1903 in music

Specific locations

• 1903 in Norwegian music

  Events

• February 11 – Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony is premiered in Vienna
• February 23 – March 8 – George Enescu conducts the world premieres of three of his works, the Suite No. 1 for orchestra, op. 9, in C major, and the two Romanian Rhapsodies, op. 11, in A major and D major, as part of a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.
• September – Frederick Delius marries Jelka Rosen.
• Enrico Caruso joins cast of New York's Metropolitan Opera Company and makes first records for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
• Mississippi John Hurt begins performing.
• Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland premieres.
• Charles W. Clark is the first American to give a concert at the Paris National Conservatoire of Music, an honor that had not been given to an American in seventy years of those concerts.

  Published popular music

• "Always In The Way" w.m. Charles K. Harris
• "Always Leave Them Laughing When You Say Goodbye" w.m. George M. Cohan
• "Are We To Part Like This?" w.m. Harry Castling & Charles Collins
• "Anona" w.m. Vivian Grey
• "Bedelia" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" w.m. Dan McAvoy
• "The Burning of Rome" by E. T. Paull
• "By The Sycamore Tree" w. George V. Hobart m. Max Hoffmann
• "Congo Love Song" w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson
• "Daisy Donahue" w. James O'Dea m. Robert J. Adams
• "Dear Old Girl" w. Richard Henry Buck m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Dear Sing Sing" Schwartz
• "Down At The Old Bull And Bush" w.m. Florrie Forde
• "Flowers Of Dixieland" w. Edgar Smith m. J. Rosamond Johnson
• "General Hardtack On Guard" w.m. Dave Reed Jr
• "Good-bye, Eliza Jane" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "Hamlet Was A Melancholy Dane" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Hannah!" by Joseph Farrell
• "He Was A Sailor" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay" w. Vincent Bryan m. Theodore F. Morse
• "I Can't Do The Sum" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert
• "I Could Love You In A Steam Heat Flat" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
• "I Never Could Love Like That" Bowman, Johns
• "Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider" w. Eddie Leonard m. Eddie Munson
• "I'm A Jonah Man" w.m. Alex Rogers
• "I'm On The Water Wagon Now" w. Paul West m. John Walter Bratton
• "I'm Thinking Of You All The While" Reed Jnr
• "I'm Wearing My Heart Away For You" w.m. Charles K. Harris
• "In The Village By The Sea" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Stanley Crawford
• "Indolence" Jason Mathews
• "Is Your Mother In, Molly Malone?" w.m. Mills & Everard
• "It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
• "It Was The Dutch" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
• "It's The Man In The Sailor Suit" w. Fred C. Farrell m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Jack Tar March" by John Philip Sousa
• "Julie" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
• "Lazy Moon" w. Bob Cole m. J. Rosamond Johnson
• "Like A Star That Falls From Heaven" w. Arthur Lamb m. Kerry Mills
• "Little Yellow Bird" w.m. C. W. Murphy & William Hargreaves
• "The Maid Of Timbucktoo" w. James Weldon Johnson m. Bob Cole
• "The March Of The Toys" m. Victor Herbert
• "Main Gazebo" Chris Praetorius
• "Mary Ellen" Bryan, Lemonier
• "Melody Of Love" w. Tom Glazer m. H. Engelmann
• "The Military Band" m. Victor Herbert
• "Moriaty" w. Charles Horwitz m. Fred V. Bowers
• "Mother O' Mine" w. Rudyard Kipling m. Frank E. Tours
• "My Cosy Corner Girl" w. Charles Noel Douglas m. John Walter Bratton
• "My Hula Lula Girl" by Jean Schwartz & William Jerome
• "My Little Coney Isle" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
• "My Little Creole Babe" w.m. Maude Nugent
• "My Little 'Rang Outang" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Navajo" w. Harry H. Williams m. Egbert Van Alstyne
• "An Old Man's Darling" w.m. Fred Murray & George Everard
• "Only a Dream of the Golden Past" w. Alfred Bryan m. Stanley Crawford
• "Out Where the Breakers Roar" w. Harlow Hyde m. H. W. Petrie
• "Over the Pilsner Foam" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
• "Palm Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin
• "Please Mother, Buy Me a Baby" w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards
• "The Saftest of the Family" w. Harry Lauder & Bobry Beaton m. Harry Lauder
• "Save It for Me" w. James Weldon Johnson m. Bob Cole
• "Spring Beautiful Spring" m. Paul Lincke
• "Summer Breeze March & Two-Step" by James Scott
• "There's a Little Street in Heaven That They Call Broadway" w. Jack T. Waldron & A. Baldwin Sloane m. A. Baldwin Sloane
• "Toyland" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert
• "The Toymaker's Shop" m. Victor Herbert
• "Two Eyes Of Blue" w. George H. Taylor m. Leslie Stuart
• "Two Eyes Of Brown" w. Edward Madden m. Stephen Howard
• "Under A Panama" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
• "Under the Anheuser Bush" w.m. Andrew B. Sterling & Harry Von Tilzer
• "Up In A Coconut Tree" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
• "Upper Broadway After Dark" w. Edward Gardinier m. Maurice Levi
• "When I'm Away From You Dear" w.m. Paul Dresser
• "The Woodchuck Song" w. Robert Hobart Davis m. Theodore F. Morse
• "The Wreck Of The Old '97" w.m. Henry C. Work
• "Your Dad Gave His Life For His Country" w. Harry J. Breen m. T. Mayo Geary
• "You're The Flower Of My Heart, Sweet Adeline" w. Richard H. Gerard m. Henry W. Armstrong

