Benjamin Britten in context / edited by Vicki P. Stroeher, Justin Vickers.
| Other author | Stroeher, Vicki P., editor. |
| Other author | Vickers, Justin, editor. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2022. |
| Description | xxv, 400 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Composers in context Composers in context. ^A1388670 |
| Contents | Prologue: Positioning Britten / Vicki P. Stroeher and Justin Vicker -- Part I: The Britten circle(s). Early mentors: the Bridges, the Auden Set, and the Mayers of Long Island / Arnold Whittall ; Peter Pears / Justin Vickers ; The open secret / Nicholas Clark ; Britten's circle / Lucy Walker ; The making of Britten: Imogen Holst, Rosamund Strode, and Colin Matthews / Christopher M. Scheer ; Britten's publishers as advance and rear guard / Philip Reed -- Part II: British musical life. Composing in England / Eric Saylor ; Britten and film / Mervyn Cooke ; Britten and the radio / Alison Garnham ; Recording a musical experience: Britten's works on record and television / Danielle Ward-Griffin ; Music critics and the press / Vicki P. Stroeher and Philip Reed ; Britten and English opera: myths and a (chequered) history / Mervyn Cooke ; Festival culture in the British Isles / Justin Vickers ; Concert life in Britain / Philip Reed ; Benjamin Britten and folk song / Julian Onderdonk ; Educating the nation: Britten's music for young people / Kate Guthrie -- Part III: Britten and other composers. The compositional context: creating a voice / Christopher Mark ; Responding to a British musical past / Michael Burden ; Britten and the English musical Renaissance / Alain Frogley ; Responding to the continent / Arved Ashby ; An English tradition? / Christopher Mark ; 'An exciting time with all the Russians': Anglo-Soviet musical contacts / Cameron Pyke ; The avant-garde / Philip Rupprecht -- Part IV: Wordsmiths, designers, and performers. W. H. Auden / Vicki P. Stroeher ; Eric Crozier / Justin Vickers ; Two librettists: Montagu Slater and Ronald Duncan / Ian Patterson ; The wise, queer heart of Englishness: E. M. Forster / Hanna Rochlitz ; William Plomer's poetics of exile at home / Kevin Salfen ; 'Don't colour them, the music will do that': Myfanwy Piper and Britten's marriage of words and music / Frances Spalding ; Designing and dancing Britten / Lucy Walker and Kevin Salfen ; Pears as illuminator, interpreter, and inspiration / Justin Vickers ; Britten's singers / Roger Vignoles ; Britten's performers: those most 'instrumental' / Thomas Schuttenhelm -- Part V: British sociocultural, religious, and political life. English and British national identity in the arts / Irene Morra ; The place within: Britten's landscapes / Charlotte de Mille ; Monarchy, royalty, and arts patronage / Matthias Range ; Literary leanings / Nicholas Clark ; Faith, spirituality, and the Church / Margaret Lane ; The politics of the closet / J. P. E. Harper-Scott ; Communism, socialism, and pacifism in British politics: from the 1930s to the Second World War / Joanna Bullivant -- Epilogue: Britten's legacy / Arnold Whittall. |
| Abstract | 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. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-385) and index. |
| ISBN | 1108496695 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 9781108496698 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (ebook) |
| ISBN | (PDF ebook) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B853 B43 2022 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |