The Choral-Orchestral Works of Ralph Vaughan Williams: Autographs, Context, Discourse combines contextual knowledge, a musical commentary, an inventory of the holograph manuscripts, and a critical assessment of the opus to create substantial and meticulous examinations of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s choral-orchestral works. The contents include an equitable choice of pieces from the various stages in the life of the composer and an analysis of pieces from the various stages of Williams’s life...

The rehabilitation of British music began with Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford. Ralph Vaughan Williams assisted in its emancipation from continental models, while Gerald Finzi, Edmund Rubbra and George Dyson flourished in its independence. Stephen Town's survey of Choral Music of the English Musical Renaissance is rooted in close examination of selected works from these composers. Town collates the substantial secondary literature on these composers, and brings to bear his own s...

In 1914 Billericay was a peaceful compact village of about 2000 inhabitants. There was the High Street, Back Street, which today is called Chapel Street, and Back Lane which is now Western Road. Within half a mile of the High Street there were groups of cottages; Sun Street had some, which are still there today. There were others in Laindon Road at the beginning before you come to the Roman Catholic Church, and Stock Road, along with Norsey Road and Western Road. All of this policed by a c...

Grays (Thurrock) in the Great War tells the story of Grays and the wider Thurrock area from the outbreak of the Great War until the peace of 1918. The Docks at nearby Tilbury were the source of much employment in the area for both fathers and sons alike. They also played their part in the war, but not as a hub of military deployments.In May 1915 the German spy Augusto Alfredo Roggen, a Uruguayan born in Montevideo, arrived at Tilbury on board the SS Batavia, which had sailed from Rotterdam...

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912. It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature. The fictional setting for these stories is Mariposa, a small town on the shore of Lake Wissanotti. Although drawn from his experiences in Orillia, Ontario, Leacock notes:Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is abou...

In this riveting account of an area of Appalachia known as the Quiet Zone where cell phones and WiFi are banned, journalist Stephen Kurczy explores the pervasive role of technology in our lives and the innate human need for quiet."Captures the complex beauty of a disconnected way of life." — The NationWith a new afterword to the paperback editionDeep in the Appalachian Mountains lies the last truly...

With the outbreak of the First World War, it was not surprising that a number of individuals who were of German decent, and who lived in Hartlepool and its surrounding areas, were rounded up and detained by the British military authorities, in the interests of both national security and for their own personal safety. They were held at the towns Stranton Ice Rink. Their numbers included the ex-German Consul for the Hartlepool's district as well as others who had been local residents of many...

Situated on the south coast of England, geographically and strategically, Dover more than played its part in the First World War. It was from its harbor that the many vessels of the Dover Patrol set about preventing German ships from using the English Channel. It was undoubtedly one of the most important Royal Naval units that Britain had during the First World War.Because of its important defensive roll, Dover was identified as a legitimate and relevant target by the German authorities. A...

Grimsby in the Great War is a detailed account of how the experience of war impacted on the seaside town of Grimsby from the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, to the long-awaited peace of 1918.Grimsby and Cleethorpes were among the most vulnerable and exposed British towns in August 1914 when the Great War broke out. Situated on the North Sea, and facing the German Baltic fleet, their vessels were to face the mines and the U-boat torpedoes as the war progressed. But this is merely one of ...

Prior to the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, the Castle Point District was madeup of four very quaint, peaceful little parishes: Canvey Island, South Benfleet,Hadleigh and Thundersley. The initial enthusiasm shown by the young men of thisarea, who were enthusiastic to be part of an adventure that was to be over byChristmas, was mirrored by thousands of other courageous young men aroundBritain. Most understood that it was their sworn duty to stand up for their king andcountry. They didnt...

Harrogate and Ripon, just a few miles apart in one of the most beautiful localities in Yorkshire, have rarely had their contributions to the Great War told all together, in one volume. Stephen Wade has written an account of their importance, from the Ripon camps, where thousands of infantrymen for Kitcheners new Pals Battalions were trained, to the many Harrogate hospitals where casualties were cared for. Added to this are stories of local individuals, at home and in the European theatre o...

Stories of the residents of Jersey, Guernsey, and other Channel Islands and their service and sacrifice during the First World War.Before the outbreak of the First World War, the Channel Islands were scenic, sunny holiday destinations, where it was possible to briefly escape the hustle and bustle of life. But as soon as the fighting began, worries arose about the threat of a German invasion to the islands, which are much closer to the coast of France than the south...