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Overview of the events of 1949 in music From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1949.
These singles reached the top of the US charts in 1949.
First week | Number of weeks | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|---|
January 8, 1949 | 1 | "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" | Spike Jones |
January 15, 1949 | 1 | "Buttons and Bows" | Dinah Shore |
January 22, 1949 | 7 | "A Little Bird Told Me" | Evelyn Knight |
March 12, 1949 | 2 | "Cruising Down the River" | Blue Barron |
March 26, 1949 | 7 | "Cruising Down the River" | Russ Morgan |
May 14, 1949 | 11 | "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" | Vaughn Monroe |
July 30, 1949 | 5 | "Some Enchanted Evening" | Perry Como |
September 3, 1949 | 4 | "You're Breaking My Heart" | Vic Damone |
October 1, 1949 | 8 | "That Lucky Old Sun" | Frankie Laine |
November 26, 1949 | 6 | "Mule Train" | Frankie Laine |
Before the Hot100 was implemented in 1958, Billboard magazine measured a record's performance with three charts, 'Best-Selling Popular Retail Records', 'Records Most Played By Disk Jockeys' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'. We use the same data, with several modifications. Having no commercial deadlines, year-end data does not end December 31, chart-runs are ever truncated, and every hit song has a year to call home. With few exceptions, records included entered the charts between November 1948 and December 1949. Each week fifteen points were awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. This system rewards songs that reach the highest positions, as well as those that had the longest chart runs. Each record's three point totals are combined, with that number determining the year-end rank. Number of weeks at number one or total weeks on the chart do not include duplicates; if a record was #1 on all 3 charts on July 15, that counts as one week, not three. Additional information from other sources is reported, but not used for ranking. This includes dates from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, cross-over information from R&B and Country charts, 'Cashbox', and other sources as noted.
Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart positions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra | "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3411 | March 14, 1949 | May 14, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #1, US #1 for 12 weeks, 22 total weeks, US Country 1949 #43, USHB #2 for 1 weeks, 3 total weeks, 627 points, CashBox #1 |
2 | Frankie Laine | "That Lucky Old Sun"[8] | Mercury 5316 | June 14, 1949 | August 19, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #2, US #1 for 8 weeks, 22 total weeks, 510 points, CashBox #4 |
3 | The Andrews Sisters with Gordon Jenkins Orchestra | "I Can Dream, Can't I?"[9] | Decca 24705 | July 15, 1949 | August 22, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #3, US #1 for 5 weeks, 25 total weeks, 496 points |
4 | Evelyn Knight | "A Little Bird Told Me"[10] | Decca 24514 | October 12, 1948 | November 1948 | US Billboard 1949 #4, US #1 for 7 weeks, 21 total weeks, 473 points, CashBox #8 |
5 | Perry Como | "Some Enchanted Evening"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3402 | March 1, 1949 | April 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #7, US #1 for 5 weeks, 26 total weeks, 468 points, CashBox #2 |
6 | Vic Damone | "You're Breaking My Heart"[8] | Mercury 5271 | February 15, 1949 | May 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #6, US #1 for 4 weeks, 26 total weeks, 467 points, CashBox #7 |
7 | Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely | "Slippin' Around"[11] | Capitol 40224 | September 5, 1949 | September 10, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #10, US #1 for 3 weeks, 23 total weeks, US Country 1949 #2, USHB #1 for 16 weeks, 32 total weeks, 428 points |