  Recorded popular music

• "Always In The Way"

• "Any Rags?"

• "The Arrow And The Song"

• "Badinage"

• "Bedelia"

• "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous"

• "Blaze Away"

• "Blaze Away"

• "By The Sycamore Tree"

• "Come Down Ma' Evenin' Star"

• "Congo Love Song"

• "Could You Be True To Eyes Of Blue If You Looked Into Eyes Of Brown?"

• "The Country Girl"

• "Didn't Know Exactly What To Do"

• "Down On The Farm"

• "Flowers Of Dixieland"

• "The Gambling Man"

• "Good-bye, Eliza Jane"

• "Hamlet Was A Melancholy Dane"

• "He Ought To Have A Tablet In The Hall of Fame"

• "He Was A Sailor"

• "Heidelberg Stein Song"

• "Hiawatha"

• "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay"

• "I Could Love You In A Steam Heat Flat"

• "I Like You, Lil, For Fair"

• "I Never Could Love Like That"

• "I Want To Be A Lidy"

• "I Wonder Why Bill Bailey Don't Come Home"

• "I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime"

• "I'm A Jonah Man"

• "I'm Thinking Of You All The While"

• "I'm Wearing My Heart Away For You"

• "In Silence"

• "In The City Of Sighs And Tears"

• "In the Good Old Summer Time"

• "In The Sweet Bye And Bye"

• "In The Village By The Sea"

• "It Takes The Irish To Beat The Dutch"

• "It Was The Dutch"

• "Juanita"

• "Julie"

• "Just For Tonight"

• "The Leader Of The Frocks And Frills"

• "Like A Star That Falls From Heaven"

• "The Maid Of Timbucktoo"

• "Massa's In De Cold Ground"

• "Meet Me When The Sun Goes Down"

• "Melody Of Love"

• "The Message Of The Rose"

• "The Message Of The Violet"

• "Mighty Lak' A Rose"

• "Moriaty"

• "My Cosy Corner Girl"

• "My Little Coney Isle"

• "My Little 'Rang Outang"

• "My Own United States"

• "My Sulu Lulu Loo"

• "Only A Dream Of A Golden Past"

• "Out Where The Breakers Roar"

• "Please Mother, Buy Me A Baby"

• "Pretty Little Dinah Jones"

• "R-E-M-O-R-S-E"

• "Sal"

• "Sammy"

• "Sammy"

• "Sly Musette"

• "Tell Me Dusky Maiden"

• "Then I'd Be Satisfied With Life"

• "There's One In A Million Like You"

• "Two Eyes Of Blue"

• "Under The Bamboo Tree"

• "Up In A Coconut Tree"

• "Upper Broadway After Dark"

• "The Vacant Chair"

• "Wait At The Gate For Me"

• "What's The Matter With The Moon Tonight?"

• "When The Fields Are White With Cotton"

• "When We Were Two Little Boys"

Classical music

• Hakon Borresen – Romance for Cello and Piano/Orchestra
• Frederick Delius – Sea Drift
• Edward Elgar – The Apostles
• George Enescu –
• *Piano Suite No. 2 in D major, Op. 10
• *Sérénade lointaine for piano, violin, and cello
• Joseph Holbrooke – The Bells
• Joseph Jongen – Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1
• Carl Nielsen – Helios Overture
• Vítězslav Novák – Slovak Suite
• Maurice Ravel – String Quartet in F
• Alexander Scriabin – 8 Études for piano, Op. 42

  [Opera]

• Eugen d'Albert – Tiefland premiered on November 15 at the Neues Deutsches Theater, Prague
• Edmund Eysler – Bruder Straubinger premiered on February 20 at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna
• Scott Joplin – A Guest of Honor
• Juan Manen – Giovanna di Napoli
• Emile Pessard – L'épave premiered on February 17 at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Salle Choiseul, Paris

