1932 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1932.
Specific locations
- 1932 in British music
- 1932 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
- 1932 in country music
- 1932 in jazz
Events
- January 14 – Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G is premièred in Paris.
- February 3–9 – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra record 2 medleys for Victor at 33⅓ rpm. Over half a century later it is discovered that 2 microphone-to-cutting table chains were used, and that the session exists in "accidental stereo."
- May 1 – The music to John Alden Carpenter's ballet Skyscrapers is recorded by the Victor Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Nathaniel Shilkret; in addition to be being issued as six sides on 78 rpm discs, the recording is made available as one Victor's early 33⅓ rpm LP releases.
- July 1 – The very young Eddie Duchin and his Central Park Casino Orchestra, and the Three X Sisters aka, Hamilton Sisters & Fordyce record The Clouds Will Soon Roll By for Columbia records.
- July 7 – Benny Carter's orchestra first records. Crown Records rejects all but one title, "Tell All You Daydreams to Me."
- August 15 – First successful electrical re-recording, directed by Nathaniel Shilkret, of an orchestral accompaniment of a Victor recording by Enrico Caruso.
- October 2 – Charles Seeger is divorced from his first wife, Constance de Clyver Edson. He subsequently marries composer Ruth Crawford.
- October 7 – The London Philharmonic Orchestra, recently founded by Thomas Beecham, gives its first public concert.
- October 13 – Isham Jones and the Three X Sisters record at New York Studio No.1. Several songs utilized for RCA Victor were labeled "experimental" as this blues era band-leader was fusing new arrangements, and an idea that would later influence part of the Swing era.
- October 19 – Frankie Laine and Ruthie Smith set the all-time dance marathon record of 3,501 hours at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey
- October 31 – Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 5 is premiered in Berlin
- December 13 – Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra make their last record date for Victor. It becomes a singular example of early swing music.
- Henry Hall becomes Director of the BBC Dance Orchestra.
- Sydney Symphony comes into existence.
Published popular music
- "After You, Who?" w.m. Cole Porter
- "Alone Together" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
- "And Love Was Born" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
- "And So To Bed" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
- "April in Paris" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Vernon Duke
- "As You Desire Me" w.m. Allie Wrubel
- "Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear" w.m. Al Hoffman, Ed G. Nelson, Al Goodhart & Milton Ager
- "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
- "Chinese Laundry Blues" Cottrell
- "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By" w.m. Billy Hill & Harry Woods
- "Dance Of The Cuckoos" w.m. T. Marvin Hatley & Harry Steinberg
- "Darkness On The Delta" w. Marty Symes & Al Neiburg m. Jerry Livingston
- "Eadie Was A Lady" w. B. G. De Sylva m. Richard Whiting & Nacio Herb Brown
- "The Echo Of A Song" Peter Mendoza
- "Eres Tú" Miguel Sandoval
- "Fit As A Fiddle" w.m. Arthur Freed, Al Hoffman & Al Goodhart
- "The Flies Crawled Up The Window" w.m. Douglas Furber & Vivian Ellis
- "Give Her A Kiss" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Goodnight My Love" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias & Jules Lemare
- "Goodnight Vienna" w.m. Holt Marvell & George Posford
- "Got The South In My Soul" w.m. Ned Washington, Victor Young & Lee Wiley
- "Happy-Go-Lucky You " w.m. Al Goodhart, Al Hoffman & J. F. Murray
