Editing 1938 in music

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2011}}
{{YYYY music|1938}}
{{Year nav topic5|1938|music|radio|television|film}}
[[File:Fats Waller edit.jpg|right|thumb|Composer and jazz pianist [[Fats Waller]] in 1938]]
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1938.

==Specific locations==
*[[1938 in British music]]
*[[1938 in Norwegian music]]

==Specific genres==
*[[1938 in country music]]
*[[1938 in jazz]]

==Events==
*[[January 16]]
**<!--January 16-->[[Benny Goodman]] plays the first [[jazz]] concert at [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York City, considered a legitimisation of the genre. It is recorded live and issued in [[1950 in music|1950]] as ''[[The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert]]''.
**<!--January 16-->[[Béla Bartók]]'s ''[[Sonata for two pianos and percussion]]'' is premièred in [[Basel]].
**<!--January 16-->First recording of [[Mahler]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 9]], a live performance by the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] conducted by [[Bruno Walter]] at the [[Musikverein]], the same location, conductor and orchestra that had presented the première 26 years earlier, but now in the face of the [[Anschluss]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Colorful Fetes Mark Royal Wedding that will Link Egypt and Persian |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=id9IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IgINAAAAIBAJ&pg=3855,4689544|access-date=13 August 2020|newspaper=The Meriden Daily Journal|date=13 March 1939}}</ref>
*[[May 12]] – [[Arthur Honegger]]'s oratorio ''[[Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher]]'' is premièred in [[Basel]], with [[Ida Rubinstein]] as Jeanne.
*[[June 5]] – [[Glenn Gould]] plays in public for the first time at a church service held at the Business Men's Bible Class in Uxbridge, Ontario to a congregation of about two thousand people.
*[[September 22]]
** [[Anton Webern]]'s ''[[String Quartet (Webern)|String Quartet]]'' is premièred in [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts]].
** [[Olsen and Johnson]]'s musical comedy revue ''[[Hellzapoppin (musical)|Hellzapoppin]]'' begins its 3-year run on Broadway.
*[[October 5]] – [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]' ''[[Serenade to Music]]'' is premièred at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London to mark the 50th anniversary of conductor [[Henry Wood]]'s first concert.
*[[October 31]] – [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]] makes her first recording.
* [[December 17]] – [[Consolidated Film Industries|Consolidated Film Industries, Inc.]] consummates the sale of its subsidiary [[American Record Corporation|American Record Corp.]] to [[Sony Music|Columbia Broadcasting]] on December 17, 1938, for a reported price of $700,000. American Record embraces the [[Brunswick Records|Brunswick]], [[Vocalion Records|Vocalion]] and [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] labels.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 21, 1938 |title=Frank Walker |pages=24 |work=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety132-1938-12/page/n3/mode/2up?q=Denies+Joining+CBS+Subsidiary |access-date=June 18, 2022}}</ref>
*[[December 30]] – The [[ballet]] ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (with music by [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]) receives its first full performance, at the [[Mahen Theatre]] in [[Brno]], [[Czechoslovakia]].
* In [[West Java]], Daeng Soetigna tunes the traditional [[pentatonic]] [[angklung]] to play the [[diatonic]] [[Scale (music)|scale]].
* English composer [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] begins an affair with writer [[Ursula Vaughan Williams|Ursula Wood]]; they will marry in 1953.
* [[Roy Acuff]] and the Crazy Tennesseans win a contract with the [[Grand Ole Opry]].
* [[Pete Seeger]] drops out of college to begin his career as a folk singer.
* [[Jelly Roll Morton]] speaks, sings and plays piano for an eight-hour [[Library of Congress]] recorded sound documentary produced by [[Alan Lomax]].
* Italian performer [[Fred Buscaglione]] and songwriter [[Leo Chiosso]] meet.
* [[The Andrews Sisters]] enjoy their first major hit with "[[Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen]]".
* [[John Serry Sr.]] appears with [[Shep Fields]] in [[Paramount Pictures]] film extravaganza ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]''.
* Roman Catholic [[hymnal]] ''[[Kirchenlied]]'' first published in Germany.

==Albums released==
*''[[The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert|Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert]]'' – [[Benny Goodman]]

