US BB 2 of 1933, POP 3 of 1933
2	Dick Powell	Gold Digger's Song (We're in The Money)	1933		US BB 1 of 1933, POP 1 of 1933
3	Ethel Waters	Stormy Weather	1933		US BB 3 of 1933, POP 4 of 1933, RYM 8 of 1933, Acclaimed 1896
4	Bing Crosby	You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me	1933		US BB 10 of 1933, POP 16 of 1933, Europe 42 of the 1930s
5	Eddy Duchin	Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?	1933		US BB 12 of 1933, POP 20 of 1933, RYM 51 of 1933

Top hit records

• "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?" by Eddy Duchin
• "Just An Echo In the Valley" by Bing Crosby; also version by Rudy Vallee
• "Lazy Bones" by Ted Lewis Band; also version by Don Redman's Band
• "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing" by Ben Bernie
• "Night and Day" by Eddy Duchin
• "Shadow Waltz" by Bing Crosby
• "Stormy Weather" by Ethel Waters
• "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" by Bing Crosby with Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians

Classical music

• Kurt Atterberg - A Varmland Rhapsody
• Paul Creston - Seven Theses for piano
• Robert M. Helmschrott - Concerto for Organ and Percussion "Lamento"
• Gustav Holst - Lyric Movement
• Igor Markevitch - Psaume for soprano, female chorus and orchestra
• Xavier Montsalvatge - Tres Impromptus
• Sergei Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 1
• Igor Stravinsky - Perséphone

Opera

• Aaron Avshalomov - The Twilight Hour of Yan Kuei Fei
• Joseph Canteloube - Vercingétorix
• Louis Gruenberg - The Emperor Jones
• Richard Strauss - Arabella

Musical theater

• As Thousands Cheer (Music and Lyrics: Irving Berlin Book: Moss Hart). Broadway revue opened at the Music Box Theatre on September 30 and ran for 400 performances
• Ball At The Savoy (Music: Paul Abraham (composer) Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II). London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on September 8 and ran for 96 performances.
• Command Performance London production opened at the Saville Theatre on October 17 and ran for 31 performances
• Gay Divorce (Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Dwight Taylor). London production opened at the Palace Theatre on November 2 and ran for 180 performances
• Give Me a Ring London production opened at the Hippodrome on June 22 and ran for 239 performances.
• He Wanted Adventure London production opened at the Saville Theatre on March 28 and ran for 152 performances
• Murder at the Vanities - music by Victor Young. Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on September 8 and moved ot the Majestic Theatre on November 6 for a total run of 207 performances
• Music in the Air London production opened at His Majesty's Theatre on May 19 and ran for 275 performances
• Nice Goings On London production opened at the Strand Theatre on September 13 and ran for 221 performances
• Nymph Errant (Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Romney Brent). London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on October 6 and ran for 154 performances
• Pardon My English Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 20 and ran for 43 performances
• Roberta (Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics and Book: Otto Harbach). Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 18 and ran for 295 performances
• That's a Pretty Thing (Music: Noel Gay Lyrics: Desmond Carter Book: Stanley Lupino) London production opened at Daly's Theatre on November 22 and ran for 103 performances

Musical films

• 42nd Street starring Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler, Una Merkel, Ginger Rogers and Dick Powell
• Adorable starring Janet Gaynor, Henry Garat and C. Aubrey Smith. Directed by William Dieterle.
• Aunt Sally starring Cicely Courtneidge and Sam Hardy and featuring Debroy Somers and his Band. Directed by Tim Whelan.
• A Bedtime Story starring Maurice Chevalier, Helen Twelvetrees, Edward Everett Horton and Baby LeRoy.
• Bitter Sweet starring Anna Neagle, Fernand Gravey and Ivy St Helier
• Born Lucky starring Talbot O'Farrell and René Ray

• College Humor released July 5 starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie, Mary Carlisle, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Mary Kornman.
• Dancing Lady starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Toneand Robert Benchley and featuring Fred Astaire, Art Jarrett and Nelson Eddy.
• Facing the Music starring Stanley Lupino and Jose Collins
• Flying Down to Rio released December 22, starring Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
• Footlight Parade starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell
• Going Hollywood released December 22 starring Marion Davies and Bing Crosby
• Gold Diggers of 1933 starring Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers
• The Good Companions starring Jessie Matthews, Edmund Gwenn and John Gielgud
• Happy starring Stanley Lupino, Laddie Cliff, Will Fyffe and Harry Tate.
• Hello, Everybody! starring Kate Smith, Randolph Scott and Sally Blane. Directed by William A. Seiter.
• I Am Suzanne starring Lilian Harvey, Gene Raymond and Leslie Banks. Directed by Rowland V. Lee.
• Let's Fall in Love starring Edmund Lowe, Ann Sothern and Art Jarrett
• Melody Cruise starring Charles Ruggles. Phil Harris and Helen Mack
• Moonlight And Pretzels released August 1 starring Leo Carrillo and Mary Brian
• My Weakness starring Lilian Harvey, Lew Ayres, Charles Butterworth, Sid Silvers and Harry Langdon. Directed by David Butler.
• Roman Scandals starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, David Manners and Edward Arnold. Directed by Frank Tuttle.
• The Shady Lady starring Phyllis Haver, Robert Armstrong, Louis Wolheim and Russell Gleason. Directed by Edward H. Griffith.
• She Done Him Wrong starring Mae West and Cary Grant.
• Sitting Pretty starring Jack Oakie, Jack Haley, Ginger Rogers, Thelma Todd and The Pickens Sisters
• Take A Chance starring James Dunn, Cliff Edwards, June Knight, Lillian Roth, Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Marjorie Main.
• This Week of Grace starred Gracie Fields
• Too Much Harmony released on September 23 starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie and Kitty Kelly.
• Torch Singer starring Claudette Colbert, Ricardo Cortez and Lyda Roberti
• The Way To Love starring Maurice Chevalier, Ann Dvorak and Edward Everett Horton. Directed by Norman Taurog.

