Benjamin Britten in Context

A thematically organised overview of the musical, social and cultural contexts for the multi-faceted career of this pivotal British composer.

Vicki P Stroeher (Edited by), Justin Vickers (Edited by)

9781108496698, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 April 2022

426 pages
23.1 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.8 kg

'informative and thought-provoking' Nigel Simeone, Gramophone

Benjamin Britten, pianist, conductor, educator, composer of  a wide range of music from large-scale operas and choral works to string quartets and songs, is acknowledged as a pivotal figure in mid-twentieth-century Britain. This volume explores the contexts for his multi-faceted career and his engagement with his contemporaries in music, art, literature, and film, British musical institutions, royal and governmental entities, and the church, as well as his ground-breaking projects, philosophical and ideological tenets. The book is thematically structured in five parts: Britten's relationships with Peter Pears, his close friends, mentors, and colleagues; musical life in Britain; his interactions with previous and contemporary generations of composers; his professional work with choreographers, librettists, stage designers, and directors; and his socio-cultural, religious, and political environment. The chapters shed light on the many opportunities and challenges of post-war British musical life that shaped Britten's creative output.

Prologue: Positioning Britten Vicki P. Stroeher and Justin Vickers
Part I. The Britten Circle(S): 1. Early mentors: The bridges, the Auden set, and the mayers of long Island Arnold Whittall
2. Peter Pears Justin Vickers
3. The open secret Nicholas Clark
4. Britten's circle Lucy Walker
5. Britten's musical assistants Christopher Scheer
6. Britten's publishers as advance and rear guard Philip Reed
Part II. British Musical Life: 7. Composing in England Eric Saylor
8. Britten and Film Mervyn Cooke
9. Britten and the radio Alison Garnham
10. Television and the composer Danielle Ward-Griffin
11. Music critics and the press Philip Reed and Vicki P. Stroeher
12. Britten and English opera: Myths and a (Chequered) history Mervyn Cooke
13. Festival culture in the British Isles Justin Vickers
14. Concert life in Britain Philip Reed
15. Benjamin Britten and folksong Julian Onderdonk
16. Educating the Nation: Britten's music for young people Kate Guthrie
Part III. Britten and Other Composers: 17. The compositional context: creating a voice Christopher Mark
18. Responding to a British musical past Michael Burden
19. Britten and the English musical renaissance Alain Frogley
20. Responding to the continent Arved Ashby
21. An English tradition? Christopher Mark
22.'An exciting time with all Russians': Anglo-Soviet musical contacts Cameron Pyke
23. The Avant-Garde Philip Rupprecht
Part IV. Wordsmiths, Designers, and Performers: 24. W. H. Auden Vicki P. Stroeher
25. Eric Crozier Justin Vickers
26. Two librettists: Montagu slater and Ronald Duncan Ian Patterson
27. The wise, queer heart of Englishness: E. M. Forster Hanna Rochlitz
28.William Plomer's poetics of exile at home Kevin Salfen
29.'Don't colour them, the music will do that': Myfanwy Piper and Britten's marriage of words and music Frances Spalding
30. Designing and dancing Britten Kevin Salfen and Lucy Walker
31.Pears as illuminator, interpreter, and inspiration Justin Vickers
32. Britten's singers Roger Vignoles
33. Britten's performers: those most 'Instrumental' Thomas Schuttenhelm
Part V. British Socio-Cultural, Religious, and Political Life: 34. English and British national identity in the Arts Irene Morra
35. Britten's landscapes Charlotte de Mille
36. Monarchy, royalty, and arts patronage Matthias Range
37. Literary leanings Nicholas Clark
38. Faith, spirituality, and the church Margaret Lane
39. The politics of the closet J. P. E. Harper-Scott
40. Communism, socialism, and pacifism in British politics: From the 1930s to the cold war Joanna Bullivant
Epilogue: Britten's Legacy Arnold Whittall
Topical bibliography for further reading
Works cited
Index.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH], Music: styles & genres [AVG], Music reviews & criticism [AVC]