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Overview of the events of 1953 in British music
List of years in British music
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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.
[1]
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.
[2]
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.
[3] 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 ".
[4]
26 May – In the
1953 Coronation Honours ,
Herbert Howells receives a CBE and
Benjamin Britten is appointed a
Companion of Honour .
[5]
2 June
The
Coronation of Elizabeth II ,
William McKie , who had been in charge of music at the
royal wedding in 1947, is organist.
[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.
[7]
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.
[8]
29 August –
Michael Tippett 's
Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli is first performed in Edinburgh.
[1]
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).
[9]
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
Classical music
Opera
Film and Incidental music
Musical films
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
8 June –
Bonnie Tyler , singer
19 June –
Simon Wright , English drummer (
AC/DC ,
Dio , and
UFO )
22 July
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 )
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
[10]
15 May –
Mabel Love , dancer, 78
[10]
19 May –
Frank Mullings , operatic tenor, 72
[11]
21 September –
Roger Quilter , composer, 75
[12]
3 October – Sir
Arnold Bax , composer, Master of the King's (and later Queen's) Musick, 69
[13]
8 October –
Kathleen Ferrier , contralto, 41 (cancer)
[14]
26 November – Sir
Ivor Atkins , organist and choirmaster, 83
[15]
11 December –
Albert Coates , conductor and composer, 71
[16]
date unknown –
John Reynders , film score composer
See also
References
General
"Official Charts Company" . (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".)
Art music History of popular music Traditional genres Contemporary popular genres Ethnic music Media and performance
Music awards Music charts Music festivals Music media National anthem
Regional music