1941 in British music

	… 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; ; 1938; 1939; 1940; 1941; 1942; 1943; 1944; ; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 1949; 1950; 1951 …;
	Art; Archaeology; Architecture; Literature; Music; Philosophy; Science; +...

This is a summary of 1941 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events edit

29 March – Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem is premiered in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Barbirolli.^[1]
3 April – William Walton's Scapino overture has its premiere in Chicago, conducted by Frederick Stock.^[2]
May – Arthur Bliss joins the BBC's overseas music service.^[3]
10 May – London's Queen's Hall, venue for the Promenade Concerts, is bombed by the Luftwaffe. The Proms re-locate to the Royal Albert Hall.
30 October – On the occasion of Britten's String Quartet No. 1 being performed in Washington, he is awarded the Library of Congress Medal for services to chamber music.^[4]

Popular music edit

"Could You Please Oblige Us with a Bren Gun?" w.m. Noël Coward
"Down Forget-Me-Not Lane" w.m. Horatio Nicholls, Charlie Chester & Reg Morgan
"He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings" w. Eric Maschwitz m. Michael Carr
"Hey Little Hen" w.m. Ralph Butler & Noel Gay
"London Pride" w.m. Noël Coward
"When They Sound The Last All Clear" w.m. Hughie Charles, Louis Elton

Classical music: new works edit

Kenneth J. Alford
- By Land and Sea
- Army of the Nile
Richard Addinsell – Warsaw Concerto
Arthur Bliss – String Quartet No. 1
Benjamin Britten – String Quartet No. 1
Ralph Vaughan Williams – England, my England

Opera edit

Benjamin Britten – Paul Bunyan

Film and Incidental music edit

Richard Addinsell – Dangerous Moonlight
William Walton – Major Barbara, starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison.

Musical films edit

He Found a Star, starring Vic Oliver
Turned Out Nice Again, starring George Formby
You Will Remember, starring Robert Morley and Emlyn Williams

Musical theatre edit

5 March – Apple Sauce revue opens at the Palladium.
24 July – Lady Behave London production opens at His Majesty's Theatre and runs for 401 performances.
19 November – Get a Load of This London production opens at the Hippodrome Theatre and runs for 698 performances.

Births edit

12 January – Long John Baldry, R&B singer (died 2005)^[5]
4 February – John Steel, drummer (The Animals and Eggs over Easy)
14 February – Big Jim Sullivan, English guitarist (died 2012)^[6]
5 April – Dave Swarbrick, folk musician (died 2016)^[7]
11 April – Arthur Davies, operatic tenor (died 2018)^[8]
13 April – Margaret Price, soprano
23 April – Ed Stewart, disc jockey (died 2016)
3 May – Paul Ferris, film composer and actor (died 1995)
9 May – Pete Birrell, bass player (Freddie and the Dreamers)
11 May – Eric Burdon, R&B singer (The Animals)
21 May – Martin Carthy, folk musician
9 June – Jon Lord, keyboard player and composer (died 2012)
12 June – Reg Presley, singer and songwriter (died 2013)
30 June
- Mike Leander, arranger, songwriter and record producer (died 1996)
- Nigel Walley, tea-chest bass player and golfer
7 July – Jim Rodford, bass player (The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Zombies, The Kast Off Kinks and Argent)
17 July – Spencer Davis, instrumentalist (The Spencer Davis Group)
20 August – Anne Evans, operatic soprano
10 September – Christopher Hogwood, conductor and harpsichordist
27 October – Don Partridge, singer-songwriter (died 2010)
2 November – Brian Poole, singer (The Tremeloes)
15 November – Rick Kemp, singer-songwriter, bass player and producer (Steeleye Span)
24 November – Pete Best, rock drummer (The Beatles original lineup)
27 December
- Les Maguire, pop pianist (Gerry & the Pacemakers)
- Mike Pinder, rock keyboard player (The Moody Blues)
29 December – Ray Thomas, rock flautist and singer-songwriter (The Moody Blues) (died 2018)

Deaths edit

10 January – Frank Bridge, composer, 61
19 February – Sir Hamilton Harty, conductor and composer, 61
11 March – Sir Henry Walford Davies, composer, 71
27 March – Stewart Macpherson, music teacher and writer, 75^[9]
16 August – John Coates, operatic tenor, 76
date unknown – William Hargreaves, music hall composer

References edit

^ Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-160581. p. 629
^ Lloyd, Stephen (2001). William Walton: Muse of Fire. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-803-7. p. 173
^ "New BBC Director of Music", The Times, 1 April 1942, p. 7
^ Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). p. 961
^ Dave Laing (23 July 2005). "Long John Baldry". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ Dave Laing (3 October 2012). "Big Jim Sullivan". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ Brock Helander (1 January 2001). The Rockin' 60s: The People Who Made the Music. Schirmer Trade Books. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-85712-811-9.
^ "Arthur Davies (1941–2018)", English National Opera, 9 August 2018
^ Shaw, Watkins. "Macpherson, (Charles) Stewart". Grove Music Online (subscription access)

[1] Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-160581. p. 629

[2] Lloyd, Stephen (2001). William Walton: Muse of Fire. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-803-7. p. 173

[3] "New BBC Director of Music", The Times, 1 April 1942, p. 7

[4] Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). p. 961

[5] Dave Laing (23 July 2005). "Long John Baldry". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2020.

[6] Dave Laing (3 October 2012). "Big Jim Sullivan". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2020.

[7] Brock Helander (1 January 2001). The Rockin' 60s: The People Who Made the Music. Schirmer Trade Books. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-85712-811-9.

[8] "Arthur Davies (1941–2018)", English National Opera, 9 August 2018

[9] Shaw, Watkins. "Macpherson, (Charles) Stewart". Grove Music Online (subscription access)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

1941 in British music

Contents

Events edit

Popular music edit

Classical music: new works edit

Opera edit

Film and Incidental music edit

Musical films edit

Musical theatre edit

Births edit

Deaths edit

See also edit

References edit