- "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" w. Billy Hill m. Peter De Rose
- "Here Lies Love" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
- "How Deep Is The Ocean?" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" w. Bing Crosby & Ned Washington m. Victor Young
- "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
- "If It Ain't Love" w.m. Andy Razaf, Don Redman & Fats Waller
- "I'll Do My Best To Make You Happy" w.m. Ray Noble
- "I'll Never Be The Same" w. Gus Kahn m. Matty Malneck & Frank Signorelli from the revue After Dinner
- "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" w. Ned Washington m. George Bassman
- "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town" w. Joe Young m. Ira Schuster & Jack Little
- "In Egern On The Tegern Sea" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Ivy Scott in the musical Music in the Air
- "Isn't It Romantic?" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "It Don't Mean A Thing " w. Irving Mills m. Duke Ellington
- "It Was So Beautiful" w. Arthur Freed m. Harry Barris
- "I've Got You On My Mind" w.m. Cole Porter
- "I've Told Every Little Star" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
- "Just An Echo In The Valley" w.m. Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly
- "Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now" w. Andy Razaf m. Fats Waller
- ":File:HitOfTheWeekLabel.png|Lawd, You Made The Night Too Long" w. Sam M. Lewis m. Isham Jones
- "Let's All Sing Like The Birdies Sing" w. Robert Hargreaves & Stanley J. Damerell m. Tolchard Evans & H. Tilsley
- "Let's Call It A Day" w. Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
- "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Let's Put Out The Lights And Go To Sleep" w.m. Herman Hupfeld
- "A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" w. Gus Kahn m. Harry Woods
- "Look What You've Done" w. Bert Kalmar & Irving Caesar m. Harry Ruby & Harry Akst
- "Looking On The Bright Side" w.m. Howard Flynn
- "Louisiana Hayride" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
- "Love Is The Sweetest Thing" w.m. Ray Noble
- "Love Me Tonight" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Love Me Tonight" w.m. Bing Crosby, Ned Washington & Victor Young
- "Lover" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Lullaby of the Leaves" w. Joe Young m. Bernice Petkere
- "Mad About The Boy" w.m. Noël Coward
- "A Million Dreams" w. Gus Kahn m. J. C. Lewis Jr
- "Mimi" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Mine" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
- "My Cousin in Milwaukee" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Lyda Roberti in the musical Pardon My English
- "My Silent Love" w. Edward Heyman m. Dana Suesse
- "My Sweet Virginia" w.m. Vincent Rose
- "Night And Day" w.m. Cole Porter introduced by Fred Astaire in Gay Divorce
- "Oh! That Mitzi" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger. Introduced by Maurice Chevalier in the film One Hour with You.
- "Old Yazoo" w. Andy Razaf m. Fats Waller
- "One Hour With You" w. Leo Robin m. Richard A. Whiting. From the film of the same name
- "Papirosn" w.m. Herman Yablokoff
- "The Party's Over Now" w.m. Noël Coward
- "Pink Elephants" w. Mort Dixon m. Harry Woods
- "Play, Fiddle, Play" w. Jack Lawrence m. Emery Deutsch & Arthur Altman
- "Please" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
- "The Poor Apache" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Precious Lord Take My Hand" by Thomas A. Dorsey, first major gospel music hit
- "Pu-leeze! Mr Hemingway" w. Walter Kent & Milton Drake m. Abner Silver
- "Say It Isn't So" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia" w. Mitchell Parish m. Frank Perkins
- "Sleep, Come On And Take Me" w.m. Joe Young & Boyd Bunch
