1908 in music

Specific locations

• 1908 in Norwegian music

  Specific genres

• 1908 in jazz

  Events

• January 26 – Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 receives its première.
• March 15 – Maurice Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole receives its première in Paris.
• April 11 – Spyridon Samaras's opera Rhea is premiered in Florence
• September 19 – Première of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 7 in Prague.
• November 18 – Release in France of the film The Assassination of the Duke of Guise with a score from Saint-Saëns.
• December 3 – Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 1 receives its première in Manchester.
• December 18 – Claude Debussy's Children's Corner receives its première in Paris.
• Anthony Maggio publishes a dance band orchestration of early Blues "I Got The Blues" in New Orleans.
• Opera singer Amelita Galli marries the Marchese Luigi Curci, and acquires the name by which she becomes best-known.
• Claude Debussy marries Emma Bardac.

  Published popular music

• "The ABCs of the U.S.A." w.m. George M. Cohan from the musical The Yankee Prince
• "All For Love Of You" w. Dave Reed m. Ernest R. Ball
• "Any Old Port In A Storm" w. Arthur J. Lamb m. Kerry Mills
• "Black And White Rag" w.m. George Botsford
• "Call Round Any Old Time" w.m. Charles Moore & E. W. Rogers
• "Consolation" by Edward Madden
• "Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Lovey Mine" w. Otto Harbach m. Karl Hoschna
• "Daisies Won't Tell" w.m. Anita Owen
• "Down Among The Sugar Cane" w. Avery & Charles Hart m. Cecil Mack & Chris Smith
• "Down In Jungle Town" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Dusty Rag" m. May Aufderhelde
• "The Fairest Of The Fair" w.m. John Philip Sousa
• "Feed The Kitty" w. Ed Moran m. J. Fred Helf
• "Fig Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin
• "Gee But There's Class To A Girl Like You" w.m. W. R. Williams
• "Golliwog's Cake Walk" m. Claude Debussy
• "Good Evening, Caroline" by Albert Von Tilzer & Jack Norworth
• "Ham And !" by Arthur Marshall
• "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" w.m. C. W. Murphy & Will Letters. With new lyrics by William McKenna it was performed by Nora Bayes in the 1910 Broadway production of the musical The Jolly Bachelors
• "Hoo-oo Ain't You Calling Me" w.m. Herbert Ingraham
• "I Hear You Calling Me" w. Harold Harford m. Charles Marshall
• "I Want To Be Loved Like A Leading Lady" w. Paul West m. Herman Avery Wade
• "If I Had A Thousand Lives To Live" w. Sylvester Maguire m. Alfred Solman
• "If You Cared for Me" by E. Rose
• "I'm A Yiddish Cowboy" w. Edgar Leslie m. Al Piantodosi & Halsey K. Mohr
• "I'm Glad I'm Married" w. Jack Norworth m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "I'm Looking For The Man That Wrote "The Merry Widow Waltz"" w. Edgar Selden m. Seymour Furth
• "In The Garden Of My Heart" w. Caro Roma m. Ernest R. Ball
• "It's Moonlight All The Time On Broadway" Wenrich
• "It's The Pretty Things You Say" w. Alfred Bryan m. Ted Snyder
• "I've Taken Quite A Fancy To You" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Kerry Mills' Barn Dance" w. Thurland Chattaway m. Kerry Mills
• "The Longest Way 'Round Is The Sweetest Way Home" w. Ren Shields m. Kerry Mills
• "Love Is Like A Cigarette" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert
• "Love Me Like I Want To Be Loved" w. Earle C. Jones & Alfred Bryan m. George W. Meyer
• "Love's Roundelay" w. Joseph Herbert m. Oscar Straus
• "Make A Noise Like A Hoop And Roll Away" w. Ren Shields m. J. Fred Helf
• "Meet Me In Rose-Time, Rosie" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Mephisto Rag" by Anthony J. Stasny
• "Mother Hasn't Spoken To Father Since" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "My Brudda Sylvest'" w. Jesse Lasky m. Fred Fisher
• "My Girl's A Yorkshire Girl" w.m. C. W. Murphy & Dan Lipton
• "Now I Have To Call Him Father" w.m. Charles Collins & Fred Godfrey
• "The Old Time Rag" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore Morse
• "Pine Apple Rag" by Scott Joplin
• "Roses Bring Dreams Of You" w.m. Herbert Ingraham
• "She Sells Sea-Shells" w. Terry Sullivan m. Harry Gifford
• "Shine On Harvest Moon" w. Jack Norworth m. Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth
• "A Singer Sang A Song" w. Will Heelan m. Seymour Furth
• "Smarty" w. Jack Norworth m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "Somebody Lied" w.m. Jeff T. Branen & Evans Lloyd
• "Sun Bird m. Kerry Mills
• "Sweetest Gal In Town" w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson
• "Sweetest Maid Of All" w. Joseph Herbert m. Oscar Straus
• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" w. Jack Norworth m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "Up In A Balloon" w. Ren Shields m. Percy Wenrich
• "A Vision Of Salome" m. J. Bodewalt Lampe
• "When Highland Mary Danced The Highland Fling" w. Jack Mahoney m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "When It's Moonlight On The Prairie" w. Robert F. Roden m. S. R. Henry
• "When We Are M-A-Double-R-I-E-D" w.m. George M. Cohan from the musical Fifty Miles From Boston
• "The Whitewash Man" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "The Yama Yama Man" w. Collin Davis m. Karl Hoschna
• "Yip-I-Addy-I-Ay!" w. Will D. Cobb m. John H. Flynn
• "You Will Have To Sing An Irish Song" w. Jack Norworth m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "You're In The Right Church, But The Wrong Pew" w. Cecil Mack m. Chris Smith