Births

• January 17 - Dalida, singer (d. 1987)
• January 18 - Ray Dolby, inventor of the Dolby System
• January 23 - Chita Rivera, Broadway star
• January 29 - Sacha Distel, singer (d. 2004)
• February 7 - Stuart Burrows, operatic tenor
• February 17 - Bobby Lewis, R&B singer
• February 18 - Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon and mother of Sean Lennon
• February 21 - Nina Simone, soul singer (d. 2003)
• February 22 - Katharine, Duchess of Kent, patron of music
• March 9 - Lloyd Price, rock & roll musician
• March 13 - Mike Stoller, songwriter
• March 14 - Quincy Jones, arranger
• March 15 - Roy Clark, country musician
• March 28 - Tete Montoliu, jazz pianist (d. 1997)
• April 8 - Fred Ebb, lyricist (d. 2004)
• April 12 - Montserrat Caballé, operatic soprano
• April 14 - Buddy Knox, singer and songwriter (d. 1999)
• April 24 - Freddie Scott, songwriter and singer (d. 2007)
• April 25 - Jerry Leiber, songwriter
• April 29 - Rod McKuen, songwriter
• April 30 - Willie Nelson, country singer and songwriter
• May 3 - James Brown, soul singer (d. 2006)
• May 21 - Maurice André, trumpeter
• May 22 - Don Estelle, actor and singer (d. 2003)
• June 17 - Christian Ferras, violinist (d. 1982)
• June 26 - Claudio Abbado, conductor
• July 10 - Eileen Rodgers, US singer (d. 2003)
• July 23 - Bert Convy, entertainer (d. 1991)
• July 27 - Nick Reynolds (The Kingston Trio)
• July 29 - Anne Rogers, English actress, singer and dancer
• August 8 - Joe Tex, soul singer-songwriter (d. 1982)
• August 15
  • Bill Pinkney (The Drifters)
  • Bobby Helms, singer (d. 1997)
• August 17 - Mark Dinning, singer (d. 1986)
• August 21 - Dame Janet Baker, operatic mezzo-soprano
• September 1 - Conway Twitty, country singer (d. 1993)
• September 8 - Asha Bhosle, Bollywood singer
• September 14 - Harve Presnell, actor and singer (d. 2009)
• September 15 - Pat Barrett (The Crewcuts)
• September 17 - Dorothy Loudon, US singer (d. 2003)
• September 18 - Jimmie Rodgers, US pop singer
• September 25 - Ian Tyson (Ian & Sylvia)
• October 10 - Daniel Massey, star of musical theatre (d. 1998)
• October 17 - The Singing Nun (d. 1985)
• October 21 - Georgia Brown, English actress and singer
• October 27 - Floyd Cramer, pianist (d. 1997)
• November 3 - John Barry, film score composer
• November 6 - Joseph Pope (The Tams)
• November 16 - Garnett Mimms, soul singer
• November 23 - Krzysztof Penderecki, composer
• November 26 - Robert Goulet, singer and actor (d. 2007)
• November 29 - John Mayall, blues musician
• December 6 - Henryk Górecki, composer
• December 13 - Wayne Bennett, blues guitarist (d. 1992)

Deaths

• January 6 - Vladimir de Pachmann, pianist (born 1848)
• January 10 - Roberto Mantovani, violinist (born 1854)
• January 16 - Willy Burmester, violinist (born 1869)
• January 18 - Oskar Zawisza, priest and composer (born 1878)
• February 12 - Henri Duparc, composer (born 1848)
• February 18 - Arnold Mendelssohn, composer and music teacher (born 1855)
• March 26 - Eddie Lang, jazz musician (born 1902)
• April 9 - Sigfrid Karg-Elert, composer (born 1877)
• May 10 - Selma Kurz, operatic soprano (born 1874)
• May 26 - Jimmie Rodgers country singer, "The Singing Brakeman" (born 1897)
• June 19 - Yossele Rosenblatt, cantor and composer (born 1882)
• June 24 - Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, operatic soprano and vaudeville singer (born 1869)
• July 6 - Robert Kajanus, conductor and composer (born 1856)
• July 14 - Raymond Roussel, author and pianist (born 1877)
• July 15 - Freddie Keppard, jazz musician (born 1890)
• July 26 - Charles Tindley, gospel music composer (born 1851)
• August 29 - Georgi Conus, composer (born 1862)
• September 7 - Marcel Journet, operatic bass (born 1867)
• September 10
  • Adrian Ross, English lyricist (born 1859)
  • Giuseppe Campari, opera singer and racing driver (born 1892) (in a motor racing accident)
• October - Joan Winters, Broadway dancer (born 1909) (murdered)
• October 6 - Zakaria Paliashvili, composer (born 1871)
• October 16 - Maurice Renaud, operatic baritone (born 1860)
• October 27 - Julius Klengel, cellist (born 1859)
• December 7 - Jan Brandts Buys, composer (born 1868)
• date unknown
  • Blind Blake, blues musician (born c. 1893)
  • Albert "Sonny" Cunha, musician, composer and bandleader (born 1879)
  • Orville Harrold, operatic tenor (born 1878)
  • Toktogul Satylganov, improvising poet and singer (born 1864)
  • Manuel Torre, flamenco singer (born 1878)