1938 in music

Events

• January 16
  • Benny Goodman plays the first jazz concert at Carnegie Hall.
  • Béla Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion is premiered in Basel.
  • First recording of Mahler's Ninth, a live performance by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Bruno Walter at the Musikverein, the same location the conductor and orchestra had presented the premiere 26 years earlier.
• May 12 - Arthur Honegger's oratorio, Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher is premiered in Basel, with Ida Rubinstein as Jeanne.
• September 22 - Anton Webern's String Quartet is premiered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams begins an affair with Ursula Wood.
• Roy Acuff's musical career begins
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe's musical career begins
• Pete Seeger's musical career begins
• Robert Lockwood, Jr.'s musical career begins
• Jelly Roll Morton speaks, sings, and plays piano for an eight-hour Library of Congress recorded sound documentary produced by Alan Lomax
• Fred Buscaglione and Leo Chiosso meet

Albums Released

• Begin The Beguine - Artie Shaw
• From Spirituals To Swing - Benny Goodman

Biggest hit songs

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1938.

Top hit recordings

• "A Gypsy Told Me" by Ted Weems And His Orchestra With Perry Como
• "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb
• "Begin the Beguine" by Artie Shaw
• "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" by The Andrews Sisters
• "Cry, Baby, Cry" by Larry Clinton
• "Don't Be That Way" by Benny Goodman
• "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" by Bing Crosby
• "Music, Maestro, Please" by Tommy Dorsey
• "My Reverie" by Larry Clinton
• "Roll 'Em Pete' by Big Joe Turner And Pete Johnson
• "Thanks for the Memory" recorded by
  • Shep Fields
  • Bob Hope And Shirley Ross
• "Ti-Pi-Tin" by Horace Heidt
• "Walking On The Kings Highway" by The Carter Family

