1923 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1923.

Events

• November 11 – Première of John Foulds's World Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It is repeated on that date each year until 1926.
• November 19 – At a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the union of Buda and Pest (thus creating Budapest), Béla Bartók's Dance Suite and Zoltán Kodály's Psalmus Hungaricus both receive their world premieres
• Explosion of recordings of African American musicians; Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, many others make their first recordings.
• George Enescu makes his debut as a conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra in New York City.
• Henri Pawl-Pleyel, Roger Désormière, Maxime Jacob and Henri Sauguet form the Ecole d'Arcueil.
• Augustus John completes his portrait of cellist Guilhermina Suggia.
• Japanese composer Michio Miyagi introduces an 80-string koto or "or hachijugen". It proves less popular than the 17-string koto he had invented two years earlier.

Published popular music

Zez Confrey's "Dizzy Fingers"

• "Annabelle" w. Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
• "Back To Croa-Jingo-Long" w.m. Pat Dunlop
• "Bambalina" w. Otto Harbach & Oscar Hammerstein II m. Herbert Stothart & Vincent Youmans. Introduced by Edith Day in the musical Wildflower
• "Barney Google" w.m. Billy Rose & Con Conrad
• "Beside A Babbling Brook" w. Gus Kahn m. Walter Donaldson
• "Charleston" w.m. Cecil Mack & James P. Johnson. Inspiration for a dance craze.
• "Chimes Blues" m. Joe "King" Oliver
• "Come On, Spark Plug!" w.m. Billy Rose & Con Conrad
• "Covered Wagon Days" w.m. Will Morrisey & Joe Burrows
• "Dizzy Fingers" m. Zez Confrey
• "Frasquita Serenade" m. Franz Lehár
• "Gulf Coast Blues" w.m. Clarence Williams
• "Horsey, Keep Your Tail Up" w.m. Walter Hirsch & Bert Kaplan
• "I Cried For You" w. Arthur Freed m. Gus Arnheim & Abe Lyman
• "I Love Life" w. Irwin M. Cassel m. Mana-Zucca
• "I Love You" w. Harlan Thompson m. Harry Archer. Introduced by John Boles and Margaret Wilson in the musical Little Jessie James
• "I Won't Say I Will But I Won't Say I Won't" w. B. G. De Sylva & Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Irene Bordoni in the play Little Miss Bluebeard
• "I'm Goin' South" w.m. Abner Silver & Harry Woods
• "I'm Sitting Pretty In A Pretty Little City" w.m. Lou Davis, Henry Santly & Abel Baer
• "Indiana Moon" w. Benny Davis m. Isham Jones
• "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'" w.m. Wendell Hall
• "I've Got The Yes! We Have No Bananas Blues" w. Lew Brown m. James F. Hanley & Robert King
• "Just A Girl That Men Forget" w. Al Dubin & Fred Rath m. Joe Garron
• "Just One More Chance" m. Steiger
• "King Porter Stomp" m. Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
• "Last Night On The Back Porch" w. Lew Brown m. Carl Schraubstader
• "Linger Awhile" w. Harry Owens m. Vincent Rose
• "Louisville Lou" w. Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager
• "Mama Goes Where Papa Goes" w. Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager
• "Mama Loves Papa" w.m. Cliff Friend & Abel Baer
• "March Of The Cameron Men" w.m. Campbell
• "Mexicali Rose" w. Helen Stone m. Jack B. Tenney
• "Milenberg Joys" m. Leon Rappolo, Paul Mares & Jelly Roll Morton
• "Mon Paradis (Sérénade d'Aujourd'hui)" m. Cuthbert Clarke
• "Moon Love" w. George Grossmith, Jr. & P. G. Wodehouse m. Jerome Kern
• "My Sweetie Went Away" w. Roy Turk m. Lou Handman
• "Nashville Nightingale" w. Irving Caesar m. George Gershwin
• "No, No, Nora" w. Gus Kahn m. Ted Fio Rito & Ernie Erdman
• "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" w.m. Jimmy Cox
• "Oh Didn't It Rain" w.m. Eddie Leonard
• "Oh Gee Oh Gosh Oh Golly I'm In Love" w. Ole Olsen & Chic Johnson m. Ernest Breuer
• "Oklahoma Indian Jazz" (w. & m.) Ray Hibbler, T.J. Johnsen, J.W. Barna, J.W. Murrin, and T. Guarini
• "Old Fashioned Love" w. Cecil Mack m. James P. Johnson
• "Old King Tut" w. William Jerome m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "On The Mall" m. Edwin Franko Goldman
• "Once In A Blue Moon" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
• "An Orange Grove In California" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Out Where The Blue Begins" Graff, McHugh, Grant
• "(Home In) Pasadena" w.m. Harry Warren, Grant Clarke & Edgar Leslie
• "Raggedy Ann" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
• "Rememb'ring" w.m. Vivian Duncan & Rosetta Duncan
• "La Rosita" w. Allan Stuart m. Paul Dupont (Pseud. of Walter Haenschen)
• "Seven Or Eleven" w. Lew Brown m. Walter Donaldson
• "Sittin' In A Corner" w. Gus Kahn m. George W. Meyer
• "Sleep" w.m. Earl Lebieg
• "A Smile Will Go A Long Long Way" w. Benny Davis m. Harry Akst
• "Snake Rag" m. King Oliver
• "Sobbin' Blues" w.m. Art Kassel
• "Some Sweet Day" w. Gene Buck m. Dave Stamper & Louis A. Hirsch
• "Stella" w.m. Al Jolson, Benny Davis & Harry Akst
• "Swingin' Down The Lane" w. Gus Kahn m. Isham Jones
• "Tell Me With A Melody" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "That Old Gang Of Mine" w. Billy Rose & Mort Dixon m. Ray Henderson
• "Tin Roof Blues" m. Paul Mares, Walter Melrose, Ben Pollack, Mel Stitzel, George Brunies & Leon Roppolo
• "Waitin' For The Evenin' Mail" Billy Baskette
• "When Clouds Have Vanished And Skies Are Blue" w. William R. Clay m. Charles L. Johnson
• "When It's Night-Time In Italy, It's Wednesday Over Here" w.m. James Kendis & Lew Brown
• "When June Comes Along With A Song" w.m. George M. Cohan from the musical The Rise Of Rosie O'Reilly
• "When You Walked Out Someone Else Walked Right In" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Who'll Buy My Violets" w. E. Ray Goetz m. Jose Padilla
• "Who's Sorry Now?" w. Bert Kalmar & Harry Ruby m. Ted Snyder
• "Wild Flower" w. Otto Harbach & Oscar Hammerstein II m. Vincent Youmans & Herbert Stothart
• "Wolverine Blues" w.m. Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, Benjamin Spikes & John C. Spikes
• "Yes! We Have No Bananas" w.m. Frank Silver & Irving Cohn
• "You Can't Do What My Last Man Did" w.m. J. C. Johnson & Allie Moore
• "You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night" w.m. Con Conrad & Billy Rose

