1936 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1936.
Specific locations
- 1936 in British music
- 1936 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
- 1936 in country music
- 1936 in jazz
Events
- January 4 – Billboard magazine publishes its first music hit parade
- March 28 – Inaugural concert of the São Paulo City Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ernst Mehlich
- April 19 – In Barcelona, Alban Berg's Violin Concerto is given its première, by Louis Krasner
- May 2 – Peter and the Wolf, a Russian fairy tale of Sergei Prokofiev's composition, debuts at the Nezlobin Theater in Moscow, Soviet Union, but attracts little attention at this time.
- December 24 – Release of the film Natalka Poltavka in Ukraine, the first filmed Russian opera.
- Nat King Cole's recording career begins.
- Count Basie begins recording with his own band, which includes Lester Young.
- José Iturbi becomes conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
- John Serry Sr. begins extended appearances at the Star Light Roof in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel with the Lester Lanin Orchestra in New York City.
Published popular music
- "At The Codfish Ball" w. Sidney D. Mitchell m. Lew Pollack. Introduced by Shirley Temple and Buddy Ebsen in the film Captain January
- "Au Revoir " w.m. Joe Gilbert
- "Awake in a Dream" w. Leo Robin m. Frederick Hollander. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film Desire.
- "Bojangles Of Harlem" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time.
- "By Strauss" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Gracie Barrie and Robert Shafter in the revue The Show is On
- "Christopher Columbus" w. Andy Razaf m. Leon Berry
- "Cloudy" m. Mary Lou Williams
- "Cool Water" w.m. Bob Nolan
- "Does Your Heart Beat For Me?" w. Mitchell Parish m. Russ Morgan
- "Down in the Depths " w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Red, Hot and Blue.
- "Easy To Love" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by James Stewart and reprised by Frances Langford in the film Born to Dance
- "Empty Saddles" w. J. Keirn Brennan m. Billy Hill
- "Everybody Swing" w. Sidney Clare m. Harry Akst
- "Fancy Meeting You" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen. Introduced by Dick Powell and Jeanne Madden in the film Stage Struck.
- "Farewell To Dreams" w. Gus Kahn m. Sigmund Romberg
- "A Fine Romance" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film Swing Time.
- "Gee! But You're Swell" w. Charles Tobias m. Abel Baer
- "Get Thee Behind Me Satan" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Harriet Hilliard in the film Follow the Fleet
- "Glad To Be Unhappy" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Doris Carson and David Morris in the musical On Your Toes
- "Gloomy Sunday" w. Sam M. Lewis m. Rezső Seress
- "The Glory of Love" w.m. Billy Hill
- "Goodnight, Irene" w.m. Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter
- "Goodnight My Love" w. Harry Revel m. Mack Gordon
- "Goody Goody" w.m. Johnny Mercer & Matty Malneck
- "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?" w.m. Noël Coward
- "He Ain't Got Rhythm" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Alice Faye in the film On the Avenue.
- "He Hasn't a Thing Except Me" w. Ira Gershwin m. Vernon Duke. Introduced by Fanny Brice in the revue Ziegfeld Follies of 1936.
- "I Can't Escape From You" w.m. Leo Robin & Richard A. Whiting. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Rhythm on the Range.
- "I Love To Sing-a" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen. Introduced by Al Jolson and Cab Calloway in the film The Singing Kid.
- "If I Should Lose You" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger. Introduced by Gladys Swarthout and John Boles in the film Rose of the Rancho.
- "I'm An Old Cow Hand" w.m. Johnny Mercer. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Rhythm on the Range.
- "I'm in the Mood for Love" Introduced by Darla Hood in a clubhouse and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer on a radio in the Our Gang short, The Pinch Singer.
- "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film Follow the Fleet.
- "In The Chapel In The Moonlight" w.m. Billy Hill
- "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?" w. Irving Caesar & Sammy Lerner
- "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" w.m. Billy Mayhew
- "It's De-Lovely" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope in the musical Red, Hot and Blue
- "It's Got to Be Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson in the musical On Your Toes.
- "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
- "I've Got You Under My Skin" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Virginia Bruce in the film Born to Dance.
