for boys' or female voices and harp (piano in extremis but with alterations and omissions) There is also a version for SATB and harp arranged by Julius Harrison Texts: Latin and English 1. Procession (using a variant of the Magnificatantiphon for the second Vespersof the Nativity of Our Lord) 2. Wolcum Yole! (anon.) 3. There is no rose (anon.) 4a. That yongë child (anon.) 4b. Balulalow (James, John and Robert Wedderburn) 5. As dew in Aprille (anon.) 6. This little babe (Robert Southwell) 7. Interlude (harp solo) 8. In Freezing Winter Night (Robert Southwell) 9. Spring Carol (William Cornish) 10. Deo gracias (anon.) 11. Recession (as for Procession) Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination. The carols are for three-part childrens voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work. The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience. Duration: 22 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for boys' or female voices and harp (piano in extremis but with alterations and omissions) There is also a version for SATB and harp arranged by Julius Harrison Texts: Latin and English 1. Procession (using a variant of the Magnificat antiphon for the second Vespers of the Nativity of Our Lord) 2. Wolcum Yole! (anon.) 3. There is no rose (anon.) 4a. That yongë child (anon.) 4b. Balulalow (James, John and Robert Wedderburn) 5. As dew in Aprille (anon.) 6. This little babe (Robert Southwell) 7. Interlude (harp solo) 8. In Freezing Winter Night (Robert Southwell) 9. Spring Carol (William Cornish) 10. Deo gracias (anon.) 11. Recession (as for Procession) Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination. The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work. The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience. Duration: 22 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Harp part for the larger work. Choral scores available separately: SSA (48008894) and SATB (48008895).

for SSAATTBB unaccompanied Text: Randall Swingler Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2 Advance Democracy is a piece of unabashed political propaganda commissioned by the London Co-operative Society. At a time of great anxiety in Europe and on the eve of the second World War, this poem by Randall Swingler paints a dark picture of the threat of dictatorship if democracy doesn't 'rise up and cry that what our fathers fought for well not allow to die'. It is a strange piece and its overtly political message makes it quite difficult to programme except as a curiosity. Britten, however, paints a very clever picture with a long legato line moving constantly through the texture from soprano to bass and back much in the manner which he had used in The Three Kings in A Boy was Born. Around this swirling figure the other parts sing sharply punctuated chords which are full of menace. The final section moves into the major (Britten's brightly flag-waving C major) and the ending is forcefully emphatic. The best way to perform this piece is to take the words at face value and sing them as Swingler intended, with passion and involvement taking care to really follow Britten's careful performance instructions as to articulation and dynamics. Duration: 3 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

with Tenor Solo '

