Events in Music History in 1949

"The Rape of Lucretia"

Jan 16 Benjamin Britten's chamber opera "The Rape of Lucretia" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 23 performances

Jan 22 "All for Love" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 121 performances

Lovesick Blues

Feb 11 "Lovesick Blues" single released by Hank Williams (Cashbox "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year", Billboard Song of the Year 1949)

Country Music Singer and Songwriter Hank Williams

Feb 12 "Annie Get Your Gun" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 1147 performances
Feb 19 "Inside USA" closes at Century Theater, NYC, after 339 performances
Mar 31 RCA Victor of Camden, New Jersey, introduces the 45 RPM record player and the 7-inch single, a vinyl disc more durable than the 78 RPM shellac; initial releases include: Eddy Arnold's "Texarkana Baby"; Spade Cooley's "Spanish Fandango"; Arthur Crudup's "Crudup's After Hours"; and Saul Meisel's "A Klein Melamedl"

Troubled Island

Mar 31 William Grant Still's opera "Troubled Island" with libretto by Langston Hughes and Verna Arvey, premieres at the New York City Opera; 1st grand opera composed by an African American produced by a major company

South Pacific

Apr 7 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical "South Pacific", starring Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 1928 performances and wins 10 Tony Awards

May 14 "Love Life" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 252 performances
Jun 18 "Along Fifth Avenue" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 180 performances
Jul 2 "High Button Shoes" closes at Century Theater NYC after 727 performances
Jul 7 Musical revue "Cabatgata (A Night in Spain)" opens at the Broadway Theatre, NYC; runs for 76 performances
Jul 8 Monte Irvin & Hank Thompson, 1st black players for New York Giants, 4-3 loss to Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field
Jul 14 Benjamin Britten's choral symphony "Spring Symphony" premieres in Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Jul 15 "Miss Liberty" opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 308 performances
Aug 7 "All After Love" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 121 performances
Aug 18 Ralph Flanagan & his Orchestra records "You're Breaking My Heart"

Music History

Aug 28 Riot prevents Paul Robeson from singing near Peekskill, New York

Sep 10 "Cabatgata (A Night in Spain)" closes at Broadway NYC after 76 performances

My Friend Irma

Sep 28 "My Friend Irma" premieres, 1st of 16 films starring Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis

Oct 9 English ballerina Margot Fonteyn debuts in America with her performance in Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York
Oct 13 "Touch & Go" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 176 performances

Music History

Oct 30 "Lost in the Stars" by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill, based on the novel "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 281 performances

Author and Apartheid Activist Alan Paton

Oct 31 Marc Blitzstein's musical drama "Regina", based on Lilian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 56 performances, winning 2 Tony Awards

Song of the Forests

Nov 15 Dmitri Shostakovich' oratorio "Song of the Forests" premieres in Leningrad, USSR

Nov 25 Gene Autry's single "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" appears on music charts; songwriter Johnny Marks adapted poem written by his brother-in-law Robert L. May for Montgomery Ward department stores
Nov 28 "Texas, Li'l Darlin'" opens at Mark Hellinger NYC for 293 performances

On the Town

Dec 8 "On the Town", the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen, premieres

Dec 8 Jule Styne and Leo Robin's musical "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", starring Carol Channing, opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 740 performances

Regina

Dec 17 Marc Blitzstein's musical drama "Regina", based on Lillian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes", closes at 46th St Theatre, NYC. after 56 performances and 2 Tony Awards