==Top popular recordings==

The twenty popular records listed below were extracted from [[Billboard Hot 100#History|Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954|publisher=Record Research|year=1986}}</ref> record sales reported on the "[[Discography of American Historical Recordings]]" website, and other sources as specified. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.
{| class="wikitable"
! Rank
! Artist
! Title
! Label
! Recorded
! Released
! Chart positions<
|-
| 1 || [[Chick Webb|Chick Webb Orchestra]] (vocal [[Ella Fitzgerald]]) || "[[A-Tisket, A-Tasket]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Decca matrix 63693. A-tisket, a-tasket / Chick Webb Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000291806/63693-A-tisket_a-tasket |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}</ref> || Decca 1840 || {{Start date|1938|5|2}} || {{Start date|1938|6}} || US Billboard  1938 #1, US #1 for 10 weeks, 19 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1986, 250,000 sales<ref name=Variety>{{Cite news |date=February 1939 |title=Some New Highs |page=39|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://archive.org/details/variety133-1939-02/page/n149/mode/2up?q=highs |access-date=June 18, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 2 || [[Larry Clinton|Larry Clinton and His Orchestra]] (Vocal [[Bea Wain]]) || "[[My Reverie]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victor matrix BS-024049. My reverie / Larry Clinton Orchestra; Bea Wain – Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200032735/BS-024049-My_reverie |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}</ref> || Victor 26006 || {{Start date|1938|7|16}} || {{Start date|1938|8|3}} || US Billboard 1938 #2, US #1 for 8 weeks, 19 total weeks, 100,000 sales<ref name=Variety/>
|-
| 3 || [[Tommy Dorsey|Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra]] (vocal [[Edythe Wright]]) || "Music, Maestro, Please"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victor matrix BS-023211. Music, maestro, please / Tommy Dorsey Orchestra; Edythe Wright – Discography of American Historical Recordings |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200032354/BS-023211-Music_maestro_please |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=adp.library.ucsb.edu}}</ref> || Victor 25866 || {{Start date|1938|5|12}} || {{Start date|1938|6|8}} || US Billboard 1938 #3, US #1 for 6 weeks, 20 total weeks
|-
| 4 || [[Artie Shaw|Artie Shaw and his Orchestra]] || "[[Begin the Beguine]]" || Bluebird 7746 || {{Start date|1938|7|24}} || {{Start date|1938|8|17}} || US Billboard 1938 #4, US #1 for 6 weeks, 18 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1977, [[National Recording Registry|National Recording Registry 2012]], [[List of 1930s jazz standards#1935|Jazz Standards 1935]]
|-
| 5 || [[Horace Heidt|Horace Heidt And His Brigadiers]] || "[[Ti-Pi-Tin]]" || Brunswick 8078 || {{Start date|1938|2|11}} || {{Start date|1938|3}} || US Billboard 1938 #5, US #1 for 6 weeks, 13 total weeks 
|-
| 6 || [[Benny Goodman|Benny Goodman and His Orchestra]] || "Don't Be That Way" || Victor 25792 || {{Start date|1938|2|16}} || {{Start date|1938|3|2}} || US Billboard 1938 #6, US #1 for 5 weeks, 13 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1987
|-
| 7 || [[The Andrews Sisters]] || "[[Bei Mir Bistu Shein]]" || Decca 1562 || {{Start date|1937|11|24}} || {{Start date|1937|12}} || US Billboard 1938 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 10 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1996, National Recording Registry 2008, 100,000 sales, 100,000 sales<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 28, 1954 |title=Decca Records 20th Anniversary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=decca+vocalion+brunswick+1941&pg=PA14 |journal=The Billboard |pages=14}}</ref>
|-
| 8 || Larry Clinton and His Orchestra (Vocal Bea Wain) || "[[Cry, Baby, Cry]]" || Victor 25819 || {{Start date|1938|3|31}} || {{Start date|1938|4|13}} || US Billboard 1938 #8, US #1 for 4 weeks, 25 total weeks
|-
| 9 || [[Bing Crosby]] || "[[I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams]]" || Decca 1562 || {{Start date|1937|7|11}} || {{Start date|1937|7}} || US Billboard 1938 #9, US #1 for 4 weeks, 17 total weeks
|-
| 10 || [[Shep Fields|Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra]] || "[[Thanks for the Memory]]" || Bluebird 7318 || {{Start date|1937|11|29}} || {{Start date|1937|12}} || US Billboard 1938 #10, US #1 for 4 weeks, 14 total weeks, [[List of 1930s jazz standards#1938|Jazz Standards 1938]]
|-
| 11 || [[Red Norvo|Red Norvo and His Orchestra]] (Vocal Mildred Bailey) || "Says My Heart" || Brunswick 8135 || {{Start date|1938|4|19}} || {{Start date|1938|5}} || US Billboard 1938 #11, US #1 for 4 weeks, 12 total weeks
|-
| 12 || [[Duke Ellington|Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra]] || "[[I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart]]" || Brunswick 8108 || {{Start date|1938|3|3}} || {{Start date|1938|3}} || US Billboard 1938 #12, US #1 for 3 weeks, 19 total weeks
|-
| 13 || [[Sammy Kaye|Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra]] || "[[Love Walked In]]" || Vocalion 4017 || {{Start date|1938|3|20}} || {{Start date|1938|4}} || US Billboard 1938 #13, US #1 for 3 weeks, 16 total weeks
|-
| 14 || Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra || "Cathedral in the Pines" || Bluebird 7533 || {{Start date|1938|4|20}} || {{Start date|1938|5|4}} || US Billboard 1938 #14, US #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks
|-
| 15 || Red Norvo and His Orchestra (Vocal Mildred Bailey) || "[[Please Be Kind]]" || Brunswick 8088 || {{Start date|1938|2|10}} || {{Start date|1938|3}} || US Billboard 1938 #15, US #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks
|-
| 16 || Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra || "Rosalie" || Vocalion 4017 || {{Start date|1938|9|7}} || {{Start date|1938|10}} || US Billboard 1938 #16, US #1 for 2 weeks, 15 total weeks
|-
| 17 || [[Russ Morgan|Russ Morgan and His Orchestra]] || "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" || Decca 1936 || {{Start date|1938|7|7}} || {{Start date|1938|8}} || US Billboard 1938 #17, US #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks
|-
| 18 || [[Jimmy Dorsey|Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra]] || "[[Change Partners]]" || Decca 2002 || {{Start date|1938|7|29}} || {{Start date|1938|9}} || US Billboard 1938 #18, US #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks
|-
| 19 || [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy]] || "I Won't Tell a Soul (I Love You)" || Decca 2127 || {{Start date|1938|9|2}} || {{Start date|1938|10}} || US Billboard 1938 #19, US #1 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks
|-
| 20 || Bing Crosby || "[[You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby]]" || Decca 2147 || {{Start date|1938|10|14}} || {{Start date|1938|11}} || US Billboard 1938 #20, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks
|-
| 21 || Bing Crosby and [[Connee Boswell]] || "[[Alexander's Ragtime Band]]" || Decca 1887 || {{Start date|1938|1|26}} || {{Start date|1938|3}} || US Billboard 1938 #21, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks
|-
| 22 || [[Fats Waller|Fats Waller and his Rhythm]] || "[[Two Sleepy People]]" || Bluebird 10000 || {{Start date|1938|10|13}} || {{Start date|1938|11|2}} || US Billboard 1938 #22, US #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks
|-
| 23 || [[Fred Astaire]] || "Change Partners" || Brunswick 8189 || {{Start date|1938|3|24}} || {{Start date|1938|7}} || US Billboard 1938 #23, US #1 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks
|-
| 24 || Fred Astaire || "[[Nice Work if You Can Get It (song)|Nice Work if You Can Get It]]" || Brunswick 7983 || {{Start date|1937|10|17}} || {{Start date|1937|11}} || US Billboard 1938 #24, US #1 for 1 weeks, 15 total weeks, [[List of 1930s jazz standards#1937|Jazz Standards 1937]]
|-
| 25 || Larry Clinton and His Orchestra || "[[Heart and Soul (Frank Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael song)|Heart and Soul]]" || Victor 26046 || {{Start date|1938|9|1}} || {{Start date|1938|9|21}} || US Billboard 1938 #25, US #1 for 1 weeks, 14 total weeks, [[List of 1930s jazz standards#1938|Jazz Standards 1938]]
|}

=== Top Christmas hits===
*"Don't Wait 'Till The Night Before Christmas" – [[Eddy Duchin]] and His Orchestra

== Top [[blues]] records ==
*"Sunnyland" – [[Sonny Boy Williamson I|Sonny Boy Williamson]]

