Chronology 1945-1972

 

Composition dates are in white, whilst dates of performance, publication and recording are in yellow
Events in Brian's life are shown in pink, and other events relating to Brian in blue
Other musical events in green

1876-1914 . 1915-1944 . 1945-1972 . 1973- 

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1945 69 Reconstructs Psalm 23, the full score having been lost
1945 69 Publication of Reginald Nettel, Ordeal by Music:  the strange experience of Havergal Brian
9 May 1946 70 Song recital and performance of Preludes and fugues
16 October 1946 70 Granville Bantock dies in Lambeth Hospital, aged 78
?1947 71 Starts Adagio e dolente for cello and piano - leaves it as fragment
?1947 71 Starts sketches for an opera on JM Synge's Deirdre of the sorrows, beginning with the prologue which, when he is obliged to abandon the opera for contractual reasons, will become Sinfonia tragica
27 January 1948 71 Starts sketching The tinker's wedding, Comedy overture 2
21 Febuary 1948 72 Completes Sinfonia tragica, which will be included in the symphonic canon in 1967 as no 6
6 March 1948 72 Completes The tinker's wedding
c8 March 1948 72 Starts Symphony 7 in C major
14 September 1948 72 Completes Symphony 7
1949 73 Richard Strauss dies, aged 85
25 January 1949 72 Starts sketching Symphony 8 in Bb minor
27 March 1949 73 Completes pencil short score of Symphony 8
11 April 1949 73 Completes second short score, in ink, of Symphony 8
17 May 1949 73 Completes full score of Symphony 8
23 June 1949 73 BBC New Music Rehearsal of The tinker's wedding
April 1950 74 Starts Turandot, Prinzessin von China, 'ein tragikomisches Märchen nach Gozzi von Schiller', abridged by the composer and set in German without English translation
June 1950 74 The tinker's wedding broadcast in Scotland only [BBC Scottish SO/Eric Warr] - first premiere for 16 years
7 June 1950 74 Finishes pencil sketches of Turandot, vocal score
13 September 1950 74 Finishes ink copy of Turandot, vocal score
18 May 1951 75 Completes full score of Turandot
July 1951 75 Commences Symphony 9 in A minor
September 1951 75 Completes draft of Symphony 9
October 1951 74 The tinker's wedding broadcast by BBC [BBC Scottish SO/Eric Warr]
November 1951 75 Completes full score of Symphony 9
1951 75 Starts The Cenci, music drama in eight scenes, libretto abridged by the composer from Acts I,IV,V of Shelley's eponymous poem
29 May 1952 76 Finishes pencil sketches of The Cenci, vocal score
24 July 1952 76 Finishes ink copy of The Cenci, vocal score
1 September 1952 76 Completes full score of The Cenci - Overture
29 September 1952 76 Completes full score of The Cenci - Scene I
11 October 1952  76 Completes full score of The Cenci - Scene II
4 December 1952 76 Completes full score of The Cenci - Scene IV
12 June 1953 77 Commences English Suite 5  »Rustic scenes«
27 June 1953 77 Completes English Suite 5
1953 77 Copies out complete set of parts for forthcoming BBC performance of Symphony 8
1953 77 Starts Symphony 10 in C minor
16 January 1954 77 Finishes full score of Symphony 10
1 February 1954 78 First broadcast by BBC of a Brian symphony:  Symphony 8 (first performance), London PO/Sir Adrian Boult
2 February 1954 78 Second broadcast by BBC of Symphony 8, London PO/Sir Adrian Boult
10 February 1954 78 Starts sketching Symphony 11
11 February 1954 78 Sketches second movement Symphony 11
15 February 1954 78 Finishes sketching Symphony 11
29 April 1954 78 Finishes full score of Symphony 11
7 June 1954 78 Completes Elegy for orchestra
April 1955 79 Starts vocal score of Faust, music drama in a prologue and four acts, libretto abridged by the composer from part 1 of Goethe's Faust and set in German with no English translation
19 August 1955 79 Completes vocal score of Faust
1956 80 Play through by a BBC orchestra of Symphony 11
11 May 1956 80 Completes full score of Faust
27 December 1956 80 BBC broadcasts Dr Merryheart
4 February 1957 81 Completes Symphony 12
April 1957 81 Finishes full score of Agamemnon, music drama in one act, libretto abridged and adapted by the composer from Blackie's 'Everyman' translation of Aeschylus
1958 82 Ralph Vaughan Williams dies, aged 86
22 March 1958 82 First performance (BBC broadcast) of Symphony 9, BBC SO/Norman del Mar
3 November 1958 82 First performance (BBC broadcast) of Symphony 10, Philharmonia Orchestra/Stanley Pope
20 December 1958 82 BBC broadcasts Symphony 8, BBC SO/Rudolf Schwarz