- "Smoke Rings" w. Ned Washington m. Gene Gifford
- "Snuggled On Your Shoulder" w. Joe Young m. Carmen Lombardo
- "So Do I" w. B. G. De Sylva m. Vincent Youmans
- "Soft Lights And Sweet Music" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Somebody Loves You" w. Charlie Tobias m. Peter DeRose
- "The Song is You" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
- "Street of Dreams" w. Sam M. Lewis m. Victor Young
- "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" w.m. Ralph Butler & Noel Gay
- "Three's a Crowd" w. Al Dubin & Irving Kahal m. Harry Warren
- "Too Many Tears" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
- "Try a Little Tenderness" w.m. Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly
- "Underneath The Harlem Moon" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
- "Waltzing in a Dream" w. Ned Washington, Bing Crosby m. Victor Young
- "Wanderer" w.m. Bud Flanagan
- "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye" w.m. Harry Woods
- "We've Got The Moon And Sixpence" Oscar Levant, Clifford Grey
- "We've Got To Put That Sun Back In The Sky" Kahal, Meyer
- "What More Can I Ask?" w. A. E. Wilkins m. Ray Noble
- "What Would You Do?" w. Leo Robin m. Richard A. Whiting. Introduced by Maurice Chevalier in the film One Hour with You
- "Why Don't Women Like Me?" Cottrell, Bennett, Formby
- "Willow Weep for Me" w.m. Ann Ronell
- "Wintergreen For President" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "You Are Too Beautiful" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "The Younger Generation" w.m. Noël Coward
- "You're An Old Smoothie" w.m. B. G. De Sylva, Richard A. Whiting & Nacio Herb Brown
- "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
- "You've Got What Gets Me" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
Biggest hit songs
# | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
1 | Fred Astaire & Leo Reisman | "Night & Day" | 1932 | US Billboard 1 – 1932, US BB 1 of 1932, POP 1 of 1932, RYM 4 of 1932, Music Imprint 14 of 1930s, Brazil 21 of 1933, nuTsie 34 of 1930s, DMDB 52, RIAA 195, Acclaimed 1369 | |
2 | Louis Armstrong | "All of Me" | 1932 | US Billboard 1 – 1932, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2005, RYM 5 of 1932, US BB 8 of 1932, POP 8 of 1932, Brazil 19 of 1932, nuTsie 42 of 1930s | |
3 | Duke Ellington | "It Don't Mean a Thing " | 1932 | Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008, RYM 1 of 1932, US Billboard 6 – 1932, Scrobulate 31 of swing, nuTsie 32 of 1930s, Song of 1932 | |
4 | Rudy Vallee | "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | 1932 | US Billboard 1 – 1932, POP 4 of 1932, RYM 6 of 1932, Music Imprint 15 of 1930s, Brazil 60 of 1933, RIAA 196 | |
5 | Bing Crosby & The Mills Brothers | "Dinah" | 1932 | US Billboard 1 – 1932, US BB 5 of 1932, POP 5 of 1932, Brazil 27 of 1932, Europe 47 of the 1930s |
Top hit records
- "All of Me" by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra; also version by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, vocal; Mildred Bailey
- "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" – Bing Crosby; also version by Rudy Vallee
- "Delishious" by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra, vocal Paul Small
- "The Flies Crawled Up the Window" by Jack Hulbert
- "Got The South In My Soul" by Paul Robeson; also version by Leo Reisman & His Orchestra, vocal; Lee Wiley
- "How Deep Is the Ocean?" by Ethel Merman, accompanied Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra
- "I Can't Get Mississippi Off My Mind" by Billy Cotton Band
- "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town" by Ted Lewis & His Band
- "Love Is The Sweetest Thing" by Ray Noble. vocal; Al Bowlly
- "Love Me Tonight" by Jeanette MacDonald
- "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Noël Coward
