The night and My own country (both 1926) were two of a group of three settings by Hilaire Belloc, a one-time Liberal MP, prolific essayist on social, political and religious topics, and versatile poet. My own country is an example of that simple strophic design that Warlock so often essayed, given breadth and fluidity by its flowing, ever-changing phraseology and subtle modulation. The night, also strophic, recalls the variegational techniques of Lilligay in its constant harmonic amplification which in turn provides a more sinister overtone to the setting’s prayerful atmosphere.

from notes by Jeremy Dibble © 2001