1920 in music

Events

*January 19 - The Salzburg Festival is revived.
*Mamie Smith's first blues recordings become a hit, alerting record companies to the African American market.
*Hamilton Harty is appointed resident conductor of the Hallé Orchestra.
*Henri Sauguet forms Groupe des Trois (the Group of Three) along with Louis Emié and Jean-Marcel Lizotte.
*The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra holds its Mahler festival.

Published popular music

* "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" w.m. Irving Berlin
* "All She'd Say Was "Umh Hum"" w.m. King Zany, Mac Emery, Gus Van & Joe Schenck
* "All The Boys Love Mary" Gus Van & Joe Schenck
* "Aunt Hagar's Blues" w.m. W. C. Handy
* "Avalon" w.m. B. G. DeSylva, Al Jolson & Vincent Rose
* "Blue Jeans" w. Harry D. Kerr, m. Lou Traveller
* "Bright Eyes" w. Harry B. Smith m. Otto Motzan & M. K. Jerome
* "Broadway Rose" w. Eugene West m. Martin Fried & Otis Spencer
* "Chanson" m. Rudolf Friml
* "Chili Bean" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
* "Crazy Blues" w.m. Percy Bradford
* "The Cuckoo Waltz" w. Arthur Kingsley m. J. E. Jonasson
* "Daddy, You've Been A Mother To Me" w.m. Fred Fisher
* "Do You Ever Think Of Me?" w. John Cooper & Harry D. Kerr m. Earl Burtnett
* "Down By The O-HI-O (I've Got The Sweetest Little O, My ! O ! )" w. Jack Yellen m. Abe Olman
* "Feather Your Nest" w.m. James Kendis, James Brockman & Howard Johnson
* "The Gipsy Warned Me" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* "Great Camp Meeting Day" w. Noble Sissle
* "He Went In Like A Lion (And Came Out Like A Lamb)" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry von Tilzer
* "Home Again Blues" w.m. Harry Akst & Irving Berlin
* "I Belong To Glasgow" w.m. Will Fyffe
* "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You" w.m. Tom Pitts, Raymond B. Egan & Roy Marsh
* "I Used To Love You, But It's All Over Now" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
* "I'd Love To Fall Asleep And Wake Up In My Mammy's Arms" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Fred E. Ahlert
* "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" w. Neville Fleason m. Albert Von Tilzer
* "I'll See You In C-U-B-A" w.m. Irving Berlin
* "In A Persian Market" m. Albert William Ketèlbey
* "The Japanese Sandman" w. Raymond B. Egan m. Richard A. Whiting
* "Jellybean" by Jimmie Dupre, Sam Rosen, and Joe Verges
* "Kalua" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
* "Left All Alone Again Blues" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
* "Little Town In The Ould County Down" w. Richard Pascoe m. Monte Carlo & Alma Saunders
* "Look For The Silver Lining" w. B. G. DeSylva m. Jerome Kern
* "The Love Boat" by Gene Buck
* "Love Nest" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
* "Margie" w. Benny Davis m. Con Conrad & J. Russel Robinson
* "Mary" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
* "My Little Bimbo Down On A Bamboo Isle" w. Grant Clarke w. Walter Donaldson
* "My Mammy" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Walter Donaldson
* "My Man" w. (Eng) Channing Pollock (Fr) Albert Willemetz & Jacques Charles m. Maurice Yvain
* "O'er The Hills To Ardentinny" w.m. Harry Lauder
* "Old Pal Why Don't You Answer Me" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. M. K. Jerome
* "Pale Moon" w. Jesse Glick m. Frederick Knight Logan
* "Palesteena" w.m. Con Conrad & J. Russell Robinson
* "Polly" w. Leo Wood m. Jack Richmond
* "Pretty Kitty Kelly" w. Harry Pease m. Ed G. Nelson
* "Ritual Fire Dance" m. Manuel de Falla
* "Rose Of Washington Square" w. Ballard MacDonald m. James F. Hanley
* "San" w.m. Lindsay McPhail & Walter Michels
* "So Long, Oo Long" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby
* "Tell Me Little Gypsy" w.m. Irving Berlin
* "That Old Irish Mother Of Mine" w. William Jerome m. Harry Von Tilzer
* "La Veeda" w. Nat Vincent m. John Alden
* "Wang Wang Blues" w. Leo Wood m. Gus Mueller, Buster Johnson & Henry Busse
* "When My Baby Smiles At Me" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Billy Munro
* "Where Do They Go When They Row, Row, Row?" w. Bert Kalmar & George Jessel, m. Harry Ruby
* "Whispering" w. Malvin Schonberger m. John Schonberger
* "Whose Baby Are You?" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
* "Wild Rose" w. Clifford Grey m. Jerome Kern
* "A Young Man's Fancy" w. John Murray Anderson & Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager

