This is a summary of 1920 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events February – The Philharmonic Choir,Daniel Snowman, Hallelujah! An Informal History of the London Philharmonic Choir (London: London Philharmonic Choir, London 2007), pp. 127–33 – Appendix II: "The History of the Philharmonic Choir". under its founder Charles Kennedy Scott, appears at a Philharmonic Society concert giving the first performance of Frederick Delius's A Song of the High Hills. March – Adrian Boult conducts Edward Elgar's second Symphony at the Queen's Hall to "great applause" and "frantic enthusiasm", April – Irish composer Hamilton Harty is appointed resident conductor of the Hallé Orchestra."Hamilton Harty", The Musical Times, Vol. 61, No. 926 (April 1920), pp. 227–230 May – Noël Coward's comedy I'll Leave It to You becomes his first full-length play to be staged in London's West End.Thaxter, John. I'll Leave It To You , British Theatre Guide, 2009 4 September – City of Birmingham Orchestra holds its first rehearsals (in a police bandroom). Later in the month, it holds first concert, conducted by Appleby Matthews, including Granville Bantock's overture Saul. November – City of Birmingham Orchestra gives its "First Symphony Concert", with Edward Elgar conducting a programme of his own music in Birmingham Town Hall.King-Smith, Beresford (1995), Crescendo! 75 years of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London: Methuen, . page 9. 15 November – The first complete public performance of Gustav Holst's suite The Planets (including "Neptune") is given in London by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Albert Coates."London Concerts"' The Musical Times, December 1920, p. 821 15 December – Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending is premiered in its original version for violin and piano with Marie Hall as violinist at Shirehampton near Bristol. December – Sir Thomas Beecham is forced to disband the Beecham Opera Company because of financial difficulties.

Popular music "Black Stitchel", w. Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, m. Ivor GurneyBarbara Doscher (ed. John Nix) From Studio to Stage: Repertoire for the Voice, Scarecrow Press, 2002, p 32. Accessed 11 Sept 2014 "I Belong to Glasgow", w.m. Will Fyffe

Classical music: new works Granville Bantock – Arabian Nights Arnold Bax – Phantasy for viola and orchestra Arthur Bliss The Tempest, overture and interludes; Concerto for piano, tenor voice, strings and percussion Rout (for soprano and chamber orchestra) Frederick Delius – Hassan Ivor Gurney – War Elegy Basil Harwood – Christmastide Dorothy Howell – Two DancesMike, Celia, "Howell, Dorothy", in The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers (Julie Anne Sadie and Rhian Samuel, eds.). The MacMillan Press (London & Basingstoke), p. 231 (1994, ). John Ireland – Piano SonataLisa Hardy. The British Piano Sonata: 1875-1945 (2001), pp. 84-91 John Blackwood McEwen – String Quartet No. 9 in B minor Charles Villiers Stanford – Sonata "Celtica" No. 4, Op. 153 Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Mass in G minor A London Symphony

Musical theatre 18 September – A Night Out, with a book by George Grossmith, Jr. and Arthur Miller, music by Willie Redstone and Cole Porter and lyrics by Clifford Grey, opens at the Winter Garden Theatre in London, where it runs for 309 performances. The original cast includes Leslie Henson and Stanley Holloway.

Births 9 January – Clive Dunn, comedy actor and chart-topping singer (died 2012) 23 March – Geoffrey Bush, composer, writer and broadcaster (d. 1998) 12 April – The Cox Twins, music hall entertainers (Frank, died 2007, and Fred, died 2013) 14 April – Ivor Forbes Guest, historian of dance (died 2018) 2 May – Joe "Mr. Piano" Henderson, Scottish pianist and composer (died 1980) 13 May – Gareth Morris, flautist (died 2007) 20 May – Betty Driver, singer and actress (died 2011) 19 June – Johnny Douglas, film composer and conductor (died 2003) 21 August – John Hanson, singer and actor (died 1998)General Register Office; United Kingdom 5 September – Peter Racine Fricker, composer (died 1990) 27 September – Alan A. Freeman, record producer (died 1985)General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 15; Page: 284. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. 12 October – Steve Conway, singer (died 1952)London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P72/BAT 12 December – Dick James, singer and record producer (died 1986)

Deaths 21 January – John Henry Maunder, composer, 61 24 January – Percy French, Irish-born songwriter, 65 (pneumonia) 7 April – Alice Elgar, wife of composer Edward Elgar, 72 (lung cancer) 5 May – Robert Bryan, poet and composer, 61 28 May - Hardwicke Rawnsley, hymn-writer, 68 28 June - Pauline Rita, singer and actress, about 78 14 December – George J. Gaskin, Irish singer, 57

See also 1920 in the United Kingdom

References