1954 in music

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List of years in music (table)
In radio
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
In television
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
+...
Flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya in 1954

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1954.

Specific locations[edit]

Specific genres[edit]

Events[edit]

Albums released[edit]

Biggest hit singles[edit]

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the set of charts available for 1954.[15]

# Artist Title Year Country Chart entries
1 The Chordettes "Mr. Sandman" 1954 US US Billboard 1 – Oct 1954 (20 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Nov 1954 (8 weeks), US 1 for 4 weeks – Dec 1954, US CashBox 1 – Oct 1954 (23 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 6 weeks – Jan 1955, Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Apr 1955, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 (1954), Peel list 1 of 1954, US BB 5 of 1954, DZE 5 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 6 of 1954, POP 7 of 1954, RYM 9 of 1954, UK 11 – Dec 1954 (8 weeks), Brazil 27 of 1955, DDD 45 of 1954, RIAA 252, Acclaimed 1006 (1954)
2 Doris Day "Secret Love" 1954 US UK 1 – Apr 1954 (29 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Jan 1954 (22 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jan 1954 (20 weeks), US 1 for 3 weeks – Feb 1954, US CashBox 1 – Nov 1953 (30 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 7 weeks – May 1954, Oscar in 1953 (film 'Calamity Jane'), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1953), UKMIX 7, DZE 8 of 1954, US BB 11 of 1954, POP 11 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 12 of 1954, RYM 12 of 1953, Brazil 17 of 1954, Italy 54 of 1954
3 The Crew-Cuts "Sh-Boom" 1954 US US Billboard 1 – Jul 1954 (20 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jul 1954 (20 weeks), US 1 for 7 weeks – Aug 1954, US CashBox 1 – Jul 1954 (24 weeks), Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Dec 1954, DZE 1 of 1954, US BB 3 of 1954, Flanders 3 – Dec 1954 (3 months), POP 3 of 1954, UK 12 – Oct 1954 (9 weeks), Brazil 13 of 1954, France (50s) 20 of 1954, RYM 22 of 1954, Italy 95 of 1955
4 Kitty Kallen "Little Things Mean a Lot" 1954 US UK 1 – Jul 1954 (23 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Apr 1954 (26 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Apr 1954 (25 weeks), US 1 for 9 weeks – Jun 1954, US CashBox 1 – Apr 1954 (28 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 12 weeks – Jul 1954, Australia 1 for 5 weeks – Oct 1954, DZE 2 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 9 of 1954, US BB 15 of 1954, POP 15 of 1954, UKMIX 28, RYM 145 of 1954
5 Rosemary Clooney "Hey There" 1954 US US Billboard 1 – Jul 1954 (27 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jul 1954 (23 weeks), US 1 for 6 weeks – Sep 1954, US CashBox 1 – Jul 1954 (31 weeks), Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Feb 1957, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1954), UK 4 – Oct 1955 (11 weeks), DZE 7 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 14 of 1954, US BB 18 of 1954, POP 21 of 1954, Brazil 31 of 1954, RYM 34 of 1954, DDD 66 of 1954

US No. 1 hit singles[edit]

These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1954.

First week Number of weeks Title Artist
January 2, 1954 8 "Oh! My Pa-Pa" Eddie Fisher
February 27, 1954 2 "Secret Love" Doris Day
March 13, 1954 1 "Make Love to Me" Jo Stafford
March 20, 1954 1 "Secret Love" Doris Day
March 27, 1954 2 "Make Love to Me" Jo Stafford
April 10, 1954 8 "Wanted" Perry Como
June 5, 1954 9 "Little Things Mean a Lot" Kitty Kallen
August 7, 1954 7 "Sh-Boom" The Crew-Cuts
September 25, 1954 6 "Hey There" Rosemary Clooney
November 6, 1954 1 "This Ole House" Rosemary Clooney
November 13, 1954 3 "I Need You Now" Eddie Fisher
December 4, 1954 7 "Mr. Sandman" The Chordettes

