Herbert Howells, born in Gloucestershire in 1892, was one of the last great English Romantics whose musical expression was deeply influenced by folksong and the West of England countryside.
Compositional Technique
Howells was consistently drawn to the 'cyclic' principle in his chamber works, creating thematic links between movements, as seen in the Piano Quartet and Fantasy String Quartet.
Compositional Technique
The Fantasy String Quartet, though in one continuous movement, uses varying moods of folksong-like themes to correspond to the phases of a sonata structure, akin to the oral tradition of folksong.
Composition History
The 1916 Piano Quartet was the first of Howells's chamber works to be written and was published through the intervention of his former teacher, Stanford, under the auspices of the Carnegie Trust.
Recording & Production
This album's recordings of the Piano Quartet, Fantasy String Quartet, and Rhapsodic Quintet were made in June and September 1973 at Walthamstow Assembly Hall.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Howells intuitively realized that the folksong medium, with its modal and pentatonic framework, was key to expressing his love for A. E. Housman's 'country for easy livers'.
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