John Foulds was born in Manchester in 1880. The son of a bassoonist in the Halle Orchestra, he composed copiously from childhood. Initially an orchestral 'cellist, he soon left the Halle to concentrate on composition. His first successes were in light orchestral music, but he later turned to more serious idioms, finding great acclaim with his A World Requiem (1919-21), composed in memory of the war dead of all nations. In 1935 he travelled to India, where he developed an interest in its music and was also appointed Director of European Music at All-India Radio, Delhi. He died suddenly from...