See also: 1934 in music, other events of 1935, 1936 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• April 8 - Béla Bartók's String Quartet No. 5 is premiered in Washington, DC
• April 23 - Your Hit Parade premieres on radio
• Swing music evolves from jazz
• Frank Sinatra's musical career begins
• Ella Fitzgerald's musical career begins
• Natalino Otto's debut on US radio

Published popular music

• "About A Quarter To Nine" words: Al Dubin music: Harry Warren. Introduced by Al Jolson in the film Go Into Your Dance
• "According To The Moonlight" w. Jack Yellen & Herb Magidson m. Joseph Meyer
• "Alone" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown. Introduced by Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle in the film A Night At The Opera
• "Animal Crackers In My Soup" w. Ted Koehler & Irving Caesar m. Ray Henderson. Introduced by Shirley Temple in the film Curly Top
• "A Beautiful Lady In Blue" w. Sam M. Lewis m. J. Fred Coots
• "Begin The Beguine" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Bess Oh Where Is My Bess" George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward
• "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" w. Du Bose Heyward & Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "The Blues Jumped A Rabbit" w.m. Jimmie Noone
• "Broadway Rhythm" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
• "The Broken Record" w.m. Cliff Friend, Charles Tobias & Boyd Bunch
• "But Where Are You?" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "The Buzzard" m. Bud Freeman
• "Buzzard Song" Heyward, Gershwin
• "Casino De Paree" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Al Jolson in the film Go Into Your Dance
• "Cheek To Cheek" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Christopher Robin Is Saying His Prayers" w.m. A. A. Milne & Harold Fraser-Simson
• "Clouds" w. Gus Kahn m. Walter Donaldson
• "The Cockeyed Mayor Of Kaunakakai" w. R. Alex Anderson & Al Stillman m. R. Alex Anderson
• "Cosi Cosa" w. Ned Washington m. Bronislaw Kaper & Walter Jurmann
• "Curly Top" w. Ted Koehler m. Ray Henderson. Introduced by John Boles in the film Curly Top
• "Darling, Je Vous Aime, Beaucoup" w.m. Anna Sosenko
• "Dinner For One, Please James" w.m. Michael Carr
• "The Dixieland Band" m. Johnny Mercer m. Bernard Hanighen
• "Don't Give Up The Ship" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Don't Mention Love To Me" Oscar Levant & Dorothy Fields
• "Down By The River" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Dust Off That Old Pianna" w.m. Irving Caesar, Sammy Lerner & Gerald Marks
• "East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon" w.m. Brooks Bowman
• "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo" w.m. Johnny Mercer & Matt Malneck
• "Every Little Moment" w. Dorothy Fields m.Jimmy McHugh
• "Everything's Been Done Before" w.m. Harold Adamson, Jack King & Edwin H. Knopf
• "Everything's In Rhythm With My Heart" w.m. Al Goodhart , Al Hoffman & Maurice Sigler
• "Fanlight Fanny" George Formby, Gifford, Cliffe
• "From The Top Of Your Head" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "Got A Bran' New Suit" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
• "(Lookie, Lookie, Lookie)Here Comes Cookie" w.m. Mack Gordon
• "Honky Tonk Train" m. Meade Lux Lewis
• "Hooray For Love" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "I Can't Get Started" w. Ira Gershwin m. Vernon Duke
• "I Dream Too Much (Alone)" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jerome Kern
• "I Feel A Song Coming On" w. Dorothy Fields & George Oppenheimer m. Jimmy McHugh
• "I Feel Like A Feather In The Breeze" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' " w. Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward m. George Gershwin
• "I Loves You Porgy" w. DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "I Wish I Were Aladdin" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel
• "I Wished On The Moon" w. Dorothy Parker m. Ralph Rainger
• "I Won't Dance" w. Dorothy Fields & Jimmy McHugh m. Jerome Kern
• "I'd Love To Take Orders From You" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "I'd Rather Lead A Band" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I'll Never Say "Never Again" Again" w.m. Harry Woods
• "I'm Building Up To An Awful Letdown" w. Johnny Mercer m. Fred Astaire
• "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" w. Joe Young m. Fred E. Ahlert
