Ivor Gurney, another composer on this album, suffered from shell shock after his military service and spent the last 15 years of his life in a mental asylum, dying in 1937.
Cultural Impact
The poems of A.E. Housman, set to music by George Butterworth, were so popular during World War I that they were carried into battle by many soldiers, including prominent war poets.
Critical Reception
In 1904, German journalist Oscar Schmitz wrote a book titled 'The Country without Music: English societal problems,' an opinion this album aims to disprove.
Composer Biography
George Butterworth, one of the composers featured, died in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme in World War I.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ralph Vaughan Williams, a composer on this album, believed the human voice to be the oldest and greatest of all instruments, capable of conveying the deepest human emotion.
Historical Context
The album explores music from Great Britain in the decade before World War I, a period marked by significant sociopolitical changes and the looming threat of global conflicts.
Album & Artwork
The album title, "Never Such Innocence," is taken from a poem by Philip Larkin, written 50 years after the start of World War I.
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Ich blick' in mein Herz und ich blick' in die Welt
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The Salley Gardens: A Treasury Of English Song
Poulenc: Mélodies
As One
Jenner: Lieder
Merikanto, O.: Songs
Wolf: Lieder von Mörike
Crime Scenes
Romanser och Duetter
Zeisl: Art Songs
Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39 & Frauenliebe und -Leben, Op. 42
