1945 in British music

1940s in music in the UK
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Summaries and charts 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949
←1939	1950→

This is a summary of 1945 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events

• 7 June – First performance of Peter Grimes in Sadler's Wells, London.
• 29 June - William Walton opposes a proposal that the British Council should support a complete recording of Peter Grimes, suggesting that this should be discussed "at a calmer moment when the wildly hysterical & uncritical eulogies & general 'ballyhoo' have somewhat abated, & the true merits of the work can be properly assessed."^[1]
• July – Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin tour Germany to perform concerts in liberated concentration camps, including Belsen.
• 26 July - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.
• Unknown date - Walter Legge founds the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Popular music

• Dorothy Squires - "The Gypsy" (Billy Reid)

Classical music: new works

• Benjamin Britten – The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
• Michael Tippett - Symphony No. 1
• William Walton - Memorial Fanfare for Henry Wood

Opera

• Benjamin Britten – Peter Grimes

Film and Incidental music

• Richard Addinsell - Blithe Spirit
• Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Story of a Flemish Farm

Musical theatre

• 21 April - Perchance To Dream (Music, Lyrics and Book: Ivor Novello) - London production opens at the London Hippodrome and runs for 1022 performances.
• 28 August - Noël Coward's revue Sigh No More opens at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Musical films

• Flight from Folly, directed by Herbert Mason, starring Patricia Kirkwood and Hugh Sinclair.^[2] The Daily Mirror described the film as a "neatly made and tuneful comedy" with praise for Kirkwood's "vivacious personality and talent".
• I'll Be Your Sweetheart - directed by Val Guest, starring Margaret Lockwood, Vic Oliver and Michael Rennie.

Births

• 10 January - Rod Stewart, singer and songwriter
• 19 January - Trevor Williams, English singer-songwriter and bass player (Audience and The Nashville Teens)
• 25 January - Dave Walker, English singer and guitarist (Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac)
• 26 January - Jacqueline du Pré, cellist (died 1987)
• 30 March - Eric Clapton, guitarist, singer and songwriter
• 25 February - Elkie Brooks, singer
• 14 April - Ritchie Blackmore, guitarist
• 19 May - Pete Townshend (The Who)
• 29 May - Gary Brooker (Procol Harum)
• 24 June - Colin Blunstone, singer
• 25 June - Labi Siffre, singer-songwriter
• 28 June - David Knights, bass player and producer (Procol Harum)
• 19 August - Ian Gillan, singer
• 5 September - Al Stewart, singer-songwriter
• 7 September - Max Boyce, singer-songwriter
• 24 September - John Rutter, composer
• 26 September - Bryan Ferry, singer and songwriter
• 5 October - Brian Connolly, vocalist (Sweet) (died 1997)
• 28 October - Wayne Fontana, singer
• 3 December - Paul Nicholas, actor and singer
• 30 December - Davy Jones, singer and actor (died 2012)

Deaths

• 8 February - James Campbell McInnes, baritone singer and teacher, 71
• 12 April - Maurice Besly, organist, composer and conductor, 57
• 24 April - Hubert Bath, film composer, 61
• 21 May - Hugh Enes Blackmore, singer and actor, 81
• 15 August - Frederic Lord, organist, conductor and composer, 58^[3]
• 19 November - Helen Hopekirk, pianist and composer, 89
• 15 December - Tobias Matthay, pianist and composer, 87

References

1. Lloyd, Stephen (2001). William Walton: Muse of Fire. Woodbridge, Boydell & Brewer: p. 201
2. "Flight From Folly / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
3. Margaret Frazer. "Frederic Lord". The Canadian Encyclopedia.