Herbert Howells was born in the small Gloucester town of Lydney in 1892. He showed musical promise from an early age and became an articled pupil of Herbert Brewer at Gloucester Cathedral, subsequently winning a scholarship to study composition with Stanford (who claimed him as his ‘son in music’) at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught for nearly sixty years. In the early part of his career he made a reputation as a composer of orchestral and chamber works (including two piano concertos, the celebrated Piano Quartet and Rhapsodic Quintet), piano music and songs. He was appointed Director of Music at St Paul's Girls' School in succession to Gustav Holst, as well as Professor of Music for the University of London.
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