NTS Guide to: The English Pastoral School - 21st November 2025

Two hours of music from The English Pastoral School, an informal musical movement from the early to mid-20th Century, that included composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams and Frederick Delius. Seeking to emerge from the shadows of the dominant German, French and Italian styles of concert and classical music, the Pastoral School sought to create works that were distinctly "English", evoking the green idylls of England's countryside, and borrowing aesthetic choices from early Tudor music and traditional folk songs.

In many ways the Pastoral School's compositions are companion pieces to the earlier painters of English pastoral scenes such as Constable, Turner, and Gainsborough.
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/the-nts-guide-to/episodes/the-nts-guide-to-nts-guide-to-the-english-pastoral-school-21st-november-2025