Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/653

 since the days of Purcell at the end of the 17th century the display of general creative power has been rare among English musicians, in spite of a constant interest in things musical in several English circles. But the recent group of composers has thus far shown no special homogeneity of style—certainly nothing to compare with the national quality in German, French or Italian writing. It is simply the fruit of diffused cosmopolitan influences, undominated by a distinct nationalism. Hence one can hardly speak of an 'English school' in an exact sense. Yet particular composers have great individuality, and, in several cases, unquestionable genius.

The acknowledged leaders of the group include the following:—

Arthur Sullivan (d. 1900), popularly best known for a series of almost 20 sparkling operettas (from 1867), but also with the opera Ivanhoe (1891), 6 oratorios, such as The Light of the World (1873) and The Golden Legend (1886), incidental music to many plays, overtures, a symphony, songs, etc.; Alexander Campbell Mackenzie, a Scotsman, born in 1847, with 4 operas (from 1883), 2 oratorios, including The Rose of Sharon (1884), many fine cantatas, sacred and secular, especially Veni, Creator Spiritus (1891), several overtures, violin music, etc.; Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, born in 1848, with a portentous list of works of every description, including 4 symphonies, 3 oratorios, beginning with Judith (1888), a variety of other choral music, chamber and piano-pieces, church music, etc.; Frederic Hymen Cowen, born in 1852 in the West Indies, also a prolific writer, with 4 operas (from 1876), 4 oratorios, many graceful cantatas, 6 symphonies, 4 orchestral suites, chamber music and songs; Charles Villiers Stanford, born in 1852, with 4 operas (from 1881), especially Shamus O'Brien (1896), 2 oratorios, fine choral cantatas, 5 symphonies, chamber music, etc.; and Edward Elgar, born in 1857, with 3 oratorios, especially The Dream of Gerontius (1900) and The Apostles (1903), choral pieces, overtures, songs, etc. To these may well be added Arthur Goring Thomas (d. 1892), with 3 operas (from 1883), cantatas and choral music; Edward German, born in 1862, with 2 symphonies, incidental music to plays, several symphonic poems, chamber music, 3 operas and songs; the Scotsman Hamish MacCunn, born in 1868, with 2 operas, many original cantatas, as The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1888), and overtures; and the part-negro Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, born in 1875, with striking orchestral and choral works, especially Scenes from Hiawatha.

232. The National Groups (b).—As compared with the German, French, Italian and English groups, those which follow as a rule present much that is technically more fresh and individual. The reason is simply that the historic evolution of music has been so far dominated by the four peoples named above that the standard features of style are those most