Text: attributed to St. Columba (in Latin) Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2 This short work was commissioned for the 1400th anniversary of the voyage Columba made from Ireland to the island of Iona. Rather bizarrely, the first performance was given outdoors at Churchill, Co. Donegal where St. Columba was said to have preached and was apparently inaudible because of the strength of the wind! The anthem is wonderfully effective and is a very good example of Britten s ability to create an original canvas within the traditions of the Anglican Church. The piece is all about the fire in Columbas belly for his missionary task. The words are almost a variation on the Dies Irae: 'King of Kings and Lord most high, his day of judgement comes near, Day of wrath and vengeance, Day of shadows and dark clouds...' etc. Britten brilliantly sets the mood with a disturbing pedal ostinato which keeps returning throughout the piece sometimes in the manuals and often in the pedals. The broad unison melody which begins the anthem returns at the end briefly as a canon between sopranos/tenors and altos/basses before closing, without slowing down, with two almost menacing, but ever-quietening repetitions of the word 'domini'. Don't let the brevity of this work put you off from programming it. In fact, Britten wrote four 'Hymns' (Virgin/St. Peter/St. Columba/St. Cecilia) which work very well together in a concert and around which an imaginative programme can be built. Its brevity also makes it either suitable as an introit for a service Mixed Voices with keyboard commemorating Columba, or perhaps, at All Souls or even Remembrance. It would serve equally as an anthem. In performance it is Britten's direction that it should be sung 'with fire' which should underpin the interpretation. As always, making the most of dynamic variation will give the work some of its colour. The wonderful moment when, after a diminuendo, the first theme returns pianissimo and with a crescendo (...maeroris ac tristitiae, Regis regum rectissimi,) where the words 'King of Kings' are uttered with hushed awe needs special care and thought about tone quality. Duration: 3 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for unaccompanied SATB with solo or semi-chorus SATB quartet Text: anon (circa 1300) Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2 As young as he was, aged only 16, Britten produced in this carol a tiny masterpiece. This is one of the most well-known and best-loved of his choral pieces. Understandably so, too. It has all the ingredients which make for a really satisfying choral experience. The use of a solo quartet or small semi-chorus, best placed at a distance, brings a dramatic element to the essential simplicity of the carol. The Latin responses of the semi-chorus to the medieval English words of the main chorus give these responses a further element of mystery which adds another layer of spiritual drama. The ratcheting up of the intensity in the final verse by increasing the tempo, by the ATB of the main chorus singing continuous rising phrases and by the sopranos singing a short phrase which is answered by the semi-chorus brings the piece to its climax. The final tranquillo page leads the carol to its conclusion in a mesmerizingly beautiful final phrase sung by the semi-chorus. Care needs to be taken with the speed, the semi-chorus placing, and the creation of an atmosphere which demands attention from the listener. Speed: be careful to note Brittens marking of quaver (1/8th note) = 69-72. This is very slow indeed. Try it with a metronome. Many conductors perform this piece at crotchet (1/4 note) = 69! Frankly, I find the original speed too slow to make this piece flow. I see that when I recorded this with the Finzi Singers we made a tempo of crotchet = c50. Purists may be dismayed at this wilful ignoring of a composer's intentions (especially given the strictures outlined in the Preface to this Guide). I think if I were to re-record this now, I would choose a tempo of about quaver = 88. Note that for the quicker final verse Britten suggests a crotchet tempo. This means he did think about the issues of speed very carefully. Placing: Some choirs choose to put the semi-chorus at the other end of the church, or in a gallery for dramatic effect. Directors, however, have to remember that while this might work in the first two verses, in the last verse the two groups sing together and have to balance to some degree. Thought should also be given to the fact that if the semi-chorus is placed at the other end of a church behind the audience, the audience sitting near the back will hear them more strongly than the main choir. It is best to place the semi-chorus behind the choir but still quite close, perhaps by the altar if the main choir is in the choirstalls, or just in front of the altar. Always make sure that the semi-chorus can see the conductor! Duration: 4 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Complete Opera in Hardbound HPS 854

Libretto by Eric Crozier

Vocal Score by Henry Boys

Contents: Arrival at Zermatt · Swiss Clock (Romance) · Nursery Slopes · Alpine Scne · Moto perpetuo: Down the Piste · Farewell to Zermatt.

Libretto adapted from William Shakespeare

Vocal score by Imogen Holst and Martin Perry. Performance materials available on rental from Boosey & Hawkes. Text in German and English