==Published popular music==

* "[[And the Angels Sing]]" words: [[Johnny Mercer]], music: [[Ziggy Elman]]
* "[[At Long Last Love (song)|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. [[Tommie Connor|Thomas Connor]], W. G. Haines & James S. Hancock
* "Bolero at the Savoy" w.m. Charles Carpenter, [[Gene Krupa]] & James Mundy
* "[[Boum!]]" 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]] introduced by [[Fred Astaire]] in ''[[Carefree (film)|Carefree]]''
* "[[Cherokee (Ray Noble song)|Cherokee]]" m. [[Ray Noble (musician)|Ray Noble]]
* "Cinderella, Stay In My Arms" w. [[Jimmy Kennedy]] m. [[Michael Carr (composer)|Michael Carr]]
* "Colorado Sunset" w. [[L. Wolfe Gilbert]] m. [[Con Conrad]]
* "Daydreaming (All Night Long)" w. [[Johnny Mercer]] m. [[Harry Warren]]. Introduced by [[Rudy Vallée]] in the film ''[[Gold Diggers in Paris]]''.
* "Dearest Love" w.m. [[Noël Coward]]
* "Deep In A Dream" w. [[Eddie DeLange]] m. [[Jimmy Van Heusen]]
* "Do You Wanna Jump Children?" w.m. [[Jimmy Van Heusen]], Willie Bryant & Victor Selsman
* "[[Doin' the Jive]]" m.w. [[Glenn Miller]] & [[Chummy MacGregor]]
* "Don't Be That Way" w. [[Mitchell Parish]] m. Edgar Sampson & [[Benny Goodman]]
* "Don't Let That Moon Get Away" w. [[Johnny Burke (lyric writer)|Johnny Burke]] m. [[James V. Monaco]]
* "[[Don't Worry 'Bout Me]]" w. [[Ted Koehler]] m. [[Rube Bloom]]
* "Double Trouble" w. [[Leo Robin]] m. [[Ralph Rainger]] & [[Richard A. Whiting]]
* "Exhibition Swing" m. Chalmers Wood
* "[[F.D.R. Jones]]" w.m. [[Harold Rome]]. Introduced by [[Rex Ingram (actor)|Rex Ingram]] in the [[revue]] ''[[Sing Out the News]]''.
* "[[Falling In Love With Love]]" w. [[Lorenz Hart]] m. [[Richard Rodgers]]. Introduced by [[Muriel Angelus]] in the [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[The Boys from Syracuse]]''. Performed in the 1940 [[musical film|film]] by [[Allan Jones (actor)|Allan Jones]].
* "[[Ferdinand the Bull (film)|Ferdinand the Bull]]" w. [[Larry Morey]] m. [[Albert Hay Malotte]]. Performed by [[Sterling Holloway]] in the animated film of the same name.
* "[[Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)]]" w.m. [[Slim Gaillard]], [[Slam Stewart]] & Bud Green
* "[[Get Out of Town]]" w.m. [[Cole Porter]] from the [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[Leave It to Me!]]''
* "[[Hawaiian War Chant]]" w. (Eng) Ralph Freed m. [[Johnny Noble]] & Prince Leleiohaku
* "[[Heart and Soul (1938 song)|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 Can Dream, Can't I?]]" w. [[Irving Kahal]] m. [[Sammy Fain]]. Performed by [[Tamara Drasin|Tamara]] in the 1938 musical ''[[Right This Way]]''
* "[[I Hadn't Anyone Till You]]" w.m. [[Ray Noble (musician)|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 (song)|I'll Be Seeing You]]" w. [[Irving Kahal]] m. [[Sammy Fain]]
* "[[I'll Tell the Man in the Street]]" w. [[Lorenz Hart]] m. [[Richard Rodgers]]. Introduced by [[Vivienne Segal]] and [[Walter Slezak]] in the musical ''[[I Married an Angel]]''. Performed in the film version by [[Nelson Eddy]].
* "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 (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]] m. [[James V. Monaco]]
* "[[Jeepers Creepers (song)|Jeepers Creepers]]" w. [[Johnny Mercer]] m. [[Harry Warren]]. Introduced by [[Louis Armstrong]] in the film ''[[Going Places (1938 film)|Going Places]]''.
* "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]]. Introduced by [[Irene Dunne]] in the film ''[[Joy of Living]]''
* "[[Knees Up Mother Brown]]" w.m. Harris Weston & [[Bert Lee]]
* "[[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
* "[[Moments Like This (Frank Loesser and Burton Lane song)|Moments Like This]]" w. [[Frank Loesser]] m. [[Burton Lane]]. Introduced by [[Florence George]] in the film ''[[College Swing]]''.
* "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" w.m. [[Cole Porter]]. Introduced by [[Sophie Tucker]] in the musical ''[[Leave It to Me!]]''
* "Music, Maestro, Please" w. [[Herb Magidson]] m. [[Allie Wrubel]]
* "[[My Heart Belongs to Daddy]]" w.m. [[Cole Porter]]. Introduced by [[Mary Martin]] in the musical ''[[Leave It to Me!]]''. Miss Martin also performed it in the 1946 film ''[[Night and Day (1946 film)|Night and Day]]''. [[Marilyn Monroe]] sang the song in the 1960 film ''[[Let's Make Love]]''.
* "My Heart Is Taking Lessons" w. [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]] m. [[James V. Monaco]]. Introduced by [[Bing Crosby]] in the film ''[[Doctor Rhythm]]''
*"My Heaven On Earth" w. [[Charles Tobias]] m. [[Phil Baker (comedian)|Phil Baker]] & [[Samuel 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 Vallée]] m. Paolo Citorello
* "One Day When We Were Young" w. [[Oscar Hammerstein II]] m. [[Johann Strauss II]] arr. Tiomkin
* "[[The One I Love (Allan Jones song)|The One I Love Will Come Along Some Day]]" w. [[Gus Kahn]] m. [[Bronislaw Kaper]] & [[Walter Jurmann]]. Introduced by [[Allan Jones (actor)|Allan Jones]] in the film ''[[Everybody Sing (1938 film)|Everybody Sing]]''
* "Paradise In The Moonlight" w.m. [[Gene Autry]] & [[Fred Rose (songwriter)|Fred Rose]] from the film ''[[Western Jamboree]]''
* "Penny Serenade" w. Hal Halifax m. [[Melle Weersma]]
* "[[Please Be Kind]]" w.m. [[Sammy Cahn]] & [[Saul Chaplin]]
* "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]]. Introduced by [[Harriet Hilliard]] with Harry Owens & his Orchestra in the film ''[[Cocoanut Grove (film)|Cocoanut Grove]]''
* "Sent for You Yesterday, and Here You Come Today" w.m. [[Count Basie]], [[Eddie Durham]] & [[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 (1938 film)|The Girl Of The Golden West]]''
* "[[Sing for Your Supper]]" w. [[Lorenz Hart]] m. [[Richard Rodgers]]. Introduced by [[Marcy Westcott]], [[Muriel Angelus]] and [[Wynn Murray]] in the [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[The Boys from Syracuse]]''. Performed in the 1940 film by [[Martha Raye]].
* "[[Small Fry (song)|Small Fry]]" w. [[Frank Loesser]] m. [[Hoagy Carmichael]]. Introduced by [[Bing Crosby]], [[Fred MacMurray]] and [[Donald O'Connor]] in the film ''[[Sing You Sinners (1938 film)|Sing You Sinners]]''.
* "[[Sold American]]" m. [[Glenn Miller]] & [[Chummy MacGregor]]
* "[[Spring Is Here]]" w. [[Lorenz Hart]] m. [[Richard Rodgers]]. Introduced by [[Dennis King (actor)|Dennis King]] and [[Vivienne Segal]] in the [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[I Married an Angel]]''
* "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]]
* "[[Thanks for the Memory]]" w. [[Leo Robin]] m. [[Ralph Rainger]]
* "That Certain Age" w. [[Harold Adamson]] m. [[Jimmy McHugh]] from the film ''[[That Certain Age]]''
* "[[This Can't Be Love (song)|This Can't Be Love]]" w. [[Lorenz Hart]] m. [[Richard Rodgers]]
* "This Is My Night To Dream" w. [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]] m. [[James V. Monaco]]
* "[[Ti-Pi-Tin]]" w. (English) Raymond Leveen, w. (Spanish) [[María Grever]], m. María Grever<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/keng/kenhtml/Austroton78UB2135TipiTin&Bumblebee%28b%29.jpg |format=jpg |title=photo of CD |website=theatreorgans.com}}</ref>
* "[[Two Sleepy People]]" w. [[Frank Loesser]] m. [[Hoagy Carmichael]]
* "The Umbrella Man" w. James Cavanaugh m. [[Vincent Rose]] & [[Larry Stock]]
* "[[Undecided (song)|Undecided]]" w. [[Sid Robin]] m. [[Charlie Shavers]]
* "[[We're Off to See the Wizard]]" w. [[Yip Harburg|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 (1938 film)|The Girl Of The Golden West]]''
* "[[You Couldn't Be Cuter]]" w. [[Dorothy Fields]] m. [[Jerome Kern]] Introduced by [[Irene Dunne]] in the film ''[[Joy of Living]]''
* "[[You Go To My Head]]" w. [[Haven Gillespie]] m. [[J. Fred Coots]]
* "You Leave Me Breathless" w. [[Ralph Freed]] m. [[Friedrich Hollaender]]. Introduced by [[Fred MacMurray]] in the film ''[[Cocoanut Grove (film)|Cocoanut Grove]]''.
* "[[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|You're As Pretty As A Picture]]" w. [[Harold Adamson]] m. [[Jimmy McHugh]]from the film ''[[That Certain Age]]''
* "You're What's The Matter With Me" w.m. [[Jimmy Kennedy]] and [[Michael Carr (composer)|Michael Carr]]. Introduced by [[Harry Richman]] and [[Evelyn Dall]] in the film ''[[Kicking the Moon Around]]''.

