1953 in British music

none June 2017 July 2022 1953 1953 British music This is a summary of 1953 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. Events 14 January – Ralph Vaughan Williams's Sinfonia antartica is given its first performance in Manchester.Kendall, Alan. The Chronicle of Classical Music. Thames & Hudson, 2000: p. 240 3 February – Contralto Kathleen Ferrier, suffering from terminal cancer (unknown to the public), gives a critically acclaimed performance on the first night of a new English-language production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.Barbirolli, John (1954). "Kathleen ... The Last Years". In Cardus, Neville (ed). Kathleen Ferrier: A Memoir. London: Hamish Hamilton. p 107. 6 February – During the second performance of Orfeo, Kathleen Ferrier's left femur gives way; she completes the performance before going to hospital for treatment.Miss Kathleen Ferrier Suffering From Strain The Guardian Manchester 5 10 February 1953 This will be her last public performance. 1 April – First record by any UK act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart, The Stargazers' recording of "Broken Wings".Rice Jo The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits Guinness Superlatives 1982 0-85112-250-7 1st Enfield 8 26 May – In the 1953 Coronation Honours, Herbert Howells receives a CBE and Benjamin Britten is appointed a Companion of Honour.39863 26 May 1953 2939 y 2 June The Coronation of Elizabeth II, William McKie, who had been in charge of music at the royal wedding in 1947, is organist.Wilkinson James The Queen's Coronation: The Inside Story Scala Publishers Ltd. 24 2011 978-1-85759-735-6 In addition to traditional music, such as Handel's "Zadok the Priest", Hubert Parry's "I was glad" and Samuel Sebastian Wesley's "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace", specially commissioned works performed at the ceremony include Ralph Vaughan Williams's "O Taste and See", William Walton's "Orb and Sceptre", Arthur Bliss's "Processional", Arnold Bax's "Coronation March", and the Canadian composer Healy Willan's anthem "O Lord our Governor". On the evening of the coronation, Sadler's Wells Ballet stages the first performance of Malcolm Arnold's official coronation ballet Homage to the Queen, with choreography by Frederick Ashton and Robert Irving conducting.http://www.malcolmarnold.co.uk Sir Malcolm Arnold CBE 1921-2006: official website 9 June – Kathleen Ferrier writes to the secretary of the Royal Philharmonic Society, thanking them for the award of the gold medal; it is thought to be the last letter she ever signed in person.Ferrier, Winifred (1955). The Life of Kathleen Ferrier. London: Hamish Hamilton. 612023977. p. 179. 29 August – Michael Tippett's Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli is first performed in Edinburgh. October – Sir Arthur Bliss replaces Sir Arnold Bax as Master of the Queen's Music. 19 September – Sir Hubert Parry's 1916 setting of William Blake's "Jerusalem" first appears as a permanent feature of the Last Night of the Proms (televised).The 'Last Night of the Proms' in historical perspective David Cannadine David Cannadine 2008 31 212 315–349 10.1111/j.1468-2281.2008.00466.x Historical Research free 19 October – Opening of the Covent Garden opera season, with a production of Wagner's Die Walküre. Allegri Quartet formed. Chart summary See List of UK top-ten singles in 1953 Number Ones Number-one singles {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:center;" ! Issue date !! Song !! Artist |- | 4 January || "Here in My Heart" || Al Martino |- | 11 January || "You Belong to Me" || Jo Stafford |- | 18 January || "Comes A-Long A-Love" || Kay Starr |- | 25 January || "Outside of Heaven" || Eddie Fisher |- | 1 February || rowspan="5"|"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" || rowspan="5"|Perry Como and the Ramblers |- | 8 February |- | 15 February |- | 22 February |- | 1 March |- | 8 March || rowspan="4"|"She Wears Red Feathers" || rowspan="4"|Guy Mitchell |- | 15 March |- | 22 March |- | 29 March |- | 5 April || "Broken Wings" || Stargazers |- | 12 April || "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" || Lita Roza |- | 19 April || rowspan="9"|"I Believe" || rowspan="9"|Frankie Laine |- | 26 April |- | 3 May |- | 10 May |- | 17 May |- | 24 May |- | 31 May |- | 7 June |- | 14 June |- | 21 June || "I'm Walking Behind You" || Eddie Fisher |- | 28 June || rowspan="6"|"I Believe" || rowspan="6"|Frankie Laine |- | 5 July |- | 12 July |- | 19 July |- | 26 July |- | 2 August |- | 