8 | Blue Barron and His Orchestra | "Cruising Down the River"[12] | MGM 10346 | December 15, 1948 | January 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #8, US #1 for 7 weeks, 20 total weeks, 409 points, CashBox #5 |
9 | Frankie Laine | "Mule Train"[8] | Mercury 5345 | October 2, 1949 | October 28, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #6, US #1 for 6 weeks, 13 total weeks, 385 points, CashBox #9 |
10 | Russ Morgan and His Orchestra | "Cruising Down The River"[13] | Decca 24568 | January 20, 1949 | February 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #10, US #1 for 7 weeks, 22 total weeks, 360 points, CashBox #3 |
11 | Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra | "Again"[14] | Decca 24602 | February 17, 1949 | April 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #11, US #2 for 3 weeks, 23 total weeks, 295 points |
12 | Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra | "Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)"[15] | RCA Victor 20-3510 | July 1949 | August 1, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #12, US #1 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks, 287 points |
13 | Russ Morgan and His Orchestra | "Forever and Ever"[16] | Decca 24569 | January 20, 1949 | February 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #13, US #1 for 3 weeks, 26 total weeks, 263 points |
14 | Perry Como | "Forever and Ever"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3347 | January 13, 1949 | March 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #14, US #2 for 1 weeks, 25 total weeks, 245 points |
15 | Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye (Vocal Don Cornell) | "Room Full of Roses"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3441 | March 8, 1949 | May 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #15, US #2 for 1 weeks, 24 total weeks, 220 points |
16 | Evelyn Knight | "Powder Your Face with Sunshine"[17] | Decca 24530 | November 16, 1948 | December 1948 | US Billboard 1949 #16, US #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 208 points |
17 | Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra | "Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)"[18] | Decca 24720 | August 12, 1949 | September 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #17, US #3 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 181 points |
18 | Bing Crosby | "Far Away Places"[19] | Decca 24532 | November 25, 1948 | January 5, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #18, US #2 for 3 weeks, 19 total weeks, 171 points |
19 | Al Morgan | "Jealous Heart" | London 30001 | 1949 | July 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #19, US #4 for 5 weeks, 26 total weeks, 166 points |
20 | Margaret Whiting | "Far Away Places"[20] | Capitol 15278 | October 1, 1948 | November 1948 | US Billboard 1949 #20, US #2 for 6 weeks, 23 total weeks, 152 points |
21 | Russ Morgan | "So Tired"[21] | Decca 24521 | October 11, 1945 | November 1948 | US Billboard 1949 #21, US #3 for 1 weeks, 25 total weeks, 146 points |
22 | Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters | ""A" – You're Adorable (The Alphabet Song)"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3381 | March 1, 1949 | March 25, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #22, US #1 for 2 weeks, 15 total weeks, 144 points |
23 | Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra | "Red Roses for a Blue Lady"[7] | RCA Victor 20-3319 | December 15, 1948 | January 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #23, US #3 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 131 points |
