1931 in British music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a summary of 1931 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
- 24 January â Mary Garden makes her last appearance with the Chicago Civic Opera company. She retires to her native Scotland.[1]
- 22â28 July â The ninth annual ISCM Festival of Contemporary Music takes place in London and Oxford, with concerts of orchestral, choral, and chamber music.[2]
- 22 August â Anton Webernâs Passacaglia Op. 1 receives its first performance in England at the Proms, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Henry Wood.
- date unknown â Gustav Holst appears as an extra in a crowd scene in the film The Bells.[3]
Popular music
- "Close Your Eyes", by D. Carter and H. M. Tennent
- "Lady Of Spain"; music by Tolchard Evans, lyrics by Erell Reaves
- "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", by Noël Coward
- "My Girl's Pussy", by Harry Roy and his Bat Club Boys
Classical music: new works
- Havergal Brian â Symphony No. 2 in E minor
- Frank Bridge â Phantasm, for piano and orchestra
- Benjamin Britten â
- Christ's Nativity, Christmas Suite, for SATB choir
- Plymouth Town, ballet, for orchestra
- String Quartet in D
- Arnold Cooke â Passacaglia, Scherzo, and Finale, for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and string quartet
- Frederick Delius â
- Fantastic Dance, for orchestra
- Irmelin Prelude, for orchestra
- George Dyson â The Canterbury Pilgrims (Geoffrey Chaucer), for soprano, tenor, baritone, choir, and orchestra
- Edward Elgar â Soliloquy, for oboe and orchestra
- Gerald Finzi â To Joy, for voice and piano, op. 13
- Patrick Hadley â Symphonic Ballad: The Trees So High[4]
- Gustav Holst â Twelve Welsh Folk Songs, for choir, H183
- Herbert Howells â
- "A Maid Peerless", for SSAA choir and orchestra
- Severn, for SATB choir
- Gordon Jacob â Passacaglia on a Well-Known Theme, for orchestra
- Elizabeth Maconchy â
- A Hymn to Christ, A Hymn to God the Father, for double choir
- The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, for choir and orchestra
- Cyril Scott â
- Concerto, for cello and orchestra
- Trio No. 1, for violin, viola, and cello
- Trio No. 2, for violin, viola, and cello
- Herbert Sumsion â Piano Trio
- Michael Tippett â Symphonic Movement, for orchestra
- Ralph Vaughan Williams â
- Job: A Masque for Dancing (ballet)
- Piano Concerto in C major
- William Walton â Belshazzar's Feast (oratorio)
Opera
- Thomas Frederick Dunhill â Tantivy Towers, words by A. P. Herbert[5]
Film and Incidental music
Musical theatre
- 8 January â Folly To Be Wise (revue) opens at the Piccadilly Theatre, starring Cicely Courtneidge.
- 13 October â Noël Coward's Cavalcade opens at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where it runs for 405 performances.[6]
- 23 December â Hold My Hand (Music: Noel Gay Lyrics: Desmond Carter Book: Stanley Lupino) opens at the Gaiety Theatre, Starring Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale and Stanley Lupino.
Musical films
- A Man of Mayfair, starring Jack Buchanan
- Sally in Our Alley, starring Gracie Fields
- Sunshine Susie, starring Renate Müller and Jack Hulbert
Births
- 6 January â David Whitaker, composer, songwriter, arranger and conductor (died 2012)[7]
- 29 January â Leslie Bricusse, composer, lyricist and playwright (died 2021)
- 5 March â Anthony Hedges, composer (died 2019)
- 25 March â Humphrey Burton, television music and arts presenter
- 30 June â James Loughran, orchestral conductor (died 2024)
- 29 April â Lonnie Donegan, skiffle musician (died 2002)
- 4 July â Duncan Lamont, saxophonist, composer and bandleader (died 1919)
- 5 July â Aloysius Gordon, British-based Jamaican jazz pianist, singer (died 2017)
- 28 August â John Shirley-Quirk, operatic bass-baritone (died 2014)[8]
- 12 September â Tommy Moore, drummer (died 1981)
- 24 September â Anthony Newley, songwriter, actor and singer (died 1999)[9]
- 4 October â Anna Reynolds, operatic mezzo-soprano (died 2014)
- 4 November â Clinton Ford, singer (died 2009)
Deaths
- 8 May â Bertha Lewis, singer and actress with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 43 (car accident)
- 18 June â Fanny Holland, singer and actress, 83
- 22 August â Joseph Tabrar, songwriter, 73[10]
- 19 November â Frederic Cliffe, composer, 74[11]
- 23 November â Leonora Braham, operatic soprano and actress, 78[12]