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''Nocturne'' was Britten's fourth and final orchestral song cycle, after ''[[Our Hunting Fathers]]'' (Op.&nbsp;8, 1936), ''[[Les Illuminations (Britten)|Les Illuminations]]'' (Op.&nbsp;18, 1939) and ''[[Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings]]'' (Op.&nbsp;31, 1943). It was dedicated to [[Alma Mahler]].<ref>[http://www.alma-mahler.at/engl/almas_life/almaunddiemusik2.html "Alma in the music of other composers – Benjamin Britten: ''Nocturne'', Op.&nbsp;60 (Dedicated to Alma)], short analysis</ref>
''Nocturne'' was Britten's fourth and final orchestral song cycle, after ''[[Our Hunting Fathers]]'' (Op.&nbsp;8, 1936), ''[[Les Illuminations (Britten)|Les Illuminations]]'' (Op.&nbsp;18, 1939) and ''[[Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings]]'' (Op.&nbsp;31, 1943). It was dedicated to [[Alma Mahler]].<ref>[http://www.alma-mahler.at/engl/almas_life/almaunddiemusik2.html "Alma in the music of other composers – Benjamin Britten: ''Nocturne'', Op.&nbsp;60 (Dedicated to Alma)], short analysis</ref>


''Nocturne'' was premiered in the [[Leeds Town Hall]] at the centenary [[Leeds Festival (classical music)|Leeds Festival]] on 16&nbsp;October [[1958 in music#Classical music|1958]] by [[Peter Pears]] and the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Rudolf Schwarz (conductor)|Rudolf Schwarz]].<ref>[http://www.piersgaveston.com/BrittenWorks.aspx "Britten's Complete Works"] by Scott Eric Smith {{dead link|date=January 2021}}</ref> Britten conducted a recording at [[Walthamstow Assembly Hall]] in 1960 with Pears, the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and [[William Waterhouse (bassoonist)|William Waterhouse]] (bassoon), Alexander Murray (flute), [[Gervase de Peyer]] (clarinet), Roger Lord (cor anglais), [[Osian Ellis]] (harp), [[Barry Tuckwell]] (horn), and Denis Blyth (timpani).<ref>[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7932216--britten-serenade-nocturne-and-les-illuminations "Britten: ''Serenade'', ''Nocturne'' and ''Les Illuminations''], [[Decca Records]], Presto Classical</ref>
''Nocturne'' was premiered in the [[Leeds Town Hall]] at the centenary [[Leeds Festival (classical music)|Leeds Festival]] on 16&nbsp;October [[1958 in music#Classical music|1958]] by [[Peter Pears]] and the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Rudolf Schwarz (conductor)|Rudolf Schwarz]].<ref>[http://www.piersgaveston.com/BrittenWorks.aspx "Britten's Complete Works"]by Scott Eric Smith {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526094726/http://www.piersgaveston.com/BrittenWorks.aspx |date=26 May 2011 }}</ref> Britten conducted a recording at [[Walthamstow Assembly Hall]] in 1960 with Pears, the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and [[William Waterhouse (bassoonist)|William Waterhouse]] (bassoon), Alexander Murray (flute), [[Gervase de Peyer]] (clarinet), Roger Lord (cor anglais), [[Osian Ellis]] (harp), [[Barry Tuckwell]] (horn), and Denis Blyth (timpani).<ref>[https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7932216--britten-serenade-nocturne-and-les-illuminations "Britten: ''Serenade'', ''Nocturne'' and ''Les Illuminations''], [[Decca Records]], Presto Classical</ref>