==Classical music==

===Premieres===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Composer !! Composition !! Date !! Location !! Performers
|-
| [[Samuel Barber|Barber, Samuel]] || [[Adagio for Strings]] || 1938-11-05 || New York City || [[NBC Symphony Orchestra|NBC Symphony]] – [[Arturo Toscanini|Toscanini]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/static/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/ADAGIO%20FOR%20STRINGS.pdf|title=Adagio for Strings|publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> 
|-
| [[Benjamin Britten|Britten, Benjamin]] || [[Piano Concerto (Britten)|Piano Concerto]] || 1938-08-18 || London ([[BBC Proms]]) || Britten / [[BBC Symphony Orchestra|BBC Symphony]] – [[Henry Wood|Wood]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=22691|title=Piano Concerto, Benjamin Britten}}</ref>
|-
| [[Alan Bush|Bush, Alan]] || [[Piano Concerto (Bush)|Piano Concerto]], with baritone and chorus || 1938-03-04 || London || Bush, [[Dennis Noble|Noble]] / [[BBC Symphony Orchestra|BBC Symphony]] – [[Adrian Boult|Boult]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alanbushtrust.org.uk/music/compositions/CC.asp?room=Music|title=Alan Bush Music Trust – Music – Concertos / Solo Instrument and Orchestra|website=www.alanbushtrust.org.uk}}</ref>
|-
| [[Aaron Copland|Copland, Aaron]] || ''[[An Outdoor Overture]]'' || 1938-12-16 || New York City || [[High School of Music & Art]] Orchestra, Alexander Richter (conductor)<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=33942|title=''An Outdoor Overture'', Aaron Copland}}</ref>
|-
| [[Aaron Copland|Copland, Aaron]] || ''[[Signature (Copland)|Signature]]'' || 1938-02-23 || New York City || [[High-Low Chamber Orchestra]] – [[Ivor Karman|Karman]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=33941|title=''Signature'', Aaron Copland}}</ref>
|-
| [[Luigi Dallapiccola|Dallapiccola, Luigi]] || ''[[Sei cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il giovane]]'' || 1938-04-26 || Prague || [unknown ensemble] – [[Miloslav Kabelác|Kabelác]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=7582|title=''Sei cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il giovane'', Luigi Dallapiccola}}</ref>
|-
| [[George Enescu|Enescu, George]] || [[Piano Sonata No. 3 (Enescu)|Piano Sonata No. 3]] || 1938-12-06 || [[Salle Gaveau]], Paris || [[Marcel Ciampi]]<ref>Elena Zottoviceanu, Adrian Rațiu, and Myriam Marbe, "Premiera Operei Oedip (1934–1936)", in ''George Enescu: Monografie'', 2 vols., edited by Mircea Voicana, 739–876 (Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, 1971): 750.</ref>
|-
| [[Alberto Ginastera|Ginastera, Alberto]] || ''[[Cantos del Tucumán]]'' || 1938-07-26 || Buenos Aires || [[Brígida Frías de López Buchardo|Frías de López Buchardo]], [unknown ensemble] <ref>{{IRCAM work|id=31590|title=''Cantos del Tucumán'', Alberto Evaristo Ginastera}}</ref>
|-
| [[André Jolivet|Jolivet, André]] || ''[[Ouverture Rondeau]] for four ondes Martenot, two pianos and percussion'' || 1938-06-02 || Paris || [[Robert Lesur|Lesur]], [[Kate Steytler|Steytler]], [[Germaine Berthier|Berthier]], [[Marguerite Breitner|Breitner]], [[Nicolas Stein|Stein]], [[Sonia Chapiro|Chapiro]], [[José Carasso|Carasso]] – [[Jane Evrard|Evrard]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=35040|title=''Ouverture Rondeau'', André Jolivet}}</ref>
|-
| [[André Jolivet|Jolivet, André]] || ''[[Poèmes pour le enfant]]'' || 1938-05-12 || Paris || [[Claire Croiza|Croiza]] / [unknown ensemble] – [[Roger Désormière|Désormière]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=35057|title=''Poèmes pour l'enfant'', André Jolivet}}</ref>
|-
| [[André Jolivet|Jolivet, André]] || [[Suite for String Trio (Jolivet)|Suite for String Trio]] || 1938-11-24 || Paris || [[Trio Pasquier]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=35096|title=Suite, André Jolivet}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ernst Krenek|Krenek, Ernst]] || [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Krenek)|Piano Concerto No. 2]] || 1938-03-17 || Amsterdam || Krenek / [[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra|Concertgebouw Orchestra]] – [[Bruno Walter|Walter]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=33712|title=Concerto pour piano et orchestre No. 2, Ernst Krenek}}</ref>
|-
| [[Walter Piston|Piston, Walter]] || [[Symphony No. 1 (Piston)|Symphony No. 1]] || 1938-04-08 || Boston || [[Boston Symphony Orchestra|Boston Symphony]] – Piston <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/about-us/historyarchives/archival-collection/world-premieres-at-the-bso/world-premieres-the-1900s.aspx|title=World Premieres: The 1900s|publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra|website=www.bso.org|access-date=July 24, 2015|archive-date=January 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118212645/http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/about-us/historyarchives/archival-collection/world-premieres-at-the-bso/world-premieres-the-1900s.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Silvestre Revueltas|Revultas, Silvestre]] || ''[[Sensemayá]]'' || 1938-12-15 || Mexico City || [unknown orchestra] – Revueltas <ref>{{cite web|url=http://cso.org/uploadedFiles/1_Tickets_and_Events/Program_Notes/ProgramNotes_Prokofiev_Kije.pdf|title=Chicago Symphony Orchestra}}</ref>
|-
| [[Edmund Rubbra|Rubbra, Edmund]] || [[Symphony No. 2 (Rubbra)|Symphony No. 2]] || 1938-12-16 || London || [[BBC Symphony Orchestra|BBC Symphony]] – [[Edmund Rubbra|Rubbra]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3KroCQAAQBAJ&q=rubbra+symphony+1+30+april+1937&pg=PA986|title=Two Centuries of British Symphonism: From the beginnings to 1945. A preliminary survey. With a foreword by Lewis Foreman. Volume 2|first=Jürgen|last=Schaarwächter|date=February 27, 2015|publisher=Georg Olms Verlag|isbn=9783487152288|via=Google Books}}</ref>
|-
| [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg, Arnold]] || Orchestration of [[Johannes Brahms]]' [[Piano Quartet (Brahms)|Piano Quartet]] || 1938-05-07 || Los Angeles || [[Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra|Los Angeles Philharmonic]] – [[Otto Klemperer|Klemperer]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=23775|title=Johannes Brahms: Klavierquartett g-Moll [original op. 25], Arnold Schoenberg}}</ref>
|-
| [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich, Dmitri]] || [[String Quartet No. 1 (Shostakovich)|String Quartet No. 1]] || 1938-10-10 || Leningrad || [[Glazunov Quartet]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quartets.de/compositions/ssq01.html|title=Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 1|website=www.quartets.de}}</ref>
|-
| [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich, Dmitri]] || [[Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 (Shostakovich)|Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2]] || 1938-11-28 || Moscow || [[USSR State Jazz Band]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=7420|title=Suite No. 2, Dimitri Chostakovitch}}</ref>
|-
| [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky, Igor]] || ''[[Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks"|Dumbarton Oaks Concerto]]'' || 1938-05-08 || Washington DC || [unknown ensemble] – [[Nadia Boulanger|Boulanger]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=12186|title=Concerto en mi bémol, Igor Stravinsky}}</ref>
|-
| [[Michael Tippett|Tippett, Michael]] || [[Piano Sonata No. 1 (Tippett)|Piano Sonata No. 1]] || 1938-11-11 || London || [[Phyllis Sellick|Sellick]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=12417|title=Sonate No. 1, Sir Michael Tippett}}</ref>
|-
| [[Anton Webern|Webern, Anton]] || ''[[Das Augenlicht]]'' || 1938-06-17 || London ([[ISCM World Music Days|ISCM 38]]) || [[BBC Symphony Orchestra|BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus]] – [[Hermann Scherchen|Scherchen]]<ref>{{IRCAM work|id=12620|title=''Das Augenlicht'', Op. 26, Anton Webern}}</ref>
|-
|}