Top hits on record

*"Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith
*"Dardanella" by Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra
*"I've Got My Captain Working For Me Now" by Al Jolson
*"Love Nest" by John Steel
*"Whispering" by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra

Classical music

* Béla Bartók - "Eight Improvisations on Peasant Songs"
* Arnold Bax - "Phantasy for viola and orchestra"
* Arthur Bliss - "The Tempest", overture and interludes; "Concerto for Piano, tenor voice, strings and percussion"; "Rout" (for soprano and chamber orchestra)
* Ernest Bloch - "Violin Sonata No. 1"
* Ferruccio Busoni - "Piano Sonatina No. 6 (Fantasia da camera super Carmen)", "Divertimento" for flute and orchestra
* Carlos Chávez - "Symphony", "Piano Sonata No. 1"
* Frederick Delius - "Hassan"
* Gabriel Fauré - "Masques et Bergamasques"
* Johan Halvorsen - "Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2"
* Gustav Holst - "The Planets"
* Arthur Honegger - "Pastoral d'été", "Viola Sonata", "Cello Sonata"
* Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov - "An Episode from the Life of Schubert", op. 61
* Leoš Janáček - symphonic poem "Ballad of Blanik"
* Darius Milhaud - "Le Boeuf sur le toit" (ballet), "Ballade" (for piano and orchestra)
* Francis Poulenc - "Five Impromptus for Piano", "Suite in C Major for Piano"
* Sergei Prokofiev - "Five Songs without Words" (for voice and piano)
* Maurice Ravel - "La Valse", "Sonata for violin and cello"
* Erik Satie - "La Belle excentrique"
* Dmitri Shostakovich - "Five Preludes for Piano"
* Igor Stravinsky - "Pulcinella", "Concertino" for string quartet, "Symphonies of Wind Instruments"
* Ralph Vaughan Williams - "The Lark Ascending", "Mass in G minor", "London Symphony"

Opera

* Vincent D'Indy - "The Legend of St. Christoper"
*Clemens Freiherr von Franckenstein - "Li-Tai-Pe"
*Henry Hadley - "Cleopatra's Night"
*Leoš Janáček - "The Excursions of Mr. Broucek on the Moon and in the 15th Century"
*Erich Korngold - "Die tote Stadt"
*Ruggiero Leoncavallo - "Edipo Re"
*Michael Tippett - "The Knot Garden"

Musical theater

* "Afgar" Broadway production opened at the Central Theatre on November 8 and ran for 168 performances
* "Always You" Broadway
* "As You Were" Broadway production opened at the Central Theatre on January 27 and ran for 143 performances. Starring Sam Bernard, Irene Bordoni, Clifton Webb and Hugh Cameron.
* "The Beggar's Opera" London production opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith on June 5 and ran for 1463 performances
*"Die Blaue Mazur" ("The Blue Mazurka") (Music by Franz Lehár), Vienna
* "Cherry" London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on July 22 and ran for 76 performances
* "George White's Scandals Of 1920" Broadway revue opened at the Globe Theatre on June 7 and ran for 134 performances
* "Irene" London production opened at the Empire Theatre on April 7 and ran for 399 performances
* "Jimmy" Broadway
* "Johnny Jones" London production opened at the Alhambra Theatre on June 1 and ran for 349 performances
* "Jumble Sale" London revue opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on December 16 and ran for 176 performances
* "Just Fancy" London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on March 26 and ran for 332 performances
* "Kissing Time" Broadway production opened at the Lyric Theatre on October 11 and ran for 65 performances
* "Der letzte Walzer" ("The Last Waltz") (Music by Oscar Straus), Berlin
* "A Little Dutch Girl" opened at the Lyric Theatre on December 1 and ran for 207 performances
* "The Midnight Rounders" Broadway revue opened at the Century Promenade Theatre on July 12 and ran for 120 performances
*"The Night Boat" Broadway production opened at the Liberty Theatre on February 2 and ran for 318 performances. Jeanette MacDonald made her first Broadway appearance as a member of the chorus.
* "A Night Out" London production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 18 and ran for 309 performances
* "Sally" Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on December 21 and ran for 570 performances
* "The Shop Girl" London revival opened at the Gaiety Theatre on March 25 and ran for 327 performances
* "Tickle Me" ( Music: Herbert P. Stothart) Broadway production opened at the Selwyn Theatre on August 17 and ran for 207 performances. Starring Louise Allen, Allen Kearns and Frank Tinney.
* "Tip Top" Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on October 5 and ran for 241 performances
* "What's In A Name" Broadway production opened at Maxine Elliott's Theatre on March 19 and ran for 87 performances
* "Ziegfeld Follies of 1920" Broadway revue opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 22 and ran for 123 performances