  [Hit recordings]

• " The Small Town Gal" – George M. Cohan
• "All She Gets from the Iceman Is Ice" – Ada Jones

  Classical music">European classical music">Classical music

• Kurt Atterberg – Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra
• Béla Bartók – First Violin Concerto
• Alban Berg – Piano Sonata, Op.1
• York Bowen – Viola Concerto in C minor
• Henry Walford Davies – Solemn Melody for organ
• George Enescu –
• *Cantate pour la pose de la prèmiere pierre du pont à transbordeur de Bordeaux, for military band, two harps, string orchestra, solo cello, choir, baritone solo, and cannons
• *"Morgengebet", for voice and piano
• *Sept chansons de Clement Marot, for tenor and piano, Op. 15
• Gabriel Fauré –
• *Nocturne No. 9 in B minor, Op. 97
• *Nocturne No. 10 in E minor, Op. 99
• *Serenade for cello and piano, Op. 98
• Reinhold Glière – Second Symphony, Op. 25
• Hamilton Harty – Violin Concerto
• Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov – Symphony No. 1
• John Ireland – Phantasy Piano Trio
• Charles Ives –
• *Prelude on Eventide
• *The Unanswered Question
• Paul von Klenau – Symphony No. 1
• Toivo Kuula – Piano Trio
• Gian Francesco Malipiero – Sinfonie del silenzio e della morte
• Erkki Melartin – Third String Quartet
• Carl Nielsen – Saga-Drøm
• Max Reger –
• *Auferstanden, auferstanden, cantata for SATB soloists, SATB choir, and organ
• *Sonatinas for two pianos, Op. 89
• *Suite, for violin and piano, in E minor
• *Trio No. 2, for violin, cello, and piano, Op. 102
• *Violin Concerto, in A major, Op. 101
• * Symphonischer Prolog zu einer Tragödie in A minor, Op. 108
• *Weihegesang, for alto solo, SATB choir, and winds
• *Zwei geistliche Lieder, for choir
• Xaver Scharwenka – Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor
• Arnold Schoenberg –
• *Lieder, Op. 14
• *String Quartet No. 2 – premiered in Vienna
• Alexander Scriabin – The Poem of Ecstasy
• Igor Stravinsky – Feu d'artifice
• Anton Webern – Passacaglia for orchestra, Op. 1

  [Opera]

• Paul Le Flem – Aucassin et Nicolette

  [Musical theater]

