Halsey,Louis Early One Morning: Parry Delius Elgar CD

During the 1960s, Louis Halsey, together with the Elizabethan Singers and The Louis Halsey Singers, made a number of recordings of British choral music for Decca. Three LPs devoted to the music of Parry, Elgar, Stanford and Delius and of folk song settings by a range of British composers, are here collected on this 2CD set. All of this material released on CD for the first time. Though his magnificent choral piece, 'Jerusalem', eclipses much of his other work, Hubert Parry's beautiful 'Songs of Farewell', written during the last three years of his life must be counted among the masterpieces of English choral music. Diana McVeagh describes the Elgar choral songs as 'elaborate, expansive and gorgeous as sheer sound' and so they are in these wonderful performances. All but one of Delius's partsongs were recorded for the original LP and the disc of folk songs arranged by Tippett, Williamson, Grainger, Vaughan Williams, Holst and other front-rank British composers is charming and amusing. Original LP notes (including a very persuasive one by Louis Halsey himself) are reprinted in the booklet.

1. Songs of Farewell - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 2. Heraclitus - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 3. Sweet Love for Me - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 4. My Love's An Arbutus - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 5. Veneta - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 6. Chillingham - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 7. Shall We Go Dance - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 8. As Torrents in Summer - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 9. My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 10. Go Song of Mine - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 11. O Wild West Wind - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 12. The Shower - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 13. Love's Tempest - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 14. Owls - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 15. The Fountain - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 16. There Is Sweet Music - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 17. Deep in My Soul - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 18. Midsummer Song - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 19. On Craig Dhu - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 20. To Be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 21. The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls - the Louis Halsey Singers - the Louis Halsey Singers 22. Captain Bover - Various Performers - Various Performers 23. A Fair Maid - Various Performers - Various Performers 24. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Various Performers - Various Performers 25. I Sowed the Seeds of Love - Various Performers - Various Performers 26. Wassail Song - Various Performers - Various Performers 27. Bushes and Briars - Various Performers - Various Performers 28. O Waly, Waly - Various Performers - Various Performers 29. Dance to Your Daddy - Various Performers - Various Performers 30. Bobby Shaftoe - Various Performers - Various Performers 31. Adam Buckham O! - Various Performers - Various Performers 32. I Love My Love - Various Performers - Various Performers 33. The Sailor and Young Nancy - Various Performers - Various Performers 34. Our Captain Calls All Hands - Various Performers - Various Performers 35. Bonny at Morn - Various Performers - Various Performers 36. Soul Cake - Various Performers - Various Performers 37. Down Among the Dead Men - Various Performers - Various Performers 38. Brigg Fair - Various Performers - Various Performers 39. Early One Morning - Various Performers - Various Performers 40. Derwentwater's Farewell - Various Performers - Various Performers