===Compositions===
*[[Jean Absil]] – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1
*[[Alan Bush]] – Piano Concerto, Op. 18, with baritone and male choir in last movement
*[[Aaron Copland]] – ''[[Billy the Kid (ballet)]]''
*[[Hanns Eisler]] – ''Roman Cantata''
*[[George Enescu]] – [[Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Enescu)|Orchestral Suite No. 3]] "Villageoise" in D major, Op. 27
*[[Hamilton Harty]] – ''The Children of Lir''
*[[Roy Harris]] – Symphony No. 3
*[[Herbert Howells]] – ''Hymnus Paradisi''
*[[Janis Ivanovs]] – Symphony No. 3
*[[Frank Martin (composer)|Frank Martin]] – Sonata da chiesa
*[[Carl Orff]] – ''[[Carmina Burana (Orff)|Carmina Burana]]''
*[[Walter Piston]] – [[Symphony No. 1 (Piston)|Symphony No. 1]]
*[[Silvestre Revueltas]] – ''[[Sensemayá]]'' (Canto para matar una culebra [Chant for the Killing of a Snake])
*[[Dmitri Shostakovich]] – [[String Quartet No. 1 (Shostakovich)|String Quartet No. 1]]
*[[Ernst Toch]] – ''Cantata of Bitter Herbs''
*[[Heitor Villa-Lobos]] – [[String Quartet No. 6 (Villa-Lobos)|String Quartet No. 6]] (Quarteto brasileiro no. 2)
*[[Leó Weiner]] – Divertimento for Strings No. 2

==Opera==
*[[Jenő Ádám]] – ''Mária Veronika''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opera.stanford.edu/composers/A.html|title=Opera Composers: A|website=opera.stanford.edu}}</ref>
*[[Paul Frederic Bowles]] – ''Denmark Vesey''
*[[Paul Hindemith]] – ''[[Mathis der Maler]]''
*[[Dmitri Kabalevsky]] – ''Colas Breugnon''
*[[Jeronimas Kacinskas]] – ''Nonet''
*[[Ernst Krenek]] – ''[[Karl V (opera)|Karl V]]'' (composed 1931–33), [[Neues Deutsches Theater]] in Prague, 22 June 1938
*[[Mark Lothar]] – ''[[Tailor Wibbel]]''
*[[Douglas Stuart Moore]] – ''[[The Devil and Daniel Webster (opera)|The Devil and Daniel Webster]]''

==Film==
*[[George Gershwin]] – ''[[The Goldwyn Follies]]''
*[[Erich Korngold]] – ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood]]''
*[[Sergei Prokofiev]] – ''[[Alexander Nevsky (film)]]''

