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BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976)

THE PRINCIPAL WORKS

Note: Locations and dates of first performances are given at the end of most entries.

OPERAS

Paul Bunyan (1940-1) Op. 17
Choral operetta (libretto by W.H. Auden), produced Columbia University, New York, 5 May 1941; revised 1974 and given on BBC 1 Feb 1976: produced Aldeburgh, 14 Jun 1976.

Peter Grimes (1945) Op. 33
Opera (libretto by Montagu Slater, based on part of Crabbe’s poem ‘The Borough’), produced London, Sadler’s Wells, 7 Jun 1945.

The Rape of Lucretia (1946) Op. 37
Opera libretto by Ronald Duncan, based on Livy, Shakespeare and Obey’s Viol de Lucrèce), produced Glyndebourne, 12 Jul 1946.

Albert Herring (1947) Op. 39
Opera (libretto by Eric Crozier, based on Maupassant’s story Le Rosier de Madame Husson), produced Glyndebourne, 20 Jun 1947.

The Beggar’s Opera (1948) Op. 43
Ballad opera (1728) by John Gay
produced Cambridge 24 May 1948

Let’s Make an Opera (1949)

Billy Budd (1951, rev. 1960) Op. 50
Opera (libretto by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, on Herman Melville’s story), produced London, Covent Garden 1 Dec 1951. Revised 1960 and heard on BBC, 13 Nov 1960; produced Covent Garden, 9 Jan 1964.

Gloriana (1953) Op. 53
Opera (libretto by William Plomer), produced London, Covent Garden, 8 Jun 1953.

The Turn of the Screw (1954) Op. 54
Opera in a prologue and two acts (libretto by Myfanwy Piper, after Henry James), produced Venice, 14 Sept 1954, and in London, 6 Oct 1954).

Noye’s Fludde (1958) Op.59
(Chester miracle play) produced Orford |Church, 18 June 1958

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960) Op. 64
Opera (libretto from Shakespeare), produced Aldeburgh, Jubilee Hall, 11 Jun 1960.

Owen Wingrave (1971) Op. 85
Opera in two acts by Britten (libretto by Myfanwy Piper after Henry James), fp BBC TV 16 May 1971; produced CG, London, 10 May 1973.

Death in Venice (1973) Op. 88
Opera (libretto by Myfanwy Piper, after Thomas Mann), produced Snape, Maltings 16 Jun 1973).

CHURCH PARABLES:

Curlew River (1964) Op. 71
Libretto William Plomer. F.p. Orford, 12 June 1964

The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) Op. 77
Libretto William Plomer. F.p. Orford, 24 July 1967

The Prodigal Son (1968) Op. 81
Libretto William Plomer. F.p. Orford, 10 June 1968

BALLET

The Prince of the Pagodas (1956) Op. 57
ballet (choreography by John Cranko), produced London, Covent Garden, Jan 1 1957.

ORCHESTRAL

Sinfonietta (1932) Op. 1
London, 31 Jan 1933

A Simple Symphony (1934) Op. 4
Norwich 6 Mar 1934

Soirées musicales (arr. of Rossini, 1936) Op. 9

Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (1937) Op. 10
Salzburg 27 Aug 1937

Mont Juic (suite of Catalán dances composed jointly with Lennox Berkeley (1937)) Op. 12
BBC 8 Jan 1938

Canadian Carnival - Kermesse Canadienne (1939) Op. 19
Bristol, BBC, 6 June 1940

Young Apollo piano, string quartet and string orchestra. Op. 16 (1939, withdrawn until 1979)
Toronto, 2 Aug 1939

Sinfonia da Requiem (1940) Op. 20
New York, 30 Mar 1941

Matinees musicales (arr. of Rossini, 1941) Op. 24

Prelude and Fugue for 18 part string orchestra (1943) Op. 29
London, 23 June 1943

Four Sea Interludes, Passacaglia from Peter Grimes (1944) Op. 33a
Cheltenham, 13 June 1945

Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell) (1946) Op. 34
Liverpool, 15 Oct 1946

Variations on an Elizabethan Theme (Sellenger’s round) - 4th variation. Others were by Arthur Oldham, Tippett, Lennox Berkeley, Searle and Walton (1953)
Aldeburgh, 20 June 1953

Gloriana - Symphonic Suite (1953-4) Op. 53a
Birmingham, 23 Sept 1954

Overture The Building of the House (with chorus ad. lib.) (1967) Op. 79
Snape, 2 June 1967

Suite on English Folk Tunes (A Time There Was) (1974) Op. 90
Snape, 13 June 1975

The Prince of the Pagodas concert suite arranged from 1956 ballet by Philip Lankester (1979) Op. 57