24 | Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters | "A Dreamer's Holiday"[15] | RCA Victor 20-3543 | August 11, 1949 | September 12, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #24, US #3 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 118 points |
25 | Bing Crosby | "Mule Train"[22] | Decca 24798 | October 26, 1949 | November 12, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #25, US #4 for 2 weeks, 12 total weeks, 109 points |
40 | Gene Autry and the Pinafores | "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"[23] | Columbia 38610 | June 27, 1949 | September 1, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #40, US #1 for 1 week, 6 total weeks, US Country 1949 #25, USHB #1 for 4 weeks, 5 total weeks, 55 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1985, 7,000,000 sold by 1969[24] |
248 | Gene Autry | "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"[25] | Columbia 20377 | August 28, 1947 | November 7, 1949 | US Billboard 1949 #248, US #24 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Country 1949 #61, USHB #8 for 1 week, 3 total weeks, 3 points, 1,000,000 sales[24] |
Composer | Composition | Date | Location | Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barber, Samuel | Piano Sonata | 1949-12-09 | Havana, Cuba | Horowitz[26] |
Bartók, Béla | Viola Concerto (1945) | 1949-12-02 | Minneapolis | Primrose / Minneapolis Symphony – Dorati[27] |
Bernstein, Leonard | The Age of Anxiety (Symphony No. 2) | 1949-04-08 | Boston | Bernstein / Boston Symphony – Koussevitzky[28] |
Britten, Benjamin | Spring Symphony | 1949-07-09 | Amsterdam (Holland Festival) | Vincent, Ferrier, Pears / Netherlands Radio Choir, Concertgebouw Orchestra – Van Beinum[29] |
Bush, Alan | Nottingham Symphony (Symphony No. 2) | 1949-06-27 | Nottingham, UK | London Philharmonic – Ellenberg[30] |
Carter, Elliott | Wind Quintet | 1949-02-27 | New York City | Orenstein, Abosch, Paul, Bobo, Popkin[31] |
Copland, Aaron | Preamble for a Solemn Occasion | 1949-12-19 | New York City | Olivier / Boston Symphony – Bernstein[32] |
Cowell, Henry | Symphony No. 5 (1948) | 1949-01-05 | Washington DC | USA National Symphony – Kindler[33] |
Delius, Frederick | Summer Evening; Winter Night; Spring Morning (1890) | 1949-01-02 | London | [unknown orchestra] – Beecham[34] |
Dello Joio, Norman | Concertante for Clarinet and Orchestra | 1949-05-22 | Chautauqua, New York | Shaw / Chautauqua Symphony – Autori[35] |
Egge, Klaus | Sinfonia giocosa (Symphony No. 2) (1947) | 1949-07-09 | Oslo | [unknown orchestra] – Grüner-Hegge[36] |
Einem, Gottfried von | Orchestral Suite from Dantons Tod | 1949-02-09 | Baden-Baden, Germany | SWF Symphony – Rosbaud[37] |
Enescu, George | Romanian Concert Overture (1948) | 1949-01-23 | Washington DC | USA National Symphony – Enescu[38] |
Ghedini, Giorgio Federico | Concerto funebre in memoria di Duccio Galimberti (1948) | 1949-03-02 | Rome | Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra – Rossi[39] |
Ginastera, Alberto | Ollantay (1947) | 1949-10-29 | Buenos Aires | Teatro Colón Regular Orchestra – E. Kleiber[40] |
Ginastera, Alberto | String Quartet No. 1 (1948) | 1949-10-24 | Buenos Aires | Mozart Quartet[41] |
Glinka, Mikhail | String Quartet (1824) | 1949-02-27 | Moscow | Beethoven Quartet[42] |
Harris, Roy | Kentucky Spring | 1949-04-05 | Louisville, US | Louisville Philharmonic – Whitney[43] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Apollo und Hyazintus | 1949-06-26 | Frankfurt | Plümacher, Picht-Axenfeld / Members of the HR Symphony – Henze[44] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Ballett-Variationen | 1949-09-26 | Düsseldorf | NWDR Symphony – Romansky[45] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Chor gefangener Trojer (1948) | 1949-02-06 | Bielefeld, Germany | Bieleld Musikverein Choir, Stadtorchester Bielefeld – Hoffmann[46] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Symphony No. 2 | 1949-12-01 | Stuttgart | SDR Radio Symphony – Müller-Kray[47] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Variations for Piano | 1949-06-17 | Frankfurt | Kaul[48] |
