Arnold Bax

Arnold Bax is often overlooked among 20th century British composers. Born into a wealthy English family in November 1893, Bax, and his successful brother Clifford, a playwright, soon established themselves in vibrant career paths. Despite his English residency, Bax always remained true toward his Iris-Celtic roots. It is within the heart of all his music that he illustrates his homeland through a unique compositional style. His influences chiefly included Wagner and Liszt, but after reading poetry by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, Bax soon felt an inner Celtic force within him. So by blending all of this together, Bax arguably has one of the most distinct sonic values then many other composers. After becoming a musical prodigy at an early age, Bax also showed a tremendous talent for the pianoforte – showcased within his four piano sonatas, and also small subjective studies such as Hill-tune, In an Vodka Shop amongst others. The impressionism of Wagner’s era also reveals itself within much of his music, particularly in his seven complete symphonies and to...more edit info

Similar Bands: Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frank Bridge

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