Havergal Brian - Complete Choral Songs, Vol. 2 (Joyful Company of Singers; Finchley Children's Music Group)

Information

Composer: Havergal Brian

1. Daybreak
2. Tell Me, Thou Soul of Her Love, Op. 13d
3. Stars of a Summer Night, Op. 1
4. In a Fairy Boat
5. Introit
6. Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame
7. A Child's Prayer
8. If I Had But Two Little Wings
9. Little White Lily
10. Tell Me, Where Is Fancy Bred
11. It Was a Lover and His Lass
12. Fairies' Song
13. Absence
14. Pack Clouds Away
15. Pastoral: The Shepherd
16. Infant Joy
17. The Lamb
18. Laughing Song
19. The Fairy Palace
20. Spring, the Sweet Spring
21. The Lost Doll
22. The Dream
23. The Echoing Green
24. The Moon
25. The River
26. The Mountain and the Squirrel
27. What Does Little Birdie Say?
28. Shall I Then Be Spared
29. O Happiness, Celestial Fair
30. Sweet Solitude
31. The Phantom Wooer
32. He Was a Rat

Joyful Company of Singers / Peter Broadbent, conductor

Finchley Children's Music Group / Grace Rossiter, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Toccata Classics

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The reputation of Havergal Brian (1876–1972) as a late-blooming symphonist often obscures his early success as a prolific choral composer for Edwardian England’s thriving amateur choir market. His diverse choral songs span from simple unison settings for children and women to highly complex, harmonically dense pieces designed to challenge ensembles in regional British competitions. This second compilation highlights his versatility, featuring four distinct canons composed in the early 1920s. Initially written as contrapuntal studies for his monumental Gothic Symphony, these pieces underscore Brian's early mastery of complex vocal writing and intricate structural design.