The complete songs of Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877–1950) represents a major contribution to the discography of English song recordings. Balfour Gardiner is well-known to lovers of English church music as the composer of Evening Hymn (Te lucis ante terminum). Very little of his other music is known, and even less recorded.

In what is the first recording of the complete Balfour Gardiner songs, baritone Martin Oxenham is joined by pianist Jonathan Beatty, who also contributes three solo piano items (Prelude De Profundis, Shepherd Fennel’s Dance and A Sailors’ Piece). The scores of the unpublished works were made available for the recording by kind permission of Balfour Gardiner’s great-nephew, Sir John Eliot Gardiner. These beautifully crafted miniatures will be a revelation to enthusiasts of English song.


All first recordings, with the exception of Winter.

As a versatile and busy oratorio soloist, Martin Oxenham has performed at most of the major concert venues in the UK, as well as at festivals in Britain and abroad, appearing with the City of London Sinfonia, RPO, London Mozart Players, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Hanover Band. TV appearances include the highly acclaimed Jonathan Miller staging of Bach's St Matthew Passion and in the People's Passion with Jessye Norman, shown on BBC1. He has previously recorded two CDs of English song for the Meridian label, which have received critical acclaim.