This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1953.
Specific locations 1953 in British music 1953 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1953 in country music 1953 in jazz
Events February 6 – Contralto Kathleen Ferrier, already terminally ill with cancer, leaves Covent Garden Opera House in London on a stretcher after being taken ill on the second night of her run in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. March 12 – Heinrich Sutermeister's opera Romeo und Julia receives its English première at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, conducted by James Robertson. April – Pat Boone begins his recording career at Republic Records. May 26 – Werner Meyer-Eppler, Fritz Enkel, Herbert Eimert and Robert Beyer open a pioneering electronic music studio at the Cologne studios of the NWDR. May 30 - Shirley Booth, Dino Di Luca and John Serry Sr. collaborate for the last time in the final performance of The Time of the Cuckoo at the closing of the Empire Theatre in New York City.New York Journal-American (see the photograph of Serry's signature inscribed with signatures of other members of the cast on the stage door of the Empire Theatre at the closing of the play The Time of the Cuckoo), May 25, 1953, p. 15"Celebrating National Music Week - Accordion Concert" : John Serry - p. 12...appearing with award winner Shirly Booth in "Time of the Cuckoo" See photograph and caption of John Serry in the "Reading Eagle" April 19, 1953 p. 12 on Google BooksEastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection - Series 3: Scrapbook - contains a clipping with a photograph from the "New York Journal American" May 25, 1953 p. 15 showing the stage cast door from the Empire Theater with Shirley Booth pointing to signatures of the cast of "The Time of the Cuckoo" which includes John Serry's signature. The John J. Serry Sr. Collection p. 17 Series 3 Scrapbook Box 3 Item 1 archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music on esm.rochester.edu July 16–29 – The Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik are held at Darmstadt. July 18 – Elvis Presley's Sun recordings: Elvis Presley makes his first recordings (a copy of which is owned by Jack White when he wins an auction on eBay in January 2015). September 27 – Helen Traubel ends her long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City after having appeared in Chicago as a night-club singer. October – Sir Arthur Bliss replaces Sir Arnold Bax as Master of the Queen's Music in the United Kingdom. October 5 – Wilhelm Furtwängler and the soloists in the Vienna State Opera's production of Don Giovanni publicly protest against the suspension of Egon Hilbert as administrator of the Burg Theater and State Opera. October 19 – Opening of the Covent Garden opera season in London, with a production of Wagner's Die Walküre. October 30 – Ernst Marboe is announced as the new administrator of the Vienna State Opera and Burg Theater, replacing Egon Hilbert. November 2 – the Metropolitan Opera announces that a new two-year contract has been agreed with the musicians' union, averting a threatened strike by the orchestra. November 17 – Carl Ebert is announced as the new Intendant of the Städtische Oper, (West) Berlin. December 7 – the La Scala opera season opens with a production of Alfredo Catalani's La Wally, to mark the hundredth anniversary of the composer's birth. Alfred Schnittke becomes a student of Evgeny Golubev. Frank Sinatra begins recording at Capitol. "Crazy Man, Crazy", recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets, becomes the first rock and roll single to make the Billboard national American musical charts. American singer Frankie Laine sets the all-time United Kingdom record for weeks at Number One in a given year on the UK Singles Chart, when his hit singles "Answer Me," "Hey Joe!" and "I Believe" hold the top slot for 27 weeks: a little over half a year. "I Believe", Number One for 18 weeks, also holds the all-time record for a single. Over 50 years later, both records will still hold. Eddie Fisher becomes "The Coca-Cola Kid" on the television show Coke Time at a salary of one million dollars a year. The Allegri Quartet is formed in the United Kingdom. The Platters form in Los Angeles. The Erato Records label is founded to promote French classical music.
Albums released Anita O'Day Collates – Anita O'Day The Astaire Story – Fred Astaire Broadway's Best – Jo Stafford By the Light of the Silvery Moon – Doris Day Calamity Jane – Doris Day Country Girl – Bing Crosby Dean Martin Sings – Dean Martin Dinah Shore Sings the Blues – Dinah Shore Georgia Gibbs Sings Oldies – Georgia Gibbs Jazz at Massey Hall – The Quintet Kay Starr Style – Kay Starr Let There Be Love – Joni James May I Sing To You – Eddie Fisher New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Stan Kenton Portrait Of New Orleans – Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine Requested By You – Frank Sinatra Sinatra Sings His Greatest Hits – Frank Sinatra Songs by Tom Lehrer – Tom Lehrer Songs of Open Spaces – Guy Mitchell Starring Jo Stafford – Jo Stafford
Biggest hit singles The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1953.
