He discovered what levels were attainable by different types of group, and did much to encourage that sense of ambition which has led to a genuine rise in the quality of amateur choral music-making. To be there, in among those doing the singing, directing the performance, advising other conductors and acquiring great expertise and experience over a creative lifetime, gave him an unusual insight into what choirs enjoy singing. This is, again, where the Vaughan Williams analogy holds true.
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He knew that the music he wrote was performable because he himself was an accomplished professional musician. It is a spirit of discovery and adventure which should fire the imagination, and it is a love of all this music which has inspired the commentary writing. I hope that the corresponding online guide will also be of real practical help to those who aim to build programmes which may be structured in specific ways - thematically, by voice type, by religious or non-religious setting, or by the balancing of a well-known piece by a less-familiar or almost unknown work. Similarly, there is a genuine mix of sacred and secular and some useful blurring of the edges where words can be equally appropriate in either context. Schools, or choirs of upper or lower voices, will find music here of wonderful quality which rarely sees the light of day. Rejoice in the Lamb, A Ceremony of Carols, Hymn to the Virgin, Hymn to St Cecilia, Jubilate Deo in C and others have tended to obscure the fuller picture of Britten's choral output and, if nothing else, I hope that choral directors will look beyond their favourites and explore the rich variety of music which is still almost undiscovered. As with many composers who have devoted themselves to writing a large corpus of music for one particular genre, Britten has suffered from being too well-known for a few familiar pieces. The range of this output and the frequency of performance of the better-known works underline Britten's ubiquity in the world of choral singing, not just in the English-speaking community but far beyond.
Among the 60 or so non-operatic choral works there are also works which are exceptionally demanding and perhaps best left to professionals and outstanding amateurs. Britten did not devote himself so wholeheartedly to these things, but a sizeable proportion of his choral music is easily within the reach of a good ordinary choir, another part is well within the grasp of a reasonable church choir, and there is, of course, all the music he wrote specifically for children. In many ways, though he might have been surprised by the comparison, he was the natural successor to Vaughan Williams, whose instincts for community and the nurture of amateur musicians brought him an almost cult-like status in Britain.
Of the fine composers among his contemporaries, none wrote such a wide variety of music across such a broad spectrum of genres and for such a range of ages and abilities. The Lord Is My Light (I Will Rejoice!) View 7 Productsīenjamin Britten Article Distributed by Britten Home YouTube Festival Biography Choral Publications Article: Explore the Choral Music of Benjamin Britten by Paul Spicer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was a unique force in British music. With Heart And Voice, Rejoice! View 7 Products Rejoice, The Risen Lord Is King! View 9 Products Rejoice, Ye People Of The Faith View 9 Products Rejoice! Declare! Christ Is Born View 10 Products Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart View 10 Products Rejoice In The Lord Always View 11 Products Sing, Rejoice A Song Of Praise View 11 Productsĭear Christians One And All, Rejoice View 11 Products Rejoice, Sing And Praise View 17 ProductsĬhrist Is Born! (Let Heaven And Earth Rejoice) View 11 Products Rejoice, All Ye Daughters View 21 Products Good Christian Friends, Rejoice View 21 Products Rejoice Ye Pure In Heart View 32 ProductsĪll My Heart This Night Rejoices View 24 Products Rejoice, The Lord Is King View 33 Products Rejoice! Christ Is Born! View 81 Products Good Christian Men, Rejoice View 167 Products
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