Britten was born on 22nd November 1913 in Lowestoft in Suffolk, the son of a dentist and a talented amateur musician. He began composing prolifically as a child, and in 1927 began private lessons with Frank Bridge. He also studied, less happily, at the Royal College of Music under John Ireland and with some input from Ralph Vaughan Williams. Although ultimately held back by his parents (at the suggestion of College staff), Britten had also intended to study with Alban Berg in Vienna. His first compositions to attract wide attention were the Sinfonietta (op.1) and a set of choral variations "A Boy was Born", written in 1934 for the BBC Singers. The following year he met W. H. Auden with whom he collaborated on the song-cycle "Our Hunting Fathers", radical both in politics and musical treatment, and other works. Of more lasting importance was his meeting in 1936 with the tenor Peter Pears, who was to become his life-partner and musical collaborator. In early 1939 the two of them followed Auden to America. There Britten composed Paul Bunyan, his first opera (to a libretto by Auden), as well as the first of many song-cycles for Pears; the period was otherwise remarkable for a number of orchestral works, including Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (for string orchestra) and Sinfonia da Requiem (for full orchestra).
Britten and Pears returned to England in 1942, Britten completing the choral works Hymn to Saint Cecilia (his last collaboration with Auden) and A Ceremony of Carols during the long sea voyage. He had already begun work on his opera Peter Grimes, and its premiere at Sadler's Wells in 1945 was his greatest success so far. Britten was however encountering opposition from sectors of the English musical establishment and gradually withdrew from the London scene, founding the English Opera Group in 1947 and the Aldeburgh Festival the following year, partly (though not solely) to showcase his own works.
Grimes marked the start of a series of English operas, of which Billy Budd (1951) and The Turn of the Screw (1954) were particularly admired. These operas share common themes, with that of the 'outsider' particularly prevalent. Most feature such a character, excluded or misunderstood by society; often this is the protagonist, such as Peter Grimes and Owen Wingrave in their eponymous operas. An increasingly important influence was the music of the East, an interest fostered by a tour with Pears in 1957, when Britten was much struck by the music of the Balinese gamelan and by Japanese Noh plays. The fruits of this tour include the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas (1957) and the series of semi-operatic "Parables for Church Performance": Curlew River (1964), The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) and The Prodigal Son (1968). The greatest success of Britten's career was, however, the musically more conventional War Requiem, written for the opening of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral in 1962.
In the last decade or so of his life Britten suffered from increasing ill-health and his late works became progressively more sparse in texture. They include the opera Death in Venice (1973), the Suite on English Folk Tunes "A Time There Was" and Third String Quartet (1975), which drew on material from Death in Venice, as well as the dramatic cantata Phaedra (1976), written for Janet Baker. On 4th December 1976 Britten died of heart failure at his house in Aldeburgh, shortly after being made a life peer.
Music:
One of Britten's best known works is The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946), which was composed to accompany Instruments of the Orchestra, an educational film produced by the British government. It has the subtitle Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell, and takes a melody from Henry Purcell's Abdelazar as its central theme. Britten gives individual variations to each of the sections of the orchestra, starting with the woodwind, then the string instruments, the brass instruments and finally the percussion. Britten then brings the whole orchestra together again in a fugue before restating the theme to close the work. In the original film there was a spoken commentary, but this is often omitted in concert performances and recordings.
Britten was also an accomplished pianist, and sometimes performed at the piano in chamber music or accompanying lieder. However, apart from the Piano Concerto (1938) and the Diversions for piano and orchestra (written for Paul Wittgenstein in 1940), he wrote very little music for the instrument, and in a 1963 interview for the BBC said that he thought of it as "a background instrument".
One of Britten's solo works that has an indisputably central place in the repertoire of its instrument is his Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar (1964). This work is typically spare in his late style, and shows the depth of his life-long admiration for Elizabethan lute songs. The theme of the work, John Dowland's Come, Heavy Sleep, emerges in complete form at the close of eight variations, each variation based on some feature, frequently transient or ornamental, of the song or its lute accompaniment.
Reputation:
Britten's status as one of the greatest English composers of the 20th century is now secure among professional critics. In the 1930s he made a conscious effort to set himself apart from the English musical mainstream, which he regarded as complacent, insular and amateurish. Many critics of the time, in return, distrusted his facility, cosmopolitanism and admiration for composers, such as Mahler, Berg, and Stravinsky, not considered appropriate models for a young English musician. Even today, criticism of his music is apt to become entangled with consideration of his personality, politics and sexuality. The publication of Humphrey Carpenter's biography in 1992, with its revelations of Britten's often fraught social, professional and sexual relationships, has ensured that he will remain a controversial figure. For many musicians, however, his flawless technique, broad musical and human sympathies and ability to treat the most traditional of musical forms with freshness and originality places him near the head of composers of his generation.
Agnus Dei
Benjamin Britten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One ever hangs where shelled roads part.
In this war He too lost a limb,
But His disciples hide apart;
And now the Soldiers bear with Him.
Chorus:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Tenor:
Near Golgatha strolls many a priest,
And in their faces there is pride
That they were flesh-marked by the Beast
By whom the gentle Christ's denied.
Chorus:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem.
Tenor:
The scribes on all the people shove
and bawl allegiance to the state,
Chorus:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi...
Tenor:
But they who love the greater love
Lay down their life; they do not hate.
Chorus:
...Dona eis requiem.
Tenor:
Dona nobis pacem.
The lyrics of Benjamin Britten's Agnus Dei paint a picture of war, sacrifice, and the obstacles faced by those who love a higher power. The first verse describes a soldier who lost a limb and is now bearing the weight of his burden alongside his disciples. The line "One ever hangs where shelled roads part" refers to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who was also a victim of war and sacrifice.
The second verse speaks of priests who have been marked by the "Beast," a reference to the devil or the German army during the war. These priests, who should be followers of Christ's teachings of humility and love, instead exhibit pride and deny the gentle Christ. The scribes, who represent the government, demand allegiance from the people, while the ones who truly understand and embrace love are willing to sacrifice their lives without hating.
The final line "Dona nobis pacem" is a plea for peace. The entire piece is a reflection on the brutality of war and the need for love and peace to prevail.
Line by Line Meaning
One ever hangs where shelled roads part.
A crucifix stands as a reminder of the toll that war has taken in this area.
In this war He too lost a limb,
Christ, present in the suffering of the soldiers, has also been affected by war.
But His disciples hide apart;
The soldiers' desperation is reflected in the fact that Christ's followers are now keeping their faith hidden.
And now the Soldiers bear with Him.
The soldiers face the same pain and sacrifice as Christ.
Near Golgatha strolls many a priest,
Many religious figures pass by the site of the crucifixion.
And in their faces there is pride
These religious figures bear marks of the beast, indicating a willingness to betray Christ.
That they were flesh-marked by the Beast
Their physical brandings reveal their spiritual corruption.
By whom the gentle Christ's denied.
The evil presence that has marked these religious figures has resulted in them turning away from Christ.
The scribes on all the people shove
Those in authority use their power to control the masses.
and bawl allegiance to the state,
These authorities demand that the people prioritize their loyalty to the government over anything else.
But they who love the greater love
Those who are devoted to a higher calling,
Lay down their life; they do not hate.
are willing to sacrifice themselves without resentment.
Dona nobis pacem.
Grant us peace.
Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hermann Strasser
splendid interpretation! I sang this by myself some decades ago, being a soprano in a boy's choir and love this one very much!