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

PARRY, ELGAR & JACOB: British Music for Strings 1

PARRY, ELGAR & JACOB: British Music for Strings 1

This lacklustre trio of prosaic string pieces don’t happily co-exist together, especially under the grandiosely overblown title of this release. An odd mix of works by those well-regarded British composers, Elgar, Parry and Jacob, certainly make uneasy bedfellows…

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Heaven Full of Stars: Choral Music

Heaven Full of Stars: Choral Music

The repertoire of the Vasari Singers under their indefatigable musical director, Jeremy Backhouse, has played a significant role in the commissioning and performance of a considerable quantity of contemporary sacred choral music.

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GEORGE DYSON: The Open Window

GEORGE DYSON: The Open Window

I have heard it said that Sir George Dyson’s church music is the musical equivalent of the Conservative party at prayer.

It could be thought that some of this piano music, much of it written for young pianists was for nice, suburban middle class children to play on Sunday afternoons.

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