Born Philip Heseltine, Peter Warlock was educated at Eton College and University College London. In music, he was mostly self-taught; he studied the works of composers he admired. Peter Warlock adopted this pseudonym and published his first mature works between 1917 and 1918 in Ireland. His most prolific period came in the early 1920s when while he lived in Wales. During this time he wrote one of his best-known works, The Curlew for Flute, Oboe, and String Quartet (01388). In the mid 1920s, Warlock moved to Kent where he was unruly and had many run-ins with local authorities. However, this time was his creative peak. Unfortunately, by the end of the 1920s he was no longer composing. He suffered severe depression, and died at the age of 36 from gas poisoning. It is uncertain whether his death was suicide or accidental. Though the majority of Warlock's compositions are songs, two of his best-known works, the "Capriol Suite" (08374) and Serenade for Strings (11628), are for chamber orchestra. Warlock also edited and transcribed about 600 folk songs and lute pieces.