Top Blues records

• "Sunnyland" - Sonny Boy Williamson I

Published popular music

• "And the Angels Sing" w. Johnny Mercer m. Ziggy Elman
• "At Long Last Love" w.m. Cole Porter
• "At The Roxy Music Hall" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Back Bay Shuffle" m. Artie Shaw & Teddy McRae
• "Be A Good Scout" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh Introduced by Deanna Durbin in the film That Certain Age
• "Big Noise From Winnetka" w.m. Ray Bauduc, Bob Crosby, Bob Haggart & Gil Rodin
• "The Biggest Aspidistra In The World" w.m. Thomas Connor, W. G. Haines & James S. Hancock
• "Bolero at the Savoy" w.m. Charles Carpenter, Gene Krupa & James Mundy
• "Boom!" w.m. E. Ray Goetz & Charles Trenet
• "Boomps-A-Daisy" w.m. Annette Mills
• "Boum" w.m. Charles Trenet
• "Change Partners" w.m. Irving Berlin introduced by Fred Astaire in Carefree
• "Cherokee" m. Ray Noble
• "Cinderella, Stay In My Arms" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Michael Carr
• "Colorado Sunset" Gilbert, Conrad
• "Dearest Love" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Deep In A Dream" w. Eddie De Lange m. James Van Heusen
• "Do You Wanna Jump Children?" w.m. James Van Heusen, Willie Bryant & Victor Selsman
• "Don't Be That Way" w. Mitchell Parish m. Edgar Sampson & Benny Goodman
• "Don't Let That Moon Get Away" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" w. Ted Koehler m. Rube Bloom
• "Double Trouble" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger & Richard A. Whiting
• "Exhibition Swing" m. Chalmers Wood
• "F.D.R. Jones" w.m. Harold Rome. Introduced by Rex Ingram in the revue Sing Out the News.
• "Falling In Love With Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Muriel Angelus in the musical The Boys from Syracuse. Performed in the 1940 film by Allan Jones.
• "Ferdinand the Bull" w. Larry Morey m. Albert Hay Malotte. Performed by Sterling Holloway in the animated film of the same name.
• "Flat Foot Floogie" w.m. Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart & Bud Green
• "Get Out of Town" w.m. Cole Porter from the musical Leave It to Me!
• "Hawaiian War Chant" w. (Eng) Ralph Freed m. Johnny Noble & Prince Leleiohaku
• "Heart And Soul" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Hi-Yo Silver" Erickson, De Leath
• "Hold Tight - Hold Tight" w.m. Leonard Kent, Edward Robinson, Leonard Ware, Jerry Brandow & Willie Spotswood
• "Hong Kong Blues" w.m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Hooray for Hollywood" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "I Can Dream, Can't I?" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain. Performed by Tamara in the 1938 musical Right This Way
• "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" w.m. Ray Noble
• "I Have Eyes" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" w. Henry Nemo, John Redmond & Irving Mills m. Duke Ellington
• "I Love To Whistle" Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh
• "I Married An Angel" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "I Must See Annie Tonight" w.m. Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin
• "I'll Be Seeing You" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain
• "I'll Tell the Man in the Street" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Vivienne Segal and Walter Slezak in the musical I Married an Angel. Performed in the film version by Nelson Eddy.
• "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart" w. Jimmy Eaton m. Terry Shand
• "I'm In Love With Vienna" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Johann Strauss II
• "In A Little Toy Sailboat" Mandell, Littau
• "In My Little Red Book" w.m. Ray Bloch, Nat Simon & Al Stillman.
• "I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "Jeepers Creepers" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Louis Armstrong in the film Going Places.
• "Joseph! Joseph!" w.(Eng) Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin m. Nellie Casman & Samuel Steinberg
• "Jumpin' At The Woodside" m. Count Basie
• "Just Let Me Look at You" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Irene Dunne in the film Joy of Living
• "Love Walked In" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "March Of The Bob Cats" m. The Bob Cats
• "Mister Crosby And Mister Mercer" w. Johnny Mercer m. Ed Gallagher & Al Shean
• "Moments Like This w. Frank Loesser m. Burton Lane. Introduced by Florence George in the film College Swing.
• "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Sophie Tucker in the musical Leave It to Me!
• "Music, Maestro, Please" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel
• "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Mary Martin in the musical Leave It to Me!. Miss Martin also performed it in the 1946 film Night and Day. Marilyn Monroe sang the song in the 1960 film Let's Make Love.
• "My Heart Is Taking Lessons" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Doctor Rhythm
• "My Heaven On Earth" w. Charles Tobias m. Phil Baker & Samuel Pokrass. Introduced by Gertrude Niesen in the film Start Cheering
• "My Own" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh from the film That Certain Age
• "My Reverie" w.m. Larry Clinton
• "Nice People" w.m. Nat Mills & Fred Malcolm
• "Nightmare" m. Artie Shaw
• "Now it Can Be Told" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Oh! Ma-Ma" w. (Eng) Lew Brown & Rudy Vallee m. Paolo Citorello
• "One Day When We Were Young" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Johann Strauss II arr. Tiomkin
• "The One I Love Will Come Along Some Day" w. Gus Kahn m. Bronislaw Kaper & Walter Jurmann. Introduced by Allan Jones in the film Everybody Sing
• "Paradise In The Moonlight" w.m. Gene Autry & Fred Rose from the film Western Jamboree
• "Penny Serenade" w. Hal Halifax m. Melle Weersma
• "Please Be Kind" w.m. Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin
• "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "Rockin' The Town" w. Ted Koehler m. Johnny Green from the film Start Cheering
• "San Antonio Rose" m. Bob Wills
• "Says My Heart" w. Frank Loesser m. Burton Lane. Introduced by Harriet Hilliard with Harry Owens & his Orchestra in the film Cocoanut Grove
• "Sent For You Yesterday, And Here You Come Today" w.m. Count Basie, Eddie Dunham & Jimmy Rushing
• "September Song" w. Maxwell Anderson m. Kurt Weill
• "Shadows On The Moon" w. Gus Kahn m. Sigmund Romberg from the film The Girl Of The Golden West
• "Sing for Your Supper" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Marcy Westcott, Muriel Angelus and Wynn Murray in the musical The Boys from Syracuse. Performed in the 1940 film by Martha Raye.
• "Small Fry" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael. Introduced by Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray and Donald O'Connor in the film Sing You Sinners.
• "Spring Is Here" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal in the musical I Married an Angel
• "Start Cheering" w. Milton Drake m. Ben Oakland. Introduced by Gertrude Niesen in the film Start Cheering.
• "The Stately Homes Of England" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Thanks for the Memory" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "That Certain Age" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh from the film That Certain Age
• "This Can't Be Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "This Is My Night To Dream" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "Ti-Pi-Tin" w.(Eng) Raymond Leveen (Sp) Maria Grever m. Maria Grever
• "Two Sleepy People" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "The Umbrella Man" w. James Cavanaugh m. Vincent Rose & Larry Stock
• "Undecided" w. Sid Robin m. Charlie Shavers
• "We're Off to See the Wizard" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "When I Strut Away In My Cutaway" w.m. Jimmy Durante from the film Start Cheering
• "Where Are The Songs We Sung?" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Where The Dog Sits On The Tuckerbox" w.m. Jack O'Hagan
• "While A Cigarette Was Burning" w.m. Charles Kenny & Nick Kenny
• "Who Are We To Say? (Obey Your Heart)" w. Gus Kahn m. Sigmund Romberg from the film The Girl Of The Golden West
• "You Couldn't Be Cuter" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern
• "You Go To My Head" w. Haven Gillespie m. J. Fred Coots
• "You Leave Me Breathless" w. Ralph Freed m. Friedrich Hollaender. Introduced by Fred MacMurray in the film Cocoanut Grove.
• "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren
• "You're A Sweet Little Headache" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "You're As Pretty As A Picture" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHughfrom the film That Certain Age

