INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been rq>roduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly fi:om the orignal or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in ^ew riter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet r^roduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e g., m^s, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from lefr to right in equal sections v à û small i overlaps. Each orignal is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for aity photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI Â Bell & Howdl Infoimation Con^ony 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THE STYLISTIC PLACEMENT OF WAR REQUIEM IN BENJAMIN BRITTEN'S OEUVRE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Nikola Dale Strader, B.M., M.M, ***** The Ohio State University 1996 Dissertation Committee: jproyed by Charles M. Atkinson, Co-adviser Lora G. Dobos, Co-adviser Co-advi Sebastian Knowles Co-adviser C. Patrick Woliver School of Music ÜHI Number: 9630983 tpyright 1996 by Strailâer, Nikola Dale AU rights reserved. UMI Microform 9630983 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. AU rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 NorthZeéb Road Arm Arbor, M I 48103 1996 Nikola D. Strader ABSTRACT Benjamin Britten's War Requiem (1962) has been viewed by several scholars (e.g., Peter Evans, Michael Kennedy, and Arnold Whittall) as a culmination of sorts, a compositional and stylistic high point after which his later works would be composed and heard in new ways. Britten's stunning and effective handling of the opposition of two languages, the skillful juxtaposition of Wilfred Owen's war poems with the texts of the Requiem Mass, and the deft coordination of three soloists, two choirs, and two orchestras were tributes to his compositional genius. Under the circumstances, it was almost inevitable that War Requiem would be regarded as a turning point; whether it was at the same time a culmination is one of the questions that this dissertation addresses. To determine where War Requiem stands within Britten's stylistic development, several characteristics of his style (e.g., specific textual themes, extensive motivic recall and development, variation forms, semitonal and tritonal relationships, and non-serial manipulation of twelve-tone aggregates) have been identified in works spanning his entire career. The stylistic portrait thus produced has ii been as a framework within which an analysis of the texts, text-music relationships, and other musical characteristics present in War Requiem could be conducted. Comparison of the traits of War Requiem with the larger picture of Britten's style reveals that War Requiem cannot be considered a culminating point or "watershed.” Instead, it is a highly impressive, emotionally-charged masterpiece that falls squarely within a stylistic development that continually sought new ways of synthesizing musical techniques from a variety of sources with lifelong personal ideals and convictions. Ill To Mom and Dad IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my dissertation committee: my advisers, Drs. Charles Atkinson and Lora Gingerich Dobos, for their suggestions and encouragement; Dr. Sebastian Knowles, for his assistance with Wilfred Owen's poetry; and Dr. Patrick Woliver for giving me the opportunity to talk about War Requiem with his class. Thanks also to Dr. Paul Banks, Librarian, and Miss Helen Risdon at The Britten-Pears Library in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England, without whose assistance I could not have looked at several of Britten's manuscripts and letters, and to The Ohio State University for the Graduate Student Alumni Research Award that allowed me to visit the Britten-Pears Library. Sincere thanks also go to Drs. Mervyn Cooke and Philip Rupprecht, both of whom gave me access to their own research, and to Mr. John Rathbone, Hon. Archivist, Coventry Cathedral, for his assistance with letters written to Benjamin Britten on behalf of the Coventry Cathedral Arts Committee. Finally, to my parents, Calvin and Emmadale, thank you for all your love eind support, and to my twin sister, Rocki, I can hardly believe we wrote our dissertations at the same time. Permission to reprint excerpts from the following works by Benjamin Britten has been provided by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner: Albert Herring. Op. 39. A comic opera in three acts. Libretto freely adapted from a short story of Guy de Maupassant by Eric Crozier. Cantata Academica; Carmen Basiliense. [Op. 62]. Cantata Misericordium. [Op. 69]. Text by Patrick Wilkinson. Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac. Op. 51. Text from The Chester Miracle Play. A Ceremonv of Carols. [Op. 28]. The Holy Sonnets of John Donne. "Death, be not proud." Op. 35. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Op. 64. Opera in three acts. Libretto adapted from William Shakespeare by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Missa Brevis, in D. Op. 63. Peter Grimes. [Op. 33]. An opera in three acts and a prologue, derived from the poem of George Crabbe. Words by Montagu Slater. Serenade for tenor solo, horn and strings. Op. 31. Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo. Op. 22. Svmphonv for Cello and Orchestra. Op. 68. The Turn of the Screw. Op. 54. An opera in a prologue and two acts. Libretto by Myfanwy Piper after the story by Henry James. War Requiem. Op. 66. Words from the Missa pro Defunctis and the poems of Wilfred Owen. Excerpts from the following works by Britten are reproduced by kind permission of Faber Music Ltd.: Curlew River, a Parable for Church Performance. Op. 71. Libretto by William Plomer. Owen Winarave. Op. 85. Libretto by Myfanwy Piper, based on the short story by Henry James. VI Excerpts from A Bov was B o m . Op. 3, are reproduced by the permission of Oxford University Press: © 1934 Oxford University Press Revised version © 1958 by the Oxford University Press Reproduced by permission of the publisher For the excerpt from Balinese Ceremonial Music. "Taboeh Teloe” by Colin McPhee, permission has been granted from G. Schirmer: Copyright © 1940 (Renewed) by Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI) International copyright secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission The extract from Britten's letter to Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau is © The Britten-Pears Foundation. This extract is quoted by kind permission of the Britten-Pears Foundation, and may not be further reproduced without written permission. V l l VITA February 3, 1965 ............ Born - Parkersburg, West Virginia 1987 ........................B.M., sumaa cum laude. University Honors Scholar, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 1989 ........................M.M., Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 1989-1990 ................... University Fellow, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1990-1994 ................... Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Music, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1995 ........................Lecturer, The Ohio State University, Mansfield, Ohio 1995-1996 ................... Graduate Research Associate, College of Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Music Studies in: Music Historv and Literature V l l l TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ......................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................... V VITA ................................................ viii LIST OF TABLES...................................... X LIST OF FIGURES .................................... xi CHAPTER PAGE 1. INTRODUCTION ................................. 1 2. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BRITTEN'S STYLE .... 18 3. WAR REQUIEM: TEXTS ........................... 68 Requiem Aetemam ......................... 74 Dies Irae ................................ 78 Of fertorium ................. 89 Sanctus .................................. 92 Agnus Dei'................................ 95 Libera Me ................................ 98 4. WAR REQUIEM; TEXT-MUSIC RELATIONSHIPS ......... 104 Requiem Aeternam .............. 110 Dies Irae ................................ 115 Of fertorium .............................. 127 Sanctus ............................ 139 Agnus Dei ................................ 142 Libera Me ................................ 144 5. WAR REQUIEM; MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS .......... 153 CONCLUSIONS ........................................ 215 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................... 219 XX LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 3.1 72 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 The Turn of the Screw, theme................... 30 2.2 The Turn