1902 in music

Original 1902 production of Pelléas et Mélisande; Mary Garden as Mélisande.

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1902.

Events

• April 30 – Claude Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande is premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, with André Messager conducting.
• June 9 – the first complete performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 is given in Krefeld
• December 1 – Carl Nielsen conducts the premiėre of his Symphony No. 2, The Four Temperaments, in Copenhagen
• Lead Belly begins performing.

Published popular music

• "Any Rags?" w.m. Thomas S. Allen
• "Because" w. Edward Teschemacher m. Guy d'Hardelot
• "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" w.m. Hughie Cannon
• "Come Down Ma' Evenin' Star" w. Robert B. Smith m. John Stromberg
• "Could You Be True To Eyes Of Blue If You Looked Into Eyes Of Brown?" w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards
• "Didn't Know Exactly What To Do" w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders
• "Down On The Farm" w. Raymond A. Browne m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "Down The Line With Molly" w. George Totten Smith m. George L. Spaulding
• "Down Where The Wurzburger Flows" w. Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "The Entertainer" m. Scott Joplin
• "The Face In The Firelight" w.m. Charles Shackford

Frolic of the Frogs

• "The Gambling Man" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "The Glow Worm" w. Lilla Cayley Robinson (Ger) Heinz Bolten-Backers m. Paul Lincke
• "Happy Hooligan" m. Theodore Morse
• "Have You Seen My Sweetheart In His Uniform Of Blue?" w. Will D. Cobb m. Gus Edwards
• "Heidelberg Stein Song" w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders
• "I Just Can't Help From Lovin' That Man" w. Andrew B. Sterling & Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry von Tilzer
• "I Sing A Little Tenor" w. Harry Linton m. John Gilroy
• "I Went To See Them March Away" w. S. E. Keisser m. R. J. Jose
• "I Wonder Why Bill Bailey Don't Come Home" w.m. Frank Fogerty, Matt C. Woodward & William Jerome
• "If Money Talks It Ain't On Speaking Terms With Me" w.m. J. Fred Helf
• "I'll Be There Mary Dear" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry von Tilzer
• "I'll Be Waiting In The Gloaming, Sweet Genevieve" w.m. J. Fred Helf
• "I'll Be Your Rain-beau" w. Ed Gardinier m. J. Fred Helf
• "I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime" w. Alfred Bryan m. Stanley Crawford
• "I'm The Man Who Makes The Money In The Mint" w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards
• "I'm Unlucky" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "I've Been Sleeping On The Floor All Night" w.m. T.W. Connor
• "In Dear Old Illinois" by Paul Dresser
• "In Silence" w. Sydney Rosenfeld m. A. Baldwin Sloane
• "In The City Of Sighs And Tears" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Kerry Mills
• "In The Good Old Summer Time" w. Ren Shields m. George Evans. Introduced by Blanche Ring in the musical The Defender.
• "In The Sweet Bye And Bye" w. Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "In The Valley Of Kentucky" w.m. Tony Stanford
