The English musical renaissance of the early twentieth century brought forward an individual figure in Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953). His works, not least those for choir, have enjoyed such recent popularity that it is surprising how difficult it remains to assess his exact position among his contemporaries.
In this country, [Pierre Villette (1926 – 1998)] has chiefly become known for his a capella motets on familiar Latin texts, written between 1944 and 1983. The style of these is not unlike Bax’s, in their alternation of modal austerity and chromatic sophistication; however, Villette draws upon a French tradition of altogether more static and sensuous textures than Bax’s involved dynamism.
In any case, the two styles tend to be represented in separate works rather than within each.