In The summer is coming (1964), the monophonic wistful melismas of the opening that develop into a two-part counterpoint between the soprano and alto parts demonstrate the techniques Howells adopted early in his career while associated with Westminster Cathedral and which he continued to develop throughout his lifetime. A challenge in Howells’s later a cappella choral works is the absence of harmonic anchor points. This presents many technical challenges for the performers, but the result is a persistent restlessness that propels the music forward and is particularly effective here when Howells evokes pastoral images of birds and nature. Howells has historically been categorized as a member of the ‘pastoral school’, but The summer is coming demonstrates a much more nuanced representation of the natural world and is a fitting tribute to the memory of Arnold Bax, who died in 1953. A pronounced sense of anticipation arises through the ebb and flow of the music, mirroring the sounds of the natural environment. Paradoxically, this remarkably complex harmonic and textural framework seems to unfold effortlessly from the choir, as if being carried on the very wind that transmits the birdsong of the poem.

from notes by Tom Edney © 2025