Text: anon. Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole but its individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However he encountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. The real beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changing scenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the children's interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility for the creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the charged mood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The lively Begone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, the rather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year' Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old Abram Brown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration: 23 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Text: anon. Publisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole but its individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However he encountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. The real beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changing scenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the children's interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility for the creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the charged mood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The lively Begone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, the rather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year's Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old Abram Brown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration: 23 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for SATB with three treble/soprano solos (which Britten indicates can be reduced to one soloist or a semi-chorus) and organ Text: George Herbert Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 This work was written for the centenary of St. Michael's College, Tenbury. As so often, Britten uses treble or soprano solos which he indicates should be sung preferably in a gallery apart from the choir. Ever the practical composer, however, he also allows that these solo parts can be reduced to one voice or be sung by a small group of voices. The anthem is an interesting conception and its structure takes its cue both from the early part of Herbert's text which says: 'Praise be the God of Love, Here below And here above...', and the end of the poem which says: 'Praise be the God alone, Who has made of two folds one'. It is this division into two which led him into the idea of two groups of singers. It is more than this, though, as the first group, the main choir, has two roles, the singing of energetic phrases in a quicker tempo, and the quiet response to a slower solo line. Having moved backwards and forwards between these two characters the choir eventually sings an uplifting 'fugato' which builds up a terrific head of steam with the organ part growing into crashing alternate hand chords and the pedals taking wing from the bottom to the top (literally) of the pedal board. A brief silence, and a chorale-like line subsides into a magical quiet ending where the three soloists sing triads to the word 'one' whilst the chorus responds with a lower triad on the word 'two'. The whole thing resolves onto a widely-spaced chord of F major and everyone singing the word 'one'. A slightly sentimental or glib touch? No, take it at face value after all that has gone before and appreciate Herbert's imagery. It is a wonderful resolution of the two elements played out through the piece. As with many other such works, the Antiphon requires an accomplished organist. The choir also needs to be confident both in their notes and rhythm. This is a rarely performed work which should really be much better known and more often performed than at present. It is certainly within the grasp of a reasonably competent choir looking for less well-known music by a great composer. Duration: 6 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Text: William Makepeace Thackeray Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole but its individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However he encountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. The real beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changing scenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the children's interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility for the creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the charged mood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The lively Begone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, the rather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year's Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old Abram Brown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration: 23 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Text: anon. Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3-4 These lovely, classic part-songs were written as a 25th wedding anniversary present for Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst of Dartington Hall. Apparently Britten chose the subject matter because they were keen botanists. Whatever the reason for the choice, it was a supremely happy one and brought from Britten a set of pieces which, while in a direct line of descent from the classic part-songs of Elgar, Stanford and Parry, are entirely original. These songs are designed as a set. The mood-scape shows that Britten was keenly aware of the variety needed to satisfy performers and audience between bookends. The unsentimental originality of To Daffodils with its tempo marking of Allegro impetuoso focusing on the speedy demise of the flower which is of course a metaphor for the passing of life; the clever division into four voices for the four months in The Succession of the Four Sweet Months and that beautifully simple device at the end where each month is named and forms a lovely cadence; the bitter-sweet Marsh Flowers to its poem by George Crabbe and the way Britten makes a slightly menacing atmosphere relieved only by the description of gentler plants; the ever-so-slightly sentimental Evening Primrose, the slow movement of the set; and finally Green Broom, a tour-de-force of humour which is crowned, at its heart, by Britten's slightly hysterical altos singing 'Go fetch me the boy'! The gradual accelerando throughout this piece leading to the final flourish makes this a wonderful and exciting finale to a set of part-songs which should be at the heart of any choirs repertoire. Points for choral directors to look out for include the tempo of To Daffodils. The key is in the direction Allegro impetuoso. Somewhere in the region of crotchet = 116 should be the aim. Within that tempo use the words to colour the interpretation. Look out, as always, for Britten's carefully marked articulation and watch out for the big dynamic contrasts and colours. Tuning is the issue in both No.2 and No.3. In the opening of Marsh Flowers be careful of the size of intervals and in the second bar use the two anchors of F and C# to try to ensure that pitch doesnt slip. The return to a note which has already been sung should always be fractionally higher (masked by the change of vowel) thus ensuring that the pitch is always kept in place. In Green Broom it is issues of ensemble more than anything which provide the major challenge. This, and the stepping of increases in speed which should be measured so that the end does not become dangerously out of hand! Duration: 12 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

