Yesterday Lost: Poems, Songs and War Letters - Ivor Gurney 1890-1937

A collection of songs and words to honour the memory of Ivor Gurney and his generation, reflecting three phases in his life with Jonathan Carne, Naomi Johnston and David McKee. First, the early influences: pre-war Gloucester where he grew up; the countryside which was a source of visionary inspiration; his scholarship to the Royal College of Music where he became an awkward yet brilliant student and showed early signs of genius. Next, the First World War and the torment of trench warfare and army discipline: a time when Gurney’s musical utterance became crystalline and the voice of a unique war poet emerged. Finally, the aftermath of war. Invalided out of the army, with his best verse and many fine songs yet to write, Gurney drifted from casual work back to the College and eventually into a long and harrowing mental decline.