Ralph Vaughan Williams’ settings of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 71 and Ben Johnson’s Echo’s Lament for Narcissus are here published for the first time, and present a fascinating insight into the early development of one of Britain’s greatest 20th Century composers. Written when Vaughan Williams was a student at the Royal College of Music, studying under Charles Standford, the two songs are an excellent and contrasted pair - the first addressing genuine mourning; the second a delightful madrigalian parody - and both make important and exciting additions to the choral repertory. The Faber Music Ltd Music Choral Programme Series provides a wealth of invaluable concert repertoire including works by Brahms, Holst, Bridge, Standford, Warlock, Faure, Saint-Saens, Schubert and Schumann, as well as Christmas repertoire, gospel choruses, arrangements of folksongs and hits from the shows.