Benjamin Britten’s Four Chamber Works for Oboe A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS (D.M.A.) in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music 2001 by Vincent Mark Biggam B.M., University of Cincinnati, 1981 MLM., Ohio University, 1983 Committee Chair: Dr. Robert ZierolfABSTRACT Benjamin Britten (1913-76) wrote four chamber works involving oboe. Two of these works were published during Britten's lifetime; the other two remained in virtual obscurity until after he died. The two published during his life, Phantasy, Opus 2 and Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Opus 49 were the first and the last of his oboe chamber works. They have different instrumentations, the first being for oboe, violin, viola and cello and the last being for unaccompanied oboe, and also span the course of almost twenty years between composition. The two other works, Two Insect Pieces and Temporal Variations, were published posthumously but were composed in close proximity of each other in 1935 and 1936, and both share the same instrumentation, oboe and piano. Britten paid homage to most of the oboists who first performed these works, except for Temporal Variations, by dedicating the work to them. Temporal Variations was dedicated to author Montagu Slater, a colleague of Britten and librettist for Peter Grimes. Montagu Slater was known for his left-wing writings. This document proposes to address the question of why the posthumously published works were not published during Britten's lifetime. ‘The disappearance of these works answers the question in part. Other answers are found through letters from Britten and also in his diary entries. This document also addresses the history behind the works Britten had published, through accounts of their popularity and first performances. Phantasy was a work of a young composer still in his last year of college, whereas Six Metamorphoses after Ovid was composed when Britten was in the midst of his illustrious career. Along with the historical accounts, full detailed analyses give equal legitimacy to all four of the works. These analyses include a recent orchestration of the Temporal Variations by Colin Matthews.© 2001 Mark Biggam Alll Rights ReservedAcknowledgements The author would like to thank the following people for their special assistance in this document: Dr. Jenny Doctor and Kieron Cooke (Britten-Pearé Library) Lady Evelyn Barbirolli Dr. Robert Zierolf Dr. Mark Ostoich Philip West Phantasy, Opus 2, © 1935 in U.S.A. by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd. and Six Metamorphoses, Op. 49, © 1952 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd., are reprinted by permission of Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. Two Insect Pieces (1935), Temporal Variations (1936), and Temporal Variations, orchestration by Colin Matthews (1993), are reprinted by permission of Faber Music.To the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Frederick Biggam, Jr. the driving forces in this document's completion.Preface A curiosity pertaining to the four chamber works for oboe by Benjamin Britten is that two were published during his life and two were published posthumously. Were the two published works, Phantasy, Op.2 and Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Opus 49 seemingly more worthy of publication in Britten's eyes than the other two? Was there a reason why Britten did not publish (or want to publish) the Two Insect Pieces or Temporal Variations? Chamber music featuring oboe has been a relatively neglected oeuvre of most prodigious composers from the Baroque period up through the twentieth century, yet Britten composed four of them, in varying mediums. His impetus for writing these works, however, is not always because of his necessity to write in a particular medium (for instance, the oboe and string medium of Phantasy, Op. 2), but sometimes because of his personal acquaintances and events (Two Insect Pieces, Six Metamorphoses, and possibly Temporal Variations). This thesis proposes to address these issues through examination of Britten's early life, performers directly and indirectly involved with the inception of these works, and detailed musical analyses by the author. The historical and biographical documentation is vital in answering the questions regarding his inspiration for the works and, more importantly, the mysteries regarding