- "Mah Lindy Lou" by Paul Robeson
- "Ooh That Kiss" by Frances Day
- "Please" by Bing Crosby
- "Say It Isn't So" by George Olsen & His Music
- "The Thrill Is Gone" by Rudy Vallee
- "Was That the Human Thing To Do?" by The Boswell Sisters
- "Where the Blue of the Night " by Bing Crosby
- "The Younger Generation" by Ray Noble and Al Bowlly
Top [blues] recordings
- "Worrying You Off My Mind" – Big Bill Broonzy
- "Mistreatin Mama" – Big Bill Broonzy
- "How You Want It Done" – Big Bill Broonzy
- "Searching the Desert For the Blues" – Blind Willie McTell
- "Winnie The Wailer" – Lonnie Johnson
Classical music
- Henk Badings
- *Symphony for 16 soloists
- *Symphony No. 2
- Arnold Bax
- *Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
- *Sinfonietta
- *Sonata No. 4, for piano
- *Summer Music, for orchestra
- *Symphony No. 5
- *"Watching the Needleboats", for voice and piano
- Arthur Benjamin – Violin Concerto
- Arthur Bliss – A Colour Symphony
- Marc Blitzstein
- *The Condemned, choral opera in one act
- *Serenade, for string quartet
- John Cage – Greek Ode, for voice and piano
- Carlos Chávez
- *Antígona
- *Caballos de vapor
- *String Quartet No. 2
- *Tierra mojada
- *"Todo", for voice and piano
- Henry Cowell
- *Expressivo, for piano
- *Four Continuations, for string orchestra
- *Reel, for small orchestra
- *Rhythm Study, for piano
- *Two Appositions, for piano
- *Two Appositions: One Movement for Orchestra
- Ruth Crawford Seeger
- *Ricercari, for voice and piano
- *Songs, for alto voice, oboe, percussion, piano, and optional orchestra
- Jean Françaix – Piano Concerto
- Gunnar de Frumerie – Variations and Fugue
- George Gershwin – Cuban Overture, for orchestra
- Peggy Glanville-Hicks
- *Fantasy, for solo violin
- *"He Reproves the Curlew", for voice and piano
- *Prelude for a Pensive Pupil, for piano
- *"Sheiling Song", for voice and piano
- *"They Are Not Long", for voice and piano
- *"To the Moon", for voice and piano
- *"A Widow Bird", for voice and piano
- Percy Grainger – Handel in the Strand
- Camargo Guarnieri – String Quartet No. 1
- Alois Hába
- *Children's Choruses, in quarter tones, Op. 42
- *Children's Choruses, in quarter tones, Op. 43
- *Fantazie No. 2, for nonet, Op. 41
- *Pracující den, for male choir, in quarter tones, Op. 45
- Jascha Heifetz – arrangement of Grigoraş Dinicu's Hora staccato
- Gustav Holst
- *"If 'twer the Time of Lilies", for two-part choir and piano, H187
- *Jazz-Band Piece
- *Jig, for piano, H179
- John Ireland – A Downland Suite
- Dmitri Kabalevsky – Symphony No. 1
- Ernst Krenek – Kantate von der Vergänglichkeit des Irdischen, for soprano, mixed choir, and piano, Op. 72
- László Lajtha – Cello Sonata
- Nikolai Myaskovsky – Symphony No. 11
- Harry Partch – "The Lord Is My Shepherd", for voice and adapted viola
- Paul Pisk
- *Campanella, cantata for voice and orchestra, Op. 28
- *Little Suite, for chamber orchestra, Op. 11a
- Sergei Prokofiev –
- *Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 55
- *Sonata for Two Violins in C major, Op. 56
- Ottorino Respighi – Huntingtower, for large wind band, P. 173
- Silvestre Revueltas
- *Alcancías, for orchestra
- *Colorines, for orchestra
- *Música de feria
- *Three Pieces for violin and piano
- Miklós Rózsa – Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 12
- Arnold Schoenberg
- *Mirror Canon, for string quartet
- *Mirror Canon in four parts, for Carl Moll
- *Moses und Aron, opera in 3 acts
- William Schuman
- *"God's World", for voice and piano
- *Potpourri, for orchestra
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- *Hamlet, Op. 32
- *Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, opera in four acts, Op. 29
- *Six Romances, for tenor and orchestra, Op. 21
- *Twenty-Four Preludes, for piano, Op. 34
- *Vstrechnïy, Op. 33
- Igor Stravinsky
