This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1930.
Specific locations 1930 in British music 1930 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1930 in country music 1930 in jazz
Events
February 7 – The 13th Sound Ensemble of Havana, conducted by Ángel Reyes, makes the first recording of Julián Carrillo's microtonal Preludio a Colón for Columbia Records in New York City."Columbia matrix 98677: Preludio a Cristobal Colon / 13th Sound Ensemble of Havana; Angel Reyes", Discography of American Historical Recordings (accessed 1 October 2017). February 16 – Nicolas Slonimsky conducts the first performance of Charles Ives's Three Places in New England. February 17 – The Technicolor musical film, The Vagabond King, is released. Dennis King recreates his original London and Broadway stage role as Villon in this film, and records two songs from the film for Victor Records. April 1 – Brunswick-Balke-Collender sells Brunswick Records to Warner Brothers, who are hopeful that the move will enable them to make bigger profits from their musicals by enabling them to profit from the sale of records. They also acquire four music publishers to profit from sales in sheet music. May 10 Metropolitan Opera baritone Lawrence Tibbett's first film The Rogue Song, a lavish Technicolor musical, is released to rave reviews. Lawrence Tibbett records the songs he sang in the film for Victor Records. The film version of the stage hit Hold Everything is released. Winnie Lightner and Joe E. Brown star in this Technicolor musical which opens to rave reviews. Of the film's song, "When the Little Red Roses Get the Blues for You", becomes a hit. Al Jolson records this song from the picture for Brunswick Records. May 25 – The all Technicolor musical film, Song of the Flame, based on the 1925 Broadway musical of the same name, is released to rave reviews. The film stars Noah Beery and Bernice Claire and is nominated for an Oscar for "Best Sound Recording". Noah Beery records his song from the picture for Brunswick Records. August 24 – Festival Puccini is launched at Torre del Lago. October 29 – Bing Crosby makes his first recording with the Gus Arnheim orchestra as a solo vocalist. His new type of singing voice, a low baritone, becomes a sensation and will gradually displace (by around 1935) the standard tenor voice that had characterized the vocals of popular music in the 1920s. December 2 - John Serry (John Serrapica) makes his debut on the Italian radio station WCDA in New York City at the age of 15. December 10 – First performance of Bertolt Brecht's play The Decision, with music by Hanns Eisler. December 13 – Ernest Ansermet conducts the world premiere of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, in Brussels. December 31 – Record sales dropped 50% from 1929 The BBC Symphony Orchestra is formed in London. The song "Body and Soul" is written by Johnny Green with lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton in New York City for the British actress Gertrude Lawrence who first performs in London (where it is also first published). Libby Holman introduces it to the United States in the Broadway revue Three's a Crowd and Louis Armstrong is the first jazz musician to record it. There are at least 11 recordings by the end of the year and it becomes the all-time most recorded jazz standard. Frankie Laine sings to an audience of 5,000 at The Merry Garden Ballroom. John Serry Sr. begins a series of extended appearances with the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra under the conductor Misha Borr at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City Bukka White makes his first recording.
Published popular songs "Across the Breakfast Table (Looking at You)" w.m. Irving Berlin, Featured in the Warner Bros. musical Mammy "After a Million Dreams" w. Edgar Leslie m. Walter Donaldson, Featured in the William Fox musical film Cameo Kirby "All I Want is Just One Girl" w. Leo Robin m. Richard A. Whiting, Featured in the Paramount musical film Paramount on Parade "Alone in the Rain" w.m. Dan Dougherty and Edmund Goulding, Featured in the Pathe musical film The Grand Parade "Alone with My Dreams" w. Gus Kahn m. Harry Archer "Always in All Ways" w. Leo Robin m. Richard A. Whiting & W. Franke Harling. Introduced by Jeanette MacDonald in the Paramount musical film Monte Carlo. "Any Time's the Time to Fall in Love" w.m. Elsie Janis and Jack King, Featured in the Paramount musical film Paramount on Parade "A Bench in the Park" w. Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager, Featured in the Universal musical film King of Jazz "Betty Co-Ed" w.m. J. Paul Fogarty & Rudy Vallee "Beware of Love" m.w. William Kernell, Featured in the William Fox musical film Women Everywhere "Beyond the Blue Horizon" w. Leo Robin m. Richard A. Whiting & W. Franke Harling. Introduced by Jeanette MacDonald in the Paramount musical film Monte Carlo. "Blue Again" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh. Introduced by Evelyn Hoey in The Vanderbilt Revue. "Blue is the Night" w.m. Fred Fisher, from the MGM musical film Their Own Desire "Body and Soul" w. Robert Sour, Edward Heyman & Frank Eyton m. Johnny Green "Bye Bye Blues" w.m. Bert Lown, Chauncey Gray, Fred Hamm & Dave Bennett "Can This Be Love?" w. Paul James m. Kay Swift. Introduced by Alice Boulden in the musical Fine and Dandy (musical)|Fine and Dandy. "Can't We Talk It Over?" w. Ned Washington m. Victor Young "Caribbean Love Song" w.m. Eugene Berton, Featured in the United Artists film Hell Harbor "Cheerful Little