==[[Jazz]]==
{{Main|1938 in jazz}}

==[[Musical theatre]]==
* ''[[The Boys from Syracuse]]'' ([[Richard Rodgers]] and [[Lorenz Hart]]) – Broadway production opened at the [[Alvin Theatre]] on November 23 and ran for 235 performances
* ''[[Great Lady]]'' Broadway production opened at the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]] on December 1 and ran for only 20 performances
* ''[[Countess Maritza|Maritza]]'' aka ''[[Countess Maritza]]'', [[West End theatre|London]] production opened at the [[Palace Theatre, London|Palace Theatre]] on July 6
* ''[[The Fleet's Lit Up]]'', [[West End theatre|London]] opened at the [[London Hippodrome]] and ran for 191 performances
* ''[[Hellzapoppin' (musical)|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 (Broadway)|Imperial Theatre]] on November 9 and ran for 291 performances
* ''[[Nine Sharp]]'', London production opened at [[Haymarket Theatre|The Little Theatre]] on January 26 and ran for 405 performances
* ''[[Operette (musical)|Operette]]'', London production opened at [[His Majesty's Theatre, London|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
* ''[[These Foolish Things (musical)|These Foolish Things]]'' London revue opened at the [[London Palladium|Palladium]] on September 29
* ''[[You Never Know (musical)|You Never Know]]'', Broadway production opened at the [[Winter Garden Theatre]] on September 21 and ran for 78 performances

==[[Musical film]]s==
* ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]'', starring [[W. C. Fields]], [[Bob Hope]], [[Dorothy Lamour]] and [[Martha Raye]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
* ''[[Carefree (film)|Carefree]]'', starring [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]]
* ''[[Champagnegaloppen]]'', starring [[Svend Methling]] and [[Valdemar Møller]].
* ''[[Cocoanut Grove (film)|Cocoanut Grove]]'', starring [[Fred MacMurray]], [[Harriet Hilliard]], [[Ben Blue]] and [[Eve Arden]].
* ''[[Cowboy from Brooklyn]]'', starring [[Dick Powell]] and [[Priscilla Lane]]
* ''[[Doctor Rhythm]]'', starring [[Bing Crosby]], [[Mary Carlisle]] and [[Beatrice Lillie]].
* ''[[Dos amigos y un amor]]'', directed by [[Lucas Demare]]
* ''[[The Stars Shine (film)|Es leuchten die Sterne]]'', starring [[Ernst Fritz Fürbringer]] and [[Fridtjof Mjøen]]
* ''[[Freshman Year (film)|Freshman Year]]'', starring [[Constance Moore]], [[William Lundigan]] and [[Dixie Dunbar]]. Directed by [[Frank McDonald (director)|Frank McDonald]].
* ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)|The Girl Of The Golden West]]'', starring [[Jeanette MacDonald]] and [[Nelson Eddy]]
* ''[[Going Places (1938 film)|Going Places]],'' starring [[Dick Powell]], [[Anita Louise]], [[Allen Jenkins]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] and featuring [[Louis Armstrong]] and [[Maxine Sullivan]]
* ''[[Gold Diggers in Paris]]'', starring [[Rudy Vallée]], [[Rosemary Lane (actress)|Rosemary Lane]], [[Hugh Herbert]] and [[Allen Jenkins]]. Directed by [[Ray Enright]].
* ''[[The Great Waltz (1938 film)|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]]
*''[[Happy Landing (1938 film)|Happy Landing]]'', starring [[Sonja Henie]], [[Don Ameche]] and [[Ethel Merman]] and featuring the [[Raymond Scott]] Quintet
* ''[[Hold That Co-ed]]'', starring [[John Barrymore]], [[George Murphy]] and [[Joan Davis]]
* ''[[Honeysuckle (film)|Honeysuckle]]'', starring [[Hugo del Carril]] and [[Libertad Lamarque]]
*''[[It's in the Air (1938 film)|It's in the Air]]'', starring [[George Formby Jr.|George Formby]], [[Polly Ward]] and [[Jack Hobbs]]. Directed by [[Anthony Kimmins]].
* ''[[Jettatore (1938 film)|Jettatore]]'', starring [[Tito Lusiardo]], directed by [[Luis Bayon Herrera]]
* ''[[Joy of Living]]'', starring [[Irene Dunne]] and [[Douglas Fairbanks Jr.]]
* ''[[Kicking the Moon Around]]'', starring [[Bert Ambrose]], [[Evelyn Dall]], [[Harry Richman]] and [[Florence Desmond]].
* ''[[Kilómetro 111]]'', starring [[Delia Garcés]] and [[Pepe Arias]], directed by [[Mario Soffici]]
* ''La Route Enchantée'', starring [[Charles Trenet]], directed by [[Pierre Caron (director)|Pierre Caron]]
* ''[[La Valentina (1938 film)|La Valentina]]'' starring [[Jorge Negrete]] and [[Esperanza Baur]]
* ''[[Love Finds Andy Hardy]]'' starring [[Mickey Rooney]] and [[Judy Garland]]
* ''[[Mad About Music]]'', starring [[Deanna Durbin]]. Directed by [[Norman Taurog]].
* ''[[My Irish Molly]]'', directed by Alex Bryce, starring [[Binkie Stuart]], [[Tom Burke (actor, born 1890)|Tom Burke]] and [[Maureen O'Hara]]
* ''[[My Lucky Star (1938 film)|My Lucky Star]]'', starring [[Sonja Henie]], [[Richard Greene]], [[Joan Davis]] and [[Art Jarrett]]
* ''[[Naples of Olden Times|Napoli d'altri tempi]]'', starring [[Vittorio De Sica]], [[Emma Gramatica]] and [[Elisa Cegani]].<ref>Gundle, Stephen. ''Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy''. Berghahn Books, 2013. p.153</ref>
* ''[[Outside of Paradise]]'', starring [[Phil Regan (actor)|Phil Regan]] and [[Penny Singleton]]
*''[[Radio City Revels]]'', released February 11, starring [[Bob Burns (actor)|Bob Burns]], [[Jack Oakie]] and [[Kenny Baker (American singer and actor)|Kenny Baker]] and featuring [[Jane Froman]] performing with [[Hal Kemp]]'s orchestra.
* ''[[Romance in the Dark]]'', starring [[Gladys Swarthout]], [[John Boles (actor)|John Boles]], [[John Barrymore]] and [[Claire Dodd]]. Directed by [[H. C. Potter]].
* ''[[Sally, Irene and Mary (1938 film)|Sally, Irene and Mary]]'', starring [[Alice Faye]], [[Tony Martin (entertainer)|Tony Martin]], [[Fred Allen]], [[Jimmy Durante]], [[Joan Davis]] and [[Marjorie Weaver]]
* ''[[Sing You Sinners (1938 film)|Sing You Sinners]]'', starring [[Bing Crosby]], [[Fred MacMurray]] and [[Donald O'Connor]].
* ''[[The Singing Cop (film)|The Singing Cop]]'', starring [[Keith Falkner]], [[Marta Labarr]], [[Ivy St Helier]] and [[Bobbie Comber]]
* ''[[Start Cheering]]'', released March 3, starring [[Jimmy Durante]], [[Gertrude Niesen]] and the [[Three Stooges]].
* ''[[Sweethearts (1938 film)|Sweethearts]]'', starring [[Jeanette MacDonald]] and [[Nelson Eddy]]
* ''[[That Certain Age]]'', released October 7, starring [[Deanna Durbin]]. Songs by (lyrics) [[Harold Adamson]] and (music) [[Jimmy McHugh]]
* ''[[Tropic Holiday]]'', released July 1, starring [[Bob Burns (actor)|Bob Burns]], [[Dorothy Lamour]], [[Ray Milland]] and [[Martha Raye]]
* ''[[Volga-Volga]]'', starring [[Lyubov Orlova]], directed by [[Grigori Aleksandrov]]
* ''[[We're Going to Be Rich]]'' starring [[Gracie Fields]], [[Victor McLaglen]] and [[Brian Donlevy]]

