See also: 1944 in music, other events of 1945, 1946 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• Remo Giazotto reconstructs Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor from a fragment of a trio sonata he discovers among the ruins of the Dresden State Library .
• 1 September - Trio Lescano's last concert on the Italian radio
• Reynaldo Hahn is appointed director of the Paris Opéra.
• Frank Sinatra leaves Your Hit Parade to appear on Max Factor Presents Frank Sinatra and, starting that September, Old Gold Presents Songs By Sinatra
• Sarah Vaughan's musical career begins
• Ruth Brown's musical career begins
• Jimmy Reed's musical career begins

Albums released

• King Cole trio - Nat King Cole
• Glenn Miller - Glenn Miller
• Going My Way - Bing Crosby
• Merry Christmas - Bing Crosby

Top hit records

• "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Johnny Mercer
• "Chickery Chick" by Sammy Kaye
• "Doctor Lawyer Indian Chief" by Betty Hutton
• "I Can't Begin to Tell You" by Bing Crosby
• "It's Been a Long, Long Time" by Harry James, also Bing Crosby
• "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" by Les Brown
• "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" by Johnny Mercer
• "Rum and Coca Cola" by The Andrews Sisters
• "Sentimental Journey" by Les Brown with Doris Day
• "There! I've Said It Again" by Vaughn Monroe
• "Till the End of Time" by Perry Como

Published popular music

• "All Of My Life" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "All Through The Day" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
• "Along The Navajo Trail" w.m. Dick Charles, Eddie De Lange & Larry Markes
• "Apple Honey" m. Woody Herman
• "Aren't You Glad You're You?" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "Atlanta G.A." w. Sunny Skylar m. Arthur Shaftel
• "Autumn Serenade" w. Sammy Gallop m. Peter De Rose
• "Be-Baba-Leba" w.m. Helen Humes
• "The Blond Sailor" w. (Eng) Mitchell Parish, Bell Leib m. Jacob Pfeil
• "Boogie Blues" w.m. Gene Krupa & Ray Biondi
• "Caldonia" w.m. Fleecie Moore
• "The Carousel Waltz" w. Richard Rodgers
• "Cement Mixer" w.m. Slim Gaillard & Lee Ricks
• "Chickery Chick" w. Sylvia Dee m. Sidney Lippman
• "Close As Pages In A Book" w. Dorothy Fields m. Sigmund Romberg. Introduced by Maureen Cannon and Wilbur Evans in the musical Up In Central Park
• "Cruising Down The River" w.m. Eily Beadell & Nell Tollerton
• "Day By Day" w. Sammy Cahn m. Paul Weston & Axel Stordahl
• "Detour" w.m. Paul Westmoreland
• "Dig You Later" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Don't Be A Baby, Baby" w. Buddy Kaye m. Howard Steiner
• "The End Of The News" w.m. Noël Coward
• "For Sentimental Reasons" w. Deek Watson m. William Best
• "The Frim Fram Sauce" w.m. Joe Ricardel & Redd Evans
• "Full Moon And Empty Arms" w.m. Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
• "Give Me The Moon Over Brooklyn" w.m. Jason Matthews & Terry Shand
• "Give Me The Simple Life" w. Harry Ruby m. Rube Bloom
• "Good Good Good (That's You, That's You)" Roberts, Fisher
• "Gotta Be This Or That" w.m. Sunny Skylar
• "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "The Gypsy" w.m. Billy Reid
• "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" w.m. Scott Wiseman
• "Her Bathing Suit Never Got Wet" w. Charles Tobias m. Nat Simon
• "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" w.m. Lionel Hampton & Curley Hamner
• "Homesick - That's All" w.m. Gordon Jenkins
• "The Honeydripper" w.m. Joe Liggins
• "I Can't Begin To Tell You" w. Mack Gordon m. James V. Monaco
• "I Don't Know Enough About You" w.m. Peggy Lee & Dave Barbour
• "I Have But One Heart" Marty Symes, J. Farrow
• "I Wonder" Gant, Leveen
• "I Wonder What Happened To Him" w.m. Noël Coward
• "If I Loved You" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "I'll Buy That Dream" w. Herb Magison m. Allie Wrubel
• "I'm A Big Girl Now" w.m. Al Hoffmann, Milton Drake & Jerry Livingstone
• "I'm Gonna Love That Guy" w.m. Frances Ash
• "In Love In Vain" w. Leo Robin m. Jerome Kern
• "In The Middle Of May" w. Al Stillman m. Fred Ahlert,
• "It Might As Well Be Spring" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "It's A Grand Night For Singing" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "It's Been A Long, Long Time" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "Johnny Fedora (And Alice Blue Bonnet)" w. Allie Wrubel & Ray Gilbert
• "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Just A Blue Serge Suit" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Laura" w. Johnny Mercer m. David Raksin
• "Lavender Blue" w. Larry Morey m. Eliot Daniel
• "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "Love Letters" w. Edward Heyman m. Victor Young
• "Love On A Greyhound Bus" w. Ralph Blane & Kay Thompson m. George Stoll
• "Matelot" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Mister Snow" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Money Is The Root Of All Evil" w.m. Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer
• "The More I See You" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "Nina" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Oh! What It Seemed To Be" w.m. Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss & Frankie Carle
• "Personality" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "Rodger Young" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Shoofly Pie And Apple Pan Dowdy" w, Sammy Gallop m. Guy Wood
• "Sigh No More" w.m. Noël Coward
• "Sioux City Sue" w. Ray Freedman m. Dick Thomas
• "Soliloquy" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Some Sunday Morning" w. Ted Koehler m. M. K. Jerome & Ray Heindorf
• "A Stranger In Town" w.m. Mel Tormé
• "Symphony" w.(Eng) Jack Lawrence m. Alex Alstone
• "Tampico" w.m. Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher
• "(Did You Ever Get) That Feeling In The Moonlight?" w.m. James Cavanaugh, Larry Stock & Ira Schuster
• "That Little Dream Got Nowhere" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "That's For Me" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "This Was A Real Nice Clambake" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Till The End Of Time" w.m. Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
• "Two Silhouettes" w. Ray Gilbert m. Charles Wolcott
• "Waitin' For The Train To Come In" w.m. Sunny Skylar & Martin Block
• "We'll Be Together Again" w. Frankie Laine m. Carl Fischer
• "We'll Gather Lilacs" w.m. Ivor Novello
• "What's The Use Of Wond'rin'?" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "When The Children Are Asleep" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "The Wild, Wild West" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren from the film The Harvey Girls
• "You'll Never Walk Alone" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers

Classical music

• Bohuslav Martinu - Rhapsodie Tcheque
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 9 E flat major, Op. 70

Opera

• Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes

Musical theater

• Are You With It? (Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Arnold B. Horwitt Book: Sam Perrin and George Balzer ). Broadway production opened at the Century Theatre on November 10 and ran for 266 performances.
• Carousel (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II) - Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 19 and ran for 890 performances.
• The Day Before Spring (Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics and Book: Alan Jay Lerner)Broadway production opened on November 22 at the National Theatre and ran for 165 performances.
• Follow The Girls (Music: Phil Charig Lyrics: Dan Shapiro and Milton Pascal Book: Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis and Fred Thompson) - London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on October 25 and ran for 572 performances.
• Perchance To Dream (Music, Lyrics and Book: Ivor Novello) - London production opened at the London Hippodrome on April 21 and ran for 1022 performances.
• The Red Mill (Music: Victor Herbert Lyrics and Book: Henry Blossom ). Broadway revival opened on October 16 at the Ziegfeld Theatre and ran for 531 performances.
• Up In Central Park (Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields). Broadway production opened at the Century Theatre on January 27 and ran for 504 performances.

Musical films

• Anchors Aweigh
• The Bells Of St Mary's
• Nob Hill
• Rhapsody In Blue
• State Fair
• Tonight And Every Night