the posthumous publications. The detailed analysis,coming from my perspective and occasionally verified through outside source material, provides validity to the equal worth of the four works. I will examine each work separately by chapter in chronological order. However, I will examine the two posthumous publications in a single chapter since they both share traits of medium and historical significance. The result of historical and analytical examinations is that both scholars and performers gain more insight on a topic that is somewhat neglected in many of the main source materials on Britten. For scholars, this document provides a singular source for Britten's oboe music and further source references. For performers, this document provides information that will enlighten and perhaps enhance their performing experience.TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Musical Examples.. The Accounts of Benjamin Britten's Early Career ... 1933-36... 1937-44 1944-52. Dedicatees of Britten's Oboe Works and Prominent British Oboists 14 Britten and British Oboists of the Twentieth Century .. .14 Montagu Slater . 19 Phantasy, Op. 2. 22 Historical Background. 22 Introductory Remarks to the Analysis. 27 A Section. 28 B Section. 1 C Section... . 36 The return of the B Section. 42 The return of the A Sectior 43, Other Writings on Phantasy, Op. 2 45 The Posthumous Publications... 50 Historical Accounts on Two Insect Pieces and Temporal Variations The Posthumous Publications - Analysi ‘Two Insect Pieces- Introductory Remarks to the Analysi The Grasshopper .. ‘The Wasp Articles on Temporal Variations and the Meaning of "Temporal" Temporal Variations - Introductory Remarks to the Analysis a) 58 58 . 60 . 67 72 74 1. Theme. 76 IL. Oration -79 81 83 . 86. VI. Chorale. . 88. VIL. Waltz 0 VIII. Polka .. IX. Resolution Temporal Variations, Orchestration by Colin Matthews (1993) 94 . 96 98Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op. 49... Historical Background... The Subtitles of Six Metamorphoses. Six Metamorphoses - Introductory Remarks to the Analysi Pan Narcissus Arethusa . Conclusion .... Discography. Bibliography...List of Musical Examples Phantasy, Opus 2 Ex. 1-1 Cello mm. 7-8 Viola mm. 9-10 Ex.1-2 Violin mm. 15-16 Ex. 1-3 Oboe statements mm. 24-28, 29-34, 37-40, 46-50 Ex.1-4 Strings (reduced) mm. 53-54 Ex.1-5 Cello mm, 61-65, Viola mm. 64-67, Violin mm. 66-71 Ex.1-6 Violin and Viola mm. 73-76, Oboe mm. 103-4 Ex.1-7 Cello mm. 104-09 Ex.1-8 Oboe mm. 138-45 Ex.1-9 Oboe-Violin-Viola mm. 229-34 Ex. 1-10 Viola mm. 206-10 Ex.1-11 Violin mm. 244-50 Ex.1-12 Violin mm. 262-65 Ex. 1-13 Viola mm, 307-08, Cello mm. 308-11 Ex. 1-14 Oboe statements mm. 384-88, 392-98 Ex. 1-15 reduced ensemble mm. 412-13 The Posthumous Publications Two Insect Pieces Ex.2-1 The Wasp-Oboe mm. 3-10 Ex.2-2 The Wasp-Piano mm. 1-2 Ex.2-8 The Wasp-Piano mm. 42-44 Ex.2-4 The Wasp-Obve and Piano mm. 51-53 Ex. 2 ‘The Wasp-Piano 56-65 Ex.2-6 The Wasp-Oboe and Piano (outline) m. 66, m. 69, m. 72, m. 79 Ex.2-7 The Grasshopper-Oboe and Piano mm. 58-59 (final measures) Ex.2-8 The Grasshopper-Oboe mm. 6-10 Ex.2-9 The Grasshopper—Oboe and Piano mm. 38-39 Temporal Variations Ex. 2-10 Theme-Oboe mm. 1-4 Ex. 2-11 Theme—Harmonic mutation (Piano) mm. 1-2, mm. 3-5, mm. 6-9, mm, 10-11, m. 12 Ex.2-12 Theme-Oboe mm. 13-15 Ex. 2-13 Theme-Oboe and Piano mm. 19-21 Ex.2-14 Oration-Oboe m. 25 Ex.2-15 Oration-Oboe mm. 32-35 Ex.2-16 March-Oboe and Piano mm. 45-48 Ex.2-17 March-Piano mm. 56-57, Oration mm. 29-34 Ex.2-18 March-Chord outline mm. 60-62, mm. 63-65, m. 66, m. 67 Ex.2-19 Exercises-Oboe and Piano (reduced) mm. 84-85, mm. 103-05 Ex.2-20 Exercises~Oboe and Piano mm. 118-20 Ex.2-21 Commination-Piano mm. 138-39 3Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. . 2-22 . 2-23 2-24 . 2-25, . 2-26, 2-27 . 2-28, . 2-29 Chorale—Piano mm.151, 166, 154, 164 Chorale—Oboe and Piano mm. 158-61 Waltz—Oboe and Piano mm. 171-75 Waltz—Oboe mm. 179,189 Waltz—Oboe mm. 204-08 Polka—Oboe and Piano mm. 3-10 Polka—Piano mm. 271-72 Resolution—Piano mm. 311-12 Temporal Variations, Orchestration by Colin Matthews Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex, Ex. Ex, Ex. Ex. Ex. . 2-30 . 2-31 . 2-32, . 2-33 . 2-84 . 2-35, . 2-36, . 2-37 . 2-38 . 