Throughout the 20th century, music with a tonal center has not been far from the hearts of British composers. This stimulus provided the necessary focus for a British sound-a style of composition whose quality was in sharp contrast to the schools of influence led by Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Among these were Cecil Sharpe, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and a transplanted Australian named Percy Grainger. Just as research in this area was going on in Scandinavia with Edvard Grieg, and in Hungary with Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly, so also in England people scoured the countryside, eagerly pursuing the roots of English music. This interest in folk songs could not have come at a better time, as folk singers and their craft were rapidly disappearing. The craft of folk singers was preserved not only on paper, but also on wax cylinders, a practice that for the first time preserved performances for repeated listening. The second element was a keen interest in the study of English folk song. Emphasizing both vocal and keyboard compositions, these composers included Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Thomas Wilkes, Giles Farnaby, and Orlando Gibbons. While some English composers (notably Elgar) continued to write in the German Romantic style, two introspective elements led to a new composition practice.įirst, there was a fascination for the rich musical heritage present in England during the Elizabethan era-an era whose composers wrote in a compelling blend of polyphony and modality. Finally at the beginning of the 20th century, a renaissance of composition developed that would have a profound impact on English music. Indeed, from the death of Henry Purcell until the rise of Sir Edward Elgar the music scene in England represented little more than a copy of styles found on the European continent. 1įor almost two hundred years England was devoid of any native-born composer who held international respect. editorial in The Times (London), 16 Sept. There were two things of interest to be heard yesterday - Holst's Suite for Military Band at Knellar Hall and Brahm's Third Symphony at Queens Hall.

Lincolnshire posy program notes