HPS 1196

for tenor (or soprano) solo, chorus and orchestra Scoring: 3 (II=picc), 2, ca (=obIII), 2 , cl in Eb, 2, dbl bn (=bnIII); 4, 2, 3, 1; timps, 2 perc (xyl, sd, td, bd, whip, cymb); harp, strings; OFFSTAGE: 3 trumpets in C; sd (optional instruments are ca, dbl bn, offstage tpts and sd). Britten asks for the offstage instruments to be in a gallery or 'isolated position', and later to be out of sight. Text: W H Auden and Randall Swingler Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 (for chorus) This highly dramatic and rarely performed work was written for a Festival of Music for the People and first performed on 5 April 1939 at the Queen's Hall, London, conducted by Constant Lambert. It is another of Britten's passionate outbursts against the waste and horror of war which had already engulfed Europe once earlier in the century and was about to do so for the second time. The declaration of war was made on 3 September that year. His choice of texts is highly significant. He had collaborated with Randall Swingler as recently as the previous year on his short unaccompanied choral work Advance Democracy - another politically motivated piece (see separate entry). Both Swingler and Auden were aiming in their poems to goad the downtrodden Englishman into standing up and fully living the life of freedom for which their forebears fought and lost their lives. Swingler's lines which say: 'You who lean at the corner and say We have done our best, ...To you we speak, you numberless Englishmen, To remind you of the greatness still among you...Your life is yours, for which they died'. sum up the essence of the message of the piece. The work is in three continuous movements. First comes a Funeral March (to Swingler's poem part-quoted above), then a manic Scherzo, a Dance of Death to a rum-te-tum verse by Auden which only increases its sense of the macabre. Finally comes a slow and powerful recitative and chorale and a slow Epilogue in which the funeral march music from the opening returns. Virtually the whole of the first section of the opening movement is in unison for the chorus. The slow tread of the funeral march is given an added solemnity by this unison singing. The first ten bars are recited on a low C, the next eight bars an octave higher, and after this there is a mixture of simple harmony (more to avoid high notes for low voices) and further unison singing for the rest of the movement. The Scherzo is interesting in setting out the first three vocal parts in a kind of fugal progress. The tenors have the first complete statement in the home key (G minor), the altos are next in the dominant but by themselves, the sopranos are next in line and back in the tonic - again by themselves, and finally the basses have the subject but this time as the basis of a canon at the unison between them and the altos (in a truncated version).

Texts: Latin and English Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination.The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work. The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience. Duration: 22 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Text: James, John and Robert Wedderburn Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination. The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work. The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience. Duration: 22 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Hard-Cover

Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Series: Boosey & Hawkes Scores/Books
Medium: BOOK
Pages: 268
Credits: (ed. Banks)
Composer(s): Benjamin Britten

Complete Opera in Hardbound HPS 962

Libretto by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier. Adapted from the story by Herman Melville. Performance materials available on rental by Boosey & Hawkes.

Voice and Keyboard

Contents: Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria · Voluntary on Tallis' Lamentation · Prelude to They Walk Alone · Village organist's piece.

