Warlock, Bethlehem Down Peter Warlock is the pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine (1894-1930). Heseltine was born in London to a wealthy family. His father soon died and his mother was remarried to a landowner in Wales. Heseltine’s Welsh roots would form part of his lifelong … Read more
Gurney, In Flanders Last week we featured a work by George Butterworth, a young English composer who was killed in action in World War I. Today, we look at Ivor Gurney (1890-1937), another English composer and contemporary of Butterworth. Gurney saw combat in World War … Read more
Butterworth, The Lads in Their Hundreds George Butterworth (1885-1916) was one of several the English composers who in the early 20th century collected folk songs and worked them into his compositions. We have already looked at his contemporaries Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge, … Read more
Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings I have previously mentioned my years, basically middle school through college, as a horn player. During that time, I frequently heard the name of Dennis Brain as the undisputed master of the instrument. Brain (1921-1957) had died quite … Read more
Stanford, Beati Quorum Via I often turn to Irish music in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. This year, I’m featuring a Latin motet by English composer Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924). Beati quorum via bears none of the marks of traditional Irish music. Sanford was, however, … Read more
Bridge, Music, When Soft Voices Die Frank Bridge (1879-1941) tends to be overshadowed in the historical flow of early 20th-century British music by his contemporaries Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Like Holst and Vaughan Williams, he studied with Charles Villiers Stanford. And as teacher … Read more
Tallis, If Ye Love Me If Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585) had a list of greatest hits, If Ye Love Me would surely rank near the top. One of the things I remember well about the day I married Carol is the performance of this work … Read more
Finzi, Five Bagatelles (3 and 4) The music of Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) in many ways follows the style of his fellow British composers Sir Edward Elgar and his friend Ralph Vaughan Williams. Best known for his choral works and songs, Finzi’s Five Bagatelles, written for … Read more
Britten, A Ceremony of Carols Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) became one of England’s most notable composers in the years prior to World War II. He continued to hold a dominant position until his death. His most significant works include the operas Peter Grimes (1944) and Billy … Read more
Vaughan Williams, Songs of Travel Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) composed Songs of Travel early in his career. The cycle of nine songs is taken from a collection of 46 poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Baritone Roderick Williams presents six of the songs in this video. … Read more
