Overview of the events of 1981 in British music
List of years in British music
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This is a summary of1981 in music in theUnited Kingdom , including the official charts from that year.
9 February –Phil Collins releases his first solo album, although he would not leave the bandGenesis until 1995.14 February –Billy Idol leavesGeneration X to begin a solo career.26 February – The Symphony No. 2 byPeter Maxwell Davies commissioned by theBoston Symphony Orchestra in celebration of its centenary, receives its world premiere atSymphony Hall, Boston , withSeiji Ozawa conducting.4 April –Bucks Fizz win theEurovision Song Contest with "Making Your Mind Up ".7 April – FormerWho managerKit Lambert dies after falling down a flight of stairs in his mother's home in London.17 April –Eric Clapton is released from St. Paul's Hospital inMinnesota following a month-long treatment for bleeding ulcers.18 April –Yes announce that they are breaking up. They would, however, reunite frequently in the future.25 April –Paul McCartney 's band,Wings , officially breaks up.2 May – Working as a local wedding singer 12 months previously, Scottish vocalistSheena Easton hits number one in the US with "Morning Train (9 to 5) "11 May – The musicalCats West End .August – The success ofStars on 45 leads to a short-lived medleycraze . The most successful imitator of the Stars on 45 format is, rather unexpectedly, theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra , whose "Hooked on Classics (Parts 1 & 2)" reaches number two in the charts. 17 June –Pink Floyd perform their last full concert withRoger Waters , as part of The Wall Tour, at Earls Court in London. Waters would not perform with the band again until a one-off performance forLive 8 in 2005.13 July – The first performance ofGeorge Lloyd ‘s Symphony No 4, written in 1945-6 after the composer’s harrowing wartime experiences in the Arctic convoys, at the Cheltenham Festival.14 September –Emma Kirkby andGothic Voices record the albumA Feather on the Breath of God St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb , London.23 September – The first performance ofChristian Darnton ‘sTwenty Minute Symphony (his fourth), composed in 1978 with the subtitleDiabolus in musica (it is based on the tritone), performed by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra underEdward Downes .The tables below include sales between 1 January and 31 December 1981: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue ofMusic Week
Best-selling singles [ edit ] At the end of 1981, the official year-end charts provided by the UK's chart provider, the British Market Research Bureau, stated that the best-selling single of the year was "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
Best-selling albums [ edit ] [ 4] [ 5]
Notes:
^ Reached number 2 in 1980 ^ Reached number 3 in 1980 ^ Reached number 1 in 1980 Classical music: new works [ edit ] David Bedford Elegy and Caprice for oboe and pianoOcean Star, a Dreaming Song , for youth orchestraPrelude for a Maritime Nation Sonata for piano, in one movement String Quartet Symphony for 12 musicians Vocoder Sextet Wind Sextet Richard Rodney Bennett Impromptu on the Name of Haydn for pianoIsadore , balletMusic for String Quartet Noctuary , ballet for pianoSix Tunes for the Instruction of Singing-birds , flute soloSonatina for clarinet solo Vocalise , for soprano and pianoLennox Berkeley – Bagatelles for two pianosMichael Berkeley Flames for orchestraString Quartet No. 1 String Quartet No. 2 Wessex Graves for voice and harpHarrison Birtwistle –Pulse Sampler for oboe and clavesEdward Cowie –Kelly Choruses for voices and harpGordon Crosse Dreascanon 1 for choir, piano and percussionElegy and Scherzo Alla Marcia for string orchestraFear No More , for oboe, oboe d'amore and cor anglaisPeace for Brass Wildboy , ballet scorePeter Maxwell Davies The