for tenor and baritone solos, small chorus and string quartet, string orchestra, piano, harp and timpani. Text: In Latin by Patrick Wilkinson Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 4 (chorus parts) This work is a different as chalk from cheese from the Cantata academica. Here is a searingly beautiful work which presses all Britten's sympathetic buttons. It was composed for the centenary of the Red Cross and first performed in Geneva on 1 September 1963 conducted by Ernest Ansermet. Britten worked with his librettist, Patrick Wilkinson, to create a dramatic scena around the parable of the Good Samaritan. How appropriate this was for the organisation whose work it was intended to celebrate. Wilkinson set it in Latin, giving the Cantata a timeless sense of the universality of the message the parable conveys. Britten's scoring further emphasises the intimacy of the work which has echoes of Saint Nicolas and the Ceremony of Carols in its use of the harp and piano. The separate string quartet, however, is the truly personal touch giving that powerful sense of looking in on a private conversation. The quartet begins the work with a contrapuntal figure which returns at key moments as a refrain or as a joining passage marking the arrival of a new potential source of help to the wounded man, and again at the end. This is a work which barely raises its voice. The emphasis is on compassion and not on the violence done to the traveller who was so badly injured and so callously ignored by the priest and the Levite who passed by. This Cantata immediately followed the composition of the War Requiem, and Owen's pity and waste of war is at the heart of this new work which could have painted a very different picture of righteous indignation or the fighting which would leave the traveller broken by the wayside. The end of the work also has strong resonance with the War Requiem when the Samaritan has taken the traveller to recover in a local inn and says: 'sleep now, my friend, sleep: forget your injuries.' Britten has achieved a remarkable effect in this work. It leaves an indelible impression on its listeners and, like all stories designed to demonstrate a moral, sends one away intent on being a better person. The choral parts of the Cantata misericordium are quite challenging, though not in the league of Sacred and Profane or A Boy was Born. What is essential in performing this work ,however, is that the choral parts should be so well sung that the gentle nature of the work is not disturbed by obviously problematic passages for choir. The whole concentration should be on the message, as Britten intended. It is the moral of the tale and not its means of communication which is paramount. Duration: 20 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for tenor and baritone solos, small chorus and string quartet, string orchestra, piano, harp and timpani. Text: In Latin by Patrick Wilkinson Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 4 (chorus parts) This work is a different as chalk from cheese from the Cantata academica. Here is a searingly beautiful work which presses all Britten's sympathetic buttons. It was composed for the centenary of the Red Cross and first performed in Geneva on 1 September 1963 conducted by Ernest Ansermet. Britten worked with his librettist, Patrick Wilkinson, to create a dramatic scena around the parable of the Good Samaritan. How appropriate this was for the organisation whose work it was intended to celebrate. Wilkinson set it in Latin, giving the Cantata a timeless sense of the universality of the message the parable conveys. Britten's scoring further emphasises the intimacy of the work which has echoes of Saint Nicolas and the Ceremony of Carols in its use of the harp and piano. The separate string quartet, however, is the truly personal touch giving that powerful sense of looking in on a private conversation. The quartet begins the work with a contrapuntal figure which returns at key moments as a refrain or as a joining passage marking the arrival of a new potential source of help to the wounded man, and again at the end. This is a work which barely raises its voice. The emphasis is on compassion and not on the violence done to the traveller who was so badly injured and so callously ignored by the priest and the Levite who passed by. This Cantata immediately followed the composition of the War Requiem, and Owen's pity and waste of war is at the heart of this new work which could have painted a very different picture of righteous indignation or the fighting which would leave the traveller broken by the wayside. The end of the work also has strong resonance with the War Requiem when the Samaritan has taken the traveller to recover in a local inn and says: 'sleep now, my friend, sleep: forget your injuries.' Britten has achieved a remarkable effect in this work. It leaves an indelible impression on its listeners and, like all stories designed to demonstrate a moral, sends one away intent on being a better person. The choral parts of the Cantata misericordium are quite challenging, though not in the league of Sacred and Profane or A Boy was Born. What is essential in performing this work, however, is that the choral parts should be so well sung that the gentle nature of the whole work is not disturbed by obviously problematic passages for choir. The whole concentration should be on the message, as Britten intended. It is the moral of the tale and not its means of communication which is paramount. Duration: 20 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for Tenor, Piano and Horn. Includes Horn Part.

for Alto and Tenor Voice with Piano

Voice and Piano

Voice and Keyboard

version for SATB (1954) 9' version for tenor solo, harp and chorus (1967, for the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London) 11' Text: William Plomer Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2-3 These colourful pieces form a masque in the opera which was performed for Queen Elizabeth I (Gloriana) on her visit to Norwich and performed by local people for her entertainment and in loyal homage. Each short scena represents a different group: Time, Concord, country girls, (S/A) young rustics and fishermen (T/B) and a finale in which all pay homage to their Queen. In the version for tenor solo with harp and chorus these movements are prefaced and linked by the soloist with harp who sets the scene for each movement and, in the final homage, joins the choir by adding a fifth vocal line (the harp also joins this movement) which transforms the piece. These pieces make an ideal concert item and are not very difficult. They do however need reasonably agile sopranos/altos for the Country Girls movement, and a good balanced team of two tenors and two basses for the Rustics and Fishermen. As with many of Britten's choral works there is a lovely balance of moods between the movements which helps to make a satisfying whole. The Final Dance of Homage is particularly moving with its imitative lines moving between voice-parts and building to an impassioned climax before subsiding to a quiet ending. Duration: SATB=9; Tenor/SATB=11 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

