This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1951.
Specific locations 1951 in British music 1951 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1951 in country music 1951 in jazz
Events January 29 – Nilla Pizzi wins the first annual Sanremo Music Festival with "Grazie dei fiori".Anon. "Riviera Dei Fiori"; Anon. "Sanremo 1951 ", Sanremo Festival Website (Accessed November 30, 2009). February 22 – The first complete performance of Charles Ives's Symphony No. 2, written between 1897 and 1902, is given in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. March 3-5 – Jackie Brenston "and His Delta Cats" (actually Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm) record "Rocket 88" at Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, a candidate for the first rock and roll record (released in April). March 5 – The Suk Trio, consisting of Josef Suk (violinist), Jiří Hubička (pianist) and Saša Večtomov (cellist), make their debut, at the Rudolfinum Hall in Prague (Czechoslovakia). April 4 – Frankie Laine, newly signed by Columbia Records, becoming the highest paid vocalist of his day, immediately justifies his new contract by recording the double-sided megahit "Jezebel"/"Rose, Rose, I Love You", the latter being the only major popular music chart hit in the United States written by a Chinese composer (Chen Gexin). April 18 – An article entitled "The Fight Against Formalism in Art and Literature, for a Progressive German Culture" appears in the Tägliche Rundschau, official daily of the Soviet Government in Germany, promulgating the new cultural policy of the DDR.Everett Helm, " (Subscription Access), The Musical Quarterly 37, no. 4 (October): 590–97. May 9–26 – The Queen Elisabeth Competition for violin is held (for the first time under that name) in Brussels, Belgium. Leonid Kogan is awarded first prize."Queen Elisabeth Competition 1951–2008 ", p. 3. June 9 – Joseph Haydn's opera L'anima del filosofo, better known by its alternative title Orfeo ed Euridice and written in 1791–92, is given its world premiere at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.Anonymous, "First Performance of a Haydn Opera", The Times, issue 52024 (June 10, 1951): p. 4, col G. June 14 – Bill Haley and His Saddlemen record their version of "Rocket 88", combining the rhythm and blues arrangement of the version recorded in early March by Jackie Brentson with country music trappings. June 22 – July 10 – Darmstädter Internationale Ferienkurse held in Darmstadt. July 2–14 – The seventh annual Cheltenham Music Festival is held in Cheltenham, England, with a performance of Brian Easdale's opera The Sleeping Children, premieres of the first symphonies of Malcolm Arnold, John Gardner and Arnold van Wyk, Franz Reizenstein's Serenade for Winds and Maurice Jacobson's Symphonic Suite, as well as performances of works by Humphrey Searle, Robert Masters, Benjamin Frankel and Philip Sainton.A. J., "Cheltenham Festival", The Musical Times 92, no. 1303 (September 1951): 416–417. July 11 – Disc jockey and music promoter Alan Freed broadcasts his first Rhythm and blues radio programme from station WJW in Cleveland, Ohio. Freed uses the term rock and roll to describe R&B, in an effort to introduce the music to a broader white audience. July 14–21 – The Haslemere Music Festival, consisting of six concerts of early music, takes place in Haslemere, England.Anon., "The Haslemere Festival", The Musical Times 92, no. 1301 (July 1951): 312. July 29 – The annual Bayreuth Festival resumes for the first time since the Second World War, now under the general direction of Wieland Wagner, with an opening concert of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, followed by productions of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Parsifal and Die Meistersinger.Adolf Aber, "Tradition and Revolution at Bayreuth", The Musical Times 92, no. 1304 (October 1951): 453–457. August – The annual Salzburg Festival takes place in Salzburg, Austria, featuring four opera productions from the Vienna State Opera: Mozart's Idomeneo and Die Zauberflöte and Verdi's Otello, all conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, and Berg's Wozzeck, conducted by Karl Böhm, as well as seven orchestral concerts by the Vienna Philharmonic (two conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler and one each by Edwin Fischer, Rafael Kubelík, Eugen Jochum, Karl Böhm, and Leopold Stokowski), six choral concerts, four