Events in Music History in April 1939

Gretchaninov's 5th Symphony

Apr 5 Alexander Gretchaninov's 5th Symphony premieres at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with Leopold Stowkowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra

Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial

Apr 9 American contralto Marian Anderson sings before 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C; appearance organized after Anderson was denied permission to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall [1] [2]