English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams not only was the esteemed author of symphonies, choral masterpieces, chamber works, and songs, but he also was the major force behind the compilation of the 1906 English Hymnal, a task that put the composer in touch with "some of the best--and some of the worst" music in the world. His esthetic and artistic values, and his well-grounded sense of what makes a good, singable tune, led him to select the best and reject the worst--and through the process he contributed several of his own tunes and harmonizations to the collection. This outstanding recording includes five of Vaughan Williams's own tunes, 16 more that he selected and arranged for the hymnal, and his beloved Three Preludes Founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes. This is a wonderful, "must-have" collection, beautifully, articulately, and reverently sung, with first-rate organ solos and accompaniments and excellent liner notes. --David Vernier