CONCERTOS

Piano Concerto (1938, rev. 1945) Op. 13
London 18 Aug 1938

Violin Concerto (1939, rev. 1958) Op. 15
New York 28 March 1940

Diversions on a Theme, piano (Left Hand) and orchestra (1940, rev. 1954) Op. 21
Philadelphia 16 Jan 1942

Scottish Ballad, 2 pianos (1941) Op. 26
Cincinnati 28 Nov 1941

Cello Symphony (1963) Op. 68
Moscow 12 Mar 1964

Lachrymae for viola and string orchestra
Recklinghausen 3 May 1977

CHORAL

Hymn to the Virgin (1930, rev. 1934)
Lowestoft 5 Jan 1931

A Boy Was Born (1933, rev. 1955) Op. 3
BBC 23 Feb 1935

Friday Afternoons (children’s voices) (1933-5) Op. 7

Te Deum (1934)
London 27 Jan 1936

Advance Democracy (1938)

Ballad of Heroes (1939) Op. 14
London 5 Apr 1939

Ceremony of Carols (1942) Op. 28
Norwich 5 Dec 1942

Hymn to St Cecilia (1942) Op. 27
London 22 Nov 1942

Rejoice in the Lamb (1943) Op. 30
Northampton 21 Sept 1943

Festival Te Deum (1944) Op. 32
Swindon 24 Apr 1945

St Nicolas (1948) Op. 42
Aldeburgh 5 June 1948

Spring Symphony (1949) Op. 44
Amsterdam 9 July 1949

Five Flower Songs (1950)
Dartington 3 Apr 1950

Missa Brevis (boys’ voices)
London 22 July 1959

Cantata Academica (1959) Op. 62
Basel 1 July 1959

War Requiem (1961) Op. 66
Coventry 30 May 1962

Cantata Misericordium (1963) Op. 69
Geneva 1 Sept 1963

Voices for Today (1965) Op. 75
MY Paris London 24 oct 1965

The Golden Vanity (boys’ voices) (1966)
Aldeburgh 3 June 1967

Children’s Crusade or Kinderkreuzzug (1968) Op. 82
London 19 May 1969

Sacred and Profane (1975) Op. 91
Aldeburgh 14 Sept 1975

Welcome Ode (young people’s chorus and orchestra) (1976) Op. 95
Ipswich 11 July 1977

SOLO VOICE AND ORCHESTRA

Quatre Chansons Françaises (1928)
BBC 30 Mar 1980

Our Hunting Fathers (1936) Op. 8
Norwich 25 Sept 1936

Les Illuminations (1939) Op. 18
London 30 Jan 1940

Serenade (1943) Op. 31
London 15 Oct 1943

Nocturne (1958) Op. 60
Leeds 16 Oct 1958

Phaedra (1975) Op. 93
Snape 16 June 1976

SOLO VOICE AND PIANO (etc)

On This Island (1937) Op. 11
BBC London 19 Nov 1937

Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (1940) Op. 22
London 23 Sept 1942

Folk-Song Arrangements:
vol. 1 British (1945)
vol. 2 French (1946)
vol. 3 British (1948)

Nine Holy Sonnets of John Donne (1945)
London 22 Nov 1945

Canticles:
1. My Beloved is Mine (1947) Op. 40
Aldeburgh 1 Nov 1947
2. Abraham and Isaac (1952) Op. 51
Nottingham 21 Jan 1952
3. Still Falls the Rain (1954) Op. 55
London 28 Jan 1955
4. Journey of the Magi (1971) Op. 86
Aldeburgh 26 June 1971
5. The Death of Saint Narcissus (voice and harp) (1974) Op. 89
Schloss Elmau, Bavaria 15 Jan 1975

