Benjamin Britten's "Canticles" and their literary thematic and musical unity with his operas. Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Delmore, John Patrick. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 28/09/2021 22:36:02 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/185466 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Ann Arbor, MI 48106 BENJAMIN BRITTEN'S CANTICLES AND THEIR LITERARY THEMATIC AND MUSICAL UNITY WITH HIS OPERAS by John Patrick Delmore Copyright Q John Patrick Delmore 1991 A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1991 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by John Patrick Delmore entitled~EN.IAMIN BRITTEN'S CANTICLES And Their Literary Thematic And Musical Unity With His Operas and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of M!lsjcal Arts Da te ( i Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the document to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirement. Date 3 STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University of Arizona Library to be made available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interest of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED, #4 /? @4hC 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am sincerely grateful to my teachers and advisors, Professor Grayson Hirst and Dr. Maurice Skones, whose integrity, scholarship and musicality have been an inspiration during these years of learning. I am also indebted to my friends and colleagues, Darrin, Danny and Paul, for their insights and talents in the preparation and editing of this document. Above all I thank my parents, Raymond and Jean, and my sisters, Patricia, Janet and Mary. Without your loving support and sheer endurance this document and degree would not have been possible. 5 DEDICATION to my father RAYMOND FRANCIS DELMORE 1925 - 1989 and my student, colleague and friend DARRIN FREDRIC JOSLYN 1967 - 1990 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF CANTICLE TEXTS · 7 LIST OF TABLES · 8 ABSTRACT •••• · 9 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. · •. 10 NEED FOR THE STUDY. • • • .11 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY. .12 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY. • .13 CHAPTER I. OVERVIEW OF BRITTEN'S LIFE AND INTERESTS. • . .14 II. BACKGROUND OF THE POETS, TEXTS & THEMES OF THE OPERA/CANTICLE PAIRS. · .. 21 III. ALBERT HERRING / CANTICLE I • .48 IV • BILLY BUDD / CANTICLE II. • • • · .. 61 v. THE TURN OF THE SCREW / CANTICLE III. • .74 VI. OWEN WINGRAVE / CANTICLE IV •• .95 VII. DEATH IN VENICE / CANTICLE V · . 113 VIII. CONCLUSIONS · • 137 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY • · . 143 7 LIST OF CANTICLE TEXTS Page 1. My Beloved is Mine and I am His, opposite page ••.••••.••..•. 22 2. Abraham and Isaac, pages ••.•...•••••••.•••••••...•••.•••.. 28-31 3. Still falls the rain, opposite page ••.•.•••••••.•••...•••..• 35 4. The Journey of the Magi, opposite page •••••..•...••....••..• 39 5. The Death of Saint Narcissus, opposite page .••.......•.••... 46 8 TABLES Table #1. Albert Herring Canticle liMy Beloved is Mine op.39 op.40 (March/1947) (September/1947) Billy Budd Canticle II/Abraham and Isaac op.50 op.51 (Sept. /1951) (January/1952) The Turn of the Screw Canticle III/Stil1 falls the rain op.54 op.55 (March/1954) (November/1954) Owen Wingrave Canticle IV/Journey of the Magi op.85 op.86 (Spring/1970) (January/1971) Death in Venice Canticle VI The Death of Saint Narcissus op.88 op.89 (March/1973) (Summer/1974) 9 ABSTRACT This document is an indepth examination of the compositional and intellectual bonds Benjamin Britten applied to the following operas and Canticles; Albert Herring, op.39 & Canticle I, op.40 / Billy Budd, op.S0 & Canticle II, op.S1, The Turn of the Screw, op.S4 & Canticle III, op.S5 / Owen Wingrave, op. 85 & Canticle IV, op.86 / Death in Venice, op.88 & Canticle V, op.89. The striking musical and literary similarities of these works are compared to especially provide students and teachers of Britten's music with a much needed performance guide to the Canticles. The five Canticles incorporate many of the key stylistic elements found in Britten's larger works yet are often neglected due to their sophistication of texts and music. Although titled "canticles", these chamber pieces for voices ( s ) and various instruments share only two common features; religious themes, and expansive musical forms. Apart from these unifying traits there is substantial variety in the choice of texts and in the development of the musical elements. Furthermore, the similar thematic nature of these opera/Canticle pairs reflects the life long personal commitment Britten maintained for the, moral, social and psychological concepts they espouse. 10 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Early in his career Benjamin Britten achieved fame as an innovative composer of opera, yet he was equally successful in smaller, more intimate works, like his Canticles. In the course of his career, Britten set five chamber pieces for voice and various instruments. All of these pieces are based on religious themes and range from seven to fifteen minutes in length. In these works Britten showed much variety in the choice of poets, texts and in the development of musical elements. I have learned that each Canticle was composed immediately after a major opera, and that these vastly different works share literary themes and musical ideas as well. However, with the exception of Canticle II / Abraham & Isaac, very few scholarly articles have every discussed the striking thematic similarities between these opera/Canticle pairs. This lead me to ask three questions: Did Britten compose the Canticles in order to explore the moral and social themes presented in these operas in a more intimate, less dramatic framework? Do musical motives and techniques have the same extra-musical connotations in each operas/Canticles pair? Finally, did these themes have personal significance to Britten? 11 NEED FOR THE STUDY There is yet to be a detailed study outlining the striking literary and musical similarities found in the operas and the Canticles, and there are only three scholarly articles and a smattering of incidental literature which discuss the Canticles in depth.! I suspect that this is due to the fact that the Canticles, unlike the operas and song cycles, are performed less frequently because of their sophistication of music and text, not to mention the odd combinations of voices and instruments Britten favored. In performance, I have discovered that the Canticles possess enormous spiritual and musical breadth. They are deserving of a much larger public than that which they have found to date. This lecture recital is intended to provide students and teachers of Britten's music with a much needed performance guide to these overly neglected masterpieces, and to inspire further examination and performance of the Canticles. L.E. Egbert. "Britten's Five Canticles." The Diapason 68.5 (1977): pp.9-14. David Brown. "Britten's Three Canticles." The Music Review 21 (1960)1 pp.55-65.