Geoffrey Bush was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School, Lancing College and Balliol College, Oxford. He composed many works during his early years but allowed none to survive, a decision he later regretted. Bush was a self-taught composer although he received advice from John Ireland and Vaughan Williams. As a result Bush cannot be placed within a school or clique. He composed much instrumental music but his preferred medium was the voice, composing five operas to his own libretti, including Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and The Cat who went to Heaven. However song composition was his greatest strength. He had a deep interest in literature and set poets ranging from Shakespeare to Virginia Woolf and David Gascoyne.

Bush was also a great musical scholar, editing and publishing many entries in the Musica Britannica, including those on Parry and Stanford. His survey and research of old English Song, as well as composing new ones, made Bush a precious treasure within English music.

from notes by Robin Tritschler © 2024