• "I'm In The Mood For Love" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "I'm Living In A Great Big Way" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
• "I'm Shooting High" w. Ted Koehler m. Jimmy McHugh
• "I'm Sitting High On A Hilltop" w. Gus Kahn m. Arthur Johnston
• "In A Little Gypsy Tea Room" w. Edgar Leslie m. Joe Burke
• "In A Sentimental Mood" w. Manny Kurtz & Irving Mills m. Duke Ellington
• "In The Middle Of A Kiss" w.m. Sam Coslow
• "Isn't This A Lovely Day" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "It Ain't Necessarily So" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "It's An Old Southern Custom" w. Jack Yellen m. Joseph Meyer
• "It's Easy To Remember" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "I've Got My Fingers Crossed" w. Ted Koehler m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Just One Of Those Things" w.m. Cole Porter
• "The Lady In Red" w. Mort Dixon m. Allie Wrubel
• "Last Night When We Were Young" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "Let's Dance" w.m. Fanny Baldridge, Gregory Stone & Joseph Bonime
• "Life Is A Song (Let's Sing It Together)" w. Joe Young m. Frank E. Ahlert
• "Lights Out" by Billy Hill
• "A Little Bit Independent" w. Edgar Leslie m. Joe Burke
• "A Little White Gardenia" w.m. Sam Coslow
• "Love Is A Dancing Thing" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
• "Love Me Forever" by Gus Kahn
• "Lovely To Look At" w. Dorothy Fields & Jimmy McHugh m. Jerome Kern
• "Lullaby Of Broadway" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Lulu's Back In Town" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Maybe" w.m. Allan Flynn & Frank Madden
• "Men About Town" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Miss Brown To You" w. Leo Robin m. Ralph Rainger & Richard A. Whiting
• "Moon Over Miami" w. Edgar Leslie m. Joe Burke
• "Moonburn" w. Edward Heyman m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Mrs Worthington" w.m. Noël Coward
• "The Music Goes 'Round And Around" w. "Red" Hodgson m. Edward Farley & Michael Riley
• "My Heart And I" w. Leo Robin m. Frederick Hollander
• "My Man's Gone Now" w. DuBose Heyward m. George Gershwin
• "My Romance" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "My Very Good Friend The Milkman" w. Johnny Burke m. Harold Spina
• "No Strings" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Top Hat
• "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine" w.m. Jimmie Davis
• "On Treasure Island" w. Edgar Leslie m. Joe Burke, Myers, Wendling
• "The Piccolino" by Irving Berlin
• "A Picture Of Me Without You" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by June Knight and Charles Walters in the musical Jubilee
• "Red Sails In The Sunset" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Will Grosz
• "Roll Along, Prairie Moon" w.m. Albert Von Tilzer, Harry McPherson & Ted Fiorito
• "The Rose In Her Hair" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren
• "Say "Si Si"" w. (Eng) Al Stillman (Sp) Francia Luban m. Ernesto Lecuona
• "Shadow Play" w.m. Noël Coward
• "She's A Latin From Manhattan" w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Al Jolson in the film Go Into Your Dance
• "Shoe Shine Boy" w. Sammy Cahn m. Saul Chaplin
• "So Long, It's Been Good To Know You" w.m. Woody Guthrie
• "Soon (Maybe Not Tomorrow)" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
• "Summertime" w. DuBose Heyward m. George Gershwin
• "Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle" w.m. Walter G, Samuels, Leonard Whitcup & Teddy Powell
• "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
• "There's No One With Endurance Like The Man Who Sells Insurance" Frank Crumit, Curtis
• "These Foolish Things" w. Holt Marvell m. Jack Strachey & Harry Link
• "This Time It's Love" by Sam Lewis
• "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful" Harry Woods
• "Who's Been Polishing The Sun" w.m. Noel Gay
• "Why Shouldn't I?" by Cole Porter
• "Why Stars Come Out At Night" w.m. Ray Noble
• "A Woman Is A Sometime Thing" w. Du Bose Heyward m. George Gershwin
• "You Are My Lucky Star" w. Arthur Freed m. Nacio Herb Brown
• "Your Feet's Too Big" w.m. Ada Benson & Fred Fisher
• "You're an Angel" by Jimmy McHugh
• "You're The Only Star (In My Blue Heaven)" w.m. Gene Autry
• "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" w.m. James F. Hanley