- "Keep a Twinkle In Your Eye" Johnny Mercer, Rube Bloom
- "Let Yourself Go" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ginger Rogers in the film Follow the Fleet
- "Let's Call a Heart a Heart" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston from the film Pennies From Heaven
- "Let's Face the Music and Dance" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Follow the Fleet.
- "Life Begins at Forty" Yellen, Shapiro
- "Little Old Lady" w. Stanley Adams m. Hoagy Carmichael
- "The Love Bug Will Bite You" w.m. Pinky Tomlin
- "Me and the Moon" w. Walter Hirsch m. Lou Handman
- "Moonburn" w. Edward Heyman m. Hoagy Carmichael. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Anything Goes
- "Moonlight and Shadows" w. Leo Robin m. Frederick Hollander. Introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the film The Jungle Princess
- "Music in May" w. Christopher Hassall m. Ivor Novello. Introduced by Dorothy Dickson in the musical Careless Rapture
- "Never Gonna Dance" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time
- "The Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful" w. Billy Rose & Irving Kahal m. Dana Suesse
- "On The Beach At Bali-Bali" w.m. Al Sherman, Jack Meskill & Abner Silver
- "The One Rose " w.m. Del Lyon & Lani McIntyre
- "One, Two, Button Your Shoe" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston
- "Oooh! Look-A There, Ain't She Pretty?" w. Clarence Todd m. Carmen Lombardo
- "Organ Grinder's Swing" w. Mitchell Parish & Irving Mills m. Will Hudson
- "Pennies from Heaven" w. Johnny Burke m. Arthur Johnston
- "Pick Yourself Up" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film Swing Time
- "Play, Orchestra, Play" w.m. Noël Coward
- "Poinciana" w. Manuel Lliso Buddy Bernier m. Nat Simon
- "Poor Little Angeline" w.m. Will Grosz & Jimmy Kennedy
- "Rainbow on the River" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Louis Alter
- "Ridin' High" w.m. Cole Porter
- "San Francisco" w. Gus Kahn m. Bronislaw Kaper & Walter Jurmann
- "Sing Me A Swing Song" w. Stanley Adams m. Hoagy Carmichael
- "Sing, Sing, Sing" w.m. Louis Prima
- "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" m. Richard Rodgers
- "There's A Bridle Hangin' On The Wall" w.m. Carson Robison
- "There's a Small Hotel" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "To You, Sweetheart, Aloha" w.m. Harry Owens
- "Too Good for the Average Man" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "The Touch Of Your Lips" w.m. Ray Noble
- "Waltz In Swingtime" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern
- "The Way You Look Tonight" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time
- "We Saw The Sea" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Follow the Fleet
- "When a Lady Meets a Gentleman Down South" w.m. Michael Cleary, Jacques Krakeur & David Oppenheim
- "When Did You Leave Heaven?" w. Walter Bullock m. Richard A. Whiting
- "When I'm With You" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel. Introduced by Shirley Temple and Tony Martin in the film Poor Little Rich Girl.
- "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" w.m. Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin
- "The Window Cleaner" George Formby, Gifford, Cliffe
- "With My Shillelagh Under My Arm" w.m. Billy O'Brien & Raymond Wallace
- "With Plenty of Money and You" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
- "Would You?" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
- "You " w. Harold Adamson m. Walter Donaldson
- "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes" w.m. Milton Ager, Charles Newman & Murray Mencher
- "You Gotta S-M-I-L-E to Be H-A-P-P-Y" w.m. Mack Gordon & Harry Revel
- "You Turned the Tables on Me" w. Sidney D. Mitchell m. Louis Alter
- "You Were There" w.m. Noël Coward
- " You'll Have to Swing It " w.m. Sam Coslow
Biggest hit songs
in the limited set of charts available for 1936.
# | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
1 | Bing Crosby | Pennies From Heaven | 1936 | US Billboard 1 – 1936, US BB 1 of 1936, Your Hit Parade 1 of 1936, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004, POP 1 of 1936, Oscar in 1936 , Music Imprint 8 of 1930s, nuTsie 23 of 1930s, Europe 32 of the 1930s, RYM 41 of 1936, RIAA 129, Acclaimed 1222 | |
2 | Fred Astaire | The Way You Look Tonight | 1936 | US Billboard 1 – 1936, Oscar in 1936, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, US BB 2 of 1936, Your Hit Parade 2 of 1936, POP 2 of 1936, Brazil 26 of 1937, nuTsie 38 of 1930s, RYM 40 of 1936, AFI 43, Europe 94 of the 1930s, Song of 1936 | |
3 | Billie Holiday | Summertime | 1936 | Europe 1 of the 1930s, RYM 2 of 1936, US Billboard 12 – 1936, nuTsie 70 of 1930s, Scrobulate 84 of jazz | |
4 | Benny Goodman | Goody Goody | 1936 | US Billboard 1 – 1936, Your Hit Parade 5 of 1936, US BB 6 of 1936, POP 6 of 1936, Brazil 32 of 1936, nuTsie 71 of 1930s | |
5 | Benny Goodman | Glory of Love | 1936 | US Billboard 1 – 1936, Your Hit Parade 3 of 1936, US BB 10 of 1936, POP 10 of 1936, Brazil 67 of 1936, nuTsie 96 of 1930s |
Top hit recordings
- "Alone" – Tommy Dorsey
- "A Fine Romance" – Fred Astaire, accompanied Nathaniel Shilkret Orchestra
- "Boogie Woogie Stomp" – Albert Ammons
- "Cross Road Blues" – Robert Johnson
- "Did I Remember" – Shep Fields
- "The Glory of Love" – Benny Goodman
- "Goody Goody" – Benny Goodman
- "I'll Sing You A Thousand Love Songs" – Eddy Duchin
- "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" – Fred Astaire
- "In the Chapel In the Moonlight" – Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm
- "Indian Love Call" – Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, accompanied Nathaniel Shilkret Orchestra
- "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?" – Jimmy Dorsey
- "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" – Fats Waller
- "Moon Over Miami" – Eddy Duchin
- "The Music Goes Round and Round" – Tommy Dorsey
- "Pennies from Heaven" – Bing Crosby
- "Star Dust" – Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
- "Sweet Home Chicago" – Robert Johnson
- "The Way You Look Tonight" – Fred Astaire, accompanied Nathaniel Shilkret Orchestra
- "The Martins And The Coys" – Ted Weems And His Orchestra
- "Up The Wooden Hill To Bedfordshire" – Vera Lynn
- "You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes" – Ted Weems And His Orchestra With Perry Como
Classical music
Premieres
Compositions
- Grażyna Bacewicz – Trio for Oboe, Violin and Piano
- Samuel Barber –
- *Symphony No. 1, Op. 9
- *String Quartet, Op. 11
- Béla Bartók – Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
- Arnold Bax –
- *Threnody and Scherzo
- *String Quartet No. 3 in F major
- Ernest Bloch – Voice in the Wilderness
- Benjamin Britten – Three Divertimenti for String Quartet
- Carlos Chávez – Sinfonía india
- Aaron Copland – El Salón México
- Henry Cowell – String Quartet No. 4, "United"
- David Diamond –
- *Violin Concerto No. 1
- *Concerto for String Quartet
- John Fernström – Clarinet Concerto
- Berthold Goldschmidt – String Quartet No. 2
- Paul Hindemith – Trauermusik
- Alan Hovhaness – Cello Concerto
- Aram Khachaturian – Piano Concerto
- Bohuslav Martinů – Concerto for Flute, Violin and Chamber Orchestra
- Olivier Messiaen – Poèmes pour Mi, song cycle for piano and soprano
- Sergei Prokofiev –
- *Peter and the Wolf, for narrator and orchestra
- *Romeo and Juliet
- *Russian Overture for orchestra
- Sergei Rachmaninoff – Symphony No. 3
- Albert Roussel – Concertino for Cello and Orchestra
- Edmund Rubbra –
- *Sinfonia Concertante
- *Symphony No. 1, Op. 44
- Arnold Schoenberg –
- *Violin Concerto, Op. 36
- *String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37
- Roger Sessions – String Quartet No. 1
- Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43
- Edgard Varèse – Density 21.5
- Ralph Vaughan Williams – Dona Nobis Pacem
- Anton Webern – Variations for Piano
- Percy Whitlock – Sonata for Organ in C minor
Opera
- Franco Alfano – Cyrano de Bergerac
- George Enescu – Œdipe, op. 23 ; first staged March 13, 1935, at the Paris Opera
- Emmerich Kalman – Kaiserin Josephine
- Bohuslav Martinů – Divadlo za branou
- Gian Carlo Menotti – Amelia Goes to the Ball
[Jazz]
[Musical theater]
- Balalaika London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 22 and ran for 570 performances.
