Charlotte de Rothschild - The Songs of Miriam Hyde (2019)

Miriam Beatrice Hyde was born in Adelaide on 15 January, 1913 into a prodigious musical and artistic family that helped shape her own musical tastes. A child prodigy, Hyde's musical education began at an early age with her mother as her first teacher. After gaining the Bachelor of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, she won the Elder Overseas Scholarship in 1931 for study at the Royal College of Music, London from 1932-35. Undoubtedly, Miriam Hyde is best known for her piano works for students ranging from beginner to advanced, such as Valley of Rocks, but what of her songs? Often overlooked these charming, often inspirational and personal works evoke Hyde's love of nature, of the landscape, of emotions, of life itself. A lover of the English language and its poetry and a writer of hundreds of poems herself, Hyde's choice of poets is an eclectic one, ranging from the well-known to the obscure, the composer preferring to set words that have meaning and passion for her rather than what will appeal to the commercial market. The songs on this release represent 50 years of Hyde's writing, the first Dream Land written in 1933 and Yorkshire Picture in 1982. Thirteen poets are represented in this collection, including the composer herself.