A Charm of Lullabies (1947) Op. 41
The Hague 3 Jan 1945

Winter Words (1953) Op. 52
Harewood House, Leeds 8 Oct 1953

Songs from the Chinese (voice and guitar) (1957) Op. 58
Aldeburgh 17 June 1958

Hölderlin Fragments (1958) Op. 61
Schloss Wolfsgarten 20 Nov 1958

Songs and Proverbs of William Blake (1965) Op. 74
Aldeburgh 24 June 1965

The Poet’s Echo (1965) Op. 76
Moscow 2 Dec 1965

Who are these Children? (1969) Op. 84
Edinburgh 4 May 1975

A Birthday Hansel (voice and harp) (1974) Op. 92
Cardiff 19 March 1975

CHAMBER WORKS

Phantasy Quartet (1932) Op. 2
Florence 5 Apr 1934

Insect Pieces, oboe and piano (1935, Op. posth)
Manchester 7 March 1979

Suite for violin and piano (1934-5) Op. 6
London 27 Jan 1936

String Quartet No. 1 (1941) Op. 25
London 28 Apr 1943

String Quartet No. 2 (1945) Op. 36
London 21 Nov 1945

String Quartet No. 3 (1975) Op. 94
Aldeburgh 19 Dec 1975

String Quartet in D (1931 rev. 1974)
Aldeburgh 7 June 1975

Lachrymae, viola and piano (1950) Op. 48
Aldeburgh 20 June 1950

Metamorphoses after Ovid, oboe (1951) Op. 49
Thorpress 14 June 1951

Cello Sonata (1961) Op. 65
Aldeburgh 7 July 1961

Suite No. 1 for cello (1964) Op. 72
Aldeburgh 27 June 1965

Suite No. 2 for cello (1967) Op. 80
Aldeburgh 17 June 1968

Suite No. 3 for cello (1971) Op. 87
Aldeburgh 21 Dec 1974

Gemini Variations (flute, violin. and piano 4 hands) (1965) Op. 73
Aldeburgh 19 June 1965

PIANO

Five Walztes (1925, rev 1969)

Holiday Diary (1934) Op. 5

Sonatina Romantica (1940)
Aldeburgh 16 June 1983

Night Piece (Notturno) (1963)
Leeds International Piano Competition 1963

TWO PIANOS

Introduction and Rondo alla burlesca (1940) Op. 23
New York early 1941

Mazurka Elegiaca (1941) Op. 23
New York Winter 1941

SOLO INSTRUMENTS

Prelude and Fugue on Theme of Vittoria organ (1946)
Northampton 21 Sept 1946

Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar (1963) Op. 70
Aldeburgh 12 June 1965

Suite for harp (1969) Op. 83
Aldeburgh 24 June 1969

INCIDENTAL MUSIC FOR DOCUMENTARY FILMS

C.T.O. (1935)
Conquering Space (1935)
The King’s Stamp (1935)
Banking for the Millions (1935)
Coal Face (1936)
Night Mail (1936)
Message from Geneva (1936)
Men of the Alps (also incl music by Rossini arranged by Britten and Walter Leigh) (1936)
The Saving of Bill Blewitt (1937)
The Line to the Tschierva Hut (1937)
Calendar of the Year (1937)
Around the Village Green (1937)
The Way to the Sea (1937)
The Tocher - silhouette film (1938)
Four Barriers (1938)
How the Dial Works (1938)
Mony a Pickle (1938)
God’s Chillun (1939)
HPO or the 6d Telegram (1939)
Advance Democracy (139)
Instruments of the Orchestra (1946)

INCIDENTAL MUSIC FOR PLAYS, FILMS AND RADIO

Timon of Athens (1935)
Agamemnon (1936)
Stay Down Miner (1936)
The Ascent of F6 (1937)
Love from a Stranger - Trafalgar Films (1937)
The Company of Heaven - BBC (1937)
Out of the Picture (1937)
King Arthur - BBC (1937)
The Seven Ages of Man (1938)
Old Spain (1938)
On the Frontier (1938)
Hadrian’s Wall - BBC (1938)
The World of the Spirit BBC (1938)
Johnson Over Jordan (1939)
The Sword in the Stone - BBC (1939)
The Rocking Horse Winner (1940)
American in England - BBC (1942)
The Rescue - BBC (1943)
Poet’s Christmas - BBC (1944)
This Way to the Tomb (1945)
The Dark Tower - BBC (1946)
The Eagle Has Two Heads (1946)
The Duchess of Malfi (1946)
Men of Goodwill - BBC (1947)
Stratton (1949)
Am Stram Gram (1954)
Punch Review (1955)

Index to BIOGRAPHY by Rob Barnett

INTRODUCTION AND REPUTATION
EARLY YEARS AND SCHOOL
FRANK BRIDGE
ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC
SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
FILM MUSIC
I.S.C.M. AND SPANISH INTERLUDE
PETER PEARS
SUFFOLK
AN EXILE OF SORTS
RETURN TO ENGLAND
PETER GRIMES
RADIO MUSIC
THE WAR IS OVER
THE CONFIDENT 1950s
TRAVELLING
RUSSIAN ENCOUNTERS AND FRIENDSHIPS
A CHANGE OF PUBLISHERS
THE MALTINGS, SNAPE
THE CLOSING CHAPTERS
AND THEN ……

THE PRINCIPAL WORKS OF BENJAMIN BRITTEN
A CHRONOLOGY OF HIS WORKS
DISCOGRAPHY

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