One of twentieth-century Britain’s eminent composers, Gerald Finzi produced a diverse catalogue of works during a period of socio-political and musical unrest. Best known for his texted compositions, Finzi embraced a euphonious style distinct from continental trends, which favored dissonance and Schoenberg’s serial framework. His fundamental adherence to tonality and settings of texts by Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare, and John Milton led his music to be construed as essentially English and often pastoral. Though these tropes are invoked with varying levels of accuracy today, the tunefulness and harmonic clarity that undergirds them spanned Finzi’s entire career.
Born in London and the recipient of a private education, a young Finzi and his mother relocated to Harrogate, Yorkshire upon
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Citation: Churchill, Jonathan. "Gerald Finzi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 October 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14492, accessed 19 April 2024.]