Classical music

• Jean Absil - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1
• Alan Bush - Piano Concerto, op. 18, with baritone and male choir in last movement
• Aaron Copland - Billy the Kid (ballet)
• Hanns Eisler - Roman Cantata
• Hamilton Harty - The Children of Lir
• Roy Harris - Symphony No. 3
• Herbert Howells - Hymnus Paradisi
• Janis Ivanovs - Symphony No. 3
• Frank Martin - Sonata da chiesa
• Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
• Walter Piston - Symphony No. 1
• Silvestre Revueltas - Sensemayá: Chant for the Killing of a Snake
• Ernst Toch - Cantata of Bitter Herbs
• Leó Weiner - Divertimento for Strings no 2

Opera

• Paul Frederic Bowles - Denmark Vesey
• Paul Hindemith - Mathis der Maler
• Dmitri Kabalevsky - Colas Breugnon
• Jeronimas Kacinskas - Nonet
• Ernst Krenek - Karl V
• Douglas Stuart Moore - The Devil and Daniel Webster

Musical theater

• The Boys From Syracuse (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) - Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 23 and ran for 235 performances
• Great Lady Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on December 1 and ran for only 20 performances
• Maritza aka Countess Maritza, London production opened at the Palace Theatre on July 6
• Hellzapoppin', Broadway revue opened at the 46th Street Theatre on September 22 and ran for 1404 performances
• I Married An Angel, Broadway production opened at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre on May 11 and ran for 338 performances
• Knickerbocker Holiday, Broadway production opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 19 and ran for 168 performances
• Leave It to Me!, Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 9 and ran for 291 performances
• Nine Sharp, London production opened at The Little Theatre on January 26 and ran for 405 performances
• Operette, London production opened at His Majesty's Theatre on March 16
• Right This Way, Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on January 5 and ran for 14 performances
• Sing Out The News, Broadway revue opened at the Music Box Theatre on September 24 and ran for 105 performances
• These Foolish Things London revue opened at the Palladium on September 29
• You Never Know, Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 21 and ran for 78 performances