- Careless Rapture – London production opened at the Theatre Royal on September 11 and ran for 295 performances.
- New Faces Of 1936 Broadway revue opened at the Vanderbilt Theatre on May 19 and ran for 193 performances.
- On Your Toes Broadway production opened on April 11 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 315 performances.
- Over She Goes London production opened at the Saville Theatre on September 23 and ran for 248 performances
- Red, Hot And Blue Broadway production opened on October 29 at the Alvin Theatre and ran for 183 performances.
- The Show is On Broadway revue opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on December 25 and ran for 237 performances.
- Swing Along London production opened at the Gaiety Theatre on September 2 and ran for 311 performances
- This'll Make You Whistle London production opened at the Palace Theatre on September 15 and transferred to Daly's Theatre on January 21, 1937, for a total run of 190 performances. Starred Jack Buchanan and Elsie Randolph
- Tonight at 8.30 London production opened at the Phoenix Theatre on January 9 and ran for 157 performances.
- White Horse Inn Broadway production opened on October 1 at the Center Theatre and ran for 223 performances.
[Musical film]s
- Anything Goes starring Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman
- Born To Dance released November 27 starring Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce, James Stewart, Frances Langford, Buddy Ebsen and the vocal group The Foursome.
- Cain and Mabel starring Marion Davies, Clark Gable and Allen Jenkins
- Can This Be Dixie? starring Jane Withers, Slim Summerville, Helen Wood and Thomas Beck. Directed by George Marshall
- Captain January starring Shirley Temple, Guy Kibbee and Slim Summerville. Directed by David Butler.
- Circus, starring Lyubov Orlova and directed by Grigori Aleksandrov, with music by Isaak Dunayevsky
- Collegiate released January 22 starring Jack Oakie and Frances Langford and featuring songwriters Mack Gordon and Harry Revel.
- Dancing Pirate starring Charles Collins, Frank Morgan and Steffi Duna
- Everybody Dance starring Cicely Courtneidge
- Everything Is Rhythm starring Harry Roy and Princess Pearl and featuring Mabel Mercer
- Follow the Fleet starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
- The Great Ziegfeld starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Virginia Bruce and Ray Bolger.
- Hats Off starring Mae Clark and John Payne. Directed by Boris Petroff.
- Her Master's Voice starring Edward Everett Horton and Peggy Conklin
- King of Burlesque starring Alice Faye, Jack Oakie and Warner Baxter and featuring Fats Waller and Kenny Baker
- Pigskin Parade starring Stuart Erwin, Patsy Kelly, Jack Haley, Betty Grable, Dixie Dunbar and Judy Garland and featuring The Yacht Club Boys
- Poor Little Rich Girl released July 24 starring Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Jack Haley and featuring Tony Martin.
- Public Nuisance No. 1 starring Frances Day.
- Rhythm on the Range released July 1 starring Bing Crosby and Frances Farmer.
- Rose-Marie starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
- Show Boat starring Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Helen Morgan, Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel
- Soft Lights and Sweet Music film revue featuring Ambrose & his Orchestra, Evelyn Dall, Turner Layton and Elisabeth Welch
- Stage Struck starring Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Frank McHugh, Jeanne Madden and The Yacht Club Boys.
