Ireland, John (1879-1962), was an English composer best known for his chamber music and works for the piano. He also wrote many outstanding songs. Ireland composed few large-scale orchestral or choral pieces, but he did write several tone poems and piano concertos that rank among his best-known works. Ireland’s most significant compositions include the song cycle The Land of Lost Content (1920-1921), the piano pieces For Remembrance and Amberley Wild Brooks (both 1921), a piano concerto (1930), Concertino Pastorale for strings (1939), and The Holy Boy string quartet (1941).
John Nicholson Ireland was born on Aug. 13, 1879, in Bowdon, Greater Manchester. He studied at the Royal College of Music from 1893 to 1901. He was choirmaster and organist at St. Luke’s Church in Chelsea from 1904 to 1926 and taught at the Royal College of Music from about 1920 to 1939. Ireland died on June 12, 1962.
