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1920 in music#Opera

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{{YYYY music|1920}}

{{Year nav topic5|1920|music|film|radio}}

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1920.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

Publications

Published popular music

Image:"The Japanese Sandman" (1920), by Richard A. Whiting and Raymond B. Egan.jpg

Image:JellyBean1920.jpg

Top Popular Recordings 1920

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 1920:{{Cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 |publisher=Record Research |year=1986}} Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Rank

! Artist

! Title

! Label

! Recorded

! Released

! Chart Positions

1Selvin's Novelty Orchestra"Dardanella"{{Cite web |title=Victor matrix B-23344. Dardanella / Selvin's Novelty Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/700008515/B-23344-Dardanella |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}Victor 18633{{Start date|1919|11|20}}{{Start date|1920|1}}US Billboard 1920 #1, US #1 for 13 weeks, 24 total weeks, 1-6 million sold
2Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra"Whispering"{{Cite web |title=Victor matrix B-24393. Whispering / Ambassador Orchestra ; Paul Whiteman - Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/700009606/B-24393-Whispering |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}Victor 18690{{Start date|1920|8|23}}{{Start date|1920|11}}US Billboard 1920 #2, US #1 for 11 weeks, 20 total weeks, National Recording Registry 2019, 2,000,000 sales{{Cite book |last=Murrells |first=Joseph |url=http://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr |title=The book of golden discs |date=1978 |publisher=London : Barrie & Jenkins |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-214-20512-5}}
3Al Jolson"Swanee"{{Cite web|title=Columbia A2884 (10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings|url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/detail/191985/Columbia_A2884|access-date=2021-08-14|website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}Columbia 2884{{Start date|1920|1|9}}{{Start date|1920|4}}US Billboard 1920 #3, US #1 for 9 weeks, 18 total weeks, National Recording Registry 2004
4Ted Lewis and His Band"When My Baby Smiles at Me"Columbia 2908{{Start date|1920|1|12}}{{Start date|1920|4}}US Billboard 1920 #4, US #1 for 7 weeks, 18 total weeks
5John Steel"The Love Nest"Victor 24871{{Start date|1920|11|9}}{{Start date|1920|11|24}}US Billboard 1920 #5, US #1 for 7 weeks, 12 total weeks
6Art Hickman and His Orchestra"Hold Me"{{Cite web |title=Columbia matrix 78694. Hold me / Art Hickman's Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000016784/78694-Hold_me |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}Columbia 2899{{Start date|1919|9|25}}{{Start date|1920|5}}US Billboard 1920 #6, US #1 for 3 weeks, 14 total weeks
7Marion Harris"St. Louis Blues"Victor 24871{{Start date|1920|2|15}}{{Start date|1920|4}}US Billboard 1920 #7, US #1 for 3 weeks, 14 total weeks
8Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra"The Japanese Sandman"Victor 18690{{Start date|1920|8|23}}{{Start date|1920|11}}US Billboard 1920 #8, US #1 for 3 weeks, 14 total weeks
9Al Jolson"I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now"Columbia 2794{{Start date|1919|9|15}}{{Start date|1919|12}}US Billboard 1920 #9, US #1 for 2 weeks, 7 total weeks
10Art Hickman and His Orchestra"The Love Nest"Columbia 2955{{Start date|1920|6|11}}{{Start date|1920|9}}US Billboard 1920 #10, US #1 for 2 weeks, 6 total weeks
11Edith Day (Rosario Bourdon Orchestra)"Alice Blue Gown"Victor 45176{{Start date|1920|1|26}}{{Start date|1920|4}}US Billboard 1920 #11, US #1 for 1 weeks, 9 total weeks
34Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra"Kismet"Brunswick 5021{{Start date|1920|6|1}}{{Start date|1920|9}}US Billboard 1920 #34, US #4 for 1 weeks, 5 total weeks

Classical music

Opera

[[Jazz]]

