The five ''Canticles'' constitute a series of five musical works by composer Benjamin Britten. The pieces were written at various points in his career, with three of them written as memorials. Instrumentation differs on each piece, and several are based on non-sacred texts. A review in ''Opera Today'' notes, "Britten didn't draw upon the Scriptures for the texts of his canticles, which resemble

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s more than church hymns in scale and structure, but an intense religious spirit pervades them all."Anderson, David (March 8, 2005)
BRITTEN: Canticles I–V, The Heart of the Matter.
'' Opera Today'' Critic Peter Evans notes the works contain a "mood of spiritual elevation intense enough to demand realization in an ambitious musical structure."Evans, Peter (1996).'' The Music of Benjamin Britten,'' p. 402. Clarendon Press,

''Canticles''

*''Canticle I: My beloved is mine and I am his'', Op. 40. was written in 1947 for the memorial concert for Dick Sheppard, former vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The lyrics are from "A Divine Rapture" by Francis Quarles, based on The Song of Solomon in the Bible.Ford, Boris (1996). ''Benjamin Britten's poets: the poetry he set to music.'' Carcanet, It is scored for high voice and piano. *'' Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac''. Op. 51, was written in 1952 for Peter Pears, Kathleen Ferrier and Britten to perform as a fundraiser for the English Opera Group. The text is based on the Abraham and Isaac story as depicted in the Chester Mystery Plays.Seymour, Claire (2007). ''The operas of Benjamin Britten: expression and evasion.'' Boydell Press, *'' Canticle III: "Still falls the rain"'', Op. 55, was written for voice, horn, and piano in 1954 in memory of Australian pianist

Noel Mewton-Wood Noel Mewton-Wood (20 November 19225 December 1953) was an Australian-born concert pianist who achieved international fame on the basis of many distinguished concerto recordings during his short life. Life and career Born in Melbourne, he studied ...

. Text is based on the 1941 Edith Sitwell poem of the same title. *'' Canticle IV: "The Journey of the Magi"'', Op. 86, was written in 1971 for

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

, tenor and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

, with text based on the

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

poem "

The Journey of the Magi "Journey of the Magi" is a 43-line poem written in 1927 by T. S. Eliot (1888–1965). It is one of five poems that Eliot contributed for a series of 38 pamphlets by several authors collectively titled the Ariel Poems and released by the Brit ...

."Johnson, Graham; Odam, George (2003). ''Britten, voice, & piano: Lectures on the vocal music of Benjamin Britten.'' Ashgate, *''Canticle V: The Death of Saint Narcissus'', Op. 89, was written in 1974 in memory of William Plomer. It was written for performance by Peter Pears and harpist

Osian Ellis Osian or Osiyan may refer to: * Osian art fund, an arts fund started in Mumbai (2010). *Osian, Jodhpur, a city in Rajasthan, India * Osiyan, Unnao, a village in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India * Osian (name), a name common in Wales, derived f ...

.Craggs, Stewart R. (2002). ''Benjamin Britten: a bio-bibliography.'' Greenwood Publishing Group,

References

External links

Britten: Five Canticles
via Hyperion Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Canticles, Five Compositions by Benjamin Britten 1947 compositions 1952 compositions 1954 compositions 1971 compositions 1974 compositions Vocal musical compositions