ELIZABETH POSTON

Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987) – British composer, writer, and musicologist; Elizabeth Poston was a multi-talented musician with a distinguished career in radio broadcasting (and even a role as a ‘secret agent’)…

Well known as a composer of hymn tunes, carols, and pieces for radio and television, Elizabeth Poston’s involvement in music was multifaceted. Pursuing her musical talent at the Royal Academy of Music, she graduated in 1925 with a prize for her violin sonata, which was subsequently broadcast by the BBC, and seven published songs already to her name.

Among the most significant of Elizabeth’s musical achievements are her compositions for radio and television, of which there are over 40 for radio alone; her work saw her collaborate with prominent writers such as C.S. Lewis and Dylan Thomas. In 1914, she moved with her mother, Clementine Poston, to nearby Rooks Nest House, where E.M. Forster had lived as a child. Poston and Forster subsequently became good friends.

In addition to her success as a composer, Poston had a highly accomplished career as an academic; having written for the Arts Council of Great Britain, in 1947 she also created a five-part lecture series for the BBC on composer Peter Warlock, and subsequently presided over the Society of Women Musicians from 1955 to 1961.

What remains particularly interesting about Poston’s life is her secretive work as a war agent; during World War II she worked for the BBC using gramophone records to send coded messages to allies in Europe. Interestingly, Poston never revealed the exact nature of this work and it remains secret to this day.

Poston’s works are often characterised as neo-classical in style. Her most widely reordered carol remains “Jesus Christ The Apple Tree”.