Parry wrote twelve sets of English Lyrics between 1885 and his death in 1918. Sets eleven and twelve were collected and published posthumously by Emily Daymond, Parry's amanuensis, and a committee of editors. The English Lyrics as a whole form a compendium of Parry's mature style as a composer for solo voice. Words and concepts inspired Parry enormously, and the poems that he chose to write music to often had great inner significance to him. Of all his various endeavors, it is Parry's art songs that are at once his most numerous and yet his most unknown compositions. Much is known of his works for chorus and orchestra, but little has ever been written about his over two hundred songs for solo voice. Each set in these twelve collections includes at least four songs; some contain as many as eight. The style of these works vary from simple, yet exquisite melodic works, suitable for amateurs singing in the privacy of their own drawing rooms, to songs that require the technique and musicianship only a professional could provide. They are very much an uncharted, untapped wellspring of creative imagination.

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