  [Musical theater]

• Babes In Toyland Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on October 13 and ran for 192 performances
• The Cherry Girl London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on December 29 and ran for 215 performances
• The Duchess of Dantzig London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on October 17 and ran for 236 performances
• The Earl and the Girl London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 10 and transferred to the Lyric Theatre on September 12, 1904, for a total run of 371 performances
• The Fisher Maiden Broadway production opened at the Victoria Theater on October 5 and ran for 32 performances. Starring Al Shean, George A. MacFarlane, Edna Bronson, Bessie Tannehill, Dorothy Jardon and Frances Cameron.
• In Dahomey Broadway production opened at the New York Theatre on February 18 and ran for 53 performances
• In Dahomey London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on May 16 and ran for 251 performances
• The Jersey Lily Broadway production opened at the Victoria Theater on September 14 and ran for 24 performances
• Madame Sherry Vienna production
• Madame Sherry London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on December 23
• The Medal and the Maid London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on April 25
• My Lady Molly London production opened at Terry's Theatre on March 14
• The Orchid London production opened at the Gaiety Theatre on October 26 and ran for 559 performances
• A Princess of Kensington London production opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 22 and ran for 115 performances
• The Rogers Brothers In London Broadway production opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on September 7 and ran for 64 performances
• The School Girl London production opened on May 9 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and ran for 333 performances.
• Three Little Maids Broadway production opened at Daly's Theatre on September 1 and ran for 130 performances
• The Wizard of Oz'' Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 21 and ran for 293 performances

  Births

• January 4 – Carroll Gibbons, bandleader and composer
• January 22 – Robin Milford, English composer and educator
• February 6 – Claudio Arrau, pianist
• February 12 – Todd Duncan, American baritone, first Porgy in Porgy and Bess
• February 15 – Marie-Thérèse Gauley, French opera singer prominent at the Opéra-Comique
• March 10 – Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician
• April 3 – Bubber Miley, jazz trumpeter
• April 21 – Issy Bonn, singer and actor
• May 3 – Bing Crosby, US singer and actor
• May 12 – Lennox Berkeley, composer
• May 26 – Bob Hope, English-born US actor, comedian and singer
• June 6 – Aram Khachaturian, composer
• June 18 – Jeanette MacDonald, US singer and actress
• June 26 – St. Louis Jimmy Oden, blues singer
• July 3 – Dick Robertson, US singer
• July 10 – Helen Pickens of the Pickens Sisters US singing group
• July 16 – Carmen Lombardo, Canadian singer, composer and saxophonist
• August 4 – Helen Kane, US singer
• August 20 – António Fortunato de Figueiredo, conductor
• September 15 – Roy Acuff, Country and Western singer
• October 1 – Vladimir Horowitz, pianist
• October 10 – Vladimir Dukelsky aka Vernon Duke, composer
• October 16
• *Lena Machado, singer
• *Big Joe Williams, blues guitarist
• October 29 – Yvonne Georgi, ballet dancer and choreographer
• December 5 – Johannes Heesters, all-round entertainer
• December 17 – Ray Noble, bandleader, composer and arranger
• date unknown – Caterina Jarboro, operatic soprano

  Deaths

• January 28
• *Augusta Holmès, French composer, 55
• *Robert Planquette, French composer, 54
• January 31 – Meyer Lutz, conductor and composer, 73
• February 17 – Joseph Parry, organist and composer, 61
• February 22 – Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer, 62
• February 23 – Friedrich Grützmacher, cellist, 70
• March – Eugène Cormon, French librettist, 92
• March 5 – Thomas Ryan, viola and clarinet player, 75
• March 19 – Pista Dankó, "gypsy" bandleader and composer, 44
• April 10
• *Heinrich Bellermann, music theorist, 71
• *Enderby Jackson, pioneer of the British brass band, 76
• May 1 – Luigi Arditi, violinist, conductor and composer, 80
• May 9 – Giuseppe Cremonini, operatic tenor, 36
• May 15 – Sibyl Sanderson, operatic soprano, 38
• June – Constance Bache, pianist, composer and music teacher, 57
• June 29 – Rentarō Taki, Japanese pianist and composer, 23
• July 27 – Lina Sandell, Swedish poet and hymn-writer 70
• September 4 – Hermann Zumpe, conductor and composer, 53
• September 28 – Samuel A. Ward, organist and composer, 55
• December 12 – Christian Johansson, ballet dancer and teacher, 86
• December 20 – Kornél Ábrányi, pianist and composer, 81