Herbert Howells; Stanley Bate; York Bowen - Songs (Emily Gray; Timothy Salter)

Information

Composer: Emily Gray; Timothy Salter

1. Howells - Five Songs for Low Voice and Piano, Op. 7a: No. 1, The Valley of Silence
2. Howells - Five Songs for Low Voice and Piano, Op. 7a: No. 2, When the Dew is Falling
3. Howells - Five Songs for Low Voice and Piano, Op. 7a: No. 3, By The Grey Stone
4. Howells - Five Songs for Low Voice and Piano, Op. 7a: No. 4, St. Bride's Song
5. Howells - Five Songs for Low Voice and Piano, Op. 7a: No. 5, When there is Peace
6. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 1, Tired Tim
7. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 2, Alas, Alack!
8. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 3, Mrs. MacQueen
9. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 4, The Dunce
10. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 5, Full Moon
11. Howells - Peacock Pie, Op. 33: No. 6, Miss T.
12. Bate - Five Songs from Pomes Penyeach, Op. 53: No. 1, Simples
13. Bate - Five Songs from Pomes Penyeach, Op. 53: No. 2, Tutto è Sciolto
14. Bate - Five Songs from Pomes Penyeach, Op. 53: No. 3, Watching the Needleboats at San Sabba
15. Bate - Five Songs from Pomes Penyeach, Op. 53: No. 4, Bahnhofstrasse
16. Bate - Five Songs from Pomes Penyeach, Op. 53: No. 5, Tilly
17. Bowen - Cordovan Love Song, Op. 68 No. 4
18. Bowen - To Myra
19. Bowen - In June, Op. 68 No. 3
20. Bowen - Storm Song, Op. 68 No. 1
21. Bowen - The Hidden Treasure, Op. 67 No. 1
22. Bowen - A Moonlight Night
23. Bowen - Love's Reckoning, Op. 67 No. 3
24. Philip York Bowen - Sleep: A Song Triptych
25. Bowen - If You should frown, Op. 86 No. 2
26. Bowen - Love and Death, Op. 62 No. 2
27. Bowen - The Wind’s An Old Woman, Op. 71 No. 1

Emily Gray, mezzo-soprano

Timothy Salter, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Ulysses Arts

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On September 25, 2026, Ulysses Arts released a groundbreaking album featuring world première recordings of English songs performed by mezzo-soprano Emily Gray and pianist Timothy Salter. The collection shines a long-overdue spotlight on the vocal output of early twentieth-century composers Herbert Howells (1892–1983), Stanley Bate (1911–1959), and Edwin York Bowen (1884–1961), alongside a song by Bowen’s son, Philip. While these composers are widely recognized for their choral, instrumental, and orchestral works, their contributions to the song genre have remained largely under-recorded. Apart from Howells’s Peacock Pie, all pieces in this collection are appearing on record for the first time, offering crucial insight into the era's evolving cultural landscape.

English soprano and mezzo-soprano Emily Gray (born 1986) launched her music career at age ten, rapidly achieving national recognition after winning the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Choir Girl of the Year title in 2000. Her early success prompted widespread appearances across major BBC radio and television broadcasts, including Songs of Praise. Following her chart-topping 2002 Naxos debut album, Passiontide, which earned high acclaim in Gramophone and Classic FM Magazine, Gray pursued advanced vocal and piano studies as a boarder at Chetham's School of Music. Throughout her early career, she maintained an active schedule as a national concert soloist and dedicated charitable performer.

Born in Yorkshire in 1942, Timothy Salter is an accomplished English composer, conductor, and pianist educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge. His extensive catalog includes commissioned orchestral, chamber, choral, television, and vocal works recorded globally across major labels. As an active pianist and musical director of The Ionian Singers, Salter strongly advocates for the composer-performer model, creating tailored pieces for collaborator artists. A former professor of composition and performance at the Royal College of Music in London, he founded Usk Recordings in 1995 to champion contemporary compositions alongside neglected historical repertoire, continuing to mentor professional and student musicians internationally.

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