1948 in British music

This is a summary of 1948 in music in the United Kingdom.

• 10 January – The Amadeus Quartet (formed as the Brainin Quartet in 1947) gives its first recital under this name, at the Wigmore Hall in London, underwritten by Imogen Holst.^[1]
• 16 January – The day after her New York concert debut, Kathleen Ferrier writes to her sister: "Some of the critics are enthusiastic, others unimpressed".^[2]
• 17 April – The death of Alice, Viscountess Wimborne, lover of William Walton, ends their 14-year affair.^[3]
• 21 April
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 6 is premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult at the Royal Albert Hall in London and broadcast on the BBC Home Service.^[4]
  • The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain gives its first concert.^[5]
• 5 June – Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears.
• 13 October – Kathleen Ferrier joins Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra in a broadcast performance of Mahler's song cycle Kindertotenlieder.
• October – The Duke of Edinburgh is introduced to musical comedy star Pat Kirkwood in her dressing room after a show. They are seen together at a restaurant, creating a scandal in the newspapers.^[6]
• 13 October – William Walton marries Susana Gil Passo.^[7]
• date unknown
  • Steuart Wilson becomes head of music at the BBC; the appointment will result in the forced retirement of Sir Adrian Boult as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.^[8]
  • Harman Grisewood replaces George Barnes as controller of the BBC Third Programme.
  • The National School of Opera is founded by Joan Cross.^[9]

• Anne Shelton – "If You Ever Fall in Love Again" (Dick Farrelly)
• Dorothy Squires – "A Tree in the Meadow" (Billy Reid)

• Malcolm Arnold – The Smoke (Overture), Op. 21
• Arnold Bax – Magnificat^[10]
• Benjamin Britten – Saint Nicolas, for tenor soloist, children's chorus, chorus, and orchestra^[11]
• Michael Tippett – Suite in D for the Birthday of Prince Charles^[12]
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Partita for Double String Orchestra^[13]

• Arthur Bliss – The Olympians^[14]
• Norman Demuth – Le Flambeau^[15]

• William Alwyn – The Fallen Idol directed by Carol Reed, starring Ralph Richardson.^[16]
• Arnold Bax – Oliver Twist directed by David Lean, starring Alec Guinness.
• Brian Easdale – The Red Shoes directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
• Constant Lambert – Anna Karenina, starring Vivien Leigh and Ralph Richardson.
• Elisabeth Lutyens – Penny and the Pownall Case (the first feature film to be scored by a female British composer).
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Scott of the Antarctic, starring John Mills.
• William Walton – Hamlet, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier.
• John Wooldridge – The Guinea Pig, starring Richard Attenborough.

• 10 March – Carissima, starring Ginger Rogers and David Hughes, opens at the Palace Theatre and runs for 488 performances.
• 22 December – High Button Shoes (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn) opens at the Hippodrome and runs for 291 performances.^[17]

• A Date with a Dream, starring Terry-Thomas, Jeannie Carson and Wally Patch.^[18]
• Bless 'Em All, starring Max Bygraves.^[19]
• One Night with You, directed by Terence Young and starring Nino Martini, Patricia Roc and Bonar Colleano.^[20]

• 17 January – Mick Taylor, guitarist
• 19 January – Amanda Holden, English playwright, lyricist and composer (died 2021)
• 3 February – Gavin Henderson, English trumpet player and conductor
• 28 February – Geoff Nicholls, keyboardist (Black Sabbath) (died 2017)
• 4 March – Chris Squire, guitarist and singer-songwriter (died 2015)
• 11 March – Jan Schelhaas, keyboard player
• 22 March – Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer
• 16 April – Robert Kirby, arranger (died 2009)^[21]
• 28 April – Scott Fitzgerald (William McPhail), singer
• 12 May – Steve Winwood, R&B singer
• 15 May – Brian Eno, synthesizer virtuoso and composer
• 21 May – Leo Sayer, singer-songwriter
• 29 May – Michael Berkeley, composer
• 6 June – Richard Sinclair, bass player (Caravan, The Wilde Flowers, Camel and Hatfield and the North)
• 1 July – John Ford, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Strawbs, The Monks and Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera)
• 4 July – Jeremy Spencer, English guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
• 5 July – Alan Hazeldine, pianist and conductor (died 2008)
• 21 July – Cat Stevens (Steven Demetre Georgiou), singer-songwriter^[22]
• 2 August – Andy Fairweather Low, guitarist, songwriter, producer and vocalist
• 26 September – Olivia Newton-John, singer and actress (died 2022)^[23]
• 3 October – Ian MacDonald (Ian MacCormick), music critic (died 2003)^[24]
• 11 October – David Rendall, operatic tenor
• 24 October
  • Dale Griffin, rock drummer and producer (died 2016)
  • Barry Ryan, singer-songwriter (died 2021)^[25]
  • Paul Ryan, singer-songwriter and producer (died 1992)
• 22 November – Mick Rock, rock photographer (died 2021)
• 3 November – Lulu (Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie), singer and actress
• 1 December – Colin Sell, pianist
• 3 December – Ozzy Osbourne, singer-songwriter
• 20 December – Alan Parsons, engineer and record producer

• 9 January – Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, harpsichordist and clavichordist, 75^[26]
• 21 February – Frederic Lamond, pianist, 80
• 17 May – David Evans, composer, 74^[27]
• 14 June – John Blackwood McEwen, composer, 80^[28]
• 8 July – Reginald Somerville, composer and actor, 81
• 20 August – David John de Lloyd, composer, 65
• 12 September – Rupert D'Oyly Carte, impresario, 70
• 20 November – Robert Carr, baritone, 67
• 24 November – Nellie Wallace, music hall star, actress, comedian, dancer and songwriter, 78^[29]
• 14 December – R. O. Morris, British composer and teacher, 62
• 31 December – Ethel Barns, violinist, pianist and composer, 74^[30]

• 1948 in British television
• 1948 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1948