This is a summary of 1954 in music of all genres in the United Kingdom.

Events

14 January Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 *1639 – The "Fundamental Orders", the first written const ...

– '' The Boy Friend'', opens in the West End, with understudy

Anne Rogers Anne Rogers (born 29 July 1933) is an English actress, dancer, and singer. Career Anne Rogers was born in Liverpool and began her stage career at the age of 15. She was in the original London production of '' The Boy Friend'', playing the femal ...

in the lead role after Diana Maddox falls ill at the dress rehearsal. *

5 August Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...

– '' Salad Days'' opens in the West End after a short run in Bristol. It becomes the longest-running musical in British theatre history until overtaken by ''Oliver!'' in 1960. *

14 September Events Pre-1600 *AD 81 – Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. * 629 – Emperor Heraclius enters Constantinople in triumph after his victory over the Persian Empire. * 786 – "Night o ...

– Benjamin Britten conducts the premiere of his opera '' The Turn of the Screw'' at Teatro La Fenice, Venice. *

18 September Events Pre-1600 * 96 – Domitian, who has been conducting a reign of terror for the past three years, is assassinated as a result of a plot by his wife Domitia and two Praetorian prefects. * 96 – Nerva is proclaimed Roman empero ...

– The Last Night of the Proms for the first time features the almost invariable coupling of Sir Henry Wood's 1905 ''

Fantasia on British Sea Songs Fantasia on British Sea Songs or Fantasy on British Sea Songs is a medley of British sea songs arranged by Sir Henry Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. For many years it has been an indispensable item at the BBC's Last N ...

'', Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

's 1902 setting of " Land of Hope and Glory", Sir Hubert Parry's 1916 setting of William Blake's " Jerusalem", and " Rule, Britannia!". * 1 October – The UK Singles Chart is expanded into a Top 20. * 3 December – William Walton's opera '' Troilus and Cressida'' opens at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It is not a success.

Charts

*''See UK No.1 Hits of 1954''

Classical music: new works

Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi (14 July 1901 – 27 September 1956) was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata '' Dies natalis'' for solo voice and ...

– Cello Concerto in A minor * Alun Hoddinott – Clarinet Concerto * Daniel Jones – Symphony No. 4 *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

– Tuba Concerto in F minor

Opera

* Benjamin Britten – '' The Turn of the Screw'' * Arwel Hughes – ''Menna'' * John Joubert - ''Antigone'' (for radio) * William Walton – '' Troilus and Cressida''

Film and Incidental music

* Malcolm Arnold **'' The Belles of St Trinian's'', starring

Alistair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his d ...

. **''

Hobson's Choice A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available. The most well known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave ...

'' directed by

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

, starring

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future w ...

, Brenda De Banzie, John Mills and Prunella Scales. **'' The Sea Shall Not Have Them'', starring Michael Redgrave,

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...

and Anthony Steel. * Francis Chagrin – '' An Inspector Calls'' directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Alastair Sim. * Eric Coates – ''

The Dam Busters March ''The Dam Busters March'' is the theme to the 1955 British war film '' The Dam Busters''. The musical composition, by Eric Coates, has achieved the distinction of becoming synonymous with both the film and the real Operation Chastise. ''The Dam ...

'' * Mátyás Seiber – ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...

Musical theatre

*'' Salad Days'', with music by Julian Slade and lyrics by Dorothy Reynolds and Julian Slade *'' Zuleika'', with music by

Peter Tranchell Peter Andrew Tranchell (14 July 1922 – 14 September 1993) was a British composer. Life and career Tranchell was born at Cuddalore, India, on 14 July 1922, and educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Clifton College"Clifton College Register" Mu ...

and lyrics by

James Ferman James Alan Ferman (11 April 1930 – 24 December 2002) was an American television and theatre director. He was the Secretary (later termed Director) of the British Board of Film Classification from 1975 to 1999.Michael Brook"Ferman, James (1 ...

"Zuleika Dobson as a Musical", ''The Times'', 15 February 1957, p. 3

Musical films

*''

Lilacs in the Spring ''Lilacs in the Spring'' is a 1954 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Errol Flynn and David Farrar. The film was made at Elstree Studios with sets designed by the art director William C. Andrews. Shot in T ...

'', starring Anna Neagle

Births

23 January Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. *1264 &ndas ...

– Edward Ka-Spel, singer-songwriter * 8 March – Cheryl Baker, singer with

Bucks Fizz Bucks Fizz were a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comp ...

15 March Events Pre-1600 * 474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce. *44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place. * 493 – Odoa ...

– Isobel Buchanan, operatic soprano * 8 May **

John Michael Talbot John Michael Talbot (born May 8, 1954) is an American Christian musician, author, television presenter and founder of a monastic community known as the Brothers and Sisters of Charity. Life and career Talbot was born into a Methodist family wi ...

, American singer-songwriter and guitarist ( Mason Proffit) ** Gary Wilmot, entertainer *

11 May Events 1601–1900 *1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. *1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across th ...

– Judith Weir, composer *

10 July Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Emperor Hadrian of Rome dies of heart failure at his residence on the bay of Naples, Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina. * 645 – Isshi Incident: Prince ...

– Neil Tennant, singer-songwriter and record producer (

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

) *

11 August Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and found ...

– Joe Jackson, singer, songwriter and composer *

25 August Events Pre-1600 * 19 – The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to ...

–

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

, singer-songwriter *

3 November Events Pre-1600 * 361 – Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is Baptism, baptised and declares his cousin Julian the Apostate, Julian rightful successor. *1333 – The Arno, River Arno f ...

– Adam Ant, singer * 4 November – Chris Difford, singer, songwriter and record producer ( Squeeze) * 18 November – John Parr, singer * 7 December – Mike Nolan, singer with

10 December Events Pre-1600 * 1317 – The "Nyköping Banquet": King Birger of Sweden treacherously seizes his two brothers Valdemar, Duke of Finland and Eric, Duke of Södermanland, who were subsequently starved to death in the dungeon of Nyköpi ...

– Jack Hues, singer-songwriter and guitarist ( Wang Chung) * 25 December –

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

, singer

Deaths

* 18 January –

Herbert Heyner Herbert Heyner (26 June 188218 January 1954) was a noted English baritone. Heyner appeared in a handful of operas, and a number of broadcast operas, but his stage appearances were predominantly in oratorio and songs. He sang in some notable pe ...

, operatic baritone, 71 *

3 March Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Emperor Shōmu, Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japa ...

– Noel Gay, songwriter, 55 * 4 April – Frederick Lonsdale, dramatist of musicals, 73 *

24 July Events Pre-1600 *1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. *1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade. *1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirli ...

– Anne Gilchrist, folk song collector, 90 *

9 August Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. * 378 – Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople: A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens i ...

–

Frederick Keel James Frederick Keel (8 May 18719 August 1954) was an English composer of art songs, baritone singer and academic. Keel was a successful recitalist and a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music. He combined scholarly and artistic inter ...

, baritone singer and composer, 83 * 14 December – Philip Ritte, operatic tenor, 83 *

29 November Events Pre-1600 * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom. * 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over ...

– Sir George Robey, music hall star, 85 *''date unknown'' –

George Alex Stevens George Alexander Stevens (1875–19 April 1954) was an English songwriter and musical show director. In more than 60 years of songwriting he had more than 2000 songs published under the names "G. Alex Stevens", 'Geo A Stevens' and "George A. Stev ...

, songwriter and musical show director

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1954 In British Music British Music, 1954 In British music by year