5 February 1959 82 BBC broadcasts Symphony 9, London SO/Norman del Mar
November 1959 83 Starts Symphony 13 in C major
5 November 1959 83 First performances (BBC broadcast) of Symphonies 11,12, plus Dr Merryheart, London SO/Harry Newstone
December 1959 83 Finishes Symphony 13
1959 83 Starts Symphony 14 in F minor
10 February 1960 84 Finishes Symphony 14
1960 84 Composes Symphony 15 in A major
1960 84 Composes Symphony 16
26 November 1960 84 Sketches for Symphony 17
8 January 1961 84 Full score of Symphony 17
February 1961 85 Commences Symphony 18
May 1961 85 Completes Symphony 18
24 June 1961 85 First performance (semi-professional) of Symphony 1»The Gothic«, conductor Bryan Fairfax
5 November 1961 85 Completes Symphony 19 in E minor
26 February 1962 85 Premiere of Symphony 18, Polyphonia Orchestra/Bryan Fairfax
13 April 1962 86 Completes Jolly Miller, Comedy overture no 3
31 May 1962 86 Completes Symphony 20 in C sharp minor
1962 86 Extracts Three pieces from »Turandot«
1963 87 Composes Symphony 21 in E flat major
13 April 1964 88 Completes Cello concerto
June 1964 88 Completes Concerto for orchestra
22 December 1964 88 Completes first movement of Symphony 22 »Symphonia brevis«
8 January 1965 89 Completes second movement of Symphony 22
1965 89 Composes Symphony 23
1965 89 Composes Symphony 24 in D major
10 January 1966 89 Completes Symphony 25 in A minor
1966 90 Composes Symphony 26
4 August 1966 90 HB attends concert of Symphony 12 performed at the Proms, conductor Norman del Mar (first work at Proms for 53 years)
21 September 1966 90 First performance (BBC broadcast) of Symphony 6 »Sinfonia tragica«, Orchestra of Royal Opera House/Douglas Robinson
30 October 1966 90 HB attends first professional performance of The Gothic - at the Royal Albert Hall, London, BBC forces/Sir Adrian Boult
10 December 1966 90 Completes Symphony 27 in C major
1967 91 HB renumbers his early symphonies, dropping A fantastic symphony (1907-08) to make The Gothic (1919-27) number 1, and inserting Sinfonia tragica (1948) as number 6
26 February 1967 91 Second broadcast by BBC of Symphony 6 »Sinfonia tragica«, Orchestra of Royal Opera House/Douglas Robinson
April 1967 91 Completes Symphony 28 in C minor
3 July 1967 91 BBC broadcasts Das Siegeslied, BBC North forces/Maurice Handford
31 July 1967 91 Completes Symphony 29 in Eb major
1967 91 Commences Oedipus Coloneus, opera after Sophocles, but does not complete it and probably destroys the manuscript
13 November 1967 91 Completes Symphony 30 in Bb minor
26 November 1967 91 Second broadcast of The Gothic, Boult performance
Christmas 1967 91 Composes Fanfare for the orchestral brass, later to be renamed Festival fanfare
16 April 1968 92 Completes Symphony 31
13 March 1968 92 First performance (BBC broadcast) of Symphony 7, Royal PO/Harry Newstone
31 May 1968 92 Completes Legend for orchestra »Ave atque vale«
June 1968 92 Starts Symphony 32 in Ab major
October 1968 92 Finishes Symphony 32
1969 93 Publication of Lewis Foreman (ed), Havergal Brian: A Selection of Essays
20 June 1969 93 BBC broadcasts Violin concerto, Ralph Holmes, NPO/Stanley Pope
11 December 1969 93 First performance of Symphony 5 »Wine of summer«, Brian Rayner Cook (bar), Kensington SO/Leslie Head
10 May 1970 94 BBC broadcasts Symphonies 14, 21
11 January 1971 94 Song recital by Brian Rayner Cook
28 January 1971 95 95th birthday concert:  English suite 3, Symphony 32 [premiere], Agamemnon [premiere], Kensington SO/Leslie Head
5 February 1971 95 First performance of Cello concerto, QEH, Thomas Igloi, Polyphonia/Sir Adrian Boult
1971 95 Thomas Adès born
27 June 1971 95 BBC broadcasts Symphony 8, Royal PO/Myer Fredman
19 July 1971 95 BBC broadcasts Cello concerto, from 5 February 1971 performance, Thomas Igloi, Polyphonia/Sir Adrian Boult
15 August 1971 95 BBC broadcasts Symphonies 9, 22 [premiere], Royal PO/Myer Fredman
1972 96 HB's youngest daughter, Elfreda (b1928) dies;  HB retrospectively dedicates Symphony 2 to her
12 February 1972 96 Performance of The tinker's wedding, Fulham Municipal Orchestra/Josef Vandernoot
7 May 1972 96 Premiere of Festival fanfare, University of Illinois Wind Ensemble/Robert Gray
28 November 1972 96 William Havergal Brian dies at Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England

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Credits   for this chronology

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