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
Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy Percy Grainger (1882-1961) is another composer, with others like Bartók and Kodály, who collected folk songs and incorporated them into his compositions. The new technology of the gramophone made field recordings possible, while that same leap in technology threatened the cultural forces … Read more
Taverner, Mater Christi sanctissima To mark the beginning of Lent, let us consider this antiphon by the English Renaissance composer John Taverner (c. 1490-1545). Not much is known about Taverner’s life. His entry in Grove does more to debunk earlier biographical accounts than to add … Read more
Tallis, Audivi vocem The text of Audivi vocem is from the service of Matins on All Saints’ Day (November 1). This setting by Thomas Tallis makes use of the Sarum rite chant. The Sarum rite comes from Salisbury Cathedral in England. Various styles of chant … Read more
Holst, The Planets (Mars) The last few weeks have taken us through some rather vivid and dramatic music: Strauss, Copland, Sousa, and even The Magnificent Seven. This week continues along those lines with the rousing tone poem The Planets by Gustav Holst. Very early in this … Read more
Tavener, Mother of God Here I Stand Sir John Tavener (1944-2013) composed mostly choral music informed by Orthodox Christianity. He converted to Orthodoxy in 1977. While he remained firmly rooted in Orthodoxy, he was also drawn to other Eastern traditions and assimilated some of those … Read more