See also: 1919 in music, other events of 1920, 1921 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• Mamie Smith's first blues recordings become a hit, alerting record companies to the African American market.
• Hamilton Harty is appointed resident conductor of the Hallé Orchestra.

Published popular music

• "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "All She'd Say Was "Umh Hum"" w.m. King Zany, Mac Emery, Gus Van & Joe Schenck
• "All The Boys Love Mary" Gus Van & Joe Schenck
• "Aunt Hagar's Blues" w.m. W. C. Handy
• "Avalon" w.m. B. G. DeSylva, Al Jolson & Vincent Rose
• "Bright Eyes" w. Harry B. Smith m. Otto Motzan & M. K. Jerome
• "Broadway Rose" w. Eugene West m. Martin Fried & Otis Spencer
• "Chanson" m. Rudolf Friml
• "Chili Bean" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "Crazy Blues" w.m. Percy Bradford
• "The Cuckoo Waltz" w. Arthur Kingsley m. J. E. Jonasson
• "Daddy, You've Been A Mother To Me" w.m. Fred Fisher
• "Do You Ever Think Of Me?" w. John Cooper & Harry D. Kerr m. Earl Burtnett
• "Down By The O-HI-O (I've Got The Sweetest Little O, My ! O ! )" w. Jack Yellen m. Abe Olman
• "Feather Your Nest" w.m. James Kendis, James Brockman & Howard Johnson
• "The Gipsy Warned Me" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
• "He Went In Like A Lion (And Came Out Like A Lamb)" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry von Tilzer
• "Home Again Blues" w.m. Harry Akst & Irving Berlin
• "I Belong To Glasgow" w.m. Will Fyffe
• "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I'm Loving You" w.m. Tom Pitts, Raymond B. Egan & Roy Marsh
• "I Used To Love You, But It's All Over Now" w. Lew Brown m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "I'd Love To Fall Asleep And Wake Up In My Mammy's Arms" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Fred E. Ahlert
• "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" w. Neville Fleason m. Albert Von Tilzer
• "I'll See You In C-U-B-A" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "In A Persian Market" m. Albert William Ketèlbey
• "The Japanese Sandman" w. Raymond B. Egan m. Richard A. Whiting
• "Jellybean" by Jimmie Dupre, Sam Rosen, and Joe Verges

Jellybean

• "Kalua" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
• "Left All Alone Again Blues" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
• "Little Town In The Ould County Down" w. Richard Pascoe m. Monte Carlo & Alma Saunders
• "Look For The Silver Lining" w. B. G. DeSylva m. Jerome Kern
• "The Love Boat" by Gene Buck
• "Love Nest" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
• "Margie" w. Benny Davis m. Con Conrad & J. Russel Robinson
• "Mary" w. Otto Harbach m. Louis A. Hirsch
• "My Little Bimbo Down On A Bamboo Isle" w. Grant Clarke w. Walter Donaldson
• "My Mammy" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. Walter Donaldson
• "My Man" w. (Eng) Channing Pollock (Fr) Albert Willemetz & Jacques Charles m. Maurice Yvain
• "O'er The Hills To Ardentinny" w.m. Harry Lauder
• "Old Pal Why Don't You Answer Me" w. Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young m. M. K. Jerome
• "Pale Moon" w. Jesse Glick m. Frederick Knight Logan
• "Palesteena" w.m. Con Conrad & J. Russell Robinson
• "Polly" w. Leo Wood m. Jack Richmond
• "Pretty Kitty Kelly" w. Harry Pease m. Ed G. Nelson
• "Ritual Fire Dance" m. Manuel de Falla
• "Rose Of Washington Square" w. Ballard MacDonald m. James F. Hanley
• "San" w.m. Lindsay McPhail & Walter Michels
• "So Long, Oo Long" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby
• "Tell Me Little Gypsy" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "That Old Irish Mother Of Mine" w. William Jerome m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "La Veeda" w. Nat Vincent m. John Alden
• "Wang Wang Blues" w. Leo Wood m. Gus Mueller, Buster Johnson & Henry Busse
• "When My Baby Smiles At Me" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Billy Munro
• "Where Do They Go When They Row, Row, Row?" w. Bert Kalmar & George Jessel, m. Harry Ruby
• "Whispering" w.m. Richard Coburn, Vincent Rose & John Schonberger
• "Whose Baby Are You?" w. Anne Caldwell m. Jerome Kern
• "Wild Rose" w. Clifford Grey m. Jerome Kern
• "A Young Man's Fancy" w. John Murray Anderson & Jack Yellen m. Milton Ager