Musical films

• Carefree starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
• Cocoanut Grove starring Fred MacMurray, Harriet Hilliard, Ben Blue and Eve Arden.
• Cowboy from Brooklyn starring Dick Powell and Priscilla Lane
• Doctor Rhythm starring Bing Crosby, Mary Carlisle and Beatrice Lillie.
• Freshman Year starring Constance Moore, William Lundigan and Dixie Dunbar. Directed by Frank McDonald.
• The Girl Of The Golden West starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
• Going Places starring Dick Powell, Anita Louise, Allen Jenkins and Ronald Reagan and featuring Louis Armstrong and Maxine Sullivan
• The Great Waltz released November 4 starring Luise Rainer and Miliza Korjus. Oscar Hammerstein II contributed new English lyrics to the music of Johann Strauss II
• Happy Landing starring Sonja Henie, Don Ameche and Ethel Merman and featuring the Raymond Scott Quintet
• Hold That Co-ed starring John Barrymore, George Murphy and Joan Davis
• It's in the Air starring George Formby, Polly Ward and Jack Hobbs. Directed by Anthony Kimmins.
• Joy of Living starring Irene Dunne and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
• Love Finds Andy Hardy starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland
• Mad About Music starring Deanna Durbin. Directed by Norman Taurog.
• My Lucky Star starring Sonja Henie, Richard Greene, Joan Davis and Art Jarrett
• Outside of Paradise starring Phil Regan and Penny Singleton
• Radio City Revels released February 11 starring Bob Burns, Jack Oakie and Kenny Baker and featuring Jane Froman performing with Hal Kemp's orchestra.
• Romance in the Dark starring Gladys Swarthout, John Boles, John Barrymore and Claire Dodd. Directed by H. C. Potter.
• Sally, Irene and Mary starring Alice Faye, Tony Martin, Fred Allen, Jimmy Durante, Joan Davis and Marjorie Weaver
• Sing You Sinners starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray and Donald O'Connor.
• The Singing Cop starring Keith Falkner, Marta Labarr, Ivy St Helier and Bobbie Comber
• Start Cheering released March 3 starring Jimmy Durante, Gertrude Niesen and the Three Stooges.
• Sweethearts starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
• That Certain Age released October 7 starring Deanna Durbin. Songs by (lyrics) Harold Adamson and (music) Jimmy McHugh
• Tropic Holiday released July 1 starring Bob Burns, Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland and Martha Raye
• We're Going To Be Rich starring Gracie Fields, Victor McLaglen and Brian Donlevy

