Albion’s Glory

What is meant by the term ‘English Music’? After discussing the definition and factors for identification involved, Stephen H. Smith explores the shortlist of composers who should be considered, as well as any omissions from such a selection. The book then gives a short history of English music from the nineteenth to twentieth century. The main body of the book – the composer survey – is divided into three subsections: Progenitors of the English Musical Renaissance (Parry and Stanford); Ten of the Best (the author’s choice of England’s “top” twentieth-century composers); and The Best of the Rest (fifty entries on other English composers, in alphabetical order, including several overlooked ones with a nevertheless powerfully distinctive musical voice). A final section explores alternative ways of accessing the music along with their pros and cons. With a bibliography and discography to accompany each entry, a general bibliography and an appendix on the mystery surrounding the fate of E.J. Moeran’s ‘Second Symphony’, Albion’s Glory gives a complete overview of the history of English music and the composers who brought it to life.