This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1938.
Specific locations 1938 in British music 1938 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1938 in country music 1938 in jazz
Events January 16 Benny Goodman plays the first jazz concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, considered a legitimisation of the genre. It is recorded live and issued in 1950 as The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. Béla Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion is premièred in Basel. First recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 9, a live performance by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Bruno Walter at the Musikverein, the same location, conductor and orchestra that had presented the première 26 years earlier, but now in the face of the Anschluss. May 12 – Arthur Honegger's oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher is premièred in Basel, with Ida Rubinstein as Jeanne. June 5 – Glenn Gould plays in public for the first time at a church service held at the Business Men's Bible Class in Uxbridge, Ontario to a congregation of about two thousand people. September 22 – Anton Webern's String Quartet is premièred in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. October 5 – Ralph Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music is premièred at the Royal Albert Hall in London to mark the 50th anniversary of conductor Henry Wood's first concert. October 31 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe makes her first recording. December 17 – Consolidated Film Industries, Inc. consummates the sale of its subsidiary American Record Corp. to Columbia Broadcasting on December 17, 1938, for a reported price of $700,000. American Record embraces the Brunswick, Vocalion and Columbia labels. December 30 – The ballet Romeo and Juliet (with music by Prokofiev) receives its first full performance, at the Mahen Theatre in Brno, Czechoslovakia. unknown dates English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams begins an affair with writer Ursula Wood; they will marry in 1953. Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans win a contract with the Grand Ole Opry. Jelly Roll Morton speaks, sings and plays piano for an eight-hour Library of Congress recorded sound documentary produced by Alan Lomax. Italian performer Fred Buscaglione and songwriter Leo Chiosso meet. John Serry Sr. appears with Shep Fields in Paramount Pictures' film extravaganza The Big Broadcast of 1938 and with Pietro Deiro for an "Accordion Jamfest" at the Stevens Hotel in Chicago.Tempo – "Accordionists Stage a 'Jam Session'" Vol 6, No. 3, 1938 p. 4 Photograph and caption identifying John Serry, Andy Arcari, Anthony Mecca, Domenic Mecca, Pietro Deiro and Joe Biviano in concert at the Stevens Hotel. Google search for "John Serry AFM" and click on "EmPo- World Radio History" or See the link on this page to at https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Miscellaneous/Tempo-1938-09.pdf The Roman Catholic hymnal Kirchenlied is first published in Germany.
Albums released Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert – Benny Goodman
Top popular recordings
The twenty popular records listed below were extracted from Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954, record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, and other sources as specified. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference. Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart positions< 1 Chick Webb Orchestra (vocal Ella Fitzgerald) "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" Decca 1840 US Billboard 1938 #1, US #1 for 10 weeks, 19 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1986, 250,000 sales 2 Larry Clinton and His Orchestra (Vocal Bea Wain) "My Reverie" Victor 26006 US Billboard 1938 #2, US #1 for 8 weeks, 19 total weeks, 100,000 sales 3 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (vocal Edythe Wright) "Music, Maestro, Please" Victor 25866 US Billboard 1938 #3, US #1 for 6 weeks, 20 total weeks 4 Artie Shaw and his Orchestra "Begin the Beguine" Bluebird 7746 US Billboard 1938 #4, US #1 for 6 weeks, 18 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1977, National Recording Registry 2012, Jazz Standards 1935 5 Horace Heidt And His Brigadiers "Ti-Pi-Tin" Brunswick 8078 US Billboard 1938 #5, US #1 for 6 weeks, 13 total weeks 6 Benny Goodman and His Orchestra "Don't Be That Way" Victor 25792 US Billboard 1938 #6, US #1 for 5 weeks, 13 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1987 7 The Andrews Sisters "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" Decca 1562 US Billboard 1938 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 10 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1996, National Recording Registry 2008, 100,000 sales, 100,000 sales 8 Larry Clinton and His Orchestra (Vocal Bea Wain) "Cry, Baby, Cry" Victor 25819 US Billboard 1938 #8, US #1 for 4 weeks, 25 total weeks 9 Bing Crosby "I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams" Decca 1562 US Billboard 1938 #9, US #1 for 4 weeks, 17 total weeks 10 Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra "Thanks for the Memory" Bluebird 7318 US Billboard 1938 #10, US #1 for 4 weeks, 14 total weeks, Jazz Standards 1938 11 Red Norvo and His Orchestra (Vocal Mildred Bailey) "Says My Heart" Brunswick 8135 US Billboard 1938 #11, US #1 for 4 weeks, 12 total weeks 12 Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" Brunswick 8108 US Billboard 1938 #12, US #1 for 3 weeks, 19 total weeks 13 Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra "Love Walked In" Vocalion 4017 US Billboard 1938 #13, US #1 for 3 weeks, 16 total weeks 14 Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra "Cathedral in the Pines" Bluebird 7533 US Billboard 1938 #14, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks 15 Red Norvo and His Orchestra (Vocal Mildred Bailey) "Please Be Kind" Brunswick 8088 US Billboard 1938 #15, US #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks 16 Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra "Rosalie" Vocalion 4017 US Billboard 1938 #16, US #1 for 2 weeks, 15 total weeks 17 Russ Morgan and His Orchestra "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" Decca 1936 US Billboard 1938 #17, US #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks 18 Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra "Change Partners" Decca 2002 US Billboard 1938 #18, US #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks 19 Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy "I Won't Tell a Soul (I Love You)" Decca 2127 US Billboard 1938 #19, US #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks 20 Bing Crosby "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" Decca 2147 US Billboard 1938 #20, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks 21 Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell "Alexander's Ragtime Band" Decca 1887 US Billboard 1938 #21, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks 22 Fats Waller and his Rhythm "Two Sleepy People" Bluebird 10000 US Billboard 1938 #22, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks 23 Fred Astaire "Change Partners" Brunswick 8189 US Billboard 1938 #23, US #1 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks 24 Fred Astaire "Nice Work if You Can Get It" Brunswick 7983 US Billboard 1938 #24, US #1 for 1 weeks, 15 total weeks, Jazz Standards 1937 25 Larry Clinton and His Orchestra "Heart and Soul" Victor 26046 US Billboard 1938 #25, US #1 for 1 weeks, 14 total weeks, Jazz Standards 1938
Top Christmas hits "Don't Wait 'Till The Night Before Christmas" – Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra
Top blues records "Sunnyland" – Sonny Boy Williamson
Published popular music "And the Angels Sing" words: Johnny Mercer, music: Ziggy Elman "At Long Last Love" w.m. Cole Porter "At The Roxy Music Hall" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers "Back Bay Shuffle" m. Artie Shaw & Teddy McRae "Be A Good Scout" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh Introduced by Deanna Durbin in the film That Certain Age "Big Noise From Winnetka" w.m. Ray Bauduc, Bob Crosby, Bob Haggart & Gil Rodin "The Biggest Aspidistra In The World" w.m. Thomas Connor, W. G. Haines & James S. Hancock "Bolero at the Savoy" w.m. Charles Carpenter, Gene Krupa & James Mundy "Boum!" w.m. E. Ray Goetz & Charles Trenet "Boomps-A-Daisy" w.m. Annette Mills "Boum!" w.m. Charles Trenet "Change Partners" w.m. Irving Berlin introduced by Fred Astaire in Carefree "Cherokee" m. Ray Noble "Cinderella, Stay In My Arms" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Michael Carr "Colorado Sunset" w. L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Con Conrad "Daydreaming (All Night Long)" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Rudy Vallée in the film Gold Diggers in Paris. "Dearest Love" w.m. Noël Coward "Deep In A Dream" w. Eddie DeLange m. Jimmy Van Heusen "Do You Wanna Jump Children?" w.m. Jimmy Van Heusen, Willie Bryant & Victor Selsman "Doin' the Jive" m.w. Glenn Miller & Chummy MacGregor "Don't Be That Way" w. Mitchell Parish m. Edgar Sampson & Benny Goodman "Don't Let That Moon Get Away" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" w. Ted Koehler m. Rube Bloom "Double Trouble" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger & Richard A. Whiting "Exhibition Swing" m. Chalmers Wood "F.D.R. Jones" w.m. Harold Rome. Introduced by Rex Ingram in the revue Sing Out the News. "Falling In Love With Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Muriel Angelus in the musical The Boys from Syracuse. Performed in the 1940 film by Allan Jones. "Ferdinand the Bull" w. Larry Morey m. Albert Hay Malotte. Performed by Sterling Holloway in the animated film of the same name. "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" w.m. Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart & Bud Green "Get Out of Town" w.m. Cole Porter from the musical Leave It to Me! "Hawaiian War Chant" w. (Eng) Ralph Freed m. Johnny Noble & Prince Leleiohaku "Heart And Soul" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael "Hi-Yo Silver" Erickson, De Leath "Hold Tight – Hold Tight" w.m. Leonard Kent, Edward Robinson, Leonard Ware, Jerry Brandow & Willie Spotswood "Hong Kong Blues" w.m. Hoagy Carmichael "Hooray for Hollywood" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting "I Can Dream, Can't I?" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain. Performed by Tamara in the 1938 musical Right This Way "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" w.m. Ray Noble "I Have Eyes" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" w. Henry Nemo, John Redmond & Irving Mills m. Duke Ellington "I Love To Whistle" Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh "I Married An Angel" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers "I Must See Annie Tonight" w.m. Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin "I'll Be Seeing You" w. Irving Kahal m. Sammy Fain "I'll Tell the Man in the Street" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Vivienne Segal and Walter Slezak in the musical I Married an Angel. Performed in the film version by Nelson Eddy. "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart" w. Jimmy Eaton m. Terry Shand "I'm In Love With Vienna" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Johann Strauss II "In A Little Toy Sailboat" Mandell, Littau "In My Little Red Book" w.m. Ray Bloch, Nat Simon & Al Stillman. "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco "Jeepers Creepers" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Louis Armstrong in the film Going Places. "Joseph! Joseph!" w.(Eng) Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin m. Nellie Casman & Samuel Steinberg "Jumpin' at the Woodside" m. Count Basie "Just Let Me Look at You" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Irene Dunne in the film Joy of Living "Knees Up Mother Brown" w.m. Harris Weston & Bert Lee "Love Walked In" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin "March of the Bob Cats" m. The Bob Cats "Mister Crosby And Mister Mercer" w. Johnny Mercer m. Ed Gallagher & Al Shean "Moments Like This" w. Frank Loesser m. Burton Lane. Introduced by Florence George in the film College Swing. "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Sophie Tucker in the musical Leave It to Me! "Music, Maestro, Please" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Mary Martin in the musical Leave It to Me!. Miss Martin also performed it in the 1946 film Night and Day. Marilyn Monroe sang the song in the 1960 film Let's Make Love. "My Heart Is Taking Lessons" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Doctor Rhythm "My Heaven On Earth" w. Charles Tobias m. Phil Baker & Samuel Pokrass. Introduced by Gertrude Niesen in the film Start Cheering "My Own" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh from the film That Certain Age "My Reverie" w.m. Larry Clinton