{{Main|1920 in jazz}}

[[Musical theatre]]

Births

  • January 1
  • José Antonio Bottiroli, Argentine composer and poet (d. 1990){{cite book|last=Otero|first=Ana María|title=Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana|year=1999|publisher=Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE)|location=Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina|pages=661|url=http://www.jovenmusico.mendoza.edu.ar/docu/AnaOtero-Dicc.pdf|access-date=2011-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425155819/http://www.jovenmusico.mendoza.edu.ar/docu/AnaOtero-Dicc.pdf|archive-date=2012-04-25|url-status=dead}}
  • Virgilio Savona, Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra) (d. 2009)
  • Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)
  • January 3 – Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (d. 2001)
  • January 5 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pianist (d. 1995){{Cite Grove |author=Bryce Morrison|title=Michelangeli, Arturo Benedetti|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.18592|date=20 January 2001}}
  • January 8 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (b. 1852)
  • January 14
  • Cris Alexander, American actor, singer, dancer, designer, and photographer (d. 2012)
  • Salvador Flores Rivera, Mexican composer and singer (d. 1987){{cite web|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/chava-floress-97th-birthday/|title=Chava Flores's 97th Birthday|website=Google|date=14 January 2017}}
  • January 16 – Claude Abadie, French jazz clarinetist (died 2020)
  • January 18 – Jan Van Halen, musician, father of Eddie and Alex Van Halen (d. 1986)
  • January 24 – Hilario González, Cuban composer, pianist, musicologist, music educator, and music critic (d. 1999){{Cite encyclopedia |author=Victoria Eli Rodríguez|date=2001|entry=González, Hilario|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.46050}}
  • February 2
  • Heikki Suolahti, Finnish composer (d. 1936)
  • Yuriko Amemiya, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2022)
  • February 7 – Oscar Brand, Canadian-born American folk singer, songwriter and author (d. 2016)
  • February 12 – Yoshiko Yamaguchi, Chinese-Japanese actress and singer (d. 2014){{cite book|author1=Yoshiko Yamaguchi|author2=Sakuya Fujiwara|title=Fragrant Orchid: The Story of My Early Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VDAEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|date=28 February 2015|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-5404-1|pages=1}} - Wikipedia article on book: Fragrant Orchid: The Story of My Early Life
  • February 13
  • Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (d. 1987)
  • Eileen Farrell, American soprano (d. 2002)
  • February 14 – Albert J. McNeil, American choral conductor, ethnomusicologist and author (d. 2022)
  • February 18 – Rolande Falcinelli, organist, pianist and composer (d. 2006)
  • February 23 – Hall Overton, composer, jazz pianist and music teacher (d. 1972)
  • February 26 – Henri Crolla, jazz guitarist and film composer (d. 1960)
  • February 28 – Albert Elms, light music composer (d. 2009){{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/albert-elms-light-music-composer-7ml2nndf03d|title=Albert Elms: light music composer|date=11 November 2009|newspaper=The Times|access-date=17 February 2020}}
  • March 10 – Boris Vian, French writer, poet, singer and musician (d. 1959){{cite book|author=Alfred Cismaru|title=Boris Vian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvFcAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Twayne Publishers|isbn=978-0-8057-2951-1|page=11}}
  • March 16 – John Addison, British film composer (d. 1998){{cite book|editor-last=Randel|editor-first=Don Michael|title=The Harvard biographical dictionary of music|year=1996|publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0-674-37299-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/harvardbiographi00rand/page/5 5]|chapter=Addison, John|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/harvardbiographi00rand/page/5}}
  • March 17 – John La Montaine, American composer (d. 2013)
  • March 22 – Fanny Waterman, pianist and music educator (d. 2020)
  • March 23 – Geoffrey Bush, British composer, writer and broadcaster (d. 1998)
