1944 in British music
| 1940s in music in the UK |
| Events |
|---|
This is a summary of 1944 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
- 4 January – Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears begin a long association with Decca Records, recording four of Britten's folk song arrangements.[1]
- March – Vera Lynn goes to Shamsheernugger airfield to entertain the troops before the Battle of Kohima.[2]
- 19 March – Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time receives its first performances at London's Adelphi Theatre.
- 25 May – Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears record Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings for Decca, with Dennis Brain and the Boyd Neel Orchestra.[3]
- 28 July – Sir Henry Wood, aged 75, conducts his last Promenade Concert.
- 23 September – Rebecca Clarke marries James Friskin (a composer, concert pianist and founding member of the Juilliard School faculty).[4]
Popular music
- "One Love", music and words Jack Popplewell.
Classical music: new works
- Arnold Bax – To Russia for baritone solo and chorus (Masefield)
- Gerald Finzi – Farewell to Arms
- Ernest John Moeran – Sinfonietta (dedicated to Arthur Bliss)
- Grace Williams – Sea Sketches
- William Wordsworth – Symphony No. 1 in F minor
Film and Incidental music
- William Alwyn – The Way Ahead
- Gordon Jacob – For Those in Peril
- William Walton – Henry V, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier
Musical theatre
- 25 May – A Night In Venice (Johann Strauss II) London production opens at the Cambridge Theatre
Musical films
- Champagne Charlie starring Tommy Trinder
- One Exciting Night directed by Walter Forde and starring Vera Lynn, Donald Stewart and Mary Clare.
Births
- 3 January – David Atherton, conductor
- 5 January -Jo Ann Kelly, singer and guitarist (John Dummer Band) (died 1990)
- 9 January – Jimmy Page, rock musician and producer (Led Zeppelin)
- 19 January – Laurie London, English singer
- 27 January – Nick Mason, percussionist and composer (Pink Floyd)
- 28 January – John Tavener, composer (died 2013)
- 2 February – Andrew Davis, conductor
- 1 March – Roger Daltrey, vocalist (The Who)
- 17 March – John Lill, pianist
- 23 March – Michael Nyman, composer
- 6 April – Felicity Palmer, operatic mezzo-soprano
- 26 April – Richard Bradshaw, opera conductor (died 2007)
- 8 May
- Gary Glitter, singer-songwriter
- Bill Legend, drummer (T. Rex and Bill Legend's T. Rex)
- 10 May – Jackie Lomax, singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Undertakers) (died 2013)
- 12 May – Brian Kay, singer, conductor, and radio host (The King's Singers)
- 20 May – Joe Cocker, singer (died 2014)
- 17 June – Chris Spedding, singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 21 June – Ray Davies, singer-songwriter (The Kinks)
- 22 June – Peter Asher, singer and record producer (Peter & Gordon)
- 24 June
- Jeff Beck, singer-songwriter and guitarist
- John "Charlie" Whitney, English guitarist (Family, Axis Point, and Streetwalkers)
- Chris Wood, English saxophonist (Traffic and Ginger Baker's Air Force) (d. 1983)
- 22 July – Rick Davies, keyboardist (Supertramp)
- 2 August – Jim Capaldi, musician and songwriter (died 2005)[5]
- 5 August - Christopher Gunning, composer
- 16 August - Kevin Ayers, singer-songwriter (died 2013)
- 10 September – Thomas Allen, operatic baritone
- 9 October – John Entwistle, bassist (The Who) (died 2002)
- 2 November – Keith Emerson, keyboardist and composer (died 2016)
- 10 November – Tim Rice, lyricist
Deaths
- 19 January – Harold Fraser-Simson, songwriter and composer of light music (born 1872)[6]
- 6 February – Philip Michael Faraday, organist, composer and theatrical producer (born 1875)
- 12 February – Annie Fortescue Harrison, songwriter and composer of piano music (born 1850 or 1851)
- 29 February – Durward Lely, operatic tenor (born 1852)
- 24 June – Chick Henderson, dance band singer (born 1912; killed in action)[7]
- 4 July – Alice Burville, singer and actress (born 1856)
- 13 July – Eda Kersey, violinist (born 1904; stomach cancer)
- 9 May – Dame Ethel Smyth, composer (born 1858)
- 19 August – Sir Henry Wood, conductor (born 1869)
- 21 September – Louis N. Parker, dramatist, composer and translator (born 1852)
- date unknown – Frank Bury, composer (born 1910; killed in action)[8]
See also
References
- ^ Stuart, Philip. Decca Classical 1929–2009, accessed 15 June 2014.
- ^ "Technology Obituaries: Bernard Holden". The Telegraph. London. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-16058-1. p. 1196
- ^ Curtis, Liane (May 1996). "A Case of Identity" (PDF). Musical Times: 20.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 92. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ The Times obituary, 20 January 1944, p. 7
- ^ [1] CWGC Casualty Record.
- ^ CWGC entry