# Artist Title Year Country Chart entries 1 Dean Martin That's Amore 1953 US BB 1 of 1953, POP 1 of 1953, UK 2 – Jan 1954, US 1940s 2 – Nov 1953, RYM 2 of 1953, Scrobulate 47 of Italian, DDD 73 of 1953, Party 101 of 2007 2 Les Paul & Mary Ford Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You) 1953 US 1940s 1 – Jun 1953, US 1 for 11 weeks Aug 1953, Italy 2 of 1954, US BB 3 of 1953, POP 3 of 1953, UK 7 – Nov 1953, RYM 24 of 1953, Europe 97 of the 1950s 3 Perry Como Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes 1953 UK 1 – Jan 1953, US 1940s 1 – Dec 1952, US 1 for 5 weeks Jan 1953, US BB 20 of 1953, POP 20 of 1953, RYM 31 of 1953 4 Eddie Fisher I'm Walking Behind You 1953 UK 1 – May 1953, US 1940s 1 – May 1953, US 1 for 2 weeks Jul 1953, US BB 16 of 1953, POP 23 of 1953, RYM 119 of 1953 5 Hank Williams Your Cheatin' Heart 1953 RYM 1 of 1953, DDD 2 of 1953, US BB 4 of 1953, POP 4 of 1953, RIAA 34, Scrobulate 87 of country, Rolling Stone 213, Acclaimed 286
US No. 1 hit singles These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1953.
First weekNumber of weeksTitleArtistJanuary 10, 19535"Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes"Perry ComoFebruary 14, 19535"Till I Waltz Again With You"Teresa BrewerMarch 21, 19538"The Doggie in the Window"Patti PageMay 16, 195310"The Song from Moulin Rouge"Percy Faith & his OrchestraJuly 25, 19532"I'm Walking Behind You"Eddie FisherAugust 8, 19539"Vaya con Dios"Les Paul & Mary FordOctober 10, 19534"St. George and the Dragonet"Stan FrebergNovember 7, 19532"Vaya con Dios"Les Paul & Mary FordNovember 21, 19536"Rags to Riches"Tony Bennett
Top hits on record
Top R&B and country hits on record "The Clock" – Johnny Ace with the Beale Streeters "Hound Dog" – Big Mama Thornton "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know"- The Davis Sisters "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean"- Ruth Brown "Mess Around" – Ray Charles "Please Don't Leave Me" – Fats Domino "Your Cheatin' Heart" – Hank Williams
Published popular music "And This Is My Beloved" w. & m. adapted Robert Wright & George Forrest "Angel Eyes" w. Earl Brent m. Matt Dennis "Answer Me, My Love" w. (Eng) Carl Sigman (Ger) & m. Gerhard Winkler & Fred Ravich "Baubles, Bangles And Beads" w. & m. adapt Robert Wright & George Forrest. Introduced by Doretta Morrow in the musical Kismet "Bell Bottom Blues" w. Hal David m. Leon Carr "Bimbo" w.m. Rodney Morris "Black Hills Of Dakota" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain. Introduced by Doris Day in the film Calamity Jane. "The Boy Friend" w.m. Sandy Wilson. "Can-Can" w.m. Cole Porter "Caribbean" w.m. Mitchell Torok "C'est Magnifique" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Lilo and Peter Cookson in the musical Can-Can "Changing Partners" w. Joe Darion m. Larry Coleman "Chicka Boom" w.m. Bob Merrill "Crying In the Chapel" w.m. Artie Glenn "Cry Me a River" w.m. Arthur Hamilton "Ebb Tide" w. Carl Sigman m. Robert Maxwell "Eh, Cumpari!" trad Ital w. m. adapt. Julius LaRosa & Archie Bleyer "Fate" w. & m. adapt Robert Wright & George Forrest from music by Alexander Borodin Adapted from Symphony No. 2 in B Minor. It was introduced by Alfred Drake and Doretta Morrow in the musical Kismet. "Gambler's Guitar" w.m. Jim Lowe "Gee!" w.m. Viola Watkins, Daniel Norton & William Davis "Giddy-Up-A Ding Dong" w.m. Freddie Bell, Pep Lattanzi "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" James Hudson, Calvin Carter "Half a Photograph" w. Bob Russell m. Hal Stanley "The Happy Wanderer" w.