James Gilchrist sings the songs of Muriel Herbert

This month, Linn Records have released the "Songs of Muriel Herbert", an album featuring many premiere recordings of songs by the twentieth century English composer.  They are beautifully delivered by soprano Ailish Tynan and tenor James Gilchrist, accompanied by David Owen Norris on piano.

Few British women composers of the early twentieth century are known today, either by name of by their music.  Here is one who should be.  Muriel Emily Herbert was born in 1897 in Sheffield and grew up in Liverpool.  As a pianist herself she was always interested in composition, and she studied and absorbed the music of Debussy, Ravel and Richard Strauss.  She won the Liverpool scholarship in composition to the Royal College of Music in 1917 where she was taught by the Irish composer Charles Stanford.  Under his tuition her song writing became more accomplished.

« Back to news archive