This is a question which has long bewildered and somewhat provoked me to feel unfair. The main countries all over Europe have had, if not baskets of, at least packages of great musicians, recorded in text books, played in halls. The few Britain has are 'dubious', some of whom (like Handel) imported from Germany, Purcell (British opera composer) having had a quite 'unhonourable' death at a young age,being drunk and shut out of his house and was 'sniffled' off the earth's surface; Britten being a gay (as some may retort). As a comfort to this exaggeration, there have now appeared a lot of composers, especially conductors and music theorists, in Britain. But on all accounts Composing is different from performing, preserving, or merely giving your opinion.But there's this strange history, still, to ponder about, despite the fact that I've made no study.
       Countries on the European continent had relatively more convenient ways to travel and communicate. Take Bach for example, the form of his keyboard dancing music learnt from Italy, (a lot of them from) France, his own Germany, Spain and of course England and Scotland and Ireland(why haven't I seen Wales), even (as far as) Poland (and ...). All these was made a fusion in Germany and developed. In the 'Netherlands times' before Baroque when polyphony met its prosperity, and times before that, the so-called 'music centre' of Europe shifted between Germany and France and some other countries, pushing forward each of them. Britain, being segregated by a strait, was enjoying, take things of its own, ballads, rhymes accompanied by lutes (upon this point I am not sure). This distance may also have prevented great progress in instruments, as instrument and their technique, I believe, have great impact on music forms. And perhaps there was the matter of domestic security which diverted her attention from this silently developing art, which deprived Britain of the certain social base.
      After Henry Eighth and Elizabeth First, England became a Protestant nation. I suppose there existed less need of religious music and that magnificence in Protestantism, which were required on the continent in other branches of Christianity.(Of Germany, shall we say Luther is different from England's Anglican church? Always feels more 'sombre'-if that is the word-to me, Anglican. ) Normally saying, religious music is a great element in music developing.
       The following point may be less convincing. Every nation has its temperament. While continental ones were/are hot-blooded or romantic, Britain, especially England, had a more mild one, or neutral, which can be seen in its politics. And as the culture inclined to the fondness of legends, stories,the required music was somewhat of the same kind.
       I'll just pause here. For if I've been talking nonsense, I mustn't mislead anyone any more.


      PS: What a wonderful thing a violin-cat is!
   

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