Hindemith, Paul | Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra | 1949-05-15 | New York City | CBS Symphony – Johnson[49] |
Honegger, Arthur | Concerto da camera | 1949-05-06 | Zürich | Jaunet, Saillet / Collegium Musicum Zürich – Sacher[50] |
Howells, Herbert | Music for a Prince (1948) | 1949-01-23 | London | BBC Symphony – Sargent[51] |
Jolivet, André | Étude sur les modes antiques (1944) | 1949-06-09 | Paris | Haloua[52] |
Jolivet, André | Symphonic Suite from Guignol et Pandore (1943) | 1949-12-11 | Paris | Colonne Orchestra – Fourestier[53] |
Landowski, Marcel | Jean de la Peur (Symphony No. 1) | 1949-04-03 | Paris | Pasdeloup Orchestra – Wolff[54] |
Lutosławski, Witold | Overture for Strings | 1949-11-09 | Prague | Prague Radio Symphony – Fitelberg[55] |
Malipiero, Gian Francesco | Mondi celesti (1947) | 1949-02-03 | Capri, Italy | [unknown ensemble] – Giulini[56] |
Malipiero, Gian Francesco | Sinfonia degli archi (Symphony No. 6) | 1949-02-11 | Basel | Basel Chamber Orchestra – Sacher[57] |
Martinů, Bohuslav | Piano Concerto No. 3 | 1949-11-20 | Dallas | Firkusny / Dallas Symphony – Hendl[58] |
Mennin, Peter | The Cycle (Symphony No. 4) | 1949-03-18 | New York City | Collegiate Chorale, New York Philharmonic – Shaw[59] |
Messiaen, Olivier | Turangalîla-Symphonie (1948) | 1949-12-02 | Boston | Loriod, Martenot / Boston Symphony – Bernstein[60] |
Milhaud, Darius | Concerto for Marimba and Vibraphone | 1949-02-12 | St. Louis, US | Connor / St. Louis Symphony – Golschmann[61] |
Milhaud, Darius | Kentuckiana (1948) | 1949-01-04 | Louisville, US | Louisville Orchestra – Whitney[62] |
Myaskovsky, Nikolai | Cello Sonata No. 2 | 1949-03-05 | Moscow | Rostropovich, Dedyukhin[63][64] |
Nystroem, Gösta | Sinfonia del mare (Symphony No. 3) (1948) | 1949-03-24 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Eksell / Gothenburg Symphony – Eckerberg[65] |
Ohana, Maurice | La venta encantada (1940) | 1949-04-29 | Paris | Girard Orchestra – Girard[66] |
Panufnik, Andrzej | Sinfonia rustica (Symphony No. 1) (1948) | 1949-05-13 | Warsaw | Warsaw Philharmonic – Panufnik[67] |
Poulenc, Francis | Cello Sonata (1948) | 1949-05-18 | Paris | Fournier, Poulenc[68] |
Rubbra, Edmund | Symphony No. 5 (1947) | 1949-01-26 | London | BBC Symphony – Boult[69] |
Scelsi, Giacinto | La nascita del Verbo | 1949-10-28 | Paris | RTF National Orchestra and Chorus – Desormière[70] |
Schoenberg, Arnold | Phantasy for Violin and Piano | 1949-09-13 | Los Angeles | Koldofsky, Stein[71] |
Schuman, William | Symphony No. 6 (1948) | 1949-02-26 | Dallas | Dallas Symphony – Dorati[72] |
Seiber, Mátyás | Ulysses | 1949-05-27 | London | Lewis / Morley College Choir, Kalmar Orchestra – Goehr[73] |
Shostakovich, Dmitri | Song of the Forests | 1949-12-11 | Leningrad | [unknown chorus], Leningrad Philharmonic – Mravinsky[74] |
Tansman, Alexandre | Music for Strings (1947) | 1949-01-24 | Barcelona | Barcelona Chamber Orchestra – Tansman[75] |
Thompson, Randall | Symphony No. 3 | 1949-05-15 | New York City | CBS Symphony – Johnson[76] |
Ustvolskaya, Galina | The Dream of Stepan Razin | 1949-10-08 | Leningrad | [unknown baritone] / Leningrad Philharmonic – Mravinsky[77] |
Weinberg, Mieczysław | Moldavian Rhapsody | 1949-11-30 | Moscow (USC Plenum) | USSR Radio Symphony – Gauk[78] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Concerto for Strings | 1949-07-25 | Cologne | NWDR Symphony – Meylan[79] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Symphonic Variations and Fugue on In dulci jubilo | 1949-12-10 | Koblenz, Germany | Southwest German Radio Symphony – Gerdes[80] |
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