A study of the composers and music of the English musical renaissance and their influence upon the compositional style of Ralph Vaughan Williams

This study presents a synopsis of the development English Musical Renaissance, describing the social and political context which led to the decline of English music and its subsequent resurgence during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Important early composers of this period including Sir Arthur Sullivan, Edward Elgar, and Hubert Parry are tied to new musical trends which were just beginning to emerge during this time period. The extensive studies of English folk music by Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Gustav Holst are also described. Vaughan Williams’ extensive contributions to the field of English music are discussed at length, particularly the 1906 English Hymnal which gained worldwide acclaim. His compositional techniques are explored, and the influence of both his predecessors and contemporaries on his musical style is analyzed.School of MusicThesis (M.M.