Composers
David Matthews b. 1943
Convivium Music is delighted that David Matthews agreed to write the Voice and Verse 2008 commission and that he will be present for the Festival.
At the forefront of British music and composing across all the genres, David Matthew’s musical language embraces much of the complexities of the European and the English traditions while remaining eminently intelligent and accessible.
Ralph Vaughan Williams 1872-1958
Popular in his life-time and continuously since his death, Vaughan Williams epitomises the nostalgia that is felt about the early 20th century. His scholarship and musical perception shine through his work and the songs are particularly indicative of his wide-ranging knowledge of the English folk idiom, the practices of Tudor music, vocal and instrumental colour and the landscape and literature of England. The fiftieth anniversary of his death is an opportune time to refresh our acquaintance with this influential and significant composer.
Ivor Gurney 1890-1937
Known equally as poet and a composer, Gurney was in time and subject-matter a part of the English pastoral tradition. Yet his songs, of which he wrote more than 300, were derived less from the folk idioms of Britain than an understanding of German lieder and French art songs. His manic depressive illness and his period as a soldier in World War I informed the character of his works. He set only a few of his own poems, the best know of which is Severn Meadows.
Benjamin Britten 1913-1976
Although Britten’s music is not a natural successor to that of Vaughan Williams, the quality of attention to word setting is paramount in both composers. They both take the English Renaissance and Baroque traditions as their models for many ideas and the love of the traditional song and the expressions and gestures of folk music are also germane to their song compositions.
“Vocal music stands at the heart of Britten’‘s output and his song cycles, whether for voice and piano, harp or guitar, form a substantial and important part of his body of work.” BrittenPears website
Percy Grainger 1882-1961
An Australian by birth, Grainger espoused, among many other pursuits, the cause of the collecting, recording and research of the English folk song and made a particular study of songs he found in Lincolnshire. Folk music permeated his career, and Grainger together with, chiefly, Cecil Sharpe and Vaughan Williams was active in elevating it to be worthy of academic study.
Gerald Finzi 1901-1956
The bulk of Finzi’s output was vocal and song cycles were a vital component. He was central to the life of English music in the early 20th Century, his music embracing moods of contemplation, nostalgia and luminous joy. His associates and friends were Holst, Bliss, Rubbra and Ferguson and he always acknowledged the influence of Vaughan Williams.