Events in Music History in 1948

Piston's 3rd Symphony

Jan 9 Walter Piston's 3rd Symphony in E, premieres in Boston by the Boston Symphony Orchestra; conducted by Serge Koussevitzky; wins 1947 Pulitzer Prize

  • Jan 10 Harold Rome's musical "Call Me Mister", starring Betty Garrett closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC, after 734 performances
  • Jan 10 J.B. Priestley's stage drama "An Inspector Calls" closes at the Booth Theatre, NYC, after 95 performances
  • Jan 13 1st country music TV show, "Midwestern Hayride", premieres on WLW-T in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Jan 15 Richard Lewine, Hassard Short, and Arnold Horwitt's musical comedy revue "Make Mine Manhattan", featuring Broadway debut of Sid Caesar opens at Broadhurst Theater, NYC; runs for 429 performances
  • Jan 24 Henry Duffy's musical "Music in My Heart", based on life and work of Piotr Tchaikovsky, closes at Adelphi Theater, NYC, after 124 performances

Diamond's 4th Symphony

Jan 28 David Diamond's 4th Symphony, dedicated to Natalie Koussevitzky, premieres with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein

"Look Ma, I'm Dancin'"

Jan 29 Hugh Martin's musical comedy "Look Ma, I'm Dancin'" starring Nancy Walker and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, opens at Adelphi Theater, NYC; runs for 188 performances

The Cradle Will Rock

Feb 7 Marc Blitzstein's play with music "The Cradle Will Rock", directed by Orson Welles, closes at Mansfield Theater, NYC, after 34 performances

Billie Holiday Released

Mar 16 Jazz musician Billie Holiday is released early from Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia due to good behavior

1st Live Televised Symphony

Mar 20 First live televised symphony performances: Eugene Ormandy leads Philadelphia Orchestra on CBS, followed 90 minutes later by Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Orchestra on NBC

  • Mar 21 "Stop the Music" with Bert Parks premieres on ABC radio
  • Mar 27 Just 11 days after being released from prison, jazz singer Billie Holiday plays in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall, NYC
  • Apr 30 Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz's musical revue "Inside USA" opens at the New Century Theater, later transferring to the Majestic, NYC; runs for 339 performances

Sally

May 6 Revival of Jerome Kerns and Clifford Grey's rags-to-riches musical "Sally" opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 36 performances

  • May 18 Jerome Moross and John Latouche'a musical "Ballet Ballads" opens at Music Box Theater, NYC; for 62 performances

Beggar's Opera

May 24 Benjamin Britten's "Beggar's Opera" premieres at Arts Theatre, Cambridge, England

Sleepy Hollow

Jun 3 Musical "Sleepy Hollow", based on Washington Irving's novel, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances

  • Jun 5 "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" single released by Stan Jones
  • Jun 8 Revival of Jerome Kerns' musical "Sally" closes at Martin Beck Theater, NYC, after 36 performances
  • Jun 12 "Hold It!" closes at National Theater NYC after 46 performances
  • Jun 12 George Lessner, Russell Maloney and Miriam Battista's musical adaptation of Washington Irving's "Sleepy Hollow" closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 12 performances

Goodbye Scratchy 78s, Hello Vinyl

Jun 21 Columbia Records unveil the 33-1/3 rpm LP phonograph record invented by Peter Carl Goldmark, allowing up to 20 minutes per side (available in 10 and 12 inch diameters), at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, NYC; over the next decade the popularity and profitability of the LP pushed the 78 rpm out of production [1]

  • Jul 10 Hugh Martin's musical comedy "Look Ma, I'm Dancin'" starring Nancy Walker and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, closes at Adelphi Theater, NYC, after 188 performances
  • Jul 10 Jerome Moross and John Latouche'a musical "Ballet Ballads" closes at Music Box Theater, NYC, after 62 performances

Allegro

Jul 10 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "Allegro" closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 318 performances

  • Jul 18 Emmerich Kálmán's dramatic operetta "Marinka" opens at Winter Garden Theater (later transferring to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre), NYC; runs for 168 performances
  • Jul 31 Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "Brigadoon" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 581 performances
  • Aug 8 "Hold It!" opens at National Theater NYC for 46 performances
  • Sep 4 Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman's musical revue "Angel in the Wings" closes at Coronet Theater, NYC, after 308 performances
  • Sep 6 Robert Stolz and Robert Sour's musical "Mr Strauss Goes to Boston" opens at Century Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances
  • Sep 9 "Hilarities (of 1949)" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 14 performances
  • Sep 15 Musical revue "Small Wonder", starring Tom Ewell, opens at Coronet Theater, NYC; runs for 134 performances
  • Sep 16 "Heaven on Earth" opens at Century Theater NYC for 12 performances
  • Sep 16 Robert Stolz and Robert Sour's musical "Mr Strauss Goes to Boston" closes at Century Theater, NYC after 12 performances
  • Sep 18 "Hilarities (of 1949)" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 14 performances
  • Sep 20 Heitor Villa-Lobos' folk operetta "Magdalena" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 88 performances
  • Sep 25 "Heaven on Earth" closes at Century Theater NYC after 12 performances
  • Oct 2 Burton Lane and Yip Harburg's musical "Finian's Rainbow" closes at 46th St Theater, NYC, after 725 performances and 3 Tony Award wins
  • Oct 11 "Love Life" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 252 performances
  • Oct 11 Frank Loesser's musical "Where's Charley?", starring Ray Bolger, and directed by George Abbott, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 792 performances and wins a Tony Award
  • Oct 16 Revival of Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom's operetta "The Red Mill" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; rums for 831 performances
  • Oct 19 "My Romance" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances
  • Oct 24 Francis Poulenc's "Sinfonietta" premieres
  • Nov 13 "As the Girls Go" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 420 performances
  • Nov 29 1st opera to be televised, "Othello", broadcast from the Metropolitain Opera House in New York City
  • Dec 4 Heitor Villa-Lobos' folk operetta "Magdalena" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 88 performances
  • Dec 8 Emmerich Kálmán's dramatic operetta "Marinka" closes at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (after transfer from Winter Garden Theater), NYC. after 168 performances
  • Dec 16 "Lend an Ear" opens at National Theater NYC for 460 performances

"Cinderella"

Dec 23 "Cinderella" the first full-length ballet by Frederick Ashton with music by Sergei Prokofiev is first presented by Sadler's Wells Ballet at Covent Garden, London

  • Dec 29 Benjamin Britten's opera"The Rape of Lucretia" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 23 performances
  • Dec 30 "Kiss Me, Kate" opens at New Century Theater NYC for 1077 performances

Kiss Me Kate

Dec 30 Cole Porter's musical "Kiss Me Kate" opens at the New Century Theatre, NYC, later transferred to Sam S. Shubert Theatre; runs for 1077 performances