Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 Benjamin Britten's Early Viola Works with a Pedagogical Analysis Intended for the Advancing Viola Student Colleen Manseau Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S EARLY VIOLA WORKS WITH A PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS INTENDED FOR THE ADVANCING VIOLA STUDENT By COLLEEN MANSEAU A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music 2015 Colleen Manseau defended this treatise on July 16, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Pamela Ryan Professor Directing Treatise James Mathes University Representative Melanie Punter Committee Member Corinne Stillwell Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii Thank you to all of the students I have taught over the years, it has been a pleasure being part of your musical adventure. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank and acknowledge those people without whose support I would not have written this work: my family, friends, and the professors at the College of Music who have helped with small and large inquiries about this topic. Thank you all for helping me to complete this goal. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES .............................................................................................. vii LIST OF EXERCISES ............................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. ix 1. INTRODUCTION TO BENJAMIN BRITTEN .........................................................................1 2. BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S Reflection For Viola & Piano (1930) .............................................11 Fingerings .........................................................................................................................13 Shifting ..............................................................................................................................14 Double Stops .....................................................................................................................16 Bowings ............................................................................................................................19 Rehearsing with the pianist ...............................................................................................20 3. BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S Elegy For Solo Viola (1930) ..........................................................26 Tempo ...............................................................................................................................27 Double Stops .....................................................................................................................30 Chromaticism ....................................................................................................................31 Dynamics ..........................................................................................................................34 Shifting ..............................................................................................................................35 Glissando ...........................................................................................................................36 Fingerings .........................................................................................................................38 Bowings ............................................................................................................................42 4. BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S Two Portraits (1930), No. 2 ...........................................................48 v Balance Concerns ..............................................................................................................51 Fingerings .........................................................................................................................52 Bowings for the Orchestra ................................................................................................53 5. BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S ARRANGEMENT OF There Is A Willow Grows Aslant A Brook (1932) ............................................................................................................................................58 Musical Concerns ..............................................................................................................60 Fingerings and Bowings ................................................................................................... 61 Rehearsing with the Pianist and Issues with Ties in 6/8 ...................................................65 6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .........................................................................................71 APPENDIX A COPYRIGHT LETTERS .....................................................................................78 BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................................................80 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ........................................................................................................83 vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES 1 Britten’s Fingerings Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bars 5-7 ..........................................13 2 Britten’s Fingerings Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bars 11-16 ......................................14 3 Britten’s Fingerings Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bars 20-25 ......................................18 4 Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 67-74 ....................................................................................28 5 Britten’s and Author’s Fingerings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 24-28 .............................39 6 Author’s Fingerings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 30-34 ...................................................40 7 Author’s Fingerings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 53-54 ...................................................41 8 Author’s Fingerings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 67-72 ...................................................42 9 Author’s Bowings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 4-19 ........................................................43 10 Author’s Bowings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 23-28 ....................................................44 11 Author’s Bowings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 36-39 ....................................................45 12 Author’s Bowings Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 57-70 ....................................................46 13 Author’s Fingerings Two Portraits (1930) No. 2, bars 1-6 ......................................................52 14 Author’s Fingerings Two Portraits (1930) No. 2, bars 14-20 ..................................................53 15 Author’s Bowings Two Portraits (1930) No. 2, bars 41-54 ....................................................54 16 Author’s Bowings Two Portraits (1930) No. 2, bars 82-93 ....................................................56 17 Author’s Fingerings and Bowings There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook, bars 94-103 ....64 vii LIST OF EXERCISES 1 Shifting to Fifth Position Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bar 13 .....................................16 2 Double Stops Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bar 23 .......................................................19 3 Rhythm Reflection for Viola & Piano (1930), bars 5-8 .............................................................22 4 Quarter note equals 80, Fermatas Added Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 67-69 ..................29 5 Reverse Sixteenth Note Passage Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 70-72 ................................30 6 Condensed Double Stops Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 58-65 ...........................................31 7 Chromaticism Elegy for Solo Viola (1930) ................................................................................32 8 Chromatic Shift on the First Finger, Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bar 1 ...................................33 9 Two-Octave Scale and Dynamics Elegy for Solo Viola (1930) .................................................35 10 Glissando Slide Elegy for Solo Viola (1930), bars 10-12 ........................................................37 11 Fingerings and Increasing Tempo There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook, bar 72 ..............63 12 Viola and Piano Rhythm There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook, bars 61-65 .....................67 13 Subdivision There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook, bars 52-54 .........................................70 viii ABSTRACT Benjamin Britten wrote five pieces for the viola, the most well-known being the Lachrymae, Op. 48: Reflections on a song of Dowland written in 1950 for the Scottish violist William Primrose. Britten’s other viola works were composed in 1930-1932 and were written for himself to perform as the violist. They were not published until after his death and have only recently been available for purchase. The intent of this treatise is to help make these lesser- known works more accessible and to help encourage instructors in order to teach these pieces to young