When, in 1904, the German critic Oscar Schmitz described Britain as ‘Das Land ohne Musik’ (The land without music), he was possibly trying to stir. However, he did have a bit of a point – for all the efforts of Parry, Sullivan and co, Britain’s output over the past century or two had been fairly paltry compared to that of his own country.
Schmitz’s timing, though, proved deliciously misguided. His fellow German Richard Strauss had already started to sing the praises of Elgar – from whom two symphonies and a Violin Concerto would shortly follow – and within the next decade, Vaughan Williams would write his own first two symphonies plus the groundbreaking Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, while Holst would begin work on The Planets. At the premiere of VW’s Fantasia in 1910 were Howells and Gurney, just two of a flurry of fine composers who would drive British music on into the 20th century, and the work itself draws inspiration from the Renaissance, when Britain comfortably rivalled its European counterparts.
Today, the British composing scene is as strong as ever. But who are the greatest composers the country has ever produced? We asked 167 of today’s leading musicians to have their say, with five votes each, based on the criteria of originality, influence, technique and, of course, sheer enjoyability to listen to and perform. We then totted up the votes to draw up the following Top 25, in reverse order…
22=Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-94)
Born: Hertfordshire, England
This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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