Bairnes of Brugh for chamber ensembleBrass Quintet Hill Runes for guitarLittle Quartet No. 2 for string quartetLullabye for Lucy for mixed chorusThe Medium , monodrama for mezzo sopranoPiano Sonata The Rainbow , music theatre for childrenSeven Songs Home for children's voicesBrian Ferneyhough Lemma – Icon – Epigram for pianoSuperscripto for solo piccoloMichael Finnissy An-dimironnai for solo celloDuru-duru for soprano, flute, percussion and pianoJisei for ensembleKelir for six voicesKeroiylu for oboe, bassoon and pianoPiano Concert No 7 Reels for pianoRushes for pianoStomp for accordionTerekkeme for solo cembaloTree Setting for pianoWhite Rain for piano or clavichorrdYalli for solo celloAlexander Goehr Behold the Sun for soprano, vibraphone and chamber ensembleDeux Etudes for orchestraIain Hamilton The Morning Watch for mixed chorus and ten wind instrumentsLa Ricordanza for tenor and orchestraSymphony No. 3.Spring Symphony No. 4 Robin Holloway Brand , dramatic ballet for soli, chorus, organ and orchestraClarissa Symphony for soprano, tenor and orchestraThe Lover's Well for bass-baritone and pianoSonata for Violin Solo Wilfred Josephs Blessings for chorus and organEight Aphorisms for trombone octetOvertureThe Brontes Quartet Prelude in honour of Joseph HaydnSpring Songs for chorusString Quartet No. 4 Testimony for toccata and organKenneth Leighton Household Pets for pianoThese Are Thy Wonders for high voice and organGeorge Lloyd – Symphony No 10,November Journeys (for brass)John McCabe Afternoons and Afterwards for pianoDesert 1: Lizard for woodwind and percussionDesert II: Horizon for ten brass instrumentsMusic's Empire for soli, chorus and orchestraElizabeth Maconchy Little Symphony Piccola Musica for violin, viola and celloTrittico for two oboes, bassoon and harpsichordWilliam Mathias –Rex Gloriae for unaccompanied voicesNicholas Maw – Flute QuartetDominic Muldowney In Dark Times for soli and ensembleSports et Divertissements for reciter and ensembleThea Musgrave An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge , radio operaPreipeteia for orchestraStephen Oliver Mass for unaccompanied chorus Wind Octet Paul Patterson –The Canterbury Psalms for chorus and orchestraPriaulx Rainier – Concertante for two winds (oboe, clarinet) and orchestraJohn Tavener Funeral Ikos for chorusThe Great Canon of the Ode to Saint Andrew of Crete for chorusMandelion for organPrayer for the World for sixteen solo voicesTrisagion for brass quintetAdrian Williams – String Quartet No. 2Malcolm Williamson Fountainbleau Fanfare , for brass, percussion and organJosip Broz Tito for baritone and orchestraMass of the People of God 11 January 22 January – Sarah Davies, bassist (Hepburn )19 January –Thaila Zucchi , singer (allSTARS* ) and actress28 January – Jamie Tinkler, singer (Pop! ,Avenue )24 February –Gwilym Simcock , pianist and composer11 March –Russell Lissack , guitarist withBloc Party 13 March –Ivo Neame , jazz pianist and saxophonist20 March – Declan Bennett, singer (Point Break )26 March –Jay Sean , singer1 April –Hannah Spearritt , actress and singer (S Club 7 )2 April – Linzi Martin, singer (Girl Thing )10 April –Liz McClarnon , singer (Atomic Kitten )21 April –Mike Christie , baritone (G4)26 April –Ms Dynamite , singer4 May – Ryan Elliott, singer (Ultimate Kaos )5 May –Craig David , singer20 May –Sean Conlon , musician (5ive )22 May –Su-Elise Nash , singer (Mis-Teeq )23 May 5 June – Anika Bostelaar, Dutch-born singer (Girl Thing )20 June – Derek McDonald, singer (Mero)22 June –Chris Urbanowicz , guitarist (Editors )23 June –Antony Costa , singer (Blue )27 June – Colin and Joe O'Halloran, Irish singers (Reel)6 July – Vicky Palmer, singer (Boom! )12 July –Rebecca Hunter , singer (allSTARS* )19 July –Didz Hammond , singer and bass player (Dirty Pretty Things andThe Cooper Temple Clause )24 July – Lisa Lister, guitarist (Hepburn )8 August –Bradley McIntosh , singer (S Club 