2-39 ‘Theme-Strings mm. 1-2 (with piano reduction) Oration-Strings mm. 25-26 (with piano reduction) March-Violins 1 and 2 mm. 45-46 (with piano reduction) March—Violas mm. 45-46 (with piano reduction) March-Violins 1 and 2 mm. 76-79 (with piano reduction) Exercises—Violins and 2 mm. 118-20 (with piano reduction) Commination-Violins m. 131 (with piano reduction) Chorale- Violins mm. 148-51 (with piano reduction) Waltz Violins mm. 191-93 (with piano reduction) Polka-Violins mm. 271-73 (with piano reduction) Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex, Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex, Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex. . 8-1 . 8-2 . 8-3 8-4, 8-5 . 3-6 . 8-7 . 3-8 . 3-9 . 8-10 . 8-11 . 8-12, . 3-13, 8-14 . 8-15, . 3-16, . 8-17 . 3-18, . 8-19 . 3-20 Pan—Tetrachord outlines of mm. 1, 3 Phaeton—Chordal outlines mm. 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13-15, 16-18 Phaeton— mm. 16-18 Phaeton—mm. 1, 28 Phaeton-mm. 31,33 Phaeton—Last measure Niobe-mm. 1-2 Niobe— mm. 3-5 Niobe- mm. 18-20 with harmonic/contrapuntal outline Bacchus— mm. 1-2 Bacchus~ m. 7 Bacchus~ mm. 42-44 Bacchus— mm. 45-49 with Roman numeral analysis Narcissus—m. 11 Narcissus-mm. 12-14 Narcissus-mm. 24-26 Arethusa-mm, 23-27 Arethusa-mm, 32-33 Arethusa—mm, 42-46 Arethusa-mm. 54-61The Accounts of Benjamin Britten's Early Career A brief biographical sketch of Benjamin Britten's life from 1933 to 1952 will be presented to focus on the activities of Britten's life during the time that he wrote his oboe chamber works. This prose will demonstrate, initially, the significance of these works published during Britten's life as they relate to important events surrounding them. Also, it will involve political and musical events that have relevance on the posthumous works. This document will expound on more specific historical information regarding all four of the works in subsequent chapters by each specific work. This historical overview spans from Britten's last years in college in the early 1980s to the time in which he was heavily involved in opera production and composition in the early ‘50s. Although there is a period of more than 15 years where Britten wrote no oboe chamber music, the events during that period help to explain the inception of Six Metamorphoses, the last of the works. General biographical information on Britten used in this chapter comes specifically from the biographies by Michael Oliver! and Humphrey Carpenter? with additional facts from Letters from a Life, Vol 2.3 1 Michael Oliver, Benjamin Britten, (London: Phaeton Press Limited, 1996). 2 Humphrey Carpenter, Benjamin Britten A Biography, (New York: Scribner's Sons, 1992). 3 Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, eds., Letters from a Life, Vol. 1, 1923-1939 (Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press, 1991). 51933-36 Britten's career as a professional composer had already begun before he had finished his education at the Royal College of Music in London. By the time he was graduated in December, 1933, he had already completed a few of his important early works, and some had already been acclaimed by way of being awarded prizes and public and broadcast performances. In 1931 he won the Ernest Farrar Prize for composition; he won this prize a second time in July, 1933. Phantasy, Opus 2 for oboe and strings, was composed late in 1932, the year in which he won the Cobbett Prize for his Phantasy for string quintet in July. 1933 was important for Britten due to BBC broadcast performances of three of his works: Phantasy in February, Phantasy, Opus 2 in August, and Sinfonietta, Opus 1 in September. In addition to the numerous recitals of his works, he also conducted a performance of Sinfonietta on March 16, 1933.4 Meanwhile, he was working on other new pieces including A Boy was Born, Opus 3 and Three Two-Part Songs, as well as applying to have his works performed at the annual ISCM (International Society of Contemporary Music) Festival.