1948 in British music

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This is a summary of 1948 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events

• 10 January – The Amadeus Quartet (formed as the Brainin Quartet in 1947) gives its first recital under this name, at the Wigmore Hall in London, underwritten by Imogen Holst. ^[1]
• 16 January – The day after her New York concert debut, Kathleen Ferrier writes to her sister: "Some of the critics are enthusiastic, others unimpressed". ^[2]
• 17 April – The death of Alice, Viscountess Wimborne, lover of William Walton, ends their 14-year affair.
• 21 April
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 6 is premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult at the Royal Albert Hall in London and broadcast on the BBC Home Service. ^[3]
  • The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain gives its first concert. ^[4]
• 5 June – Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears.
• 13 October – Kathleen Ferrier joins Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra in a broadcast performance of Mahler's song cycle Kindertotenlieder .
• October – The Duke of Edinburgh is introduced to musical comedy star Pat Kirkwood in her dressing room after a show. They are seen together at a restaurant, creating a scandal in the newspapers. ^[5]
• 13 October – William Walton marries Susana Gil Passo. ^[6]
• date unknown
  • Steuart Wilson becomes head of music at the BBC; the appointment will result in the forced retirement of Sir Adrian Boult as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. ^[7]
  • Harman Grisewood replaces George Barnes as controller of the BBC Third Programme.
  • The National School of Opera is founded by Joan Cross. ^[8]

Popular music

• Anne Shelton – "If You Ever Fall in Love Again" (Dick Farrelly)
• Dorothy Squires – "A Tree in the Meadow" (Billy Reid)

Classical music: new works

• Malcolm Arnold – The Smoke (Overture), Op. 21
• Arnold Bax – Magnificat ^[9]
• Benjamin Britten – Saint Nicolas , for tenor soloist, children's chorus, chorus, and orchestra ^[10]
• Michael Tippett – Suite in D for the Birthday of Prince Charles ^[11]
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Partita for Double String Orchestra ^[12]

Opera

• Arthur Bliss – The Olympians ^[13]
• Norman Demuth – Le Flambeau ^[14]

Film and Incidental music

• William Alwyn – The Fallen Idol directed by Carol Reed, starring Ralph Richardson. ^[15]
• Arnold Bax – Oliver Twist directed by David Lean, starring Alec Guinness.
• Brian Easdale – The Red Shoes directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
• Constant Lambert – Anna Karenina , starring Vivien Leigh and Ralph Richardson.
• Elisabeth Lutyens – Penny and the Pownall Case (the first feature film to be scored by a female British composer).
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Scott of the Antarctic , starring John Mills.
• William Walton – Hamlet , directed by and starring Laurence Olivier.
• John Wooldridge – The Guinea Pig , starring Richard Attenborough.

Musical theatre

• 10 March – Carissima, starring Ginger Rogers and David Hughes, opens at the Palace Theatre and runs for 488 performances.
• 22 December – High Button Shoes (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn) opens at the Hippodrome and runs for 291 performances.

Musical films

• A Date with a Dream , starring Terry-Thomas, Jeannie Carson and Wally Patch. ^[16]
• Bless 'Em All , starring Max Bygraves. ^[17]
• One Night with You , directed by Terence Young and starring Nino Martini, Patricia Roc and Bonar Colleano. ^[18]

Births

• 17 January – Mick Taylor, guitarist
• 19 January – Amanda Holden, English playwright, lyricist and composer
• 3 February – Gavin Henderson, English trumpet player and conductor
• 28 February – Geoff Nicholls, keyboardist (Black Sabbath) (died 2017)
• 4 March – Chris Squire, guitarist and singer-songwriter
• 11 March – Jan Schelhaas, keyboard player
• 22 March – Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer
• 16 April – Robert Kirby, arranger (died 2009) ^[19]
• 28 April – Scott Fitzgerald (William McPhail), singer
• 12 May – Steve Winwood, R&B singer
• 15 May – Brian Eno, synthesizer virtuoso and composer
• 21 May – Leo Sayer, singer-songwriter
• 29 May – Michael Berkeley, composer
• 6 June – Richard Sinclair, bass player (Caravan, The Wilde Flowers, Camel and Hatfield and the North)
• 1 July – John Ford, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Strawbs, The Monks and Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera)
• 4 July – Jeremy Spencer, English guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
• 5 July – Alan Hazeldine, pianist and conductor (died 2008)
• 21 July – Cat Stevens (Steven Demetre Georgiou), singer-songwriter ^[20]
• 2 August – Andy Fairweather Low, guitarist, songwriter, producer and vocalist
• 26 September – Olivia Newton-John, singer and actress
• 3 October – Ian MacDonald (Ian MacCormick), music critic (died 2003) ^[21]
• 11 October – David Rendall, operatic tenor
• 24 October
  • Dale Griffin, rock drummer and producer (died 2016)
  • Barry Ryan, singer-songwriter
  • Paul Ryan, singer-songwriter and producer (died 1992)
• 22 November – Mick Rock, rock photographer (died 2021)
• 3 November – Lulu (Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie), singer and actress
• 1 December – Colin Sell, pianist
• 3 December – Ozzy Osbourne, singer-songwriter
• 20 December – Alan Parsons, engineer and record producer