• "It's A Nice Little Cosy Kitchen" w.m. T.W. Connor
• "It's Got To Be A Minstrel Show Tonight" w. Ren Shields m. George Evans
• "Jennie Lee" w. Arthur J. Lamb m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "Just Can't Help From Lovin' That Man" w. Andrew B. Sterling & Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry von Tilzer
• "Just For Tonight" w.m. Frank O. French
• "Just Next Door" w.m. Charles K. Harris
• "Kashmiri Love Song" w. Laurence Hope m. Amy Woodforde-Finden Words 1901.
• "Katrina" w.m. Edward W. Corliss
• "Land Of Hope And Glory" w. Arthur C. Benson m. Edward Elgar
• "The Leader Of The Frocks And Frills" w. Robert H. Smith m. Melville Ellis
• "Less Than The Dust" w. Laurence Hope m. Amy Woodforde-Finden
• "Levee Rag" m. Charles Mullen
• "The Mansion of Aching Hearts" w. Arthur J. Lamb m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "May Sweet May" w. R. J. Jose m. Robert S. Roberts
• "The Meaning Of USA" w.m. Raymond A. Browne
• "Meet Me When The Sun Goes Down" w. Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry von Tilzer
• "The Message Of The Rose" w. Will A. Heelan m. Leo Edwards
• "The Message Of The Violet" w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders
• "Mister Dooley" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "My Sulu Lulu Loo" w. George Ade m. Nat D. Mann
• "Nobody's Looking But The Owl And The Moon" w. Bob Cole & James Weldon Johnson m. J. Rosamond Johnson
• "Nursery Rhymes" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Oh! Didn't He Ramble" w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson
• "On A Sunday Afternoon" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "On The Day King Edward Gets His Crown On" w.m. Mark Lorne & Harry Pleon
• "Paint Me A Picture Of Mama" w. Addison Burkhardt m. Raymond Hubbell
• "The Passing Of Rag-Time" m. Arthur Pryor
• "Pinky Panky Poo" w. Aaron S. Hoffman m. Andy Lewis
• "Please Go 'Way And Let Me Sleep" w. Cecil Mack m. J. Tim Brymn
• "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar
• "Pretty Little Dinah Jones" w.m. J. B. Mullen
• "R-E-M-O-R-S-E" w. George Ade m. Alfred G. Wathall
• "Rip Van Winkle Was A Lucky Man" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Sal" w.m. Paul Rubens
• "Sammy" w. James O'Dea m. Edward Hutchinson
• "Since Sister Nell Heard Paderewski Play" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Those Things Cannot Be Explained" w. Junie McCree m. Ben M. Jerome
• "The Troubles Of Reuben And The Maid" w. J. Cheever Goodwin m. Maurice Levi
• "Under The Bamboo Tree" w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson
• "Under the Double Eagle" by Josef Franz Wagner
• "Wait At The Gate For Me" w. Ren Shields m. Theodore F. Morse
• "What's The Matter With The Moon Tonight?" w. Sydney Rosenfeld m. A. Baldwin Sloane
• "When Kate And I Were Comin' Thro' The Rye" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "When The Fields Are White With Cotton" w. Robert F. Roden w. Max S. Witt
• "When The Troupe Gets Back To Town" w. George Totten Smith m. Harry von Tilzer
• "Where The Sunset Turns The Ocean's Blue To Gold" w. Eva Fern Buckner m. Henry W. Petrie