==Births==
*[[January 6]] – [[Adriano Celentano]], singer-songwriter
*[[January 8]] – [[Yevgeny Nesterenko]], opera singer and educator (died 2021)
*[[January 11]] – [[Narvel Felts]], country singer
*[[January 13]]
**[[Daevid Allen]], Australian musician (died [[2015]])
**[[Paavo Heininen]], Finnish composer
**[[Shivkumar Sharma]], [[santoor]] player
*[[January 14]]
**[[Jack Jones (singer)|Jack Jones]], singer
**[[Allen Toussaint]], songwriter and record producer (died 2015)
*[[January 18]] – [[Hargus "Pig" Robbins]], session piano player
*[[January 21]] – [[Wolfman Jack]], DJ (died 1995)
*[[January 25]]
**[[Etta James]], blues singer (died 2012)
**[[Vladimir Vysotsky]], singer, songwriter, poet and actor (died 1980)
*[[February 11]]
**[[Edith Mathis]], Swiss operatic soprano (died 2025)
**[[Bobby "Boris" Pickett]], singer ("[[Monster Mash]]") (died 2007)
*[[February 16]] – [[John Corigliano]], composer
*[[February 22]] – [[Bobby Hendricks]], R&B singer ([[The Drifters]]) (died 2022)
*[[February 27]]
**[[Mobarak Hossain Khan]], surbahar player and musicologist (died 2019)
**[[Jake Thackray]], singer-songwriter (died 2002)
*[[March 2]]
**[[Simon Estes]], operatic bass
**[[Lawrence Payton]], [[Motown]] tenor ([[Four Tops|The Four Tops]]) (died 1997)
*[[March 5]] – [[Paul Evans (musician)|Paul Evans]], singer and songwriter
*[[March 3]] – [[Douglas Leedy]], composer (died 2015)
*[[March 9]] – [[Lill-Babs]], pop singer (died 2018)
*[[March 12]] – [[Dimitri Terzakis]], composer
*[[March 13]]
**[[Hans-Joachim Hespos]], composer (died 2022)
**[[Jean-Claude Risset]], composer (died 2016)
*[[March 18]] – [[Charley Pride]], country singer (died 2020)
*[[March 25]] – [[Hoyt Axton]], country singer-songwriter and actor (died 1999)
*[[April 2]] – [[Booker Little]], jazz trumpeter and composer (died 1961)
*[[April 3]] – [[Jeff Barry]], songwriter
*[[April 4]] – [[Declan Mulligan]], rock guitarist ([[The Beau Brummels]]) (died 2021)
*[[April 7]]
**[[Spencer Dryden]], rock drummer ([[Jefferson Airplane]], [[Dinosaurs (band)|The Dinosaurs]]) (died 2005)
**[[Freddie Hubbard]], jazz trumpeter (died 2008)
*[[April 13]] – [[Frederic Rzewski]], composer (died 2021)
*[[April 19]] – [[Jonathan Tunick]], composer
*[[April 26]]
**[[Duane Eddy]], rock guitarist (died [[2024 in music|2024]])
**[[Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs|Maurice Williams]], doo-wop vocalist (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs)
*[[April 29]] – [[Klaus Voormann]], rock guitarist, producer and sleeve designer ([[Manfred Mann]])
*[[May 4]] – [[Tyrone Davis]], singer (died 2005)
*[[May 10]]
**[[Henry Fambrough]], R&B vocalist ([[The Spinners (American R&B group)|The Spinners]])
**[[Maxim Shostakovich]], orchestral conductor
*[[May 11]] – [[Bruce Langhorne]], folk guitarist (died 2017)
*[[May 13]]
** [[Dumitru Fărcaș]], Romanian [[tárogató]] player (died [[2018 in music|2018]])
**Frankie Smith, African-American doo-wop bass vocalist ([[The Monotones]]) (died 2000)
**[[Lucille Starr]], French-Canadian singer (died 2020)
*[[May 15]] – [[Lenny Welch]], pop singer
*[[May 19]] – [[Herbie Flowers]], bass player (died 2024)
*[[May 26]] – [[Teresa Stratas]], operatic soprano<ref>{{cite book|last=Randel|first=Don Michael|author-link=Don Michael Randel|title=The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians|date=30 October 2002|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-25572-2|page=866|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXILEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT866}}</ref>
*[[May 27]] – [[Elizabeth Harwood]], operatic soprano (died 1990)
*[[May 28]] – [[Prince Buster]], ska musician (died 2016)
*[[June 9]] – [[Charles Wuorinen]], composer (died 2020)
*[[June 13]] – [[Gwynne Howell]], opera singer
*[[June 14]] – [[Julie Felix]], folk singer (died 2020)
*[[June 15]] – [[Jean-Claude Éloy]], composer
*[[June 20]] – [[Mickie Most]], record producer (died 2003)
*[[June 23]] – [[Alan Vega]], American rock singer, musician ([[Suicide (band)]]) (died [[2016 in music|2016]])
*[[June 24]] – [[Edoardo Vianello]], Italian singer and composer
*[[June 26]] – [[Billy Davis Jr.]], pop singer ([[The 5th Dimension]])
*[[July 1]] – Pandit [[Hariprasad Chaurasia]], bansuri player
*[[July 4]] – [[Bill Withers]], singer-songwriter (died 2020)
*[[July 5]] – [[Ronnie Self]], American singer-songwriter (died 1981)
*[[July 9]] – [[Paul Chihara]], American composer
*[[July 14]] – [[Tommy Vig]], Hungarian composer, arranger and vibraphonist
*[[July 27]] – [[Isabelle Aubret]], singer
*[[July 28]] – [[George Cummings]], rock guitarist and songwriter ([[Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show]])
*[[July 31]] – [[Bonnie Brown (musician)|Bonnie Brown]], country singer ([[The Browns]]) (died 2016)
*[[August 1]] – [[Paddy Moloney]], traditional Irish musician ([[The Chieftains]]) (died 2021)
*[[August 4]] – [[Simon Preston]], organist (died 2022)
*[[August 8]] – [[Jacques Hétu]], composer (died 2010)
*[[August 13]] – [[Dave "Baby" Cortez]], pop keyboard player
*[[August 21]] – [[Kenny Rogers]], country singer (died 2020)
*[[August 23]] – [[Roger Greenaway]], singer-songwriter (David & Jonathan)
*[[August 24]]
**[[David Freiberg]], rock musician ([[Quicksilver Messenger Service]])
**[[Mason Williams]], guitarist and composer
*[[August 26]] – [[Jet Black]], punk rock/new wave drummer ([[The Stranglers]]) (died 2022)
*[[September 3]] – [[Larry Grossman (composer)|Larry Grossman]], composer of Broadway musicals
*[[September 6]] – [[Joan Tower]], composer and singer
*[[September 19]] – [[Zygmunt Krauze]], pianist and composer
*[[September 21]]
**[[Atli Heimir Sveinsson]], composer (died 2019)
**[[Yuji Takahashi]], composer
*[[September 28]] – [[Ben E. King]], singer (died 2015)
*[[October 3]] – [[Eddie Cochran]], singer (died 1960)
*[[October 15]]
**[[Marv Johnson]], singer (died 1993)
**[[Fela Kuti]], Afrobeat multi-instrumentalist (died 1997)
*[[October 16]] – [[Nico]], singer-songwriter, actress and model (died 1988)
*[[October 18]] – [[Ronnie Bright]], [[The Coasters]] (died 2015)
*[[November 2]] – [[Jay Black]] ([[Jay and the Americans]]) (died 2021)
*[[November 4]] – [[Harry Elston]] ([[Friends Of Distinction]])
*[[November 6]]
**[[Jim Pike (musician)|Jim Pike]] ([[The Lettermen]]) (died 2019)
**[[P. J. Proby]], singer
*[[November 7]] – [[Dee Clark]], soul singer (died 1990)
*[[November 16]] – [[Troy Seals]], singer, songwriter
*[[November 17]] – [[Gordon Lightfoot]], singer-songwriter (died 2023)
*[[November 19]] – [[Hank Medress]], doo-wop vocalist and producer ([[The Tokens]]) (died 2007)
*[[December 1]] – [[Sandy Nelson]], drummer (died 2022)
*[[December 5]] – [[J. J. Cale]], singer-songwriter (died 2013)
*[[December 8]] – [[Bernie Krause]], bioacoustician
*[[December 10]] – [[Yuri Temirkanov]], conductor (died 2023)
*[[December 11]] – [[McCoy Tyner]], jazz pianist (died 2020)
*[[December 12]] – [[Connie Francis]], singer
*[[December 15]] – [[Fela Kuti]], Afrobeat pioneer (died 1997)
*[[December 18]] – [[Chas Chandler]], musician, record producer and manager (died 1996)
*[[December 20]] – [[John Harris Harbison]], composer
*[[December 24]] – [[Mesías Maiguashca]], composer
*[[December 28]] – Charles Neville ([[The Neville Brothers]]) (died 2018)
*''date unknown''
**[[Fanta Damba]], ''jalimosolu'' singer
**[[Abdul Jabbar (singer)|Abdul Jabbar]], singer (died 2017)
**[[Atli Heimir Sveinsson]], composer (died 2019)