The theme of the piece, as its name ''[[Nocturne]]'' suggests, is sleep and darkness, both in the literal and figurative sense. In this respect, the work is reminiscent of Britten's earlier ''[[Serenade]]''. Unlike ''Serenade'', ''Nocturne'' is presented as a [[Through-composed|continuous piece]] rather than separate [[Movement (music)|movements]]. This is emphasised by a number of figures which occur throughout, most notably the 'rocking'<ref>'rocking' as in [[wikt:rock#Verb|"Rock the baby to sleep"]]</ref> string [[Motif (music)|motif]] which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between [[C (musical note)|C]] and [[D♭ (musical note)|D-flat]] is also evident throughout, reflecting the contrast between the untroubled and the more perturbed aspects of sleep which are also described by Britten's choice of poems.
The theme of the piece, as its name ''[[Nocturne]]'' suggests, is sleep and darkness, both in the literal and figurative sense. In this respect, the work is reminiscent of Britten's earlier ''Serenade''. Unlike ''Serenade'', ''Nocturne'' is presented as a [[Through-composed|continuous piece]] rather than separate [[Movement (music)|movements]]. This is emphasised by a number of figures which occur throughout, most notably the 'rocking'<ref>'rocking' as in [[wikt:rock#Verb|"Rock the baby to sleep"]]</ref> string [[Motif (music)|motif]] which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between [[C (musical note)|C]] and [[D♭ (musical note)|D-flat]] is also evident throughout, reflecting the contrast between the untroubled and the more perturbed aspects of sleep which are also described by Britten's choice of poems.


== Structure ==
== Structure ==

Latest revision as of 22:54, 31 January 2023

Nocturne, Op. 60, is a song cycle by Benjamin Britten, written for tenor, seven obbligato instruments and strings.[1] The seven instruments are flute, cor anglais, clarinet, bassoon, harp, French horn and timpani.

Nocturne was Britten's fourth and final orchestral song cycle, after Our Hunting Fathers (Op. 8, 1936), Les Illuminations (Op. 18, 1939) and Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Op. 31, 1943). It was dedicated to Alma Mahler.[2]

Nocturne was premiered in the Leeds Town Hall at the centenary Leeds Festival on 16 October 1958 by Peter Pears and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Schwarz.[3] Britten conducted a recording at Walthamstow Assembly Hall in 1960 with Pears, the London Symphony Orchestra and William Waterhouse (bassoon), Alexander Murray (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (cor anglais), Osian Ellis (harp), Barry Tuckwell (horn), and Denis Blyth (timpani).[4]

The theme of the piece, as its name Nocturne suggests, is sleep and darkness, both in the literal and figurative sense. In this respect, the work is reminiscent of Britten's earlier Serenade. Unlike Serenade, Nocturne is presented as a continuous piece rather than separate movements. This is emphasised by a number of figures which occur throughout, most notably the 'rocking'[5] string motif which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between C and D-flat is also evident throughout, reflecting the contrast between the untroubled and the more perturbed aspects of sleep which are also described by Britten's choice of poems.

Structure

[edit]

The piece sets eight sections of poetry to music, each accompanied by strings and (with the exception of the first) by an obbligato instrument:

  1. Shelley – "On a Poet’s Lips I Slept" from Prometheus Unbound
  2. Tennyson – "The Kraken", with bassoon
  3. Coleridge – "Encinctured with a twine of leaves" from The Wanderings of Cain, with harp
  4. Middleton – "Midnight Bell" from Blurt, Master Constable, with French horn
  5. Wordsworth – "But that night when on my bed I lay" from The Prelude (1805), with timpani
  6. Owen – "The Kind Ghosts", with cor anglais
  7. Keats – "Sleep and Poetry", with flute and clarinet
  8. Shakespeare – Sonnet XLIII, with all the obbligato instruments

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Britten himself used the spelling "obligato".
  2. ^ "Alma in the music of other composers – Benjamin Britten: Nocturne, Op. 60 (Dedicated to Alma), short analysis
  3. ^ "Britten's Complete Works"by Scott Eric Smith Archived 26 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Britten: Serenade, Nocturne and Les Illuminations, Decca Records, Presto Classical
  5. ^ 'rocking' as in "Rock the baby to sleep"
[edit]
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