  • April 7 – Ravi Shankar, Indian sitarist (d. 2012){{cite book|author=Ram Avtar|title=History of Indian Music and Musicians|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0XaAAAAMAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Pankaj Publications|isbn=978-81-87155-64-5|page=92}}
  • April 12
  • The Cox Twins, music hall entertainers (Frank, d. 2007; Fred, d. 2013)
  • Anita Ellis, Canadian-American singer and actress (d. 2015){{cite book|author=Roger D. Kinkle|title=Leading Musical Performers (popular Music and Jazz) 1900-1950: 2150 Biographies Updated to 1996 with Additions and Corrections|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4o4AQAAIAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Windmill Publications|page=100}}
  • April 21 – Bruno Maderna, conductor and composer (d. 1973)
  • April 23 – Louis Barron, film composer (d. 1989){{cite news |title=Louis Barron; Made Music Electronically |work=The New York Times |date=November 17, 1989}}
  • April 27 – Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (d. 1956){{cite book|author=Walter Legge|title=Walter Legge: Words and Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zX6icuyyVJoC&pg=PA227|year=1998|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-92108-4|pages=227}}
  • April 29 – Harold Shapero, composer (d. 2013)
  • May 2 – Jean-Marie Auberson, violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
  • May 4 – Ronald Chesney, harmonica player and comedy scriptwriter (d. 2018)
  • May 13 – Gareth Morris, flautist (d. 2007){{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/03/10/db1002.xml | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Gareth Morris | date=10 March 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
  • May 18 – Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra) (d. 2012)
  • May 20 – Betty Driver, British singer and actress (d. 2011){{cite book|author1=Betty Driver|author2=Daran Little|title=Betty: The Autobiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rexNAAAAYAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Granada Media|isbn=978-0-233-99780-3|page=8}}
  • May 21 – Bill Barber, jazz musician (d. 2007)
  • May 23 – Helen O'Connell, American big band singer (d. 1993)The Annual Obituary - Louise Mooney Collins, Roland Turner - 1993 Page 693 "HELEN O'CONNELL American Singer Born Lima, Ohio, 23 May 1920 Died San Diego, California, 9 September 1993 A ... O'Connell was also the affable host of the Miss Universe Pageant for nine years, and was the longtime television ... "
  • May 26 – Peggy Lee, singer and songwriter (d. 2002){{cite book|author=Robert Strom|title=Miss Peggy Lee: A Career Chronicle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iDsIAQAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1936-4|page=5}}
  • June 6
  • Dino Asciolla, violinist (d. 1994)
  • Jan Rubeš, Czech-Canadian bass opera singer, actor (d. 2009){{cite book|author=John A. Willis|title=John Willis' Theatre World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V99kAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Crown Publishers.|isbn=978-1-55783-250-4|page=222}}
  • Robert Turner, composer (d. 2012)
  • June 10 – Bonnie Davis, R&B singer (d. 1976)
  • June 11 – Hazel Scott, jazz/classical pianist and singer (d. 1981)
  • June 19 – Johnny Douglas, film composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • June 20 – Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (d. 1954)
  • 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 13
  • Anna Halprin, American dancer (d. 2021)
  • Don Ralke, American music arranger (d. 2000)
  • July 14 – Marijohn Wilkin, American country and gospel songwriter (d. 2006)
  • July 19 – Robert Mann, American violinist (d. 2018){{cite book|author=New York Philharmonic|title=Programs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1tkEAAAAMAAJ|year=1956|publisher=Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York.}}
  • July 20
  • Carmen Carrozza, Italian-born American accordionist (d. 2013)
  • Thanga Darlong, Indian folk musician (d. 2023)
  • July 21
  • Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001){{cite magazine|first= Bradley|last=Bambarger|title=Isaac Stern: Artist And Leader|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WxEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8|date=6 October 2001|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=8}}
  • Manuel Valls, Spanish composer (d. 1984)
