Lennox Berkeley: Three Songs Op. 67 No.1

These songs were written in 1965 to a commission from the University of California in Santa Barbara, a rare accolade for a British composer. Berkeley has always been particularly sensitive in his choice of texts and in this set he selects two poems by one of his favourite poets, Herrick, the well-know Fair Daffodils and the equally charming but less familiar Kissing Usurie. The middle song sets Robert Bridges’ Spring Goeth All In White. Although the composer has always felt attracted by vocal and choral writing, these Three Songs are in fact one of the very few of his works for this particular combination of voices