- *Chants du rossignol et Marche chinoise, for violin and piano
- *Danse russe, for violin and piano
- *Duo concertant, for violin and piano
- *Scherzo, for violin and piano
- *Suite italienne, for cello and piano
- *Suite italienne, for violin and piano
- *Simvol verï, for SATB choir
- Virgil Thomson
- *String Quartet No. 2
- *Symphony No. 2
- Joaquín Turina
- *Homenaje a Tárrega, Op. 69, for guitar
- *Silhouettes, Op. 70, for piano
- *Mujeres españolas, Series 2 Op. 73, for piano
- *Vocalizaciones, Op. 74, for soprano and piano
- Ivan Wyschnegradsky – Prelude and Fugue, for two pianos tuned a quarter tone apart, Op. 21
Opera
- Amy Beach – Cabildo
- Ottorino Respighi – Maria egiziaca
- Pietro Mascagni – Pinotta
- Arnold Schoenberg – Moses und Aron
- Erwin Schulhoff – Flammen
- Kurt Weill – Die Bürgschaft
[Jazz]
[Musical theater]
- After Dinner London revue opened at the Gaiety Theatre on October 21
- L'Auberge Du Cheval Blanc Paris production
- Ball im Savoy. Berlin production
- Ballyhoo London revue opened at the Comedy Theatre on December 22
- Casanova London production
- The Cat and the Fiddle London production opened at the Palace Theatre on March 4 and ran for 329 performances
- The Dubarry
- *London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on April 14 and ran for 398 performances
- *Broadway production opened at George M. Cohan's Theatre on November 22 and ran for 87 performances
- Face the Music Broadway revue opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on February 17 and ran for 165 performances
- Gay Divorce Broadway production opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on November 29 and transferred to the Shubert Theatre on January 16, 1933, for a total run of 248 performances
- Men Ken Lebn Nor Men Lost Nisht New York City production at the Parkway Theatre in Brooklyn
- Music in the Air Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 8 and ran for 342 performances
- Out of the Bottle London production opened at the Hippodrome on June 11 and ran for 109 performances
- Over She Goes London revue opened at the Alhambra Theatre on August 27.
- Show Boat Broadway revival opened at the Casino Theatre on 50th Street on May 19 and ran for 180 performances
- Take a Chance Broadway production opened at the Apollo Theatre on November 26 and ran for 243 performances
- Tell Her the Truth London production opened at the Saville Theatre on June 14 and ran for 234 performances
- Wild Violets opened at the Theatre Royal on October 31 and ran for 291 performances
- Words and Music London revue opened at the Adelphi Theatre on September 16.
[Musical film]s
- Carmen, starring Marguerite Namara
- Girl Crazy, starring Dorothy Lee, Robert Quillan, Mitzi Green and Kitty Kelly
- Goodnight, Vienna, starring Jack Buchanan and Anna Neagle
- Gräfin Mariza, starring Dorothea Wieck, Hubert Marischka and Charlotte Ander
- Grün ist die Heide, starring Camilla Spira, Peter Voß and Theodor Loos
- Kiki, starring Anny Ondra and Hermann Thimig and directed by Carl Lamac, with music by Rolf Marbot and lyrics by Bert Reisfeld
- Looking on the Bright Side, starring Gracie Fields.
- Love Me Tonight, starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald.
- The Maid of the Mountains, starring Nancy Brown and Harry Welchman.
- The Midshipmaid, starring Jessie Matthews
- Monte Carlo Madness, starring Sari Maritza and Hans Albers and featuring the Comedian Harmonists
- One Hour with You, starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Genevieve Tobin and Charles Ruggles
- Pergolesi, starring Elio Steiner, Dria Paola and Tina Lattanzi, directed by Guido Brignone, with music by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
- The Phantom President, starring George M. Cohan, Claudette Colbert and Jimmy Durante. Directed by Norman Taurog.