Births

• January 3 - Stephen Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, singer, songwriter and guitarist
• January 9 - Jimmy Page, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin
• January 10 - Rod Stewart
• January 15 - Joan Johnson , Dixie Cups
• January 17 - William Hart, The Delfonics
• January 19 - Rod Evans, Deep Purple
• January 20 - Eric Stewart , The Mindbenders, 10cc
• January 26 - Jacqueline du Pré, cellist
• January 26 - Ashley Hutchings, Fairport Convention
• January 27 - Nick Mason, Pink Floyd
• February 6 - Bob Marley, reggae superstar
• February 14 - Vic Briggs , Steampacket , The Animals
• February 26 - Bob Hite , Canned Heat
• February 26 - Mitch Ryder
• March 6 - Hugh Grundy , The Zombies
• March 7 - Arthur Lee, Love
• March 8 - Micky Dolenz, The Monkees
• March 9 - Robin Trower, Procol Harum
• March 14 - Walter Parazaider , Chicago
• March 19 - Cem Karaca, Turkish rock musician
• March 28 - Charles Portz , The Turtles
• March 30 - Eric Clapton, blues guitarist
• April 1 - John Barbata, Jefferson Starship
• April 13 - Lowell George, Little Feat
• April 14 - itchie Blackmore , Deep Purple, Rainbow
• April 21 - Robert Knight
• April 25 - Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA
• April 25 - Stu Cook, Creedence Clearwater Revival
• April 28 - John Wolters , Dr. Hook
• May 1 - Rita Coolidge
• May 2 - Goldy McJohn , Steppenwolf
• May 4 - George Wadenius , Blood Sweat and Tears
• May 6 - Bob Seger
• May 6 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
• May 8 - Keith Jarrett
• May 9 - Steve Katz , Blues Project , Blood, Sweat & Tears
• May 13 - Magic Dick , J. Geils Band
• May 14 - Gene Cornish , The Rascals
• May 19 - Pete Townshend, The Who
• May 27 - Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer/songwriter
• May 28 - John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival
• May 29 - Gary Brooker, Procol Harum
• June 1 - Linda Scott
• June 1 - Frederica Von Stade
• June 4 - Gordon Waller , Peter and Gordon
• June 14 - Rod Argent, The Zombies, Argent
• June 24 - Colin Blunstone, The Zombies
• June 25 - Carly Simon
• June 28 - Dave Knights , Procol Harum
• July 1 - Deborah Harry, Blondie
• July 6 - R. K. Elswit , Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• July 7 - Jim Rodford , Argent
• July 15 - Peter Lewis, Moby Grape
• July 18 - Danny McCulloch , The Animals
• July 20 - John Lodge , The Moody Blues
• July 23 - Dino Danelli , The Rascals
• July 28 - Rick Wright, Pink Floyd
• July 30 - David Sanborn, saxophonist
• August 31 - Itzhak Perlman, violinist
• August 16 - Gary Liozzo , American Breed
• August 18 - Sara Dash
• August 18 - Barbara Harris, Toys
• August 19 - Ian Gillan, Deep Purple
• August 24 - Randy Silverman , Vito & The Salutations
• August 24 - Ken Hensley, Uriah Heep (band)
• August 24 - Malcolm Duncan , Average White Band
• August 31 - Van Morrison, musician
• August 31 - Itzhak Perlman, violinist
• September 5 - Al Stewart
• September 8 - Jose Feliciano, singer
• September 8 - Ron McKernan, the Grateful Dead
• September 8 - Kelly Groucutt, Electric Light Orchestra
• September 9 - Dee Dee Sharp
• September 19 - David Bromberg
• September 23 - Paul Petersen
• September 24 - John Rutter, composer
• September 25 - Onnie McIntire , Average White Band
• September 26 - Bryan Ferry
• September 30 - Mike Harrison , Spooky Tooth
• October 1 - Donny Hathaway
• October 2 - Don McLean
• October 7 - Kevin Godley, 10cc
• October 10 - Alan Cartwright , Procol Harum
• October 19 - Keith Reid , Procol Harum
• October 19 - Jeannie C. Riley
• October 22 - Eddie Brigati , Young Rascals
• October 26 - Leslie West , Mountain
• October 28 - Wayne Fontana , The Mindbenders
• October 29 - Denny Laine , The Moody Blues, The Wings
• October 29 - Melba Moore
• November 1 - Rick Gretch , Blind Faith
• November 8 - Donald Murray, The Turtles
• November 10 - Donna Fargo, country musician
• November 11 - Chris Dreja , The Yardbirds
• November 11 - Vincent Martell , Vanilla Fudge
• November 12 - Neil Young, singer, songwriter, musician
• November 15 - Anni-Frid Lyngstad, ABBA
• November 20 - Dan McBride , Sha Na Na
• November 24 - Lee Michaels
• November 25 - Bev Bevan , Electric Light Orchestra
• November 26 - John McVie, Fleetwood Mac
• December 1 - Bette Midler
• December 12 - Alan Ward , The Honeycombs
• December 16 - Tony Hicks , The Hollies
• December 23 - Ronald Busby , Iron Butterfly
• December 24 - Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead
• December 25 - Noel Redding, Jimi Hendrix Experience
• December 27 - Clarence Barlow, composer
• December 30 - Davy Jones, The Monkees

Deaths

• February 11 - Al Dubin, songwriter
• August 2 - Pietro Mascagni, composer
• September 15 - Anton Webern, composer
• September 26 - Béla Bartók, composer
• October 16 - James V. Monaco, Italian-born US composer
• November 7 - Gus Edwards, Prussian-born US songwriter, entertainer and producer
• November 11 - Jerome Kern, composer