® With so many irons in the fire, it seems ludicrous to dismiss his most important chamber work for oboe of the early period, Phantasy, Opus 2, as a 4 Mitchell and Reed, 139, 8 Carpenter, 54.mere student work: he was as prolific a composer as any older established ones. The timeline between Britten's compositions for oboe overlap a bit for the first three pieces, with the last one, Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, for solo oboe, occurring nearly 5 years after Temporal Variations of 1936. Though there is a brief period between Phantasy, composed in 1932, and the next, Two Insect Pieces for oboe and piano from 1935, the promotion of Phantasy occurred over a period of two-and-a-half years and was finally published in the same year Two Insect Pieces was written. Britten was eager to begin a career as professional composer and wanted not to have to resort to teaching to earn a living, as his teacher John Ireland did. He was able to achieve gainful employment with the GPO (General Post Office) Film Unit in 1935 through the recommendation from his school and Edward Clark of the BBC. For the next few years, Britten was a regular composer for GPO Film Unit, a company that produced documentary films. Britten demonstrated a great deal of skill in composing for the film medium: "Far more time was needed for the laborious process of editing, ensuring the precise synchronization of music, words and images. Britten's talents for this extremely exacting work was greatly respected by his colleagues."? * Oliver, 46. ‘Ibid. , 54.During his tenure at the GPO Film Unit, Britten wrote music for other companies producing film documentaries. He also wrote music for the BBC and theater companies, where he became acquainted with author, Montagu Slater, the dedicatee of Temporal Variations. Britten's friend, Sylvia Spencer, the first performer and dedicatee of Two Insect Pieces was a frequent oboist in the film documentaries of the GPO Film Unit. More important, however, are the influences of people not at all involved with the oboe works, namely W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood. These two writers, also affiliated in some capacity with the GPO, shaped Britten's attitudes on musical, political, social and sexual matters. Along with Slater, Britten collaborated with these writers not only on the film set, but also in theatrical productions. Britten was exposed to the avant- garde theatre company, Group Theatre, and wrote music for its production of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.® Auden and Isherwood were openly gay, a lifestyle not accepted at that time in England. Certainly this, too, had an effect on Britten, who held Auden in high esteem intellectually: "[Auden and Isherwood] seem to have taken it upon themselves to draw Britten out into an acknowledgment of his own sexuality."* Most important, these intellects engaged in socialist, anti-war, and other leftist ideology. Britten was drawn into this since many of the GPO STbid. , 48.films for which he wrote dealt with these subjects. The biography by Oliver further states that Britten "had been a convinced pacifist since his school days, perhaps partly due to the influence of Frank Bridge, who was haunted by memories of World War I and of the friends who died in it."° Regarding the 1936 civil war in Spain, Carpenter quotes from Britten's diary: One thing is certain,” Britten noted amid conflicting reports of atrocities on both sides, "that the Fascists are executing hundreds (literally) of Popular Front or Communist members~including many boys of 14-16 . . "To his mother he wrote four days later "But what about the fascists lining up alll the little Popular Front boys against a wall & putting the machine guns on them? Imagine English boys of 14 even knowing what Popular Front means-much less dying for it." ‘These passions of Britten help to explain a possible premise behind Temporal Variations, his last work of 1936, and his last work for oboe until after World War II. Britten's penultimate work of that year, excluding film scores, was Our Hunting Fathers, Opus 8. This work, with percussion and brass that depict death, firmly establishes Britten's despair regarding the upcoming war. Furthermore, the text is poignant and reflects that attitude. In referring to the work, "Donald Mitchell has pointed out that Britten has organised the words so that, when the dance fades away, the singer whispers them [the names of the hawk in the Ravenscroft's poem] together'German 8 Thid. , 48-49. 1 bid. , 54. 1 Diary entry (D 24 July 1936) quoted from Carpenter, 88. 9Jew.' This may have been Auden's idea, but Britten was fully aware of what was happening in Germany."