Editing 1940 in music (section)

==Events==
*[[January 30]] – Soprano [[Sophie Wyss]] gives the first complete performance of [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''[[Les Illuminations (Britten)|Les Illuminations]]'', with [[Boyd Neel]] conducting his Orchestra at the [[Wigmore Hall]], London.<ref>Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). ''Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45''. London: Faber and Faber. {{ISBN|0-571-160581}}. pp. 628, 657</ref>
*[[February 24]] – [[Frances Langford]] records ''When You Wish Upon a Star''
*[[March 28]] – [[Antonio Brosa]] gives the first performance of Britten's [[Violin Concerto (Britten)|Violin Concerto]] with the [[New York Philharmonic]] conducted by [[John Barbirolli]] in [[Carnegie Hall]], New York.<ref>Mitchell (1991): p. 629</ref>
*[[April 26]] – [[Woody Guthrie]] records most of his ''[[Dust Bowl Ballads]]'' at [[Victor Talking Machine Company|RCA Victor]] studios in [[Camden, New Jersey]].
*[[May 27]] – [[Quartetto Egie]] perform in public for the first time.
*[[July 20]] – [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'' magazine]] publishes its first "Music Popularity Chart".
*August – [[Edmundo Ros]] forms his own rumba band.
*[[November 9]] – [[Joaquín Rodrigo]]'s ''[[Concierto de Aranjuez]]'' is premièred in [[Barcelona]].
*[[November 13]] – Première of the [[Walt Disney]] [[animated film]] ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' in the United States set to classical music conducted by [[Leopold Stokowski]].
*[[November 23]] – [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]'s ''[[Piano Quintet (Shostakovich)|Piano Quintet]]'' is premièred at the [[Moscow Conservatory]] with the composer at the piano.
*[[December 6]] – [[Arnold Schoenberg]]'s ''[[Violin Concerto (Schoenberg)|Violin Concerto]]'' is premièred.
*[[December 19]] – Bandleader [[Hal Kemp]]'s car is involved in a head-on collision. Kemp suffers a broken leg and multiple broken ribs, one of which eventually punctures a lung, causing his death a few days later.
*[[Quartetto Egie]] becomes [[Quartetto Ritmo]] after a line-up change.
*[[Heino Eller]] becomes professor of composition at the Tallinn Conservatory.
*[[Alfredo Antonini]] and [[John Serry Sr.]] appear at the [[CBS]] network in ''[[Viva America]]'' for [[Voice of America]].
*16-year-old [[Doris Day]] joins Les Brown's band.
*[[Gesang Martohartono]], the legendary [[Kroncong]] musician from [[Indonesia]], releases his most popular composition, "[[Bengawan Solo (song)|Bengawan Solo]]".