• Algeria Broadway production opened at The Broadway Theatre on August 31 and ran for 48 performances
• The Belle of Brittany opened at the Queen's Theatre in London on 24 October 1908 with music by Howard Talbot to a book by Leedham Bantock and lyrics by Percy Greenbank
• The Dollar Princess Manchester production
• Fifty Miles from Boston Broadway production opened on February 3 at the Garrick Theatre and ran for 40 performances
• The King of Cadonia London production opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre on September 3 and ran for 333 performances
• Mr. Hamlet of Broadway Broadway production opened at the Casino Theatre on December 23 and ran for 54 performances
• My Mimosa Maid London production opened at the Prince Of Wales Theatre on April 21 and ran for 83 performances
• Der Tapfere Soldat Vienna production opened at the Theater an der Wien on November 14 and ran for 62 performances
• The Three Twins opened at the Herald Square Theatre on June 15 and moved to the Majestic Theatre on January 18, 1909, for a total run of 289 performances
• A Waltz Dream London production opened at the Hicks Theatre on March 7 and ran for 146 performances.
• A Waltz Dream Broadway production opened at the Broadway Theatre on January 27 and ran for 111 performances
• The Yankee Prince Broadway production opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on April 20 and ran for 112 performances
• Ziegfeld Follies Broadway revue opened at the Jardin de Paris on June 15 and ran for 120 performances

  Births

• January 7 – Red Allen, jazz musician
• January 14 – Russ Columbo, singer, bandleader, composer
• January 26
• *Stéphane Grappelli, musician, composer
• *Ernst Oster, pianist, musicologist, and music theorist
• January 27 – Hot Lips Page, jazz trumpet
• February 20 – Ruby Elzy, US soprano, first Serena in Porgy and Bess
• February 29 – A. L. Lloyd, folk song collector
• March 14 – Nikolai Rakov, Soviet composer
• April 2 – Buddy Ebsen, US actor and singer
• April 5 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor
• April 7 – Percy Faith, composer, musician
• April 15 – eden ahbez, hermit, musician
• April 20 – Lionel Hampton, jazz musician, bandleader
• May 6 – Necil Kazım Akses, Turkish composer
• May 8 – Cristian Vasile, Romanian tango singer
• May 15 – Lars-Erik Larsson, Swedish composer
• May 27 – Harold Rome, US songwriter
• June 24 – Hugo Distler, organist and composer
• June 29 – Leroy Anderson, US composer and conductor
• July 8 – Louis Jordan, bandleader
• July 25 – Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Carnatic vocalist
• August 1 – Miloslav Kabeláč, composer
• August 4 – Kurt Eichhorn, conductor
• August 12 – Nina Makarova, composer
• August 29 – Orestes López, Cuban bassist, cellist, pianist and composer
• September 5 - Cecilia Seghizzi, Italian composer
• September 6 – Maria Grinberg, pianist
• September 7 – Max Kaminsky, US jazz trumpeter
• September 10 – Raymond Scott, composer, bandleader, and electronic music pioneer
• September 13 – Mae Questel, US singer
• September 16 – Chick Bullock, US singer
• September 25 – Eugen Suchoň, Slovak composer
• September 30 – David Oistrakh, violinist
• October 1 – Umar Dimayev, Chechen folk singer
• October 14 – Allan Jones, actor, singer
• October 19 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer
• October 20 – Stuart Hamblen, US singer, actor and songwriter
• October 21
• *Harry Stewart, comedian, singer, and songwriter
• *Howard Ferguson, British composer and musicologist
• November 19
• *Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, French organist and composer
• *Keg Johnson, US jazz trombonist
• December 10 – Olivier Messiaen, composer
• December 11 – Elliott Carter, composer
• December 16 – Frances Day, US actress and singer
• December 17 – William Brocklesby Wordsworth, English/Scottish composer and pianist
• December 21 – Gregory Egiazarovich Yeghiazarian, Armenian composer

  Deaths

• January 22 – August Wilhelmj, German violinist
• January 23 – Edward MacDowell, American composer
• February 28 – Pauline Lucca, operatic soprano
• March 2 – Walter Slaughter, conductor and composer
• March 12 – Clara Novello, soprano
• March 26 – Louis Chauvin, ragtime musician
• May 7 – Ludovic Halévy, lyricist
• May 12 – Melisio Morales, composer
• June 5 – Josef Wagner, composer
• June 20 – Federico Chueca, zarzuela composer
• June 21 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composer
• July 10 – Phoebe Knapp, composer of hymns
• July 14 – William Mason, pianist and composer
• July 18 – Jaime Nunó, composer of Mexico's national anthem
• August 13 – Ira D. Sankey, gospel singer and composer
• August 20 – Louisa Bassano, opera singer
• August 26 – Tony Pastor, vaudeville founder & theater impresario
• September 20 – Pablo de Sarasate, violinist
• September 21 – Atanas Badev, composer and music teacher
• November 15 – Katti Lanner, ballet dancer and choreographer
• November 20 – Albert Dietrich, conductor and composer
• date unknown – Alois Kaiser, cantor and composer