A Comparison of Origins and Influences in the Music of Vaughn
Williams and Britten through Analysis of Their Festival Te Deums
by Jensen, Joni.  Abstract (Summary) Ralph Vaughan Williams and
Benjamin Britten were two of the most prominent and popular
composers in England in the first half of the twentieth century;
however, their musical styles represent two different schools of
thought, pastoralism and modernism. Despite their differences,
they had much in common. They attended the same school; were
heirs of a movement to promote English music, the English
Musical Renaissance; and greatly admired their predecessor Henry
Purcell. This document investigates how these two composers
formulated diverse compositional styles even though they shared
a common musical heritage. The investigation in this document is
two-part. First, the investigation depicts the origin and
formulation of both composers’ styles through a discussion and
comparison of their musical backgrounds, teachers, influences,
and ideals. This discu