See also: 1937 in music, other events of 1938, 1939 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• January 16 - Benny Goodman refuses to play Carnegie Hall because black members of his orchestra are banned.
• January 16 - Béla Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion is premiered in Basel
• September 22 - Anton Webern's String Quartet is premiered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• Roy Acuff's musical career begins
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe's musical career begins
• Pete Seeger's musical career begins
• Robert Lockwood Jr.'s musical career begins
• Jelly Roll Morton speaks, sings, and plays piano for an eight-hour Library of Congress recorded sound documentary produced by Alan Lomax
• Fred Buscaglione and Leo Chiosso meet

Top hit recordings

• "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb
• "Begin the Beguine" by Artie Shaw
• "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" by The Andrews Sisters
• "Cry, Baby, Cry" by Larry Clinton
• "Don't Be That Way" by Benny Goodman
• "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" by Bing Crosby
• "Music, Maestro, Please" by Tommy Dorsey
• "My Reverie" by Larry Clinton
• "Thanks for the Memory" by Shep Fields
• "Ti-Pi-Tin" by Horace Heidt

Published popular music

• "And The Angels Sing" w. Johnny Mercer m. 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
• "Boom!" 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
• "Cherokee" m. Ray Noble
• "Cinderella, Stay In My Arms" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Michael Carr
• "Colorado Sunset" Gilbert, Conrad
• "Dearest Love" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Deep In A Dream" w. Eddie De Lange m. James Van Heusen
• "Do You Wanna Jump Children?" w.m. James Van Heusen, Willie Bryant & Victor Selsman
• "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
• "Double Trouble" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger & Richard A. Whiting
• "Exhibition Swing" m. Chalmers Wood
• "F.D.R. Jones" w.m. Harold Rome
• "Falling In Love With Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Ferdinand The Bull" w. Larry Morey m. Albert Hay Malotte
• "Flat Foot Floogie" w.m. Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart & Bud Green
• "Get Out Of Town" w.m. Cole Porter
• "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 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'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
• "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
• "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
• "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Music, Maestro, Please" w. Herb Magidson m. Allie Wrubel
• "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" w.m. Cole Porter
• "My Heart Is Taking Lessons" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "My Heaven On Earth" w. Charles Tobias m. Phil Baker & Sam 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
• "Nice People" w.m. Nat Mills & Fred Malcolm
• "Nightmare" m. Artie Shaw
• "Now It Can Be Told" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Oh! Ma-Ma" w. (Eng) Lew Brown & Rudy Vallee m. Paolo Citorello
• "One Day When We Were Young" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Johann Strauss II arr. Tiomkin
• "Paradise In The Moonlight" w.m. Gene Autry & Fred Rose from the film Western Jamboree
• "Penny Serenade" w. Hal Halifax m. Melle Weersma
• "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride" w. Johnny Mercer m. Richard A. Whiting
• "Rockin' The Town" w. Ted Koehler m. Johnny Green from the film Start Cheering
• "San Antonio Rose" m. Bob Wills
• "Says My Heart" w. Frank Loesser m. Burton Lane
• "Sent For You Yesterday, And Here You Come Today" w.m. Count Basie, Eddie Dunham & Jimmy Rushing
• "September Song" w. Maxwell Anderson m. Kurt Weill
• "Shadows On The Moon" w. Gus Kahn m. Sigmund Romberg from the film The Girl Of The Golden West
• "Sing For Your Supper" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Small Fry" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Spring Is Here" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Start Cheering" w. Milton Drake m. Ben Oakland. Introduced by Gertrude Niesen in the film Start Cheering .
• "The Stately Homes Of England" w.m. Noël Coward
• "That Certain Age" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh from the film That Certain Age
• "This Can't Be Love" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "This Is My Night To Dream" w. Johnny Burke m. James V. Monaco
• "Ti-Pi-Tin" w.(Eng) Raymond Leveen (Sp) Maria Grever m. Maria Grever
• "Two Sleepy People" w. Frank Loesser m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "The Umbrella Man" w. James Cavanaugh m. Vincent Rose & Larry Stock
• "Undecided" w. Sid Robin m. Charlie Shavers
• "We're Off To See The Wizard" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "When I Strut Away In My Cutaway" w.m. Jimmy Durante from the film Start Cheering
• "Where Are The Songs We Sung?" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Where The Dog Sits On The Tuckerbox" w.m. Jack O'Hagan
• "While A Cigarette Was Burning" w.m. Charles Kenny & Nick Kenny
• "Who Are We To Say? (Obey Your Heart)" w. Gus Kahn m. Sigmund Romberg from the film The Girl Of The Golden West
• "You Couldn't Be Cuter" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern
• "You Go To My Head" w. Haven Gillespie m. J. Fred Coots
• "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren
• "You're A Sweet Little Headache" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger
• "You're As Pretty As A Picture" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHughfrom the film That Certain Age

