Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten is a short canon in A minor, written in… Read Full Bio ↴Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten is a short canon in A minor, written in 1977 by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, for string orchestra and bell. The work is an early example of Pärt's tintinnabuli style, which he based on his reactions to early chant music. Its appeal is often ascribed to its relative simplicity; a single melodic motif dominates and it both begins and ends with scored silence. However, as the critic Ivan Hewett observes, while it "may be simple in concept...the concept produces a tangle of lines which is hard for the ear to unravel. And even where the music really is simple in its audible features, the expressive import of those features is anything but." A typical performance lasts about six and a half minutes.
The cantus was composed as an elegy to mourn the December 1976 death of the English composer Benjamin Britten. Pärt greatly admired Britten, whom he described as possessing the "unusual purity" that he himself sought as a composer. Pärt viewed the Englishman as a kindred spirit; however, he gained access to the latter's music only in 1980, after emigrating from Soviet Estonia to Austria, four years after Britten had died. When Britten died, Pärt felt that he had lost hope of meeting the only contemporary composer whose musical outlook, he believed, resembled his own.
Although Pärt is known primarily for his religious music, Cantus is a fully secular work, in that it forms a spare lament to a fellow composer not based on biblical texts. It is perhaps Pärt's most popular piece, and a 1997 recording by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra conducted by Tamas Benedekand has been widely distributed. Due to its evocative and cinematic feel, the piece has been used extensively as background accompaniment in both film and television documentaries.
The cantus was composed as an elegy to mourn the December 1976 death of the English composer Benjamin Britten. Pärt greatly admired Britten, whom he described as possessing the "unusual purity" that he himself sought as a composer. Pärt viewed the Englishman as a kindred spirit; however, he gained access to the latter's music only in 1980, after emigrating from Soviet Estonia to Austria, four years after Britten had died. When Britten died, Pärt felt that he had lost hope of meeting the only contemporary composer whose musical outlook, he believed, resembled his own.
Although Pärt is known primarily for his religious music, Cantus is a fully secular work, in that it forms a spare lament to a fellow composer not based on biblical texts. It is perhaps Pärt's most popular piece, and a 1997 recording by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra conducted by Tamas Benedekand has been widely distributed. Due to its evocative and cinematic feel, the piece has been used extensively as background accompaniment in both film and television documentaries.
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Jovan Pavloski Pavljikj
nenasitni budale ?
@mariefrancoise12
so emotional. intense. I dance to this often. the build up (alas, I'm not a musician so don't know the proper terms) of music perfectly mirrors the overwhelming feelings inside, I cannot keep still. Sudden silence, eternal peace.
Emily Dickinson said it best:
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses’ Heads
Were toward Eternity –
@stolen-moments
When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.
@MrNighNight
One of the saddest things I've ever read in my entire life.
@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole
Epic. Also, this is A-minor, and i always felt A-note to be of epic or grandiose proportions. A blue-violet color with shape of a looking-glass.
@davepowell7168
Arvo is still here!
@thomastallerico6340
A beautiful reflection. Thanks for sharing.
@willhovell9019
When a young person dies , a life incomplete, however fulfilled. Chloe Carr Lynch 1983 to 21st April 2023 mother of 3 girls and beloved daughter. RIP too sad for words
@isaiahdietz727
The end, for me, was a unbelievably loud silence, and, after almost 8 minutes of constant sound, which was my companion, I was then forced to reflect, alone.
However, YouTube decided that the two, un-skippable ads that played at the beginning of the video weren't enough, and bombarded my tranquility with yet another two ads, which left me temporarily unable to appreciate the magnificence of this piece.
Music: 10/10
YouTube: 0/10
@georgealderson4424
It makes you want to retaliate doesn't it? Haha
@meowmer3854
@@georgealderson4424 yes you are ✔. And how are you??