1937 in British music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a summary of 1937 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
- 24 January â Ernest John Moeran completes the revised version of his Symphony in G minor, dedicated to conductor Hamilton Harty.[1]
- 6 March â Composer Benjamin Britten and his partner, the tenor Peter Pears, meet for the first time, in London.[2]
- 12 May â William Walton's ceremonial march, "Crown Imperial", originally written for his predecessor, King Edward VIII, is performed for the first time at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
- 27 August â Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge is performed at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Boyd Neel.[2]
- 20 December â The Gaumont State Cinema opens in London with Sidney Torch as organist.
- date unknown
- Kathleen Ferrier wins the piano and vocal competitions at the Carlisle Festival, and is awarded a special rose bowl as champion of the festival.[3]
- George Lloyd marries Nancy Juvet. Lloyd has PTSD and later acknowledges that he could not have recovered without Nancy's care.[4]
- Ukrainian-born pianist Benno Moiseiwitsch takes up British citizenship.
Popular music
- "A Nice Cup of Tea" Gracie Fields w.m. AP Herbert, Henry Sullivan
- "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Michael Carr[5]
- "Harbour Lights" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Hugh Williams
- "Home Town" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Michael Carr
- "The Lambeth Walk" w. Douglas Furber, L. Arthur Rose m. Noel Gay[6]
- "Leaning on a Lamp-post" w.m. Noel Gay[7]
- "Me And My Girl" w.m. Noel Gay & Douglas Furber
Classical music: new works
- Arthur Bliss â Checkmate (ballet)
- Rutland Boughton â Symphony No. 3 in B minor
- Frank Bridge String Quartet No. 4
- Benjamin Britten â Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
- George Dyson â Symphony in G major
- John Ireland â These Things Shall Be
- Edmund Rubbra â Symphony No. 1
- Ralph Vaughan Williams â Job: A Masque for Dancing (ballet)
- Percy Whitlock â Wessex Suite
Film and Incidental music
- Richard Addinsell â Fire Over England, starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
- Ernest Irving â Feather Your Nest, starring George Formby, Polly Ward and Enid Stamp-Taylor.
Musical theatre
- 5 February â On Your Toes London production opened at the Palace Theatre and ran for 123 performances
- 29 March â Swing is in the Air London revue opened at the Palladium
- 16 December â Me and My Girl (Noel Gay) â London production opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre and ran for 1646 performances.
Musical films
- Big Fella, directed by J. Elder Wills, starring Paul Robeson and Elisabeth Welch[8]
- Calling All Stars, directed by Herbert Smith, starring Carroll Gibbons and Evelyn Dall[9]
- Gangway, starring Jessie Matthews and Alastair Sim[10]
- Head Over Heels, starring Jessie Matthews[10]
- Mayfair Melody, directed by Arthur B. Woods, starring Keith Falkner and Chili Bouchier[11]
- The Show Goes On, starring Gracie Fields, Owen Nares and John Stuart.
- Song of the Forge, starring Stanley Holloway.[12]
- The Street Singer, starring Arthur Tracy, Margaret Lockwood and Arthur Riscoe[13]
- Take My Tip, directed by Herbert Mason, starring Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge
Births
- 8 January â Shirley Bassey, singer
- 22 January â Ryan Davies, comedian, singer and songwriter (died 1977)
- 27 January â John Ogdon, pianist (died 1989)
- 28 April â Jean Redpath, folk singer (died 2014)
- 5 May â Delia Derbyshire, musician and composer of electronic music[14] (died 2001)
- 21 May â John Barstow, pianist and teacher
- 12 July â Guy Woolfenden, conductor and theatre composer (died 2016)[15]
- 27 July â Anna Dawson, actress and singer
- 19 November â Geoff Goddard, songwriter, singer and instrumentalist (died 2000)
- 30 November â Frank Ifield, British-born Australian singer
- 1 December
- Gordon Crosse, composer[16]
- David Measham, violinist and conductor (died 2005)
- 12 December â Philip Ledger, composer and teacher (died 2012)
- 31 December â Anthony Hopkins, actor and composer
Deaths
- 22 January â Walter Willson Cobbett, businessman and amateur violinist, editor/author of Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 89
- 10 April â Algernon Ashton, pianist and composer, 77
- 1 May â Herbert Hughes, composer, music critic and collector of folk songs, 54[17]
- 2 May â Sir Arthur Somervell, composer, 73
- 23 July â Charles Henry Mills, composer and music teacher (b. 1873)
- 25 November â Lilian Baylis, founder of Sadler's Wells ballet company, 63 (heart attack)[18]
- 23 December â Muriel Foster, contralto, 60[19]
- 26 December
- Dan Beddoe, tenor, 74
- Ivor Gurney, composer and poet, 47 (tuberculosis)[20]