1961 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1961.

1961 in music
By location
By genre
By topic
List of years in music (table)
In radio
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
In television
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
In film
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
+...

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

Bands formed
  • See Category:Musical groups established in 1961

Albums released

Biggest hit singles

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1961.

# Artist Title Year Country Chart Entries
1Ben E KingStand By Me1961USUK 1 – Feb 1987, Ireland 1 – Feb 1987, DDD 1 of 1961, RYM 2 of 1961, Switzerland 3 – Mar 1987, US BB 4 – May 1961, Germany 4 – Mar 1987, US BB 7 of 1961, Netherlands 7 – Mar 1987, POP 7 of 1961, Norway 9 – Apr 1987, Scrobulate 14 of soul, Canada 16 – May 1961, Austria 17 – Apr 1987, RIAA 25, US CashBox 43 of 1961, Acclaimed 53, 95 in 2FM list, Italy 96 of 1962, Rolling Stone 121, Germany 235 of the 1980s, Party 269 of 1999, WXPN 746
2Del ShannonRunaway1961USUK 1 – Apr 1961, US BB 1 – Mar 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Oct 1960, RYM 1 of 1961, Norway 4 – Jun 1961, DDD 7 of 1961, US CashBox 9 of 1961, Australia Goset 12 – Oct 1967, Australia 15 of 1961, US BB 5 of 1961, POP 17 of 1961, South Africa 18 of 1961, Acclaimed 66, Scrobulate 96 of oldies, Rolling Stone 466
3Chubby CheckerLet's Twist Again1961USUK 2 – Dec 1961, Canada 2 – Jul 1961, Norway 2 – Feb 1962, US BB 3 of 1961, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1976, POP 3 of 1961, South Africa 6 of 1962, US BB 8 – Jul 1961, Sweden (alt) 10 – Feb 1976, Austria 11 – Apr 1976, Germany 12 – Mar 1962, RYM 16 of 1961, Italy 17 of 1962, Party 23 of 1999, US CashBox 62 of 1961, DDD 67 of 1961, Scrobulate 95 of oldies, Germany 396 of the 1960s
4Elvis PresleySurrender1961USUK 1 – May 1961, US BB 1 – Feb 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Sep 1960, Norway 2 – Apr 1961, Germany 6 – May 1961, South Africa 10 of 1961, US CashBox 32 of 1961, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1961, RYM 33 of 1961
5The MarcelsBlue Moon1961USUK 1 – Apr 1961, US BB 1 – Mar 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Norway 4 – May 1961, US CashBox 11 of 1961, South Africa 11 of 1961, Germany 13 – Jun 1961, US BB 14 of 1961, DDD 14 of 1961, POP 14 of 1961, RYM 26 of 1961, Acclaimed 1034

Top hits on record
See also: List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1961

Other notable songs

Classical music

Premieres
Sortable table
ComposerCompositionDateLocationPerformers
Bennett, Richard RodneyWinter Music, for flute and piano1961-01-08London Drawing Room of the Arts Council (Park Lane Group)W. Bennett, Bradshaw[5]
Britten, BenjaminCello Sonata1961-07-07Aldeburgh, UK (Festival)Rostropovich, Britten [6]
Chávez, CarlosSoli II1961-04-23Washington, D.C., Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress (IA Festival)Philadelphia Wind Quintet[7]
Davidovsky, MarioChoreographic Suite for El payaso1961-04-29Washington, D.C., Howard University (IA Festival)Mexico National Symphony – Herrera de la Fuente[8]
Musgrave, TheaTrio for flute, oboe, and piano1961-01-08London Drawing Room of the Arts Council (Park Lane Group)Mabillon Trio[5]
Penderecki, KrzysztofThrenody to the Victims of Hiroshima1961-09-22Warsaw, Poland (Autumn)Kraków Philharmonic – Markowski[lower-alpha 1][9]
Piston, WalterSymphony No. 71961-02-10PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Orchestra – Ormandy[10]
Poulenc, FrancisGloria1961-01-20BostonAddison / Chorus Pro Musica, Boston Symphony – Munch[11]
Shostakovich, DmitriSymphony No. 41961-12-30MoscowMoscow Philharmonic – Kondrashin[12]
Stockhausen, KarlheinzOriginale, music theatre with Kontakte1961-10-26Cologne, Germany (Theater am Dom)Caspari, Tudor, Caskel, Kobayashi, Paik, Helms, Bauermeister, Sommer, Ramsbott, Koch, Knobelsdorff, et al.[13]
  1. The Threnody was first performed in May 1961 by the Polish Radio Symphony conducted by Jan Krenz for a radio recording.

Compositions

Opera

Jazz
Main article: 1961 in jazz

Musical theater

Musical films

Births

Deaths

Awards

Grammy Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

References
  1. Benjamin, Philip (May 2, 1961). "'All Way Home' Pulitzer Play; Novel Is 'To Kill a Mockingbird'". The New York Times. pp. 1, 40.
  2. Kynaston, David (2014). Modernity Britain: A Shake of the Dice, 1959–62. London: Bloomsbury. p. 345. ISBN 978-1-4088-4439-7.
  3. "Live: Palais Ballroom, Aldershot". The Beatles Bible. December 9, 1961. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  4. Haydn, Joseph (2007). Konzert in C für Violoncello und Orchester. Clément, Roger (trans.). Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag. pp. V–VI. ISMN M-006-20254-6.
  5. Anon., "Serial Technique of Young Composers", The Times, no. 54974 (9 January 1961): 3.
  6. White, Eric Walter (January 1, 1983). Benjamin Britten, His Life and Operas. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520048942 – via Google Books.
  7. Carlos Chávez, untitled liner notes to Chávez Conducted by Carlos Chávez: Soli I, Soli II, Soli IV, LP recording. Odyssey Y31534 (New York: Columbia Records, 1972).
  8. Oxford University Press
  9. Sarahwallinhuff.com
  10. "New Music Box" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  11. Choeur Proclassica Archived August 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Fay, Laurel E. (January 1, 2000). Shostakovich: A Life. Oxford University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-19-513438-4 – via Internet Archive. symphony 4 shostakovich kondrashin 30 december 1961.
  13. Michael Kurtz, Stockhausen: A Biography, translated by Richard Toop (London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1992): 116, 252. ISBN 0-571-14323-7 (cloth); ISBN 978-0-571-17146-0 (pbk).
  14. Onno van Rijen's Levitin Page.
  15. "Classical Composers Database: William James Mathias". Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  16. "Classical Composers Database:Alan Rawsthorne". October 17, 2005. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  17. Notes to Recording of Third String Quartet on cpo.
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