Earful" w. Ira Gershwin & Billy Rose m. Harry Warren "Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love" w. Billy Rose m. Henry Tobias "A Cottage for Sale" w. Larry Conley m. Willard Robison "Dancing on the Ceiling" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke, Featured in the Warner Bros. musical Dancing Sweeties "Dangerous Nan McGrew" w. Dan Hartman m. Al Goodhart "Don't Tell Him What Happened to Me" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson "Down the River of Golden Dreams" w. John Klenner m. Nathaniel Shilkret "Embraceable You" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin "Exactly Like You" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh "Falling in Love Again" w. (Eng) Sammy Lerner m. Frederick Hollander "Fine and Dandy" w. Paul James (pseudonym for James Warburg) m. Kay Swift "For You" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke "Gee, But I'd Like to Make You Happy" w.m. Larry Shay, Ward & Montgomery "Georgia on My Mind" w. Stuart Gorrell m. Hoagy Carmichael "Get Happy" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen "Goofus" w. Gus Kahn m. Wayne King & William Harold "Happy Feet" w. Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager "I Am Only Human After All" w. Ira Gershwin & E. Y. Harburg m. Vernon Duke "I Bring a Love Song" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Sigmund Romberg from the musical film Viennese Nights "I Got Rhythm" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin from the musical Girl Crazy "I Love You So Much" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby "If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love" w. Jack Yellen m. Vivian Ellis "I'm Confessin' That I Love You" w. Al J. Neiburg m. Doc Daugherty & Ellis Reynolds "I'm Glad I Waited" w.m. Vincent Youmans "I'm In the Market for You" w. Joseph McCarthy m. James F. Hanley "Into My Heart" w. Roy Turk m. Fred Ahlert. Introduced by Ramón Novarro in the film In Gay Madrid "It Happened In Monterey" w. Billy Rose m. Mabel Wayne "It Must Be True" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Barris & Gordon Clifford "J'ai deux amours" w. Georges Koger & H. Varna m. Vincent Scotto "Just a Gigolo" w. (Eng) Irving Caesar (Ger) Julius Brammer m. Leonello Casucci "The Kiss Waltz" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke "Lady, Play Your Mandolin" w. Irving Caesar m. Oscar Levant "The Little Things in Life" w.m. Irving Berlin "Little White Lies" w.m. Walter Donaldson "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" w. Al Lewis m. Al Sherman. Introduced by Maurice Chevalier in the film The Big Pond "Love for Sale" w.m. Cole Porter "Lucky Seven" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz "Memories of You" w. Andy Razaf m. Eubie Blake "My Future Just Passed" w. George Marion Jr m. Richard A. Whiting "Nina Rosa" w. Irving Caesar m. Sigmund Romberg "Nine Little Miles From Ten-Ten-Tennessee" w.m. Al Sherman & Al Lewis & Con Conrad "Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred (Wanna Be Loved)" w.m. Al Sherman & Al Lewis "On the Sunny Side of the Street" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" w. Sidney Clare m. Sam H. Stept "Sam and Delilah" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin from the musical Girl Crazy "Send for Me" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers "Sing, You Sinners" w.m. W. Franke Harling & Sam Coslow. Introduced by Lillian Roth in the film Honey "Someday I'll Find You" w.m. Noël Coward "Something to Remember You By" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz "The Song of the Dawn" w. Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager from the film King of Jazz "Sugar Bush" w. trad. Afrikaans m. Fred Michel "Sweepin' the Clouds Away" w.m. Sam Coslow "Sweet Jennie Lee" w.m. Walter Donaldson "Telling it to the Daisies" w. Joe Young m. Harry Warren "Ten Cents a Dance" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers "Them There Eyes" w.m. Maceo Pinkard, William Tracey & Doris Tauber "They All Fall in Love" w.m. Cole Porter "Three Little Words" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby "Time on My Hands" w. Harold Adamson & Mack Gordon m. Vincent Youmans "Two Loves Have I" w. (Eng) J. P. Murray & Barry Trivers m. Vincent Scotto "Walking My Baby Back Home" w.m. Roy Turk & Fred Ahlert "The Waltz You Saved for Me" w. Gus Kahn m. Wayne King & Emil Flindt "When I'm Looking At You" w. Clifford Grey m. Herbert Stothart. Introduced by Lawrence Tibbett in the film The Rogue Song "When Your Hair Has Turned To Silver" w. Charles Tobias m. Peter De Rose "The White Dove" w. Clifford Grey m. Franz Lehár "Why Am I So Romantic?" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" w. Mort Dixon & Billy Rose m. Harry Warren "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" w.m. Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman. Introduced by Maurice Chevalier in the film The Big Pond. "You Will Remember Vienna" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Sigmund Romberg "You're Driving Me Crazy" w.m. Walter Donaldson
Top Popular Recordings 1930
After $75 million in sales during 1929, the stock market crash in October nearly destroyed the industry, after forty years of consistent operation. Sales fell to $18 million in 1930 and to under $6 million in 1931.
The top popular records of 1930 listed below were compiled 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, there were no Billboard charts in 1930, the numbers are only used for a frame of reference.