Simple Symphony Programme Notes

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Simple Symphony, Op. 4 Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) I. Boisterous Bourrée II. Playful Pizzicato III. Sentimental Sarabande IV. Frolicsome Finale Britten was a 20th century British composer, conductor, and performer. His music comprises of many works, famously his operas and his works for children. He was the son of a dentist and was shown to be musically gifted when he was very young, starting to compose when he was five. A few of Britten’s inspirations for composing include his lover Sir Peter Pears whom he wrote many pieces for and his relationships and infatuations with many adolescent boys which may have contributed to his passion of writing for children. He was also the first composer to have received a life peerage. The Simple Symphony was written for a string orchestra or string quartet and is dedicated to his childhood viola teacher, Audrey Alston. The Simple Symphony was composed when Britten was 23 and was first performed by an amateur orchestra conducted by Britten himself in 1934 at Stuart Hall, Norwich. The themes in this symphony are a collection of themes that Britten had composed all during his youth. The Simple Symphony begins with the Boisterous Bourrée, starting with a bold heavily accented theme that is passed around in a fugue-like manner and makes way for a calmer theme and hints of pizzicato that help lead into the second movement. The Playful Pizzicato consists of only pizzicato notes and this light-hearted movement emphasises the liveliness of much of Britten’s work and is followed by an emotionally evoking Sarabande with a rich texture that brings out the resonant colours of all the strings. The final movement concludes the symphony with contrasts of the many moods explored in the first three movements ending with powerful
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