Hit songs on record

• "Everything is K.O. in K.Y." by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
• "Felix The Cat" by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
• "Swinging Down The Lane" by Isham Jones & His Orchestra
• "Down Hearted Blues" by Bessie Smith
• "Waitin' For The Evenin' Mail" by Al Bernard
• "Cut Yourself A Piece of Cake (and Make Yourself at Home) by Billy Jones
• "I Love Me (I'm Wild About Myself)" by Billy Murray
• "That Old Gang Of Mine" by Billy Murray
• "Yes! We Have No Bananas", recorded by:
  • Billy Murray
  • Billy Jones
  • Ben Selvin & His Orchestra
• "Someboy Stole My Gal" by Ted Weems And His Orchestra
• "No No Nora/I've Got the Yes! We Have No Bananas Blues" by Eddie Cantor
• "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
• "(Nothing Could Be Finer Than to be in) Carolina in the Morning" by Van & Schenck
• "Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses" by Carl Fenton & His Orchestra
• "Dreamy Melody" by Art Landry & His Orchestra
• "Wolverine Blues" by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings

Other important recordings

• "Dippermouth Blues" by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
• "High Society" by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
• "Milenburg Joys" by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings with Jelly Roll Morton
• "Wild Cat Blues/Kansas City Man Blues" by Clarence Williams Blue 5, featuring Sidney Bechet

Classical music

• Henry Cowell – Aeolian Harp
• Gerald Finzi – A Severn Rhapsody
• Sigfrid Karg-Elert – Cathedral Windows
• Darius Milhaud – La création du monde (ballet)
• Hans Pfitzner – Concerto for Violin in B minor
• Sergei Prokofiev – "Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, op. 19" (premiere)
• Igor Stravinsky – Octet for wind Instruments
• Jean Sibelius – Symphony No. 6
• Germaine Tailleferre – Ballade for Piano and Orchestra; Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra
• Joaquín Turina – Jardin de Oriente
• Edgard Varèse
  • Hyperprism (1922–23)
  • Octandre
• William Walton – Toccata for Violin and Piano
• Leó Weiner – Concertino for Piano and Orchestra
• Alexander von Zemlinsky – Lyric Symphony

Opera

• Alfred Bruneau – Le Jardin du paradis
• Hans Gál - Die heilige Ente
• Joaquín Turina – Jardin de Oriente