Births

*January 1 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra)
*January 3 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (d. 2001)
*January 5 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pianist (d. 1995)
*February 13
** Eileen Farrell, soprano (d. 2002)
** Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (d. 1987)
*April 29 - Harold Shapero, composer
*May 2 - Jean-Marie Auberson, violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
*May 13 - Gareth Morris, flautist (d. 2007)
*May 18 - Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
*May 21 - Bill Barber, jazz musician (d. 2007)
*May 26 - Peggy Lee, singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
*June 6 - Dino Asciolla, violinist (d. 1994)
*June 10 - Bonnie Davis, R&B singer (d. 1976)
*June 19 - Johnny Douglas, film composer and conductor (d. 2003)
*June 25 -Ozan Marsh, American concert pianist (d. 1992)
*June 26 - Leonid Hambro, pianist (d. 2006)
*July 1 - Amália Rodrigues, Portuguese singer and actress (d. 1999)
*July 11 - Yul Brynner, actor, star of "The King and I" (d. 1985)
*August 8
** Leo Chiosso, Italian lyricist (d. 2006)
** Jimmy Witherspoon, blues singer (d. 1997)
*August 17 - Georgia Gibbs, singer (d. 2006)
*August 29 - Charlie Parker, jazz musician (d. 1955)
*September 23 - Mickey Rooney, actor and entertainer
*September 28 - Irma Baltuttis, singer and entertainer (d. 1958)
*October 27 - Nanette Fabray, actress and singer
*December 6 - Dave Brubeck, jazz musician
*December 24 - Dave Bartholomew, bandleader, composer and arranger
*"date unknown"
**Carmen Carrozza, accordionist
**The Cox Twins, music hall entertainers

Deaths

*January 8 - Maud Powell, violinist (b. 1867)
*January 16 - Reginald De Koven, US music critic and composer (b. 1859)
*January 18 - Giovanni Capurro, poet, co-writer of "O Sole Mio" (b. 1859)
*January 21 - John Henry Maunder, composer (b. 1858)
*January 24 - William Percy French, songwriter (b. 1854)
*February 2 - Theo Marzials, singer and composer (b. 1850)
*February 11 - Gaby Deslys, dancer and actress (b. 1881)
*April 8 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, composer (b. 1884)
*May - Hardwicke Rawnsley, hymn-writer (b. 1851)
*May 25 - Georg Jarno, composer of operettas (b. 1868)
*June 27 - Adolphe-Basile Routhier, lyricist (b. 1839)
*July 17 - Dorothy Goetz, first wife of Irving Berlin (b. 1892) (typhoid)
*July 26 - Carlos Troyer, composer (b. 1837)
*August 29 - Gustav Jenner, composer and conductor (b. 1865)
*October 2 - Max Bruch, composer (b. 1838)
*October 16 - Alberto Nepomuceno, composer and conductor (b. 1864)
*"date unknown"
**Carl Bohm, songwriter (b. 1844)
**George J. Gaskin, singer (b. c. 1850)
**Paloke Kurti, Albanian composer (b. 1860)
*"probable" - Eva Mylott, operatic contralto (b. 1875) (domestic accident)