- Sehnsucht 202, starring Luise Rainer
- Unshudat al-Fu'ad'', starring Nadra
Births
- January 26 – Coxsone Dodd, record producer
- January 31 – Rick Hall, record producer
- February 8 – John Williams, film music composer
- February 16 – Harry Goz, musical theatre star
- February 24 – Michel Legrand, composer
- February 26 – Johnny Cash, country singer
- March 4 – Miriam Makeba, singer
- March 15 – Arif Mardin, record producer
- March 21 – Joseph Silverstein, violinist
- April 1 – Debbie Reynolds, actress and singer
- April 8 – John Kinsella, Irish composer
- April 9 – Carl Perkins, rockabilly singer
- April 10 – Kishori Amonkar, Hindustani classical singer
- April 12 – Tiny Tim, singer and ukulele player
- April 14 – Loretta Lynn, country singer
- April 26 – Francis Lai, songwriter and film composer
- April 27 – Maxine Brown, country singer
- May 19 – Alma Cogan, English singer
- May 30 – Pauline Oliveros, American electronic music composer
- June 7 – Tina Brooks, saxophonist
- June 19 – Ernest Ranglin, Jamaican guitarist
- June 21 – Lalo Schifrin, film composer
- June 27 – Anna Moffo, operatic soprano
- July 11 – Roquel Billy Davis, singer, songwriter and record producer
- July 12 – Eddy Wally, Flemish Schlager music singer
- July 13 – Per Nørgård, Danish composer
- July 16 – John Chilton, English jazz trumpeter
- July 19 – Buster Benton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- August 2 – John Cohen, folk musician and photographer
- August 23 – Sinn Sisamouth, singer-songwriter, "the King of Khmer music"
- September 8 – Patsy Cline, country singer
- September 25 – Glenn Gould, classical pianist
- September 28 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter
- October 9 – Alfons Kontarsky, pianist
- November 10 – Paul Bley, jazz pianist
- November 15 – Clyde McPhatter,
- November 21 – Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Danish composer
- November 28 – Ethel Ennis, jazz singer
- November 30 – Bob Moore, bassist
- December 5 – Little Richard, rock singer, songwriter, pianist and actor
- December 9 – Donald Byrd, jazz trumpeter
- December 12 – Charlie Rich, country singer
- December 15 – Jesse Belvin, singer, pianist and songwriter
- December 20 – Leslie Adams, American composer and educator
- December 28 – Dorsey Burnette, Rockabilly pioneer
Deaths
- January 16 – Joseph Kekuku, inventor of the steel guitar
- January 27 – Mortimer Wilson, composer
- February 22 – Johanna Gadski, opera singer
- March 1 – Frank Teschemacher, jazz musician
- March 3 – Eugen d'Albert, pianist and composer
- March 6 – John Philip Sousa, composer
- March 18 – Chauncey Olcott, songwriter
- March 19 – Richard Specht, musicologist
- April 2 – Hugo Kaun, composer and conductor
- May 5 – Hilda Clark, music hall singer
- May 6 – Roméo Beaudry, pianist, composer and record producer
- May 9 – Emil Hertzka, music publisher
- May 20 – Bubber Miley, jazz trumpeter
- May 28 – Pascual Contursi, singer and guitarist
- June 7 – Emil Paur, conductor
- July 8 – Samuel Castriota, pianist, guitarist and composer
- July 22
- *Hugh Blair, organist and composer
- *Florenz Ziegfeld, Broadway impresario
- August 16 – Pietro Floridia, composer and conductor
- September 13 – Julius Röntgen, composer
- September 14 – Jean Cras, composer
- September 26 – Pierre De Geyter, composer of The Internationale
- October 19 – Arthur Friedheim, pianist
- October 21 – Al Hopkins, country musician
- November 23 – Percy Pitt, organist and conductor
- November 27 – Evelyn Preer, actress and blues singer
- November 28 – Hubert de Blanck, pianist and composer
- December 1 – Amadeo Vives, composer
- December 24 – Eyvind Alnæs, pianist, organist and composer
- December 25 – Ernst Rolf, actor and singer
- December 26 – Dina Barberini, operatic soprano
- date unknown
- *Giulia Novelli, operatic mezzo-soprano
- *Emanuele Nutile, composer of Neapolitan songs