In many ways the history of British light music knits together the social and economic history of the country with that of its general musical heritage. Numerous 'serious' composers from Elgar to Britten composed light music, and the genre adapted itself to incorporate the changing fashions heralded by the rise and fall of music hall, the drawing room ballad, ragtime, jazz and the revue. From the 1950s the recording and broadcasting industries provided a new home for light music as an accompaniment to radio programmes and films. Geoffrey Self deftly handles a wealth of information to illustrate the immense role that light music has played in British culture over the last 130 years. His insightful assessments of the best and the most shameful examples of the genre help to pinpoint its enduring qualities; qualities which enable it to maintain a presence in the face of today's domination by commercial popular music.

In many ways the history of British light music knits together the social and economic history of the country with that of its general musical heritage. Numerous 'serious' composers from Elgar to Britten composed light music, and the genre adapted itself to incorporate the changing fashions heralded by the rise and fall of music hall, the drawing room ballad, ragtime, jazz and the revue. From the 1950s the recording and broadcasting industries provided a new home for light music as an accompaniment to radio programmes and films. Geoffrey Self deftly handles a wealth of information to illustrate the immense role that light music has played in British culture over the last 130 years. His insightful assessments of the best and the most shameful examples of the genre help to pinpoint its enduring qualities; qualities which enable it to maintain a presence in the face of today's domination by commercial popular music.

Chronological examination of Moeran's output, from his early piano and chamber music and tone-poems to the late masterpieces of the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonata. E.J. Moeran [1894-1950] is one of the outstanding British composers of his generation, his music championed by Sir Adrian Boult, Vernon Handley, Norman Del Mar and others. His work covers a considerable variety of forms, from thewidely acclaimed Symphony in G minor to exquisite songs and piano miniatures. But hi life and career were far from easy. A grievous shrapnel wound in World War I left him with a tendency towards alcoholism, exacerbated by a riotous four-year sojourn with Peter Warlock, which inhibited his ability to compose. Freed from the weight of Warlock's personality, Moeran went on to complete his Symphony, two concertos, and much else of enduring value and importance. In this first-ever full-length study of his music, Geoffrey Self examines Moeran's output chronologically, from his early piano and chamber music and tone-poems to the late masterpieces of the Cello Concerto and Cello Sonata. GEOFFREY SELF was Head of Music at Cornwall Technical College until 1981. He received a B.Mus. from the University of London and an M.Phil. from Exeter.