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'''''Nocturne for tenor, 7 obligato instruments & strings''''' is song cycle by [[Benjamin Britten]]. Premiered at the Leeds Festival in October 1958, it is his third and final orchestral song cycle, after ''[[Les Illuminations]]'' (1939) and ''[[Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings]]'' (1943). It is dedicated to [[Alma Mahler]].
'''''Nocturne for tenor, 7 obligato instruments & strings''''' is song cycle by [[Benjamin Britten]]. Premiered at the Leeds Festival in October 1958, it is his third and final orchestral song cycle, after ''Les Illuminations'' (1939) and ''[[Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings]]'' (1943). It is dedicated to [[Alma Mahler]].


The theme of the piece (as its name 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' string motif which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between C and Db 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 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' string motif which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between C and Db 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.
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* [[Wilfred Owen|Owen]] - ''The Kind Ghosts'', with [[Cor Anglais]]
* [[Wilfred Owen|Owen]] - ''The Kind Ghosts'', with [[Cor Anglais]]
* [[John Keats|Keats]] - ''Sleep and Poetry'', with [[Flute]] and [[Clarinet]]
* [[John Keats|Keats]] - ''Sleep and Poetry'', with [[Flute]] and [[Clarinet]]
* [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] - ''[[Sonnet XLIII]]'', with all of the obligato instruments.
* [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] - ''Sonnet XLIII'', with all of the obligato instruments.





Revision as of 12:13, 6 July 2008

Nocturne for tenor, 7 obligato instruments & strings is song cycle by Benjamin Britten. Premiered at the Leeds Festival in October 1958, it is his third and final orchestral song cycle, after Les Illuminations (1939) and Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943). It is dedicated to Alma Mahler.

The theme of the piece (as its name 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' string motif which opens the work. The conflicting tonal relationship between C and Db 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

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