A Ceremony of Carols
A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 is a choral work by Benjamin Britten for three-part choir boys (or women's choir), solo voices and harp. The piece was written for Christmas and consists of eleven movements based on texts from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems by Gerald Bullett, which are sung in Middle English. The piece was premiered on December 4, 1943 in the Wigmore Hall in London. The performance lasts about 23 minutes.
The piece was written in 1942 while Britten was on the way from the Unite States to England on the high seas. The piece was written at the same time as Britten's Hymn to St. Cecilia and is stylistically very similar to this.
Originally planned Britten a series of individual songs. However, they were later made into a cohesive work. The framework for this is the unanimous Hodie natus est Christ (Latin: "Today Christ was born "), which is based on a Gregorian antiphon is intoned by the choir for moving in and out. A harp solo, which is based on this song, as well as some designs from " Wolcum Yole ", also serves the merger at a piece. In the sentences " This Little Babe" and " Deo Gracias " reflects the choir, harp -like effects by using enggeführter canon.
Genesis of the work
When Benjamin Britten left the United States in 1939, he had the task of Edna Phillips' to write a concerto for harp, not fulfilled. When he "MS Axel Johnson " returned in 1942 with the Swedish ship across the Atlantic to England, Britten studied the contract for a harp composition.
During a budget for repairs in Halifax ( Nova Scotia ) bought Britten "The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems ," written by Gerald Bullett, containing five poems he set to music in the original version:
- 3 "There is no Rose"
- 5 "As dew in Aprille "
- 6 " This little Babe"
- 8 " In Freezing Winter Night"
- 10 " Deo Gracias "
In addition, 4b " Balulalow " and a first version of " Hodie natus est Christ ", but whose melody was different from the final published. This first version was called " 7 Christmas Carols " and appeared in 1942. Returning home, Britten added the first section of " Procession " and the eleventh, " Recession ". The music and Gregorian melody, which he originally for " Hodie " composed, he used for the second section " Wolcum Yole! " On. He also composed the ninth section "Spring Carol ". This version ( without block 4a "That Yonge Child" and the interlude for harp that were inserted later) was on December 5, 1942 in the library of the Norwich Castle from the female chorus of " Fleet Street Choir" under the direction of TB Lawrence and the harp accompaniment of Gwendolen Mason first performed. The final version was premiered in 1943 at the Wigmore Hall in London from Morriston 's Boys ' Choir, with Mary Korchinska on the harp, and under the composer's direction.
The work is dedicated to the singing teacher and choir director Ursula Nettelship. the emergence of " Saint Nicolas Cantata Op. 42 " promoted.
Sections
Edits
The publisher Boosey & Hawkes commissioned the composer Julius Harrison thus, a version for four-part mixed choir ( SATB), to arrange soloists and harp, which was published in 1955.
A German -language version under the title A wreath of praise choruses created Herberth E. Herlitschka.
Some texts were later used by other composers. Worth mentioning Adam lay are ybounden by Boris Ord