Top hits on record[edit]

A–J[edit]

L–S[edit]

T–Y[edit]

Top R&B and country hits on record[edit]

Published popular music[edit]

Other notable songs[edit]

Classical music[edit]

Premieres[edit]

Sortable table
Composer Composition Date Location Performers
Brian, Havergal Symphony No. 8 (1949) 1954-02-01 London London PhilharmonicBoult[17]
Chávez, Carlos Symphony No. 3 1954-12-09 Caracas, Venezuela Venezuela SymphonyChávez[18]
Dohnányi, Ernő American Rhapsody 1954-02-21 Athens, Ohio ? – Dohnányi[19]
Enescu, George String Quartet No. 2, Op. 22, No. 2 1954-02-07 Boston Stradivarius Quartet[20]
Goeyvaerts, Karel Nummer 5 1954-10-19 Cologne (Musik der Zeit)[21] electronic music
Jolivet, André Symphony No. 1 1954-05-30 Haifa, Israel (ISCM Festival) [unknown orchestra and conductor] [22]
Korngold, Erich W. Symphony 1954-10-17 Vienna Vienna SymphonyHarold Byrns1[23]
Lutosławski, Witold Concerto for Orchestra 1954-11-26 Warsaw Warsaw PhilharmonicRowicki[24]
Persichetti, Vincent Symphony No. 4 1954-12-17 Philadelphia Philadelphia OrchestraOrmandy[25]
Rubbra, Edmund Symphony No. 6 1954-11-17 London BBC SymphonySargent[26]
Shchedrin, Rodion Piano Concerto No. 1 1954-11-07 Moscow Shchedrin / Moscow Conservatory SymphonyRozhdestvensky[27]
Shostakovich, Dmitri Festive Overture 1954-11-06 Moscow Bolshoi OrchestraNebolsin[28]
Stockhausen, Karlheinz Klavierstücke I–V 1954-08-21 Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany Mercenier[29]
Karlheinz Stockhausen Studie I + Studie II 1954-10-19 Cologne (Musik der Zeit)[21] electronic music
Stravinsky, Igor In memoriam Dylan Thomas 1954-09-20 Los Angeles (Monday Evening Concerts) Robinson, Baker, Babitz, Figelski, Neikrug, Bohannon, Howard, Ulyate, ZeldinCraft[30][31]
Thomson, Virgil Concerto for Flute, Strings, Harp and Percussion 1954-09-17 Venice Biennale La Fenice PhilharmonicSanzogno[32]
Varèse, Edgard Déserts 1954-12-02 Paris Henry / French Radio National OrchestraScherchen[33]
Vaughan Williams, Ralph Tuba Concerto 1954-06-13 London Catelinet / London SymphonyBarbirolli[34]
Villa-Lobos, Heitor Odisseia de uma raça, symphonic poem 1954-05-30 Haifa, Israel (ISCM Festival) Israel PhilharmonicTaube[35]
Villa-Lobos, Heitor Rudá (Dio d'amore), symphonic poem and ballet 1954-08-30 Paris French Radio National OrchestraVilla-Lobos[36]
Villa-Lobos, Heitor String Quartet No. 14 1954-08-11 Ann Arbor, US Stanley Quartet[37]

Compositions[edit]

Witold Lutosławski in 1952/53; the Concerto for Orchestra launched his international career

Opera[edit]

Jazz[edit]

Musical theater[edit]

Musical films[edit]

Ethel Merman sings the title number of the 1954 film There's No Business Like Show Business.

