Howells is widely regarded as among the most gifted English composers of the generation to succeed Elgar, Delius and Holst, set apart by his strong sense of place and unique sound world. His legacy is a corpus of work whose individuality and calibre mark him out as probably the single greatest contributor to the renaissance of English choral music. One of the finest English choral motets of the 20th century, Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing was commissioned in 1963 for the memorial service of John F. Kennedy, while the Requiem of 30 years before is a masterpiece of quiet intensity.