9 August || "The Song from the Moulin Rouge" || Mantovani |- | 16 August || rowspan="3"|"I Believe" || rowspan="3"|Frankie Laine |- | 23 August |- | 30 August |- | 6 September || rowspan="6"|"Look at That Girl" || rowspan="6"|Guy Mitchell |- | 13 September |- | 20 September |- | 27 September |- | 4 October |- | 11 October |- | 18 October || rowspan="2"|"Hey Joe" || rowspan="2"|Frankie Laine |- | 25 October |- | 1 November || rowspan="9"|"Answer Me" || David Whitfield |- | 8 November || rowspan="8"|Frankie Laine |- | 15 November |- | 22 November |- | 29 November |- | 6 December |- | 13 December |- | 20 December |- | 27 December |- |} Classical music Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 2 Michael Tippett Variations on an Elizabethan Theme Opera Benjamin Britten – Gloriana Film and Incidental music Stanley Black – Escape by Night, starring Sid James. Alan Rawsthorne – The Cruel Sea, starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden and Denholm Elliott. Musical films The Beggar's Opera, directed by Peter Brook and starring Laurence Olivier, Dorothy Tutin, and Stanley Holloway. The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan, directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Robert Morley, Maurice Evans and Owen Brannigan Births 28 January – Chris Carter, English DJ and producer 22 February – Graham Lewis, bass player 3 March – Robyn Hitchcock, singer-songwriter 9 April – John Howard, singer-songwriter 15 May – Mike Oldfield, composer 19 June – Simon Wright, English drummer (AC/DC, Dio, and UFO) 13 July – Malcolm Singer, composer and educationalist 22 July Nigel Hess, composer Brian Howe, singer-songwriter (Bad Company) 27 July – Eibhlis Farrell, composer 2 August – Donnie Munro, Scottish singer and guitarist (Runrig) 3 August – Ian Bairnson, multi-instrumentalist (Alan Parsons Project) 10 August – Gillian Elisa, actress, singer, and comedian 23 August – Bobby G, singer (Bucks Fizz) 10 October - Midge Ure, singer-songwriter and record producer 16 October – Brinsley Forde, singer (Aswad) 21 October – Eric Faulkner, guitarist, songwriter, and singer (Bay City Rollers) 12 November – Calum Macdonald, percussionist with Runrig Deaths 18 January – Arthur Wood, conductor and composer, 78 30 April – Lily Brayton, musical theatre star, 76 15 May – Mabel Love, dancer, 78Frances Stephens Theatre World Annual (London): A Pictorial Review of West End Productions with a Record of Plays and Players https://books.google.com/books?id=LEsfAQAAIAAJ 1953 Macmillan 18 19 May – Frank Mullings, operatic tenor, 72John Parker Who's who in the Theatre https://books.google.com/books?id=jMg9AQAAIAAJ 1916 Pitman 1604 21 September – Roger Quilter, composer, 75Maggie Humphreys Robert Evans Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland https://books.google.com/books?id=WSLUAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA276 1 January 1997 A&C Black 978-0-7201-2330-2 276 3 October – Sir Arnold Bax, composer, Master of the King's (and later Queen's) Musick, 69Paolo Petrocelli The Resonance of a Small Voice: William Walton and the Violin Concerto in England between 1900 and 1940 https://books.google.com/books?id=TRwaBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA57 14 December 2009 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 978-1-4438-1831-5 57 8 October – Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, 41 (cancer)http://www.kathleenferrier.org.uk/index.php/biography Biography of Kathleen Ferrier Kathleen Ferrier Society 4 March 2019 26 November – Sir Ivor Atkins, organist and choirmaster, 83https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/7585133.death-of-organist-sir-ivor-atkins/ Death of organist Sir Ivor Atkins 28 November 2003 Worcester News 4 March 2019 11 December – Albert Coates, conductor and composer, 71Jürgen Schaarwächter Two Centuries of British Symphonism: From the beginnings to 1945. A preliminary survey. Volume 1 https://books.google.com/books?id=EIvoCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA553 27 February 2015 Georg Olms Verlag 978-3-487-15227-1 553 date unknown – John Reynders, film score composer See also 1953 in British television 1953 in the United Kingdom List of British films of 1953 References General https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/ Official Charts Company Official Charts (Type artist or song into search box and click "Search". To view a certain chart week, type the date into the box with the date and click "Go".) British Music, 1953 In Music Category:British music by year