!? Thus, previous to Temporal Variations, Britten, still in his twenties and beginning a promising career, was confronting a variety of external issues that he consciously or unconsciously reflects in the compositions of that time. 1987-44 Though Britten wrote no chamber works for oboe during this period, some of his most famous pieces were composed then, notably Les Illuminations (1939), his first String Quartet (1941), and A Ceremony of Carols (1942). This period is relevant to the oboe works due to his travel to the United States, where he carried the manuscripts of Two Insect Pieces and Temporal Variations. He left these manuscripts behind upon his return to England early in 1942.13 During this period, Britten's Paul Bunyan also enjoyed performances in the U.S. This work is his first operatic stage work, though is considered by Oliver as an "operetta for Broadway" with the text by Auden.!* 1 Carpenter, 88. 19 Further elaboration can be found in The Posthumous Publications pp. 50-57. ¥ Oliver, 85. 101944-52 Britten's focus at this point was on operatic composition. Though he continued occasionally writing instrumental music for the rest of his life, his emphasis was vocal music, marked by his first major opera, Peter Grimes. I find it important to follow the path of circumstances involving his first operas to understand the inception of the famous Aldeburgh Festival, where Six Metamorphoses after Ovid was eventually premiered. Newspaper critics in England deemed the 1945 premiere of Peter Grimes a huge success. It took place at the newly refurbished Sadler's Wells ‘Theater, and later in continental Europe and the United States. Oliver's biography on Britten states that the success of Peter Grimes’ at Sadler's Wells caused a dilemma regarding future repertoire selection for that company, Producer Eric Crozier and Joan Cross wanted to continue billing new British operas, whereas others in the company wanted to update standard operatic repertoire. This disagreement led to the resignations of Crozier, Cross, and Britten's partner, tenor, Peter Pears!. Meanwhile, Britten, even while Peter Grimes was in production, began work on his next opera, The Rape of Lucretia. Crozier had the idea to approach the Glyndebourne Festival about producing operas during the summer months."6 This resulted in a short-lived Glyndebourne English Opera Company, where such notable personalities as conductor Ernest °5 Oliver, 124. 16 Carpenter, 236. 11Ansermet were involved in the first production of The Rape of Lucretia. The productions of this opera were not well received by the critics, and though it was an attempt to build an opera on a smaller scale, it failed financially. John Christie, the proprietor of Glyndebourne, did not care for the music or words and refused to fund another venture of that sort.17 Britten and Crozier then decided to form their own independent opera company, the English Opera Group, in which Britten's next opera, Albert Herring, would premiere in 1947.18 The English Opera Group is where Britten first encountered oboist Joy Boughton.!° Though Albert Herring was a success, Britten and Pears still sought a festival where the English Opera Group could perform chamber operas like Albert Herring. They found the small sea resort of Aldeburg the perfect place to take up residence for such a venture. After a warm reception by Aldeburg town officials, an arts council was established there to assist in funding the first Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. It lasted eight days and quickly became immensely popular. It featured not only opera, but chamber vocal and instrumental music, and featured Britten's music as well as works by many other British composers.” It would be on the fourth Aldeburgh Festival of 1951 that Joy Boughton premiered Britten's Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Opus 49. ¥ Oliver, 125-31. ‘Ibid. , 131. 8 see Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Historical Background, pp. 113-16. 2 Oliver, 133-37. 12Though this was a fruitful period for Britten's operatic works, some of his most famous instrumental and non-operatic works were also composed, notably the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings (1943) and Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946). Other instrumental works from this period are the second String Quartet (1945) and Lachrymae for viola and piano. Both Lachrymae and Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra are works utilizing variation techniques that Britten had explored with his earlier works, Temporal Variations and Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. Britten's life after his college years encompassed periods of political rebellion and social self-awareness. At the same time, he was establishing himself as a composer with a unique statement to give to early twentieth- century music, The company he kept apparently influenced these social and musical ideals, As a result, Britten would incorporate the talents of these colleagues and would involve them in his projects. Their involvement can be seen directly, such as Auden's participation in Paul Bunyan, or indirectly, such as the dedication of Temporal Variations to Montagu Slater. 