Sir Arnold Bax, a fascinating early twentieth-century British composer, has been eclipsed by two of his more famous countrymen, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and William Walton (1902-1983). While he did not overtly adopt a "British" sound, Impressionistic and Celtic strains mark his Neo-Romantic style. Picturesque, emotional, and moody, the music employs a traditional yet sophisticated use of tone painting. One can hear the influences of Jean Sibelius and even Richard Wagner.

As an accomplished pianist, albeit a shy one, Bax knew the instrument intimately. He wrote a number of works for solo piano, including seven sonatas. What the Minstrel Told Us was dedicated to Harriet Cohen, an influential pianist and Bax's lover. Cohen gave the first performance in London in 1920. The deep emotional effect on Bax of the 1916 Sinn Fenn Easter Rebellion in Dublin may have prompted this composition. A beginning consisting of extended, Impressionistic chords leads into a Celtic or ballad-like melody that becomes the basis of the piece. The first two thirds offer melancholy musing, wistful but never sentimental. An Allegro fuoco section transforms the melody into an ominous marching tune. Turbulent chromatic motion builds to a dramatic peak, only to dissolves back to the opening material. Bax stretches and pulls the harmonies without losing a sense of tonal center.

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