In the early twentieth century a prominent British movement sprang up under the title 'Music Appreciation', with the aims of introducing to 'ordinary' listeners 'great' or 'serious' music, and teaching them 'the art of listening'. Radio became a chief means by which this misson was to be accomplished, while books, adult education courses and regional 'Music Travellers', also contributed to a new educational field. In this series, musicologist and cultural historian Richard Witts explains the movement's origins, ambitions and idiosyncrasies, and clarifies why it fell out of favour in the second half of the twentieth century as postmodernism cast doubt on what was 'great' and 'serious'. In this second programme he looks at the work of the educationalist and pioneer schools broadcaster Walford Davies, and one of his team of music educators known dismissively by the Bloomsbury set as 'Walford's Holy Women', Imogen Holst.

Producer: Sara Davies

First broadcast in August 2011. Show less