chamber-music concerts, three solo recitals, and a number of smaller events.David Cherniavsky, "The Salzburg Festival", The Musical Times 92, no. 1305 (November 1951): 517–518. September 5 – Opening of the month-long Berlin Festival of the Arts, with a performance in the New Schillertheater of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. Subsequent musical events include performances of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul, Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera and the first German performance of Oklahoma!.Anonymous, "Berlin Festival of the Arts: Turn of Western Culture", The Times, issue 52091 (August 28, 1951): p. 3, col G. September 11 – The Rake's Progress, an opera by Igor Stravinsky with libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, premieres in Venice, conducted by the composer. September 17–22 – The fourth annual Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts opens in Swansea, Wales, with a controversial speech by one of Wales's leading composers, Daniel Jones. The festival is the final component in the Festival of Britain and consists of seven programmes, featuring Welsh composer Arwel Hughes's new oratorio St. David and appearances by Victoria de los Ángeles, Zino Francescatti, André Navarra, Walter Susskind and Jean Martinon.Margaret Reece-Evans, "The Swansea Festival", The Musical Times 92, no. 1305 (November): 516. October 6–7 – The Donaueschinger Musiktage features the world premieres of Ernst Krenek's Double Concerto for viola, piano, and small orchestra, Rolf Liebermann's Piano Sonata, Pierre Boulez's Polyphonie X for 18 solo instruments, Hermann Reutter's Der himmlische Vagant, lyrische Portrait des F. Villon von Klabund for alto and baritone voices and instrumental ensemble, and Marcel Mihalovici's Étude en deux parties for piano and ensemble, as well as German first performances of works by Messiaen, Guido Turchi, Harsányi, Jelinek, and Honegger, and a performance of Henze's Third Symphony.Donaueschinger Musiktage: Programme seit 1921 . October 21 – Opening of a "Festival of Music and the Arts" at Wexford in Ireland, the forerunner of Wexford Festival Opera. October 22 – Reopening of the Royal Opera House, London, with a production of Puccini's Turandot, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli and with Gertrude Grob-Prandl in the title role.Anonymous, "Royal Opera House: Turandot", The Times, issue 52139 (October 23, 1951): p. 6, col F. November 29 – December 3 – The Hamburg Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, plays four concerts in London as part of a thirteen-concert tour of England and Ireland.Anonymous, 'Visit of Hamburg Radio Orchestra: Series of Concerts', The Times, issue 52164 (November 21, 1951): p. 2, col F. December 7 – Opening of the opera season at La Scala in Milan, three weeks earlier than the traditional date of December 26, with a double-bill consisting of Verdi's I vespri siciliani and Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress.Anonymous, "Opening of the Season at La Scala: Two First Performances", The Times, issue 52179 (December 8, 1951): p. 5, col C. December 28 - John Serry collaborates with Nicola Paone (the "Italian Bing Crosby") in a recording for RCA Victor In New York City.Discography of American Historical Recordings - Victor matrix E1FB-4903. You'll be sorry / Nicola Paone, Nicola Paone performing with John Serry for RCA Victor on DAHR
Albums released Ballin' the Jack – Georgia Gibbs Beloved Hymns – Bing Crosby Bing and the Dixieland Bands – Bing Crosby Bing Sings Victor Herbert – Bing Crosby Blue Period – Miles Davis Country Style – Bing Crosby Dig – Miles Davis Down Memory Lane – Bing Crosby Folk Song Favorites – Patti Page Go West, Young Man – Bing Crosby Historically Speaking – Gerry Mulligan Hoop-De-Doo – Ames Brothers I'll See You in My Dreams – Doris Day In the Evening by the Moonlight – Ames Brothers Let's Polka – Frank Yankovic Orchestra (Pontiac Records PLP-520) Lullaby of Broadway – Doris Day Music, Maestro Please – Frankie Laine On Moonlight Bay – Doris Day One for My Baby – Frankie Laine Porgy and Bess – Various Artists Precious Memories – Bill Kenny Sentimental Me – Ames Brothers Sweet Leilani – Ames Brothers Teresa Brewer – Teresa Brewer Two Tickets to Broadway – Dinah Shore Way Back Home – Bing Crosby Wonderful Words – The Mills Brothers
US No 1 hit singles These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1951.
