Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil

Edmund Rubbra was a 20th century English composer, pianist and teacher, for many years a fellow at Oxford. He is perhaps best remembered for his 11 symphonies, whose tonal frameworks, while very much his own, seem to have evolved from the organic structures of late Sibelius. Another interesting antecedent is Gustav Holst, with whom Rubbra shared not only a similar harmonic language but an abiding interest in ancient music and spirituality, both western and eastern.
The latter tendencies are felt strongly in Rubbra's harp chamber works and songs for voice and harp, which employ T'ang Dynasty Chinese poems, traditional Japanese melodies, Indian raga scales and fifth century Christian texts in their makeup. This music, the work of an individualist not associated with any particular school of thought or group of composers, reflects a timeless sort of tranquillity while possessing considerable substance.