Top hit recordings

• "Blue Moon" by Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
• "Chasing Shadows" by The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra
• "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter" by Fats Waller & His Rhythm
• "In A Little Gypsy Tea Room" by Bob Crosby & His Orchestra
• "It's A Sin to Tell a Lie" by Fats Waller & His Rhythm
• "The Object Of My Affection" by the Boswell Sisters
• "The Lady In Red" by Louis Prima
• "On the Isle Of Capri" by Ray Noble & His Orchestra
• "Red Sails In the Sunset" by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
• "When I Grow Too Old To Dream" by Glen Grey & The Casa Loma Orchestra

Classical music

• Hanns Eisler - Lenin Requiem
• Rudolf Escher - Sonata for Piano No. 1
• Pierre-Octave Ferroud - Sonnerie pour le Hérault
• Paul Hindemith - Der Schwanendreher (viola concerto)
• Akira Ifukube - Japanese Rhapsody
• Uuno Klami - Psalmus (oratorio)
• Hans Pfitzner - Concerto for Cello no 1 in G major
• Roger Sessions - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Opera

• Reynaldo Hahn - Le Marchand de Venise
• Karl Amadeus Hartmann - Simplicius Simplicissimus
• Arthur Honegger - Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
• Pietro Mascagni - Nerone

Musical theater

• Glamorous Night (Ivor Novello) - London production opened at the Theatre Royal on May 2 and ran for 243 performances
• Jubilee Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 12 and ran for 169 performances.
• Porgy And Bess (George Gershwin) - Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on October 10 and ran for 124 performances
• Stop Press      London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on February 21.

Musical films

• The Broadway Melody Of 1936
• Curly Top released August 2 starring Shirley Temple
• George White's 1935 Scandals
• Go Into Your Dance released April 20 starring Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler
• Naughty Marietta
• Reckless
• Roberta
• Stars Over Broadway released November 5 starring Jane Froman and James Melton
• Top Hat

Births

• January 8 - Elvis Presley
• January 10 - Ronnie Hawkins, The Hawks
• February 5 - Alex Harvey
• February 11 - Gene Vincent
• February 12 - Gene McDaniels
• February 12 - Ray Manzarek, The Doors
• February 16 - Sonny Bono
• February 27 - Mirella Freni
• March 31 - Herb Alpert
• April 5 - Peter Grant
• April 7 – Bobby Bare, American singer/songwriter
• April 19 - Dudley Moore, English composer, pianist, actor
• April 23 - Ray Peterson, singer
• May 10 - Larry Williams
• May 27 - Ramsey Lewis
• June 25 - Eddie Floyd
• July 8 - Steve Lawrence
• July 17 - Diahann Carroll, US actress and singer
• July 17 - Peter Schickele, comopser
• July 23 - Cleveland Duncan , The Penguins
• August 2 - Hank Cochran, country music singer/songwriter
• August 30 - John Phillips, The Mamas and Papas
• September 8 - John Sylvia , Tune Weavers
• September 19 - Nick Massi, The Four Seasons
• September 29 - Jerry Lee Lewis
• September 30 - Johnny Mathis
• October 1 - Julie Andrews
• October 12 - Luciano Pavarotti
• October 12 - Sam Moore , Sam and Dave
• October 14 - La Monte Young, composer
• October 15 - Barry McGuire
• November 27 - Al Jackson, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
• December 1 - Lou Rawls
• December 23 - Little Esther Phillips
• December 26 - Abdul "Duke" Fakir, The Four Tops

Deaths

• January 28 - Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, composer
• May 17 - Paul Dukas, composer
• September 23 - DeWolf Hopper , US actor and singer
• November 28 - Erich von Hornbostel, musicologist
• December 24 - Alban Berg