This is a summary of 1941 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events
29 March – Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem is premiered in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Barbirolli. 3 April – William Walton's Scapino overture has its premiere in Chicago, conducted by Frederick Stock. May – Arthur Bliss joins the BBC's overseas music service. 10 May – London's Queen's Hall, venue for the Promenade Concerts, is bombed by the Luftwaffe. The Proms re-locate to the Royal Albert Hall. 30 October – On the occasion of Britten's String Quartet No. 1 being performed in Washington, he is awarded the Library of Congress Medal for services to chamber music.
Popular music
"Could You Please Oblige Us with a Bren Gun?" w.m. Noël Coward
"Down Forget-Me-Not Lane" w.m. Horatio Nicholls, Charlie Chester & Reg Morgan
"He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings" w. Eric Maschwitz m. Michael Carr
"Hey Little Hen" w.m. Ralph Butler & Noel Gay
"London Pride" w.m. Noël Coward
"When They Sound The Last All Clear" w.m. Hughie Charles, Louis Elton
Classical music: new works
Kenneth J. Alford
By Land and Sea
Army of the Nile
Richard Addinsell – Warsaw Concerto
Arthur Bliss – String Quartet No. 1
Benjamin Britten – String Quartet No. 1
Ralph Vaughan Williams – England, my England
Opera
Benjamin Britten – Paul Bunyan
Film and Incidental music
Richard Addinsell – Dangerous Moonlight
William Walton – Major Barbara, starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison.
Musical films
He Found a Star, starring Vic Oliver
Turned Out Nice Again, starring George Formby
You Will Remember, starring Robert Morley and Emlyn Williams
Musical theatre
5 March – Apple Sauce revue opens at the Palladium. 24 July – Lady Behave London production opens at His Majesty's Theatre and runs for 401 performances. 19 November – Get a Load of This London production opens at the Hippodrome Theatre and runs for 698 performances.
Births
12 January – Long John Baldry, R&B singer (died 2005) 4 February – John Steel, drummer (The Animals and Eggs over Easy) 14 February – Big Jim Sullivan, English guitarist (died 2012) 5 April – Dave Swarbrick, folk musician (died 2016) 11 April – Arthur Davies, operatic tenor (died 2018) 13 April – Margaret Price, soprano 23 April – Ed Stewart, disc jockey (died 2016) 3 May – Paul Ferris, film composer and actor (died 1995) 9 May – Pete Birrell, bass player (Freddie and the Dreamers) 11 May – Eric Burdon, R&B singer (The Animals) 21 May – Martin Carthy, folk musician 9 June – Jon Lord, keyboard player and composer (died 2012) 12 June – Reg Presley, singer and songwriter (died 2013) 30 June Mike Leander, arranger, songwriter and record producer (died 1996) Nigel Walley, tea-chest bass player and golfer 7 July – Jim Rodford, bass player (The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Zombies, The Kast Off Kinks and Argent) 17 July – Spencer Davis, instrumentalist (The Spencer Davis Group) 20 August – Anne Evans, operatic soprano 10 September – Christopher Hogwood, conductor and harpsichordist 27 October – Don Partridge, singer-songwriter (died 2010) 2 November – Brian Poole, singer (The Tremeloes) 15 November – Rick Kemp, singer-songwriter, bass player and producer (Steeleye Span) 24 November – Pete Best, rock drummer (The Beatles original lineup) 27 December Les Maguire, pop pianist (Gerry & the Pacemakers) Mike Pinder, rock keyboard player (The Moody Blues) 29 December – Ray Thomas, rock flautist and singer-songwriter (The Moody Blues) (died 2018)