13Dedicatees of Britten's Oboe Works and Prominent British Oboists Britten and British Oboists of the Twentieth Century British oboists of the early twentieth century must have inspired and/or influenced Britten to write for the oboe, since he dedicated all of his oboe chamber works except for Temporal Variations to oboists. These are oboists who had either worked with Britten on with other projects or were/are prominent oboists of their time. Most of these oboists had some connection with the great oboist and pedagogue, Léon Goossens. Brief biographical sketches of these prominent British oboists, who either premiered the works, or carried through with the legacy of his works by way of concerts or recordings, will be examined in order to emphasize their importance in the promotion of these works. The list that follows is by no means a comprehensive roster of all prominent twentieth-century British oboists who have performed and/or recorded Britten's music or those who may have had dealings with Britten and the oboe works, but it is fairly representative and includes the most important figures. Oboists throughout the world consider Léon Goossens (1897-1988) the father of twentieth-century British oboe playing. He was one of many musicians in his family, with the most famous being his brother, Eugene. Sir Eugene Goossens was one of the most noteworthy British conductors of the twentieth century. Also a composer, he wrote a one-movement concerto for 14Léon. Other family members include two sisters, Marie and Sidonie, who both played harp, and Adolphe, another brother, who played horn, and was killed in World War 1.21 Not only was Léon the top-rated oboist of his time, he also produced many noteworthy students who have continued the British oboe style. Additionally, he was responsible for many of the finest British masterpieces for oboe of the twentieth century, notably Vaughan-Williams's Oboe Concerto and Britten's Phantasy quartet. Undoubtedly, Britten must have been pleased when Goossens, the oboe professor of his school, consented to play the first performances of Phantasy, which were broadcast on BBC. Goossens also played the first tour of Phantasy, at the ISCM Festival in Florence in 1934. Listed and briefly described are students of Goossens who are, or have been, directly or indirectly involved with Britten's oboe works. An important fact is that these students were all women in a time when men dominated the profession. In fact, Lady Evelyn Barbirolli and Natalie Caine were the first women oboists of the London Symphony Orchestra, Lady Barbirolli as assistant principal and Natalie Caine performing as cor anglais.” Lady Evelyn Barbirolli (nee Rothwell) is arguably the best known student of Goossens, as well as the wife of conductor Sir John Barbirolli. She 21 The Daily Telegraph, 15 February 1988 quoted from "Léon Goosens Memoriam." The Double Reed 11, no. 1 (Spring 1988): 16. ® Lady Evelyn Barbirolli, Telephone conversation with Mark Biggam. March 3, 2000. 15is especially noted for her pedagogical books and orchestral anthologies for oboe. She was a long-time friend of Britten and attended the Royal College shortly before he did. Though he wrote no works for her, she was an active recitalist and proponent of his music. She was the first oboist to play his Sinfonietta, and in fact, Lady Barbirolli recalls assisting Britten in gathering orchestra personnel for the first reading of that work at the Royal College. Though she never recorded his music, she consulted with him on a number of occasions regarding performance practices of his works. Unfortunately, she retired before having a chance to perform Temporal Variations or Two Insect Pieces. Joy Boughton (1913-63) was the famous oboist to whom Britten dedicated Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, and she premiered