This album features several premiere recordings, indicated by an asterisk next to the track titles in the booklet.
Performer Biography
The Choir of King's College London, one of England's leading university choirs, has existed since its founding by William Henry Monk in the mid-19th century.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For composers of the English Musical Renaissance like Stanford, Parry, and Elgar, partsongs proved English's suitability for musical setting, paralleling celebrated continental song traditions.
Cultural Impact
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's choral work Hiawatha was immensely popular in both the UK and America, and he was even invited to the White House by President Roosevelt.
Composer Biography
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's early musical promise led to a place at the Royal College of Music from age fifteen, financially assisted by a silk merchant.
Historical Context
Towards the end of the 19th century, partsongs (secular choral settings in English) became a key battleground for national musical pride, celebrating British Romantic poetry.
Composer Biography
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the composer of the works on this album, was born in Holborn in 1875; his father was from Sierra Leone and studied medicine in England.
