Music · 1922
The Roaring Twenties Find Their Jazz Groove
In 1922, the Jazz Age exploded through booming record sales and early commercial radio broadcasts across North America. Meanwhile, European avant-garde composers premiered groundbreaking works that redefined the boundaries of classical music.
- Hit Single | USA | Pop/Jazz
"Three O'Clock in the Morning" by Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman's orchestra sells over a million copies of this ubiquitous waltz, cementing his status as a titan of early 1920s popular music.
- Concert Premiere | Oct 19, 1922 | Classical
Ravel's Orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition
Maurice Ravel's brilliant orchestral adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky's piano suite debuts under conductor Serge Koussevitzky in Paris.
- Historic Recording | USA | Jazz
"Ory's Creole Trombone" by Kid Ory's Sunshine Band
Kid Ory's ensemble makes history in Los Angeles by recording the first instrumental jazz tracks released by a Black New Orleans band.
- Opera Debut | June 3, 1922 | Neoclassical
Mavra Premiere by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky's one-act comic opera premieres in Paris, signaling his pivot toward a melodic Russian neoclassical style.
- Concert Premiere | Jan 24, 1922 | Classical
Symphony No. 5 Premiere by Carl Nielsen
Danish composer Carl Nielsen conducts the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, renowned for its dramatic snare drum duel.
- Hit Single | USA | Tin Pan Alley
"Carolina in the Morning" by Marion Harris
Marion Harris captures the breezy optimism of the early 1920s with her hit recording of this iconic Walter Donaldson standard.
- Avant-Garde Debut | Jan 24, 1922 | Chamber
Façade Premiere by William Walton
Edith Sitwell recites her poems through a megaphone over William Walton's witty chamber music in a private London drawing room.
- Hit Single | USA | Hot Dance
"Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" by Ben Selvin
Ben Selvin's Bar Harbor Society Orchestra records Fred Fisher's energetic hit song celebrating the booming Midwestern metropolis.
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