Spring Symphony


Spring Symphony is a choral symphony by Benjamin Britten, his Opus 44. The work is scored for soprano, alto and tenor soloists, mixed choir, boys' choir and orchestra. Britten used texts of several poems related to spring, mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries and also one by W. H. Auden. Britten dedicated the work to Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The work received its premiere in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on 14 July 1949 as part of the Holland Festival

History

Britten composed Spring Symphony on a commission by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation. He wrote it for soprano, alto and tenor soloists, mixed choir, boys' choir and orchestra. He used poetry chiefly from the 16th and 17th century, by Edmund Spenser, John Clare and George Peele, among others, and also the 20th century poem 'Out on the lawn I lie in bed' by W. H. Auden. In the composer's own words, the work represents "the progress of Winter to Spring and the reawakening of the earth and life which that means".
The choral symphony was premiered in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, on Thursday 14 July 1949 as part of the Holland Festival, when the composer was age 35. At the premiere, the soloists were soprano Jo Vincent, contralto Kathleen Ferrier, and tenor Peter Pears, with Eduard van Beinum conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Radio Choir, and the Boys' Chorus of St. Willibrord's Church, Utrecht. A recording of the performance survives and was issued by Decca in 1960. On 9 March 1950, van Beinum conducted the work at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Choir. The American premiere was by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in August 1950. In October 1950, Spring Symphony was performed at the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival with a choir of 100 boys.

Structure and music

Spring Symphony is made up of four parts, which correspond to the movements of a conventional symphony: Allegro with slow introduction, slow movement, scherzo, and finale. Part I begins with the dark and mysterious "Shine Out", a poem to the sun. Several more songs follow, including "The Driving Boy", sung by the boys' choir, at times whistling, with tambourine. The second part has several solos and quiet choruses and references to the month of May. The third part looks forward to May and then to summer. The Finale, "London, to thee I do present", comes to a climax when the entire chorus joins in a wordless, full-throated waltz representing the May revellers fortified by wine and ale. The climax of the movement is the moment when the children's voices, accompanied by unison French horns, re-enter the scene and sing the 13th century round "Sumer is icumen in". The simple tune, sung in time over the unyielding waltz of the rest of the ensemble, finally achieves dominance. Eventually the celebrations subside, and the Maylord then offers a final blessing with the proclamation: "And so, my friends, I cease."
The large orchestra includes triple woodwinds, two harps, and a large percussion section. Each song has its distinctive scoring, ranging from just first and second violins accompanying the tenor to full orchestra in the first and last songs. The last movement adds the call of a cow-horn, specifying a G, C, and F. The duration is given as 45 minutes.

Poems in the ''Spring Symphony''

The poems in the Spring Symphony are as follows:

Part 1

  1. Introduction: "Shine out"
  2. "The Merry Cuckoo"
  3. "Spring, the Sweet Spring"
  4. "The Driving Boy"
  5. "The Morning Star"

Part 2

  2. "Welcome, Maids of Honour"
  3. "Waters Above!"
  4. "Out on the lawn I lie in bed"

Part 3

  2. "When will my May come?"
  3. "Fair and fair"
  4. "Sound the flute!"

Part 4

  2. Finale: "London, to thee I do present"
  3. "Sumer is icumen in", simultaneously

Discography