version for SATB (1954) 9' version for tenor solo, harp and chorus (1967, for the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London) 11' Text: William Plomer Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2-3 These colourful pieces form a masque in the opera which was performed for Queen Elizabeth I (Gloriana) on her visit to Norwich and performed by local people for her entertainment and in loyal homage. Each short scena represents a different group: Time, Concord, country girls, (S/A) young rustics and fishermen (T/B) and a finale in which all pay homage to their Queen. In the version for tenor solo with harp and chorus these movements are prefaced and linked by the soloist with harp who sets the scene for each movement and, in the final homage, joins the choir by adding a fifth vocal line (the harp also joins this movement) which transforms the piece. These pieces make an ideal concert item and are not very difficult. They do however need reasonably agile sopranos/altos for the Country Girls movement, and a good balanced team of two tenors and two basses for the Rustics and Fishermen. As with many of Britten's choral works there is a lovely balance of moods between the movements which helps to make a satisfying whole. The Final Dance of Homage is particularly moving with its imitative lines moving between voice-parts and building to an impassioned climax before subsiding to a quiet ending. Duration: SATB=9; Tenor/SATB=11 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

This landmark publication includes 61 songs, combining the contents of the seven published books of Britten folksong arrangements in High and Low Voice editions. Some of the songs have never before been transposed. The songs of Volume 6, for voice and guitar, have been transcribed for voice and piano for this edition. Editor Richard Walters has done a splendid job of bringing this collection to publication, not only assembling the material but also writing an excellent, informative, and thought provoking Preface that gives insight into Britten's work...Having all these songs together in one volume is a real boon to voice teachers and students alike, not to mention accompanists...All music libraries and voice studios will want to own this collection.--Journal of Singing

Two copies needed to perform

No. 2 of the Choral Dances

Text: William Plomer Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2-3 These colourful pieces form a masque in the opera which was performed for Queen Elizabeth I (Gloriana) on her visit to Norwich and performed by local people for her entertainment and in loyal homage. Each short scena represents a different group: Time, Concord, country girls, (S/A) young rustics and fishermen (T/B) and a finale in which all pay homage to their Queen. In the version for tenor solo with harp and chorus these movements are prefaced and linked by the soloist with harp who sets the scene for each movement and, in the final homage, joins the choir by adding a fifth vocal line (the harp also joins this movement) which transforms the piece. These pieces make an ideal concert item and are not very difficult. They do however need reasonably agile sopranos/altos for the Country Girls movement, and a good balanced team of two tenors and two basses for the Rustics and Fishermen. As with many of Britten's choral works there is a lovely balance of moods between the movements which helps to make a satisfying whole. The Final Dance of Homage is particularly moving with its imitative lines moving between voice-parts and building to an impassioned climax before subsiding to a quiet ending. Duration [Choral Dances, complete]: SATB=9; Tenor/SATB=11 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Set of parts available: 48006931

Text: Jane Taylor (in 2 parts, 2nd ad lib.) Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole but its individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However he encountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. The real beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changing scenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the childrens interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility for the creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the charged mood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The lively Begone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, the rather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year's Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old Abram Brown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration [Friday Afternoons, complete]: 23 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Text: anon. Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 3 The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination. The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work. The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience. Duration: 22 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

for SATB unaccompanied Text: Psalm 70 Taken from This Way to the Tomb (incidental music to the 'Masque and Anti-Masque') Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 2 This setting of Psalm 70 (Haste thee O God to deliver me) is a fine, passionate and almost completely overlooked anthem which ought to be in the repertoire of most cathedrals and ambitious church choirs. The psalm is a dramatic one and Britten reflects the words in a wide-ranging setting which includes extended sections for tenors/basses and sopranos/altos. He also sets the Gloria. This is not a difficult work but it is not entirely straightforward either. There is no translation in the printed score and conductors need to take a Psalter and annotate the score with a translation so that the words can be fully appreciated and a colourful performance created to reflect them. It is well worth the effort. Duration: 4 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

This very unique composition was written for a friend of Britten's who lost his right arm in World War I. This reduction is for two pianos, three hands. Two copies needed to perform.

Based on Britten's composition sketch. Violin, Viola, and Orchestra.