The Cowpat Controversy
English composers of the early 20th century have been labelled ' the cowpat school'. This is not just unfair. It's downright rude and it belies the depth of their music.
The line-up of early 20th-century English composers includes great figures such as Holst, Vaughan Williams, Arnold Bax and Frederick Delius. Since the 1950s, these composers have been dogged by a casual and unkind slur against their work, namely by referring to it as 'cowpat music'.
Tom Service argues that, far from producing shallow and whimsical pastoral scores, the music produced by this English movement is among the most profound and communicative of the last century, rarely far from the influence of the two world wars.
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Music Played
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Gustav Holst
Brook Green Suite
Performer: London Festival Orchestra. Performer: Ross Pople.- ARTE NOVA.
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Ivor Gurney
When Smoke Stood Up From Ludlow (Ludlow and Teme)
Performer: Andrew Kennedy. Performer: Simon Crawford‐Phillips. Performer: Dante Quartet.- Signum.
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Ivor Gurney
Ludlow Fair (Ludlow and Teme)
Performer: Andrew Kennedy. Performer: Simon Crawford‐Phillips. Performer: Dante Quartet.- Signum.
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Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No.3 Pastoral 1st movement
Performer: Hallé. Performer: Sir Mark Elder.- HALLE.
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Arnold Bax
Symphony No.2 1st movement
Performer: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Performer: Bryden Thomson.- CHANDOS.
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Johanes Maria Staud
Maniai
Performer: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Mariss Jansons, conductor.- BR Klassik.
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Frederick Delius
Double Concerto
Performer: Yehudi Menuhin. Performer: Paul Tortelier. Performer: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Performer: Meredith Davies.- EMI.
Broadcasts
- Sun 14 Oct 201817:00BBC Radio 3
- Sun 30 May 202117:00BBC Radio 3
- Fri 4 Jun 202116:30BBC Radio 3
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