Recorded popular music

• "Arkansaw Traveler" – Len Spencer

Classical music

• Alexander Glazunov – From the Middle Ages; Symphony No. 7, op. 77 (Pastoral)
• Johannes Hanssen – Valdres March
• Alfred Hill – Hinemoa
• Vítězslav Novák – In the Tatra Mountains

Opera

• Francesco Cilea – Adriana Lecouvreur
• Claude Debussy – Pelléas et Mélisande
• Manuel de Falla – Los amores de la Inés
• Alberto Franchetti – Germania
• Edward German – Merrie England
• Jules Massenet – Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
• Carl Nielsen – Saul og David
• Emile Pessard – L'armée des vierges premiered on October 15 at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Salle Choiseul, Paris
• George Stephanescu – Petra

Musical theater

Lillian Russell – Come Down Ma Evenin' Star Lillian Russell's only recording, from 1912. During the production of Twirly Whirly (1902), composer John Stromberg delayed giving her her solo for several days, saying it wasn't ready. When he committed suicide a few days before the first rehearsal, the sheet music for "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star" was found in his pocket. It became Lillian Russell's signature song. Problems playing this file? See media help.

• Bob Herceg (Prince Bob) – by Jenö Huszka, with libretto by Ferenc Martos and Károly Bakonyi
• A Country Girl London production opened at Daly's Theatre on January 18 and ran for 729 performances
• The Defender (Music: Charles Dennée Book & Lyrics: Allen Lowe) Broadway production opened at the Herald Square Theatre on July 3 and ran for 60 performances. Starring Blanche Ring.
• The Emerald Isle Broadway production
• The Girl From Kays London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on November 15 and ran for 432 performances.
• Madame Sherry Berlin and Paris productions
• The Rogers Brothers At Harvard Broadway production
• Three Little Maids London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on May 10 and transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre on September 8 for a total run of 348 performances.
• Tommy Rot Broadway production
• The Toreador Broadway production
• Twirly-Whirly Broadway production
• The Wild Rose Broadway production opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on May 5 and ran for 136 performances. Starring Eddie Foy, Albert Hart, Junie McCree, Irene Bentley, Marguerite Clark and Marie Cahill.

Births

• January 11 – Maurice Duruflé, composer
• February 26 – Rudolf Moralt, German conductor
• March 16 – Leon Roppolo
• March 21 – Son House, blues musician
• March 29 – William Walton, British composer
• April 8 – Maria Maksakova, Sr., Soviet opera singer
• April 24 – Rube Bloom, US pianist and composer
• April 26 – Walter Dana, polka-music promoter (d. 2000)
• May 1 – Sonnie Hale – English actor and singer
• May 11 – Bidu Sayão, Brazilian opera singer
• May 18 – Meredith Willson, US composer (d. 1984)
• May 19 – Lubka Kolessa, pianist and music teacher (d. 1997)
• May 31 – Billy Mayerl, English pianist, composer and conductor (d. 1959)
• June 6 – Jimmie Lunceford, bandleader
• June 17
  • Sammy Fain, US composer
  • Vivian Duncan, singer, songwriter and actress, member of the Duncan Sisters
• June 19 – Guy Lombardo
• June 21 – Skip James, blues musician
• July 19 – Buster Bailey, jazz clarinetist
• July 20 – Jimmy Kennedy, Irish-born British songwriter
• July 21 – Omer Simeon, jazz musician (d. 1959)
• August 6 – Jim Davidson, Australian bandleader
• August 9 – Zino Francescatti, violinist
• October 25 – Eddie Lang, US jazz guitarist (d. 1933)
• December 15 – Mary Skeaping, British choreographer
• December 27 – Sam Coslow, US songwriter and singer
• date unknown – Billy Pigg, Northumbrian piper

Deaths

• January 17 – Elias Blix, politician, poet and musician (b. 1836)
• January 11 – James James, composer of the Welsh national anthem, "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" (b. 1833)
• January 18 – Filippo Marchetti, opera composer
• February 1 – Salomon Jadassohn, composer and music teacher
• February 9 – Ludwig von Brenner, conductor and composer (b. 1833)
• February 11 – Leonid Malashkin, conductor and composer (b. 1842)
• April 21 – Ethna Carbery, songwriter (b. 1866)
• June 17 – Karl Piutti, organist and composer (b. 1846)
• July 6 – Leopoldo Miguez, composer (b. 1850)
• July 13 – Benjamin Bilse, conductor and composer (b. 1816)
• August 3 – August Klughardt, conductor and composer (b. 1847)
• September 7
  • Enrique Gaspar y Rimbau, zarzuela writer (b. 1842)
  • Franz Wüllner, conductor and composer (b. 1832)
• September 11 – Émile Bernard, French composer and organist
• September 26 – Camille D'elmar, actress and opera singer (b. 1861)
• September 28 – Ion Ivanovici, bandleader and composer (b. 1845)
• date unknown
  • Güllü Agop, Turkish theatre director
  • Jones Hewson, operatic baritone (b. 1874)
  • Franz Nachbaur, opera singer (b. 1835)
  • Ramon Delgado Palacios, Venezuelan pianist and composer
  • Camilla Urso, violinist (b. 1842)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Music in 1902.