Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Op. 31
Benjamin Britten (1913-76)
Prologue: solo horn; Pastoral by John Cotton; Nocturne by Tennyson; Elegy by Blake; Dirge [15th century, anon]; Hymn by Ben Jonson; Sonnet by Keats; Epilogue: solo horn.
The legendary horn player, Dennis Brain (1921-57), asked Britten to compose a piece for him. This masterpiece is the result. Britten was in America at the time (1943) and composed much of the work in hospital, where he was being treated for measles. The Serenade comprises settings of six poems by British poets on the subject of night, offering varied reflections on the character and mood of night-time. The final song links night to sleep, and sleep to death: a moving preparation for the distant Epilogue.
The Prologue and Epilogue which frame the songs are both performed by the horn alone. In these identical movements Britten instructs the player to use the horn's natural harmonics some of which sound sharp or flat to an audience accustomed to the western chromatic scale. The Epilogue is heard from afar. To allow the horn player time to prepare for the off-stage performance, the sonnet by Keats is scored for tenor and strings only.
Benjamin Britten (1913-76)
Prologue: solo horn; Pastoral by John Cotton; Nocturne by Tennyson; Elegy by Blake; Dirge [15th century, anon]; Hymn by Ben Jonson; Sonnet by Keats; Epilogue: solo horn.
The legendary horn player, Dennis Brain (1921-57), asked Britten to compose a piece for him. This masterpiece is the result. Britten was in America at the time (1943) and composed much of the work in hospital, where he was being treated for measles. The Serenade comprises settings of six poems by British poets on the subject of night, offering varied reflections on the character and mood of night-time. The final song links night to sleep, and sleep to death: a moving preparation for the distant Epilogue.
The Prologue and Epilogue which frame the songs are both performed by the horn alone. In these identical movements Britten instructs the player to use the horn's natural harmonics some of which sound sharp or flat to an audience accustomed to the western chromatic scale. The Epilogue is heard from afar. To allow the horn player time to prepare for the off-stage performance, the sonnet by Keats is scored for tenor and strings only.