Arthur Bliss belongs to the generation of English composers who came to maturity in the years between the two World Wars. Written in 1915, his Piano Quartet was dedicated to his friend Lily Henkel. It opens in a pastoral mood which develops in a style typical of English music of the period. The Viola Sonata was inspired by the great viola player, Lionel Tertis who took part in the première of the Piano Quartet. The sonata makes full use of the instrument’s range, offering a particular challenge in the highest register. Inspired by another instrumentalist Leon Goossens, the Oboe Quintet was commissioned for the Venice Festival in 1927. Goossens, with the Venetian Quartet, gave the first performance in Venice and later in Vienna, where it won the praise of Alban Berg.