==Deaths==
*[[January 19]] – [[Rosa Mayreder]], feminist writer, artist and musician, 79
*[[January 20]] – [[Nikolai Zhilyayev (musicologist)|Nikolai Zhilyayev]], musicologist, 56
*[[January 29]] – [[Carl Venth]], violinist and composer, 77
*[[February 4]] – [[Dominique Heckmes]], composer and music critic, 59
*[[February 25]] – [[Růžena Maturová]], operatic contralto, 68
*[[February 27]] – [[Gianni Bettini]], phonograph maker (born 1860)
*[[March 2]] – [[Ben Harney]], ragtime composer & entertainer, 65
*[[March 12]] – [[Lyda Roberti]], actress and singer, 31 (heart attack)
*[[March 18]] – [[Cyril Rootham]], composer, 62
*[[April 5]] – [[Reine Davies]], actress and singer, 51 (heart attack)
*[[April 8]] – [[Joe "King" Oliver]], jazz trumpeter & band leader, 52
*[[April 12]] – [[Feodor Chaliapin]], operatic bass, 65
*[[April 18]] – [[Richard Runciman Terry]], musicologist, 72
*[[May 7]] – [[Papa Charlie Jackson]], American blues musician, 50
*[[May 13]] –  [[Felipe Pinglo Alva]], Peruvian composer, 36
*[[June 26]] – [[James Weldon Johnson]], US songwriter, author, diplomat and educationalist, 67
*[[July 9]] – [[:de:H. Benne Henton|H. Benne Henton]], American ragtime and early jazz saxophonist songwriter, 60
*[[July 24]] – [[Anatole Friedland]], American composer and songwriter, 57
*[[July 27]] – [[James Thornton (songwriter)|James Thornton]], English-born US songwriter and [[vaudeville]] comedian, 76
*[[August 14]] – [[Landon Ronald]], pianist and composer, 65
*[[August 16]] – [[Robert Johnson]], blues musician, 27 (suspected strychnine poisoning)
*[[August 30]] – [[James Scott (musician)|James Scott]], ragtime composer, 53
*[[September 2]] – [[Fleta Jan Brown Spencer]], songwriter, composer, pianist, and singer, 56
*[[September 4]] – [[Oreste Candi]], violin-maker, 72
*[[September 8]] – [[Agustín Magaldi]], tango singer, 39
*[[September 12]] – [[Mary Elizabeth Turner Salter]], American soprano singer and composer, 82
*[[September 28]] – [[Con Conrad]], songwriter, 47
*[[October 22]] – [[May Irwin]], vaudeville star, 76
*[[October 23]] – [[Fred Barnes (performer)|Fred Barnes]], music hall entertainer, 53 (Tuberculosis)
*[[October 27]]
**<!--October 27-->[[Alma Gluck]], soprano, 54 (liver failure)
**<!--October 27-->[[Khadija Gayibova]], Azerbaijani pianist, 45 (executed)
*[[November 21]] – [[Leopold Godowsky]], pianist and composer, 68
*[[December 10]] – [[Mario Pilati]], composer, 35
*[[December 21]] – [[James Milton Black]], hymn-writer and choir-master, 82
*''date unknown''
**[[Minnie Egener]], operatic mezzo-soprano (born 1881)
**[[Attilio Salvaneschi]], operatic tenor (born 1873)
*''probable'' – [[Oskar Böhme]], trumpeter and composer (born 1870)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1938 in music| ]]
[[Category:20th century in music]]
[[Category:Music by year]]