Births

• January 6 - Adriano Celentano, singer-songwriter
• January 11 - Narvel Felts, country singer
• January 13 - Shivkumar Sharma, santoor player
• January 14
  • Allen Toussaint, songwriter and record producer
  • Jack Jones, singer
• January 19 - Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers)
• January 21 - Wolfman Jack, DJ (d. 1995)
• January 25
  • Etta James, blues singer
  • Vladimir Vysotsky, singer, songwriter, poet, and actor
• February 11 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett, singer, "Monster Mash" (d. 2007)
• February 16 - John Corigliano, composer
• February 22 - Bobby Hendricks, The Drifters
• March 2
  • Lawrence Payton, The Four Tops
  • Simon Estes, operatic bass
• March 3 - Douglas Leedy, composer
• March 12 - Dimitri Terzakis, composer
• March 13 - Hans-Joachim Hespos and Jean-Claude Risset, composers
• March 18 - Charley Pride, country singer
• March 25 - Hoyt Axton
• April 2 - Booker Little, jazz trumpeter and composer
• April 3 - Jeff Barry, songwriter
• April 4 - Declan Mulligan (The Beau Brummels)
• April 7
  • Freddie Hubbard, jazz trumpeter (d. 2008)
  • Spencer Dryden, Jefferson Airplane
• April 13 - Frederic Rzewski, composer
• April 19 - Jonathan Tunick, composer
• April 26
  • Duane Eddy
  • Maurice Williams, The Zodiacs
• May 4 - Tyrone Davis, singer
• May 10
  • Henry Fambrough, The Spinners
  • Maxim Shostakovich, conductor
• May 13
  • John Smith, The Monotones
  • Lucille Starr, French-Canadian singer
• May 15 - Lenny Welch
• May 26 - Teresa Stratas, soprano
• May 28 - Prince Buster, ska musician
• June 9 - Charles Wuorinen, composer
• June 13 - Gwynne Howell, opera singer
• June 15 - Jean-Claude Eloy, composer
• June 20 - Mickie Most, record producer (d. 2003)
• June 29 - Edmund Falkiner, jazz saxophonist
• July 1 - Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, bansuri player
• July 4 - Bill Withers, singer-songwriter
• July 17 - Stanley Bronstein, Elephant's Memory Band
• July 28 - George Cummings, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• August 8 - Jacques Hétu, composer
• August 13 - Dave "Baby" Cortez
• August 23 - Roger Greenaway, songwriter
• August 24
  • David Freiberg, Quicksilver Messenger Service
  • Mason Williams, guitarist and composer
• August 28 - Clem Cattini, The Tornados
• September 6 - Joan Tower, composer
• September 19
  • Zygmunt Krauze, pianist and composer
  • Yuji Takahashi, composer
• September 21 - Atli Heimir Sveinsson, composer
• September 28 - Ben E. King, singer
• October 3 - Eddie Cochran, singer (d. 1960)
• October 15 - Marv Johnson, singer (d. 1993)
• October 16 - Nico, singer-songwriter, actress and model (d. 1988)
• October 18 - Ronnie Bright, The Coasters
• November 2 - Jay Black (Jay and the Americans)
• November 4 - Harry Elston (Friends Of Distinction)
• November 6
  • Jim Pike (The Lettermen)
  • P.J. Proby, singer
• November 7 - Dee Clark
• November 14 - Cornelius Gunter, The Flairs, The Coasters
• November 16 - Troy Seals, singer, songwriter
• November 17 - Gordon Lightfoot, singer-songwriter
• November 19 - Hank Medress, The Tokens
• December 1 - Sandy Nelson, drummer
• December 5 - J. J. Cale, singer-songwriter
• December 8 - Bernie Krause, bioacoustician
• December 10 - Yuri Temirkanov, conductor
• December 12 - Connie Francis, singer
• December 15 - Fela Kuti, Afrobeat pioneer (d. 1997)
• December 18 - Chas Chandler, musician, record producer and manager (d. 1996)
• December 20 - John Harris Harbison, composer
• December 28 - Charles Neville (The Neville Brothers)

Date unknown

• • Fanta Damba, jalimosolu singer
  • Atli Heimir Sveinsson, composer

Deaths

• January 19 - Rosa Mayreder, feminist writer, artist and musician, 79
• January 20 - Nikolai Zhilyayev, musicologist, 56
• January 29 - Carl Venth, violinist and composer, 77
• February 4 - Dominique Heckmes, composer and music critic, 59
• March 2 - Ben Harney, ragtime composer & entertainer
• March 12 - Lyda Roberti, actress and singer, 31 (heart attack)
• April 5 - Reine Davies, actress and singer, 51 (heart attack)
• April 8 - Joe "King" Oliver, jazz trumpeter & band leader, 52
• April 12 - Feodor Chaliapin, operatic bass, 65
• April 18 - Richard Runciman Terry, musicologist, 72
• June - Fred Barnes, music hall entertainer (suicide)
• June 26 - James Weldon Johnson, US songwriter, author, diplomat and educationalist, 67
• July 27 - James Thornton, English-born US songwriter and vaudeville comedian, 76
• August 14 - Landon Ronald, pianist and composer, 65
• August 16 - Robert Johnson, blues musician, 27 (suspected strychnine poisoning)
• August 30 - James Scott, ragtime composer, 53
• September 4 - Oreste Candi, violin-maker, 72
• September 8 - Agustín Magaldi, tango singer, 39
• September 28 - Con Conrad, songwriter, 47
• October 22 - May Irwin, vaudeville star, 76
• October 27
  • Alma Gluck, soprano, 54 (liver failure)
  • Khadija Gayibova, Azerbaijani pianist, 55 (executed)
• November 21 - Leopold Godowsky, pianist and composer, 68
• December 10 - Mario Pilati, composer, 35
• date unknown
  • Gianni Bettini, phonograph maker
  • Minnie Egener, operatic mezzo-soprano
  • Papa Charlie Jackson, blues musician
• probable - Oskar Böhme, trumpeter and composer