BRITTEN. SONGS.

QUILTER. SONGS. David Johnston (tenor), Daphne Ibbott (piano). Lilac L I L300 (2'15). Texts included.

Britten: On this Island, Op. 11; The Birds; Fish in the unruffled lakes: Gloriana—Second Lute Song. Quilter: Seven Elizabethan Lyrics, Op. 12; Go, lovely rose, Op. 24 No. 3; Dream Valley, Op. 21 No. 1; Spring voices; Now sleeps the crimson petal, Op. 3 No. 2; Love's philosophy, Op. 3 No. 1.

Britten took to song-cycle as a form early: apart from real juvenilia (which in his case means works of childhood rather than merely youth) there were the so-called Choral Variations A Boy was Born (Op. 3), Friday Afternoons (Op. 7) and Our Hunting Fathers (Op. 8) before we reach Op. 11 and one of the liveliest products of the Auden collaboration, On this Island. We badly need a good, modern version of Our Hunting Fathers; and On this Island has not had a very prosperous gramophone career. David Johnston reveals a very intelligent grasp of some of the songs, notably the one from which the title comes, "Seascape": here, and in the beautiful "Fish in the unruffled lakes", he senses very acutely the flow of the melodic line with the poetry. Others are less successful: "Now the leaves are falling fast" needs a more level, menacing quality which I am sure is well within the range of his strong, even and somewhat hard tenor. This proves too tough for the curious atmosphere of tenderness sustained against a grimmer vision in "Nocturne", particularly at the moment when the song develops into prayer over the sleeper at "May sleep's healing power extend". But everything is wellarticulated and clear, even if the range of expression in this cycle is really greater.

With the Quilter settings on the reverse, there is little question of emotional range. Quilter had a modest but distinct melodic gift which he applied to a sensitively chosen range of English lyric poetry. His response is affectionate, and always graceful; but it is not that of the composer who has really penetrated the meaning of poetry which is sometimes dark and subtle, and found an apt musical analogue for it. With a fairly simple conceit such as the anonymous "Brown is my love" from the Seven Elizabethan Lyrics, the effect is pleasant enough. But the response given to this little poem is indistinguishable from that given to lyrics of marvellous point and intensity. Waller's beautiful Go, lovely rose, for instance, receives a similarly graceful, generalised emotion that does not really carry the burden of any feeling that the poem differs in quality from its companions, let alone has an individual point and is a brilliantly successful handling of a conceit at which many Elizabethans tried their hand. There is thus created the sense of a roseate haze suffusing each and every poem with its identical glow, by intention lighting them with music but in fact blurring their outline and depth.

Mr Johnston sings these songs agreeably, and the faint whine which his voice can sometimes develop is kept well in check and used effectively to colour songs that have wistfulness as their most substantial emotion. The piano tone is somewhat clangy and the recorded sound in general on the hard side; but the balance between Mr Johnston and Miss Ibbott's very well-judged accompaniments is good. J.W. MEDIEVAL MUSIC. PATRIOTIC AND