Classical music

• Aaron Copland - Billy the Kid (ballet)
• Hanns Eisler - Roman Cantata
• Hamilton Harty - The Children of Lir
• Roy Harris - Symphony No. 3
• Herbert Howells - Hymnus Paradisi
• Janis Ivanovs - Symphony No. 3
• Frank Martin - Sonata da chiesa
• Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
• Walter Piston - Symphony No. 1
• Ernst Toch - Cantata of Bitter Herbs
• Leó Weiner - Divertimento for Strings no 2

Opera

• Paul Hindemith - Mathis der Maler
• Dmitri Kabalevsky - Colas Breugnon
• Ernst Krenek - Karl V
• Douglas Stuart Moore - The Devil and Daniel Webster

Musical theater

• The Boys From Syracuse (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) - Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 23 and ran for 235 performances
• Maritza aka Countess Maritza, London production opened at the Palace Theatre on July 6
• Hellzapoppin, Broadway revue opened at the 46th Street Theatre on September 22 and ran for 1404 performances
• I Married An Angel, Broadway production opened at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre on May 11 and ran for 338 performances
• Knickerbocker Holiday, Broadway production opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 19 and ran for 168 performances
• Leave It To Me! , Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 9 and ran for 291 performances
• Nine Sharp , London production opened at the Little Theatre on January 26 and ran for 405 performances
• Operette , London production opened at His Majesty's Theatre on March 16
• Right This Way, Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on January 5 and ran for 14 performances
• Sing Out The News , Broadway revue opened at the Music Box Theatre on September 24 and ran for 105 performances
• You Never Know , Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 21 and ran for 78 performances

Musical films

• The Girl Of The Golden West
• The Great Waltz released November 4 starring Luise Rainer and Miliza Korjus . Oscar Hammerstein II contributed new English lyrics to the music of Johann Strauss II
• Start Cheering released March 3 starring Jimmy Durante, Gertrude Niesen and the Three Stooges.
• Sweethearts
• That Certain Age released October 7 starring Deanna Durbin. Songs by (lyrics) Harold Adamson and (music) Jimmy McHugh

