The June issue focuses on the glorious musical tradition that is British music.

The June issue of Limelight hits the newsstands today and is, as usual, available from our online store with free postage!

The Land Without Music. The German critic Oskar Schmitz voiced a commonly-held view of Britain when he published a treatise with this title in 1904. After all, the British Isles had not produced a major composer since Purcell, who died in 1695, and the only music of any worth to be heard there was written, and usually performed, by foreign musicians. Schmitz had an agenda: he was out to demonstrate the superiority of German music.

As if to prove him wrong, a revival of British music soon bore fruit, propelling the country into international eminence in the 20th century. But the history of music in the British Isles is much richer than Schmitz was prepared to admit: many of the earliest developments in European music began there. Our June issue searches for the truth behind the myths as it takes you on a musical history tour of the United Kingdom.

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