Musical theater

• The Beauty Prize (Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics and Book: P. G. Wodehouse and George Grossmith). London production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 5 and ran for 214 performances
• Catherine London production opened at the Gaiety Theatre on September 22 and ran for 217 performances
• The Cousin from Nowhere London production opened at Prince's Theatre on February 24 and ran for 105 performances
• Dover Street to Dixie London revue opened at the Pavilion on May 31 and ran for 108 performances
• George White's Scandals of 1923 Broadway revue opened at the Globe Theatre on June 18 and transferred to the Fulton Theatre on November 5 for a total run of 168 performances
• Head over Heels London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on September 8 and ran for 113 performances
• Katinka London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on August 30 and ran for 108 performances
• Kid Boots Broadway production opened at the Earl Carroll Theatre on December 31 and transferred to the Selwyn Theatre on September 1, 1924 for a total run of 489 performances
• Little Nellie Kelly London production opened at the New Oxford Theatre on July 2 and ran for 265 performances
• London Calling! London revue opened at the Duke of York's Theatre on September 4 and ran for 367 performances
• Madame Pompadour
  • Vienna production opened at the Carltheater on March 2
  • London production opened at Daly's Theatre on December 20 and ran for 467 performances
• The Music Box Revue London revue opened at the Palace Theatre on May 15 and ran for 217 performances
• The Rainbow London production opened at the Empire Theatre on April 3 and ran for 113 performances
• Rats London revue opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on February 4 and ran for 285 performances
• The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly Broadway production opened at the Liberty Theatre on December 25 and ran for 97 performances
• "Runnin' Wild', Broadway musical with music by James P. Johnson and Cecil Mack opened October 29 and ran at the new Colonial Theatre for 228 performances. Spearheaded the Charleston dance craze.
• Stop Flirting London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on May 30 and ran for 418 performances
• Wildflower Broadway production opened at the Casino Theatre on February 7 and ran for 477 performances
• You'd Be Surprised London production opened at the Royal Opera House on January 27 and ran for 270 performances
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 Broadway revue opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on October 20 and ran for 233 performances

Births

• January 1 – Milt Jackson, jazz vibraphonist (d. 1999)
• January 4 – Don Butterfield, classical and jazz tuba player (d. 2006)
• January 5 – Sam Phillips, record producer (d. 2003)
• January 25 – Rusty Draper, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• February 2 – Julius Hegyi, American conductor and violinist (d. 2007)
• February 5 – Claude King, country singer and songwriter
• March 2 – Doc Watson, guitarist, singer and songwriter
• March 26 – Clifton Williams, composer (d. 1976)
• April 25 – Albert King, blues guitarist and singer (d. 1992)
• May 15 – John Lanchbery, composer and conductor (d. 2003)
• May 17 – Peter Mennin, American composer and administrator (d. 1983)
• May 28 – György Ligeti, composer (d. 2006)
• June 8 – Karel Goeyvaerts, Belgian composer (d. 1993)
• July 22 – Mukesh, Bollywood playback singer (d. 1976)
• July 31 – Ahmet Ertegün, record industry executive (d. 2006)
• August 4 – Arthur Butterworth, English composer (d. 2014)
• August 11 – June Hutton, singer (d. 1973)
• September 15 – Anton Heiller, Austrian organist, harpsichordist, composer, conductor (d. 1979)
• September 17 – Hank Williams, country musician (d. 1953)
• October 5 – Glynis Johns, actress and singer
• October 16 – Bert Kaempfert, songwriter and orchestra leader (d. 1980)
• October 20 – Robert Craft, conductor and music writer
• November 1 – Antonia Apodaca, New Mexican folk musician and composer
• November 10 – Anne Shelton, singer (d. 1994)
• December 2 – Maria Callas, operatic soprano (d. 1977)

Deaths

• January 5 – Emanuel Wirth, violinist (b. 1842)
• January 10 – Patsy Touhey, Irish-American piper (b. 1865)
• January 18 – Kate Santley, actress and singer (b. 1837)
• February 19 – Gerónimo Giménez, composer
• March 5 – Dora Pejačević, composer (b. 1885)
• March 8 – Krišjānis Barons, collector of Latvian folk songs (b. 1835)
• May 7 – Sadie Martinot, actress and soprano singer (b. 1861)
• May 30 – Camille Chevillard, composer
• June 11 – Julia Ettie Crane, music educator (b. 1855)
• June 20 – Charitie Lees Smith, hymn-writer (b. 1841)
• June 30 – Claude Terrasse, composer of operettas (b. 1867)
• July 10 – Albert Chevalier, English actor, singer, songwriter and music hall performer (b. 1861)
• July 13 – Asger Hamerik, composer (b. 1843)
• August 15 – Vali von der Osten, operatic soprano (b. 1882)
• August 31 – Ernest van Dyck, operatic tenor (b. 1861)
• October 22 – Victor Maurel, operatic baritone (b. 1848)
• October 28 – Theodor Reuss, music hall singer and polymath (b. 1855)
• December 2 – Tomás Bretón, composer (b. 1850)
• December 7 – Vess Ossman, banjoist (b. 1868)
• December 19 – Gustav Dannreuther, violinist and conductor (b. 1853)
• date unknown
  • Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin, violin-maker (b. 1841)
  • Joseph Pothier, musicologist, reviver of the Gregorian chant (b. 1835)