1947 in British music

This is a summary of 1947 in music in the United Kingdom.

Events

11–15 June – The first Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is held in Wales, with W. S. Gwynn Williams as its musical director.
19 June – Kathleen Ferrier appears at Glyndebourne in Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice.
July – Conductor Malcolm Sargent is invested with a knighthood for his services to music.
August – Edmund Rubbra begins work on his Symphony No. 5 in B flat, Op. 63.
22 August – The first Edinburgh International Festival opens. Its co-founder and first director is Sir Rudolf Bing. The first Festival concentrates mainly on classical music, a highlight being concerts given by the Vienna Philharmonic, reunited with their erstwhile conductor Bruno Walter, who had left Europe after the Nazi occupation of his homeland.
3 November – The Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium and attended by King George VI, includes performances by Bud Flanagan, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Borrah Minnevitch's Harmonica Rascals, Valerie Tandy and Gracie Fields.
December – Benjamin Britten and singers Joan Cross and Peter Pears combine with designer John Piper and producer Eric Crozier to found the English Opera Group.
date unknown
*Jack Brymer becomes principal clarinettist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
*Gracie Fields hosts Our Gracie's Working Party on BBC radio; in the series, she visits twelve towns, compering and performing in a live show of music and entertainment, with local talents on the bill.

Popular music

Lizbeth Webb – "This is My Lovely Day"

Classical music: new works

Lennox Berkeley – Piano Concerto in B flat
Doreen Carwithen – ODTAA
Vivian Ellis – Coronation Scot
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Introduction and Fugue for two pianos

Opera

Benjamin Britten – ''Albert Herring''

Film and incidental music

Brian Easdale – Black Narcissus, starring Deborah Kerr and David Farrar.

Musical theatre

7 April – Together Again, a London revue starring The Crazy Gang, opens at the Victoria Palace Theatre and runs for 1566 performances.
26 April – Bless the Bride, produced by Charles B. Cochran, opens at the Adelphi Theatre and runs for 886 performances. It stars Georges Guétary, Lizbeth Webb, Anona Winn and Brian Reece.
7 June – The London production of Annie Get Your Gun opens at the Coliseum and runs for 1304 performances.
3 October – Cicely Courtneidge reprises her starring role from the London production of Under the Counter in a Broadway production at the Shubert Theatre, but the show closes after only 27 performances.
21 October – The London production of Finian's Rainbow opens at the Palace Theatre and runs for 55 performances.

Musical films

''None''

Births

6 January – Sandy Denny, folk singer
8 January
*David Bowie, singer-songwriter
*Terry Sylvester
19 January – Rod Evans, English singer-songwriter
21 January – Pye Hastings, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
29 January – David Byron, singer-songwriter
30 January – Steve Marriott, vocalist
2 February – Frank Hennessy, folk singer and radio presenter
3 February – Dave Davies, singer-guitarist
26 February – Sandie Shaw, singer
5 March – Clodagh Rodgers, singer
6 March – Kiki Dee, singer
14 March
*Roy Budd, jazz pianist and composer
*Peter Skellern, singer-songwriter and pianist
24 March – Mike Kellie, musician
25 March – Elton John, pianist, singer and songwriter
1 April – Robin Scott, singer-songwriter and guitarist
3 April – Artie Trezise, Scottish folk guitarist and singer
16 April – Gerry Rafferty, singer-songwriter
18 April – Polly Brown, singer
23 April – Glenn Cornick, bass guitarist
27 April – Pete Ham, singer-songwriter
8 May – Felicity Lott, operatic soprano
31 May – Junior Campbell, singer and songwriter
1 June – Ronnie Wood, guitarist
2 June – Sir Mark Elder, conductor
3 June – Mickey Finn
5 June – Tommie Evans
8 June – Julie Driscoll, singer
17 June – Paul Young, singer-songwriter
3 July – Top Topham, guitarist
7 July – Rob Townsend, drummer
12 July – Wilko Johnson, pub rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and actor
15 July – Peter Banks, guitarist and songwriter
19 July – Brian May, guitarist
14 August – Maddy Prior, folk singer
17 September – Lol Creme, singer
27 September – Barbara Dickson, singer
25 October – Glenn Tipton, rock guitarist
5 November – Peter Noone, singer, "Herman" of Herman's Hermits
10 November – Greg Lake
29 December – Cozy Powell, drummer
30 December – Jeff Lynne, singer, songwriter and producer
31 December – Marcus Blunt, composer

Deaths

11 March – Victor Hely-Hutchinson, South African-born British composer, 45
2 May – Louie Henri, singer and actress, 83
3 May – Katie Moss, violinist, pianist, singer, and composer of "The Floral Dance", 66
30 May – Sir Sydney Nicholson, choir director, organist and composer, 72
2 June – Herman Darewski, composer and conductor, 64
24 July – Ernest Austin, composer, 72
11 September – Walter Galpin Alcock, organist and composer, 85
29 October – Theodore Holland, composer, 69
14 December – Will Fyffe, comedian and singer, 62