What was the Music of the 1940's?

Question

What music was popular? Just a brief history of music in that decade. Cite source if possible. Thanks!

Answer 1

In which genre were you thinking?
1940s was the rise of Broadway and film music.....For example I think Rogers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" was written in 1943. So that kind of musicals were really popular.

In Jazz....that is when Bebop was really popular (basically bebop is a post-swing, fast-pased and rapid melodies)
Also, the post world war II years was when Classical music really started to break from tradition and become more avant-garde....although i can't say that was "Popular" because it didn't have a big listening audience...but that's what was going on in classical music.

Answer 2

Big Bands and Swing. Tommy Dorsey, Andrews sisters, Glenn Miller, Kay Kaiser, very many famous ones and crooner style singes, including Bing Crosby and many others. Great era from the mid thirties to the late 40's. Performers like Hoagy Charmicle,( sp?) The Gershwin brothers etc. Some of the songs are still played frequently like " Stardust" "Melancholy Baby". I was born a little late I guess.

Answer 3

This probably not what you're looking for, but it's what I found:
MUSIC & RADIO
Like art, music reflected American enthusiasm tempered with European disillusionment. While the European émigrés Bueno Walter, George Szell, Bela Bartok, Arnold Schoenberg, Paul Hindemith, Kurt Weill, and Nadia Boulanger introduced classical dissonance, American born composers remained more traditional, with Aaron Copland's Rodeo (1942) and Appalachian Spring (1944). William Schuman wrote his symphonies #3(1941) through #7(1949).
At the beginning of the decade, Big Bands dominated popular music. Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman led some of the more famous bands. Eventually, many of the singers with the Big Bands struck out on their own. Bing Crosby's smooth voice made him one of the most popular singers, vying with Frank Sinatra. Dinah Shore, Kate Smith and Perry Como also led the hit parade. Be-Bop and Rhythm and Blues, grew out of the big band era toward the end of the decade. Although these were distinctly black sounds, epitomized by Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Woody Herman.Radio was the lifeline for Americans in the 1940's, providing news, music and entertainment, much like television today. Programming included soap operas, quiz shows, children's hours, mystery stories, fine drama, and sports. Kate Smith and Arthur Godfrey were popular radio hosts. The government relied heavily on radio for propaganda. Like the movies, radio faded in popularity as television became prominent. Many of the most popular radio shows continued on in television, including Red Skelton, Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Truth or Consequences.

WEB SITES
American Popular Music 1900-1950 | A look at the music and the times.
Lyrics Database | 61,000 song lyrics. Search by keyword.
Music in the Public Domain | Includes song lists - with links to some lyrics.
History of Radio | Arranged chronologically.

Answer 4

Big Bands like Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller,Andrews Sisters,Bing Crosby were HUGE.

Answer 5

Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Andrew Sisters (My personal fav) Dean Martin.
I just looked this up yesterday, funny.

Answer 6

1940's is the era of the big brass bands, and great harmonies like Sand man, Bugle boy from company "B",
swing jump and jive.ect.

Answer 7

Be-bop or Swing?!

Peace*****************