First weekNumber of weeksTitleArtistMarch 3, 19511"If"Perry ComoMarch 10, 19511"Be My Love"Mario LanzaMarch 17, 19515"If"Perry ComoApril 21, 19519"How High the Moon"Les Paul & Mary FordJune 23, 19515"Too Young"Nat King ColeJuly 28, 19516"Come On-a My House"Rosemary ClooneySeptember 8, 19518"Because of You"Tony BennettNovember 3, 19516"Cold, Cold Heart"Tony BennettDecember 15, 19512"(It's No) Sin"Eddy HowardDecember 29, 195111"Cry"Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
Biggest hit singles The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1951.
# Artist Title Year Country Chart entries 1 Johnnie Ray Cry 1951 US US 1940s 1 – Dec 1951, US 1 for 11 weeks Dec 1951, US BB 2 of 1951, DDD 4 of 1951, RYM 5 of 1951, POP 6 of 1952, Italy 68 of 1955, Acclaimed 1084 2 Nat King Cole Unforgettable 1951 US US BB 1 of 1952, POP 1 of 1952, RYM 4 of 1951, US 1940s 14 – Nov 1951, DDD 25 of 1951, Europe 63 of the 1950s, Scrobulate 78 of vocal, WXPN 500 3 Les Paul & Mary Ford How High the Moon 1951 US US 1940s 1 – Mar 1951, US 1 for 9 weeks Apr 1951, DDD 10 of 1951, US BB 12 of 1951, POP 12 of 1951, RYM 19 of 1951, RIAA 317, Acclaimed 514 4 Nat King Cole Too Young 1951 US US 1940s 1 – Apr 1951, US 1 for 5 weeks Jun 1951, POP 1 of 1951, DDD 5 of 1951, RYM 10 of 1951 5 Mario Lanza Be My Love 1951 US US 1940s 1 – Dec 1950, US 1 for 1 weeks Mar 1951, US BB 9 of 1951, POP 9 of 1951, Europe 79 of the 1950s, RYM 137 of 1951
Top hits on record
Top R&B hits on record "Rocket 88" – Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats "Sixty Minute Man" – Dominoes "The Glory Of Love" – Five Keys "The Thrill Is Gone" – Roy Hawkins
Published popular music "Alice In Wonderland" – w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain "All In The Golden Afternoon" – w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain "Allentown Jail" – w.m. Irving Gordon "And So To Sleep Again" w.m. Joe Marsala & Sunny Skylar "Anywhere I Wander" – w.m. Frank Loesser "A-Round the Corner" – trad arr. Josef Marais "Asia Minor" – w.m. Roger King Mozian "A-Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed" – Happy Wilson, Luther Patrick "Be My Life's Companion" – w.m. Bob Hilliard & Milton De Lugg "Beautiful Brown Eyes" – trad arr. Arthur Smith & Alton Delmore "Because of You" – w.m. Arthur Hammerstein & Dudley Wilkinson "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" – w.m. Bob Merrill "Bermuda" – w.m. Cynthia Strother & Eugene R. Strother "The Blacksmith Blues" – w.m. Jack Holmes "Blue Velvet" – w.m. Bernie Wayne & Lee Morris "Christopher Columbus" – w.m. Terry Gilkyson "Come On-A My House" – w.m. Ross Bagdasarian & William Saroyan "Cry" – w.m. Churchill Kohlman "Dance Me Loose" – w. Mel Howard m. Lee Erwin "Domino" – w. (Eng) Don Raye (Fr) Jacques Plante m. Louis Ferrari "Getting To Know You" – w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers "Good Morning Mister Echo" – w.m. Bill Putman & Belinda Putman "Half As Much" – w.m. Curly Williams "He Had Refinement" – w. Dorothy Fields m. Arthur Schwartz "Hello, Young Lovers" – w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers "Hey, Good Lookin"' – w.m. Hank Williams