- Suzy starring Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, Cary Grant and Inez Courtney
- Swing Time starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
- Three Smart Girls
- Variety Parade
Births
- January 2
- *Iván Erőd, Hungarian-Austrian composer and pianist
- *Roger Miller, country singer
- January 12 – Raimonds Pauls, composer and piano player
- January 14 – Clarence Carter, soul singer
- January 23 – Cécile Ousset, pianist
- January 24
- *Doug Kershaw, fiddle player
- *Jack Scott, singer and songwriter
- *Bobby Wellins, Scottish saxophonist
- January 29 - James Jamerson, American bass guitarist for Motown Records
- February 6 – Donnie Brooks, singer
- February 8 – Larry Verne, American novelty singer
- February 9 – Stompin' Tom Connors, folk musician
- February 19 – Bob Engermann
- February 22 – Ernie K-Doe, R&B singer
- February 24 – Luis Aguilé, Argentine singer, songwriter and actor
- March 4 – Aribert Reimann, pianist and composer
- March 6 – Elmira Zherzdeva, Soviet singer and voice actress
- March 17 – Ladislav Kupkovič, composer
- March 20 – Lee "Scratch" Perry, reggae artist, composer
- March 26 – Fred Parris
- March 29 – Richard Rodney Bennett, composer and pianist
- April 10 – Bobby Smith
- April 13 – Dieter Klöcker, clarinetist
- April 17 – Pete Graves
- April 22 – Glen Campbell, country singer
- April 23 – Roy Orbison, singer-songwriter
- April 29
- *April Stevens, singer
- *Zubin Mehta, conductor
- May 2 – Engelbert Humperdinck, singer
- May 6 – Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson
- May 14 – Bobby Darin, singer
- May 23 – Ingeborg Hallstein, German opera singer
- May 25 – Tom T. Hall, country singer
- May 28 – Maki Ishii, Japanese composer
- June 6 – Levi Stubbs, vocalist
- June 15 – Alexandru Hrisanide, Romanian pianist and composer
- June 19
- *Tommy DeVito
- *Shirley Goodman
- June 20 – Billy Guy
- June 22
- *Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor
- *Hermeto Pascoal, composer and instrumentalist
- June 30 – Dave Van Ronk, folk singer
- July 10 – David Zinman, violinist and conductor
- July 13 – Vaza Azarasvili, Georgian composer
- July 30 – Buddy Guy, blues guitarist
- August 4 – Elsbeary Hobbs
- August 7 – Charles Pope
- August 23 – Rudy Lewis
- August 29 – Gilbert Amy, French composer and conductor
- August 31 – Igor Zhukov, Russian pianist
- September 7 – Buddy Holly, singer and songwriter
- September 18 – Big Tom, Irish country music singer
- September 21 – Dickey Lee, country singer-songwriter
- October 3
- *James Darren, actor and singer
- *Steve Reich, composer
- October 5 – George Jones Jr.
- October 7 – Charles Dutoit, conductor
- October 24 – Bill Wyman
- November 11 – Jack Keller, songwriter
- November 14
- *Antonio Gades, flamenco dancer
- *Cornelius Gunter
- November 18 – Don Cherry, jazz musician
- November 22 – Hans Zender, conductor
- November 19 – Ray Collins, rock musician
- December 14 – Arve Tellefsen, violinist
- December 17
- *Tommy Banks, Canadian jazz pianist, composer and politician
- *Tommy Steele, British singer
Deaths
- January 1 – Harry B. Smith, US songwriter, 75
- January 7 – Guy d'Hardelot, composer and pianist, 77
- January 22 – Louis Glass, composer, 71
- January 23 – Dame Clara Butt, contralto opera singer, 63
- January 25 – Hermann Bischoff, composer, 68
- February 11 – Florence Smithson, singer, 51.
- March 6 – Rubin Goldmark, pianist and composer, 63
- March 21 – Alexander Glazunov, composer, 70
- March 26 – Maximilian Maksakov, opera singer
- April 7 – Marilyn Miller, US actress, dancer and singer, 37
- April 18 – Ottorino Respighi, composer, 56
- April 24 – Bernard van Dieren, composer, 48
- May 5 – Eva von der Osten, operatic soprano, 54
- May 24 – Claudia Muzio, opera singer, 47
- May 25 – Ján Levoslav Bella, composer and conductor, 92
- June 27 – Mike Bernard, ragtime musician, 61
- August 15 – Sir Henry Lytton, Gilbert & Sullivan comic baritone singer and actor, 71
- August 19 – Harry Plunket Greene, baritone concert singer, 71
- August 28 – Albert Périlhou, French composer, organist and pianist, 90
- September 5 – Béla Szabados, composer, 69
- October 11 – Antonio José Martínez Palacios, Spanish composer, 33
- October 22 – Anne Caldwell, playwright and lyricist, 68
- November 11 – Sir Edward German, composer, 74
- November 17 – Ernestine Schumann-Heink, contralto singer, 75
- December 6 – Emil Adamič, composer, 58
- December 31 – Oreste Riva, composer, 76
- date unknown – Albert Gorter, conductor and composer