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
Professor Raymond Warren

Obituary: Raymond Warren

Professor Raymond Warren, who has died aged 96, was part of that Interwar generation of British composers that owed a stylistic debt to Tippett and Britten…

Arnold Cooke - Complete String Quartets, Vol. Two

British composers featured in new releases

Toccata Classics will launch two new releases of music by British composers including Arnold Cooke and Charles Harford Lloyd…

Cardiff University Logo

University seeks applications for British music research

Following the reversal of the decision to close the Music Department at Cardiff University, new PhD Studentships in research have been announced....
Dr Jonathan Clinch and Diana McVeagh

Finzi biographer Diana McVeagh dies aged 98

Diana McVeagh, author and long-term BMS member, died on 2 July aged 98…

Curry Rival, Somerset concert

BMS trust to promote Hurd’s music in 2026

Many members will remember the generous grant for the British Music Society left in composer Michael Hurd’s estate…

 Latest features & reviews

Memories of Peter Wishart

Memories of Peter Wishart

Arriving at the Guildhall School of Music early in 1961, the old building by Blackfriars Bridge, I was directed to a room upstairs, where, after knocking, the door was opened by Peter Wishart surrounded by the delicious aroma of French Disque Bleu cigarettes…

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PAUL LEWIS: Harp Scenes

PAUL LEWIS: Harp Scenes

Lewis’s music is, quite rightly, described as a ‘luscious oeuvre’ and so if you want harp music that is idiomatic, tuneful and lyrical then this disc is for you…

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WALTON: Chamber Music

WALTON: Chamber Music

From the first folk-like theme the Piano Quartet of the teenage Walton breathes pure English Pastoral – an impression only reinforced by the heat-haze of the delicious slow movement.

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BRITTEN: A Ceremony of Carols

BRITTEN: A Ceremony of Carols

he glittering tinsel of a seasonal Clare College this year outshines its better-known neighbour, Kings, with a spectacular concert of music set to become the star of this year’s burgeoning collection of Christmas releases.

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Pax Britannica: Organ music

Pax Britannica: Organ music

This is a uniquely interesting recording from Australia. It brings together, in one place, organ compositions by many late nineteenth and early twentieth century composers. Some are largely forgotten…

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