Musical television[edit]

Births[edit]

January–April[edit]

May–December[edit]

Deaths[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Alan Duke (3 August 2014). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to remove Alan Freed's ashes". CNN. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  2. ^ "Young John Watson: Space Guitar (1954)". Elsewhere by Graham Reid. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  3. ^ Anon. "Arnold Schoenberg: Moses und Aaron". Metropolitan Opera International Radio Broadcast Information Center (Archived copy from 14 April 2012, accessed 20 April 2013).
  4. ^ "Top Chords Songs | Highest Chart Hit". Playback.fm. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  5. ^ "The 26th Academy Awards | 1954". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  6. ^ Bill Haley at AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  7. ^ Anon., "'Maggio Musicale': Spontini Opera to Be Revived", The Times, issue 52830 (15 January 1954): 10D; Anon., "Opening of 'Maggio Musicale': Orchestra's Anniversary", The Times Issue 52927 (10 May 1954): 9D.
  8. ^ "Elvis Presley records "That's All Right (Mama)"". This Day in History. History. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  9. ^ "On this day, first Elvis song on the radio". MPR News. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  10. ^ Radio Daily-Television Daily. Publisher: Radio Daily Corporation 29 October 1954, p. 8 - "RCA Thesaurus cut a session of Latin-American music, polkas, and novelties with the John Serry Accordion Quartet", RCA Thesaurus John Serry on Google Books
  11. ^ Harvey Rachlin (15 March 2020). Song and System: The Making of American Pop Music. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-5381-1213-7.
  12. ^ "Lyric Opera House History". Lyric Opera of Chicago.
  13. ^ Gulla, Bob (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists Who Revolutionized Rhythm. ABC-CLIO. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-313-34044-4.
  14. ^ "São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra". Osesp.
  15. ^ "Songs from the Year 1954".
  16. ^ "Tierra bendita y divina" - Composer Robert C. Savage, himnescristians.com Retrieved February 08, 2011.
  17. ^ "Symphony 8".
  18. ^ "Ronpenndorf.com". Archived from the original on 2015-05-31. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  19. ^ "Dohnányi, Ernst von".
  20. ^ Bentoiu, Pascal (11 October 2010). Masterworks of George Enescu: A Detailed Analysis. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810876903 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ a b Marietta Morawska-Büngeler, Schwingende Elektronen: ine Dokumentation über das Studio für Elektronische Musik des Westdeutschen Rundfunks in Köln 1951–1986 (Cologne-Rodenkirchen: P. J. Tonger Musikverlag, 1988): 115.
  22. ^ "Symphonie No. 1, André Jolivet" (work details) (in French and English). IRCAM.
  23. ^ "YourClassical from American Public Media".
  24. ^ "Concerto for Orchestra (dir. Witold Lutosławski)".
  25. ^ "Vincent Persichetti – biografia e opere".
  26. ^ "The Tablet". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  27. ^ Sikorski
  28. ^ Chicago Symphony Orchestra
  29. ^ AG, Universal Edition. "Universal Edition: Karlheinz Stockhausen – Klavierstücke 1–4".
  30. ^ White, Eric Walter (1 January 1984). Stravinsky: The Composer and His Works. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520039858 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ Anon., "New Stravinsky Work to Be Featured at First Monday Concert", Los Angeles Times (19 September 1954): D6.
  32. ^ "Venice Biennale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  33. ^ "Edgar Varèse – Déserts (World Premiere, 1954)". 25 January 2014.
  34. ^ Web(UK), Music on the. "British Tuba Concertos 8.557754 [RB]: Classical CD Reviews- June 2006 MusicWeb-International".
  35. ^ Villa-Lobos, sua obra, second edition ([Rio de Janeiro]: MEC/DAC/Museu Villa-Lobos, 1972): 117.
  36. ^ Villa-Lobos, sua obra, second edition ([Rio de Janeiro]: MEC/DAC/Museu Villa-Lobos, 1972): 119.
  37. ^ David P. Appleby, Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Bio-Bibliography, Bio-Bibliographies inMusic 9 (New York, Westport, London: Greenwood Press, 1988): 116.
  38. ^ International, MusicWeb. "Korngold Symphony Kempe VSD5346 [IL]: Classical Music Reviews – June 2011 MusicWeb-International".
  39. ^ Randel, Don Michael (30 October 2002). The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Harvard University Press. p. 866. ISBN 978-0-674-25572-2.