Of the several unfortunate images surrounding the composer Hubert Parry (1848-1918), some of the most damaging are those connected with his approach to composition itself. In particular, it has been suggested that Parry possessed a great facility, and that consequently he was not critical about the pieces which he composed. After discussing some of Parry's reception problems in general, Michael Allis explores in detail the various compositional stages of the composer's work from initial sketches and drafts through to editing made in the light of rehearsal and performance, supplemented by pertinent details from Parry's correspondence and diary entries. Using sketch material and discussion of paper types, including some previously unpublished sketches, to help resolve problems of chronology and to identify projected early works which haven't been discussed in detail before, Allis provides a different portrait of Parry to the one promulgated by critics from the 19th-century to the present day. Parry emerges as a composer who often struggled long and hard over the creation of a new piece, approaching all stages of the creative process of composition with a high degree of criticism and professionalism.