Births

• January 6 - Adriano Celentano, singer-songwriter
• January 11 - Narvel Felts , country singer
• January 13 - Paavo Johannes Heininen , composer
• January 14 - Allen Toussaint
• January 14 - Jack Jones
• January 19 - Phil Everly
• January 19 - Eskil Hemberg , composer
• January 21 - Wolfman Jack
• January 24 - Julius Arthur Hemphill , saxophonist
• January 25 - Etta James
• February 6 - Ellsworth Milburn , composer
• February 7 - Robert Frank Baksa , composer
• February 11 - Willy Correa de Oliveira , composer
• February 22 - Bobby Hendricks , The Drifters
• March 2 - Lawrence Payton, The Four Tops
• March 2 - Simon Estes , operatic bass
• March 3 - Douglas Leedy , composer
• March 12 - Dimitri Terzakis , composer
• March 13 - Hans-Joachim Hespos and Jean-Claude Risset, composers
• March 18 - Charlie Pride
• March 25 - Hoyt Axton
• April 3 - Jeff Barry , songwriter
• April 7 - Freddie Hubbard
• April 7 - Spencer Dryden, Jefferson Airplane
• April 8 - Barton Keith McLean , composer
• April 13 - Frederic Rzewski, composer
• April 19 - Jonathan Tunick, composer
• April 26 - Duane Eddy
• May 4 - Tyrone Davis, singer
• May 10 - Henry Fambrough, The Spinners
• May 10 - Maxim Shostakovich, conductor
• May 10 - Philip Gordon Winsor , composer
• May 13 - John Smith , The Monotones
• May 13 - Lucille Starr, French-Canadian singer
• May 15 - Lenny Welch
• May 26 - Teresa Stratas, soprano
• June 9 - Charles Wuorinen, composer
• June 13 - Gwynne Howell , opera singer
• June 15 - Jean-Claude Eloy , composer
• June 20 - Mickie Most
• June 20 - Nikolay Avksentevich Martinov , composer
• June 29 - Edmund Falkiner , jazz saxophonist
• July 4 - Bill Withers
• July 5 - Stanley Joel Silverman , composer
• July 14 - Bob Scholl , The Mello-Kings
• July 17 - Stanley Bronstein , Elephant's Memory Band
• July 28 - George Cummings , Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• August 8 - Don Jacobucci , Regents
• August 8 - Jacques Hétu , composer
• August 13 - Dave "Baby" Cortez
• August 23 - Roger Greenaway , songwriter
• August 24 - David Freiberg , Quicksilver Messenger Service
• August 24 - Mason Williams
• August 28 - Clem Cattini , the Tornadoes
• September 11 - Charles Patrick , The Monotones
• September 19 - Zygmunt Krauze and Yuji Takahashi, composers
• September 21 - Atli Heimir Sveinsson , composer
• September 28 - Ben E. King
• October 3 - Eddie Cochran
• October 5 - Carlos Mastangelo , The Belmonts
• October 15 - Marv Johnson
• October 16 - Nico
• October 18 - Ronnie Bright , The Coasters
• October 24 - Fred E. Finn , pianist
• November 2 - Jay Black , Jay & The Americans
• November 4 - Harry Elston , Friends Of Distinction
• November 6 - Jim Pike , The Lettermen
• November 6 - P.J. Proby
• November 7 - Dee Clark
• November 14 - Cornelius Gunter , The Flairs , The Coasters
• November 16 - Richard Landry , composer
• November 16 - Troy Seals, singer, songwriter
• November 17 - Gordon Lightfoot
• November 17 - Alvaro Leon Cassuto , composer
• November 19 - Hank Medress, The Tokens
• December 1 - Sandy Nelson
• December 5 - J.J. Cale
• December 12 - Connie Francis
• December 18 - Chas Chandler
• December 20 - John Harris Harbison, composer
• December 28 - Charles Neville , Joey Dee & The Starlighters , The Neville Brothers

Deaths

• January 30 - Carl Venth , violinist and composer
• February 21 - Albert Huybrechts , composer
• March 2 - Ben Harney, ragtime composer & entertainer
• March 9 - Sydney Baynes , composer
• April 8 - Joe "King" Oliver, jazz trumpeter & band leader
• April 12 - Feodor Chaliapin
• April 18 - Richard Runciman Terry , musicologist
• June 26 - James Weldon Johnson, US songwriter, author, diplomat and educationalist
• July 27 - James Thornton , English-born US songwriter and vaudeville comedian
• August 14 - Landon Ronald, pianist and composer
• August 16 - Robert Johnson, blues man
• August 30 - James Scott, ragtime composer
• September 28 - Con Conrad, songwriter
• November 21 - Leopold Godowsky, pianist and composer
• December 4 - Dina Appeldoorn , pianist and composer
• December 10 - Mario Pilati, composer
• December 14 - Marie F. M. Emmanuel , musicologist and composer