7 )11 August –Sandi Thom , singer-songwriter21 August –Jenilca Giusti , Puerto Rican-born singer (Solid HarmoniE )20 September –Keith Semple , singer (One True Voice )29 September –Suzanne Shaw , singer (Hear'Say ) and actress6 October – Sarah Keating, Irish singer (Six )10 October –Una Healy , Irish singer (The Saturdays )13 October –Kele Okereke , singer (Bloc Party )31 October – Liam McKenna, Northern Irish singer (Six)17 November –Sarah Harding , singer (Girls Aloud )20 November –Kimberley Walsh , singer (Girls Aloud )22 November –Ben Adams , singer (A1 )26 November –Natasha Bedingfield , singer[ 7] 19 December –Sam Bloom , singer (allSTARS* )19 February 21 February –Ron Grainer , Australian-born electronic music pioneer and composer involved with theBBC Radiophonic Workshop , 58 (spinal cancer)[ 10] 10 March –Bill Hopkins , pianist, composer and critic, 37 (heart attack)24 March –George Charles Gray , cathedral organist, 837 April –Kit Lambert , manager and producer, 45 (fall)8 April –Eric Rogers , composer, 5914 April –Christian Darnton , composer, 7521 April –Ivor Newton , pianist and accompanist, 8828 April –Steve Currie , bassist ofT.Rex , 33 (car crash)[ 11] 12 May –Frank Weir , orchestra leader and jazz musician, 7017 May –Alan Gowen , keyboardist (Gilgamesh ), 33 (leukaemia)29 May – SirJohn Dykes Bower , cathedral organist, 7518 July –Janet Craxton , oboist, 5229 July –Sydney Kyte , bandleader and violinist, 85[ 12] 5 August –Reginald Kell , clarinettist, 7529 August –Guy Stevens , band manager, record producer and DJ, 38 (overdose)23 September –Sam Costa , dance band singer and DJ, 7129 September –Tommy Moore , former drummer ofthe Beatles , 50 (brain haemorrhage)30 September –Boyd Neel , orchestral conductor, 7615 October –Elsie Randolph , actress, dancer and singer, 779 November –Willis Grant , cathedral organist, 7413 December –Cornelius Cardew , experimental music composer, 45 (hit-and-run car accident)[ 13] 17 December –Sybil Gordon , operatic mezzo-soprano, 79date unknown –Albert Ernest Sims , composer, conductor and music director of The Central Band of H.M. Royal Air Force, 85[ 14] ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1982). "The Top 200 Singles: January–December 1981".BPI Year Book 1982 (5th ed.). London, England: TheBritish Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 46– 49.ISBN 0-906154-03-0 ^ Jones, Alan; Lazell, Barry; Rees, Dafydd (1982). "The Top 200 Singles (UK)".Chart File 1982 . London, England: Virgin Books. pp. 74– 77.ISBN 0-907080-49-9 ^ Copsey, Rob (5 March 2021)."The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1981" .Official Charts Company . Archived fromthe original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved24 November 2021 . ^ Scaping (1982). "The Top 200 LPs: January–December 1981". pp. 50–53. ^ Jones; Lazell; Rees (1982). "The Top 200 Albums (UK)". pp. 78–81. ^ Dean, Winton (1981)."Music in London: Anna Karenina" .The Musical Times ^ Tracie Ratiner (May 2010).Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music ISBN 978-0-7876-9617-7 ^ "Miss Olive Gilbert",The Times , 20 February 1981, p. 16, col. G ^ Gerald Norris (1981).A Musical Gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland ISBN 978-0-7153-7845-8 ^ Lone Eagle Publishing Co (2000).Film Composers Directory ^ Nick Talevski (1999).The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries ISBN 978-0-7119-7548-4 ^ Principal Probate Registry ; London, England; Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England^ Tilbury, John. Cornelius Cardew: A Life Unfinished Harlow: Copula, an imprint of Matchless Recordings and Publishing, 2008.ISBN 978-0-9525492-3-9 ^ Bierley, Paul E; Rehrig, William H (1991). The heritage encyclopedia of band music : composers and their music. Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press.ISBN 0-918048-08-7 .
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