Bringing Britain’s musical heritage alive
Founded in 1979, the British Music Society is dedicated to promoting and preserving Britain’s musical heritage with particular emphasis on 20th century composers through recordings, publications and events
Latest features & reviews
JOHN PURSER: consider the story
The overall title, ‘consider the story’ (small case) comes from a quite obscure Irish song…
CHARLES DIBDIN: The Wags
Everyone who has attended the Last Night of the Proms, or watched it on television, will be familiar with ‘that lovely cello tune’ from Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea-Songs. How many people know the name of the original composer of that song?
Robert Simpson: Matthew Taylor’s personal tribute for his centenary
I knew Robert Simpson’s name before encountering his music, first as the author of the still definitive biography of Nielsen, who was and still remains one of my Gods, and later as one of the most compelling speakers on Radio 3…
LORD BERNERS: Wedding Bouquet, Luna Park and March
The plot, if it can be called that, is set in a freak pavilion as a weird set of characters pass before us, including a six-armed man, and a three-legged juggler. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination…
MALCOLM ARNOLD: A Centenary Celebration
Curiously though, for a centenary celebration, the majority of the disc is made up of arrangements when even the liner notes acknowledge that Arnold was none too keen on people arranging his music…
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: An Oxford Christmas
This is a fine collection for choir masters on the lookout for ‘new’ carols for their Christmas concerts, or for the rest of us just to enjoy…