Deaths

• 9 January – Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, harpsichordist and clavichordist, 75 ^[22]
• 21 February – Frederic Lamond, pianist, 80
• 17 May – David Evans, composer, 74 ^[23]
• 14 June – John Blackwood McEwen, composer, 80
• 8 July – Reginald Somerville, composer and actor, 81
• 20 August – David John de Lloyd, composer, 65
• 12 September – Rupert D'Oyly Carte, impresario, 70
• 20 November – Robert Carr, baritone, 67
• 24 November – Nellie Wallace, music hall star, actress, comedian, dancer and songwriter, 78 ^[24]
• 14 December – R. O. Morris, British composer and teacher, 62
• 31 December – Ethel Barns, violinist, pianist and composer, 74
• date unknown – Euphemia Allen, composer best known for "Chopsticks"

See also

• 1948 in British television
• 1948 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1948

References

1. "Siegmund Nissel". The Daily Telegraph . London. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
2. Fifield, Christopher (ed.) (2003). Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press. ISBN   1-84383-012-4. p. 49.
3. Doctor, Jenny (2013). "Vaughan Williams, Boult, and the BBC". In Frogley, Alain; Thomson, Aidan J. (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Vaughan Williams. Cambridge University Press. pp. 249–274. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
4. "Dame Ruth King". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2001-02-28. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
5. Edge, Simon (2007-12-27). "The prince and the showgirl | Express Yourself || Daily Express". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
6. Friedrich Blume (1968). Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik (in German). Bärenreiter-Verlag.
7. Kennedy, Michael (1987). Adrian Boult. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN   0-333-48752-4. p. 215.
8. Brook, Donald (1958). Singers of Today (Rev. ed.). London: Rockliff. pp. 55–60.
9. Maggie Humphreys; Robert Evans (1 January 1997). Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland. A&C Black. p. 25. ISBN   978-0-7201-2330-2.
10. Eric Walter White (1983). Benjamin Britten, His Life and Operas . University of California Press. pp.  63. ISBN   978-0-520-04894-2.
11. Michael Kennedy; Tim Rutherford-Johnson; Joyce Kennedy (15 August 2013). The Oxford Dictionary of Music. OUP Oxford. p. 857. ISBN   978-0-19-957854-2.
12. Ryan Ross (17 March 2016). Ralph Vaughan Williams: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. p. 294. ISBN   978-1-317-64616-7.
13. Stewart R. Craggs (1996). Arthur Bliss: a source book. Scolar Press. ISBN   978-0-85967-940-4.
14. Enciclopedia dello spettacolo. Unedi-Unione editoriale. 1975.
15. Adrian Wright (2008). The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 3. ISBN   978-1-84383-412-0.
16. "BFI | Film & TV Database | DATE WITH A DREAM (1948)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
17. "Bless 'Em All / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
18. "BFI | Film & TV Database | One Night With You (1948)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
19. Irwin, Colin (7 October 2009). "Robert Kirby obituary". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
20. "Prince goes pop to praise school". BBC News . 10 May 2000. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
21. Williams, Richard (2003-09-08). "Obituary: Ian MacDonald". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
22. Jessica Douglas-Home (1996). Violet: The Life and Loves of Violet Gordon Woodhouse. Harvill Press. ISBN   978-1-86046-269-6.
23. "Evans, David (1874-1948)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales. 2001. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
24. "Wallace, Nellie [Eleanor]", The Cambridge Guide to Theatre, Cambridge University Press, 2000