Top hits on record

• "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith
• "Dardanella" by Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra
• "I've Got My Captain Working For Me Now" by Al Jolson
• "Love Nest" by John Steel
• "Whispering" by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra

Classical music

• Béla Bartók - Eight Improvisations on Peasant Songs
• Arthur Bliss - The Tempest, overture and interludes; Concerto for Piano, tenor voice, strings and percussion; Rout (for soprano and chamber orchestra)
• Ernest Bloch - Violin Sonata No. 1
• Ferruccio Busoni - Piano Sonatina No. 6 (Fantasia da camera super Carmen), Divertimento for flute and orchestra
• Carlos Chávez - Symphony, Piano Sonata No. 1
• Frederick Delius - Hassan
• Gabriel Fauré - Masques et Bergamasques
• Johan Halvorsen - Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2
• Gustav Holst - The Planets
• Arthur Honegger - Pastoral d'été, Viola Sonata, Cello Sonata
• Leos Janacek - symphonic poem Ballad of Blanik
• Darius Milhaud - Le Boeuf sur le toit (ballet), Ballade (for piano and orchestra)
• Francis Poulenc - Five Impromptus for Piano, Suite in C Major for Piano
• Sergei Prokofiev - Five Songs without Words (for voice and piano)
• Maurice Ravel - La Valse, Sonata for violin and cello
• Erik Satie - La Belle excentrique
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Five Preludes for Piano
• Igor Stravinsky - Pulcinella, Concertino for string quartet, Symphonies of Wind Instruments
• Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending, Mass in G minor, London Symphony

Opera

• Vincent D'Indy - The Legend of St. Christoper
• Henry Hadley - Cleopatra's Night
• Erich Korngold - Die tote Stadt

Musical theater

• Afgar Broadway production opened at the Central Theatre on November 8 and ran for 168 performances
• Die Blaue Mazur (The Blue Mazurka ) (Music by Franz Lehar), Vienna
• George White's Scandals Of 1920 Broadway revue opened at the Globe Theatre on June 7 and ran for 134 performances
• Irene London production opened at the Empire Theatre on April 7 and ran for 399 performances
• Kissing Time Broadway production opened at the Lyric Theatre on October 11 and ran for 65 performances
• Der Letzte Walzer (The Last Waltz ) (Music by Oscar Straus), Berlin
• The Night Boat Broadway production opened at the Liberty Theatre on February 2 and ran for 318 performances. Jeanette MacDonald made her first Broadway appearance as a member of the chorus.
• Sally Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on December 21 and ran for 570 performances
• The Shop Girl London revival opened at the Gaiety Theatre on March 25 and ran for 327 performances
• Tip Top Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on October 5 and ran for 241 performances
• What's In A Name Broadway production opened at Maxine Elliott's Theatre on March 19 and ran for 87 performances

Births

• January 1 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra)
• January 3 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer
• February 13 - Eileen Farrell, soprano
• April 29 - Harold Shapero, composer
• May 18 - Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
• May 26 - Peggy Lee
• May 26 - Don Rodney
• August 8 - Leo Chiosso, Italian lyricist
• August 17 - Georgia Gibbs
• August 29 - Charlie Parker
• October 27 - Nanette Fabray
• December 6 - Dave Brubeck
• December 24 - Dave Bartholomew

Deaths

• January 16 - Reginald De Koven, US composer
• April 8 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, composer
• October 20 - Max Bruch