(Ger) Florenz Siegesmund & Edith Möller (Eng) Antonia Ridge m. Friedrich Wilhelm Möller "Here's That Rainy Day" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by John Raitt in the musical Carnival In Flanders. "Hold My Hand" w.m. Jack Lawrence & Richard Myers "I Believe" w.m. Ervin Drake, Jimmy Shirl, Irvin Graham & Al Stillman "I Can Do Without You" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain. Introduced by Doris Day and Howard Keel in the film Calamity Jane. "(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" w.m. Pat Ballard "I Love Paris" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Lilo in the musical Can-Can "I Really Don't Want To Know" w. Howard Barnes m. Don Robertson "I'm Walking Behind You" w.m. Billy Reid "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Nat Simon "It's All Right With Me" w.m. Cole Porter "It's Love" w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Leonard Bernstein. Introduced by George Gaynes in the musical Wonderful Town. Performed in the 1955 London production by Dennis Bowen. "Just Walkin' In The Rain" w.m. Johnny Bragg & Robert S. Riley "Little Things Mean a Lot" w.m. Carl Stutz & Edith Lindeman "Look at That Girl" w.m. Bob Merrill "Make Love to Me" w. Alan Copeland & Bill Norvas Music from "Tin Roof Blues" 1923. "The Man That Got Away" w. Ira Gershwin m. Harold Arlen "The Man With The Banjo" w. (Eng) Robert Mellin m. Fritz Schulz Reichel "Marriage Type Love" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Arthur Maxwell and Helena Scott in the musical Me And Juliet. "Matilda, Matilda!" w.m. Harry Thomas "Melancholy Serenade" m. Jackie Gleason "Mexican Joe" w.m. Mitchell Torok "Money Burns a Hole In My Pocket" w. Bob Hilliard m. Jule Styne. Introduced by Dean Martin in the 1954 film Living It Up. "Money Honey" w.m. Jesse Stone "My Love, My Love" w. Bob Haymes m. Nick Acquaviva "No Other Love" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Isabel Bigley and Bill Hayes in the musical Me And Juliet. "Non Dimenticar" w.(Eng) Shelley Dobbins (Ital) Michele Galdieri m. P. G. Redi "Not Since Nineveh" w. & m. adapt Robert Wright & George Forrest From Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances". "Oh! My Pa-Pa" w. John Turner & Geoffrey Parsons m. Paul Burkhard "The Olive Tree" w. & m. adapt Robert Wright & George Forrest from music by Alexander Borodin "Rags to Riches" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross "Ricochet" w.m. Larry Coleman, Joe Darion & Norman Gimbel "Rock Around the Clock" w.m. Jimmy De Knight & Max C. Freedman "Ronda" w.m. Paulo Vanzolini "Santa Baby" w.m. Joan Javits, Phil Springer & Tony Springer "Satin Doll" w.m. Billy Strayhorn & Duke Ellington "Secret Love" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain. Introduced by Doris Day in the film Calamity Jane "Seven Lonely Days" w.m. Alden Shuman, Earl Shuman & Marshal Brown "Shake a Hand" w.m. Joe Morris "Sippin' Soda" adapt. P. Campbell "The Song From "Moulin Rouge"" (a.k.a. "Where Is Your Heart") w. (Eng) William Engvick (Fr) Jacques Larue m. Georges Auric "Stranger in Paradise" w. & m. adapt Robert Wright & George Forrest. Introduced by Doretta Morrow and Richard Kiley in the musical Kismet. "Such a Night" w.m. Lincoln Chase "Sway" ("Quien Será") w. (Eng) Norman Gimbel (Sp) Pablo Beltrán Ruiz m. Pablo Beltran Ruiz "Teach Me Tonight" w. Sammy Cahn m. Gene De Paul "Tell Me a Story" w.m. Terry Gilkyson