  • July 23 – Amália Rodrigues, Portuguese fado singer and actress (d. 1999){{cite book|author=Harris M. Lentz|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E7gHAQAAMAAJ|year=1998|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0-7864-0748-4|page=185}}
  • July 31 – Walter Arlen, Austrian-born American composer (d. 2023)
  • August 7 – Françoise Adret, French ballet dancer, choreographer (d. 2018)
  • August 8
  • Leo Chiosso, Italian lyricist (d. 2006)
  • Jimmy Witherspoon, blues singer (d. 1997)
  • August 26 – Emil Cadkin, film composer (d. 2020)
  • August 29 – Charlie Parker, jazz musician (d. 1955){{cite book|author=Johnson Publishing Company|title=Ebony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cdQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA132|date=January 1989|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|pages=132}}
  • September 3 – Chabuca Granda, Peruvian singer and composer (d. 1983)
  • September 7 – Al Caiola, American guitarist, composer, arranger (d. 2016){{cite book|author1=Norm N. Nite|author2=Wolfman Jack|title=Rock on: The solid gold years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4404AQAAIAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Harper & Row|isbn=978-0-06-181642-0|page=84}}
  • September 14 – Cascarita [a.k.a. Orlando Guerra], Cuban music singer (d. 1975)
  • September 17 – Jean Perrin, composer (d. 1989)
  • September 23
  • Alexander Arutiunian, Armenian composer (d. 2012){{cite book|title=Overture: The Magazine of the Baltimore Symphony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uZLAAAAYAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Association|page=8}}
  • Mickey Rooney, actor and entertainer (d. 2014)
  • September 25 – Anne Triola, American actress, singer and musician (d. 2012)
  • September 28 – Irma Baltuttis, singer and entertainer (d. 1958)
  • October 5 – Vincent DeRosa, American musician (d. 2022)
  • October 9 – Yusef Lateef, American jazz musician and composer (d. 2013){{cite book|author1=Jack Salzman|author2=David L. Smith|author3=Cornel West|title=Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4QYAAAAIAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Macmillan Library Reference|isbn=978-0-02-897365-4|page=1579}}
  • October 13 – Albert Hague, songwriter (d. 2001)
  • October 24 – Steve Conway, British singer (d. 1952){{Cite web|title=Steve Conway Biography, Songs, & Albums|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-conway-mn0000032317/biography|access-date=2021-09-23|website=AllMusic|language=en}}
  • October 27 – Nanette Fabray, actress and singer (d. 2018)
  • October 31 – Joseph Gelineau, French composer (d. 2008)
  • November 23 – Enrico De Angelis, Italian singer and entrepreneur (d. 2018)
  • December 6 – Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist (d. 2012){{cite book|title=The Book of Golden Discs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UxRAAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|isbn=978-0-214-20480-7|page=132}}
  • December 13 – Teo Usuelli, Italian film composer (d. 2009)
  • December 14 – Clark Terry, American jazz musician and composer (d. 2015){{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/clark-terry-dead-grammywinning-trumpet-player-dies-aged-94-10062719.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/clark-terry-dead-grammywinning-trumpet-player-dies-aged-94-10062719.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |author=Neela Debnath |title=Clark Terry dead: Grammy-winning trumpet player dies aged 94 |work=The Independent |date=February 22, 2015 |access-date=February 23, 2015}}{{cbignore}}
  • December 19 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2015){{cite book|author=Kurt Wolff|title=Country Music: The Rough Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Jorozp1yp4C&pg=PA110|year=2000|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-534-4|pages=110}}
  • December 31 – Rex Allen, American actor, singer and songwriter (d. 1999){{cite book|author1=Michael McCall|author2=John Rumble|author3=Paul Kingsbury|title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLZz02EzmBYC&pg=PA10|date=1 February 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-992083-9|pages=10}}

Deaths

References

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{{Commons category}}

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Category:20th century in music

Category:Music by year