4 St. 48 Min, 31 Mai 1913 Jahr - Benjamin Britten

Beschreibung:

British popular song was revolutionized by the advent of the radio; the British Broadcasting Center was introduced in 1922. This also brought about the decline of drawing room singing
20th century composers had to consider public reluctance to become to terms only with modern (post-war) music, but also the modern poetry- which, from 1930’s was often satiric, didactic, anti-romantic, and no longer called for music as houseman’s or Bride’s had done.
England needed a composer who thought vocally and was thoroughly modern. With Britten, english song was reborn.
He developed an expressive musical language which looked to the expansive, declamatory utterance of Purcell (natural styles of speech, text importance); but he was also influenced by Mahler and Stravinsky (harmonically)
He was a pianist, conductor, and founder-director of the English Opera Group
Britten was inspired by words and their underlying meaning. He had an innate ability to express the essence of words through music. (not text painting ---> musical essence)
He wasn’t necessarily looking for beautiful voices to sing his music, but those that had a variety of colors and the ability to express the text sensitively and sincerely. (wrote most of his music for partner: Peter Peers; and once for a Mezzo [cycle])
3 characteristics Britten used that enriched English Song:
An enlargement of hamonic resources, particularly by simultaneous use of tonic and dominant harmonies
By the florid “Purcellian” treatment of the melody, especially the extension of a single syllable over a long run of notes, melismatic
By the building of accompanists not through the extension of chords into continuous flowing lines, but through the use of short melodic motives, often contrapuntally used and having both thematic and expressive value (idea from Germans)
He also has a flair for popular, easy, swinging tune. He could write songs for the people. One audience song was written in 5/4 time (Let’s make an Opera)
He sets many of his sings into sets or cycles, or extended them into canticles (large scale works). Short, isolated songs, suitable for musically echoing the gentle romantic poetry of former days, was no longer apt for the musical expressions of the different poetic ideas to which composers were not attracted.
Arranged a lot of folk songs (started a folk movement) [8 volumes] “sweet little diddies”

Zugefügt zum Band der Zeit:

Datum: