1940 in British music explained

This is a summary of 1940 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events

• 30 January – Sophie Wyss gives the first complete performance of Benjamin Britten's Les Illuminations, with Boyd Neel conducting his Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall, London.^[1]
• 28 March – Antonio Brosa gives the first performance of Britten's Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Barbirolli in Carnegie Hall, New York.^[2]
• 21 April – Michael Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra is given its first performance in London.
• May – Ilona Kabos and Louis Kentner record William Walton's Duets for Children for Columbia.^[3]
• 22 June – John Ireland is evacuated from Guernsey just over a week before the island is invaded by Germany.^[4]
• date unknown – D'Oyly Carte bass L. Radley Flynn marries contralto Ella Halman.

Popular music

• "All Over The Place" w. Frank Eyton m. Noel Gay. Introduced by Tommy Trinder in the film Sailors Three.
• "Let The People Sing" w.m. Noel Gay, Ian Grant & Frank Eyton

Classical music: new works

• Granville Bantock – Celtic Symphony
• Lennox Berkeley – Symphony No. 1
• Benjamin Britten – Sinfonia da Requiem
• William Walton – The Wise Virgins (ballet)

Film and Incidental music

• Richard Addinsell – Gaslight, starring Anton Walbrook and Diana Wynyard.
• Bretton Byrd – A Window in London, starring Michael Redgrave.
• Ernest Irving – Sailors Three
• Louis Levy – Night Train to Munich directed by Carol Reed, starring Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison.

Musical theatre

• 5 March – The Beggar's Opera (Music and Lyrics: John Gay adapted by Frederic Austin). London revival, directed by John Gielgud, opened at the Haymarket Theatre.^[5]
• 20 March – White Horse Inn (Music: Ralph Benatzky Lyrics and Book: Harry Graham). London revival opened at the London Coliseum and ran for 268 performances until ended by bombing raids.^[5]
• 11 April – New Faces London revue opened at the Comedy Theatre, then moved to the Apollo Theatre on 14 March 1941.
• 27 August – Apple Sauce (Music and Lyrics: Michael Carr & Jack Strachey). London production opened at the Holborn Empire, then moved to the London Palladium on 5 March 1941, after the Holborn Empire was destroyed in the Blitz. Total run 462 performances.

Musical films

• Laugh It Off, starring Tommy Trinder, Jean Colin, Anthony Hulme and Marjorie Browne.

Births

• 7 June – Tom Jones, singer
• 23 June – Adam Faith, singer and actor (died 2003)
• 4 July – Dave Rowberry, English pianist and songwriter (The Animals) (died 2003)
• 7 July – Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles
• 10 July – Brian Priestley, English pianist and composer (National Youth Jazz Orchestra)
• 19 August – Roger Cook, songwriter
• 9 October – John Lennon, singer and songwriter (died 1980)
• 14 October – Cliff Richard, singer
• 23 October –Tom McGrath, jazz pianist and playwright (died 2009)
• 15 November – Hank Wangford, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and physician
• 25 December – Pete Brown, performance poet and lyricist (died 2023)

Deaths

• 31 March – Achille Rivarde, American-born violinist and teacher, 74
• 10 July – Sir Donald Tovey, musicologist and composer, 64
• 16 December – William Wallace, composer, 80

See also

• 1940 in British television
• 1940 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1940

Notes and References

1. Mitchell, Donald (ed) (1991). Letters From A Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2 1939–45. London: Faber and Faber. . pp. 628, 657
2. Mitchell (1991): p. 629
3. Lloyd, Stephen (2001). William Walton: Muse of Fire. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. . p. 171
4. Foreman, Lewis. The John Ireland Companion. The Boydell Press, 2011: p. xxxiii
5. Web site: London Musicals 1940–1944 . overthefootlights.co.uk . pdf . 19 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150211233927/http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/London%20Musicals%201940-1944.pub.pdf . 11 February 2015 . dead . http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/London%20Musicals%201940-1944.pub.pdf