it in 1951. She had previously worked with Britten, playing oboe in the first years of the Aldeburg Festival, and performed with the English Opera Group that Britten founded. Therefore, it stands to reason that she was the oboist for the premieres of The Rape of Lucretia and Albert Herring. She played with the Aldeburg Festival after the premiere of Six Metamorphoses and was the oboist in the Venice premiere of Turn of the Screw in 1954. She also performed the first radio broadcasts of Six Metamorphoses in October 1952 and December 1953.” %3 Thid. 24 Sarah Francis, "Joy Boughton - A Portrait compiled by Sarah Francis," The Double Reed, Vol. 17, No. 3, Winter, 1994: 63-66. 16Janet Craxton (1929-81) was an important proponent of Britten's music though he did not dedicate any works to her. She was the oboist who ultimately gave the public premiere of Two Insect Pieces in 1979 and the second performance of Temporal Variations in 1980, shortly before her untimely death. She was also apparently responsible for Britten's revisions of Six Metamorphoses, requesting an alternate ending to "Arethusa." According to Lady Evelyn Barbirolli, Craxton also made one of the first recordings of Six Metamorphoses on the EMI label (now out of print), of which Britten assisted her with the preparation.2® Natalie James (nee Caine) was a student of Léon Goossens. Ms. Caine is also known as the wife of famed English bassoonist, Cecil James. She and Lady Evelyn Barbirolli were oboists with the Glyndebourne Festival in the mid-'30s, about the time of the composition of Temporal Variations.** During this time she played with the London Symphony Orchestra. Though she gave the first performance of Temporal Variations in 1936, it was not dedicated to her. Sylvia Spencer (1909-78) was the oboist for whom Britten wrote Two Insect Pieces. According to Lady Barbirolli, Ms. Spencer, though actively performing in her earlier years, was never an established professional oboist in the same class as, for instance, Goossens or Lady Barbirolli herself. However, her role in Britten's oboe works is important. A letter is preserved % Lady Evelyn Barbirolli, Letter to Mark Biggam. TLS, February 20, 2000. 17from Britten to Ms. Spencer, describing the pieces and mentioning an enigmatic "suite for oboe and strings" as well as his intention of writing three more insect pieces. Britten was acquainted with her through a previous performance of Phantasy Quartet with the Griller Quartet (December 4, 1934). In 1936, she was also involved with the film recording sessions with Britten at the GPO Film Unit.27 Nicholas Daniel and Sarah Francis are two current-day British oboists who have been involved directly or indirectly with Britten and his chamber works for oboe. Nicholas Daniel is the most recorded British oboe virtuoso of the 1990s to the present. His contributions to the oboe world include premieres of new works by British composers, including John Tavener, Diana Burrell, and Howard Skempton.? Daniel is the oboist responsible for persuading composer and Britten scholar Colin Matthews to orchestrate Temporal Variations. Mr. Daniel has also recently recorded that orchestration with conductor Steuart Bedford and the Northern Sinfonia.2° Sarah Francis currently teaches at Britten's alma mater, the Royal College of Music, and studied with Terrence MacDonagh and Pierre Pierlot.% She knew Joy Boughton for all of her life and wrote the brilliant biographical 28 Thid. 2 Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, eds., Letters from a Life, Vol. 1, 70. 28 "Nicholas Daniel, oboe". http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artists/daniel.html (20 Feb. 2000). 29 Benjamin Britten. Temporal Variations. Nicholas Daniel, Oboe, Steuart Bedford, Conductor, Northern Sinfonia. Collins Classics. 15262. 1998, % "Sarah Francis, oboe". http://www. hyperion-records.co.uk/artists/sfrancis.html (20 Feb. 2000). 18article on Ms. Boughton's life in The Double Reed.*! Her parents were part of achamber group with Joy Boughton, who eventually became involved with the English Opera Group and, subsequently, the first Aldeburg Festivals.5? Ms. Francis has also performed and recorded the oboe concerto by Ms. Boughton's father, composer Rutland Boughton.* She has been a champion of Britten's music and recorded all of his chamber works. She actually conferred with both Britten and Ms. Boughton before making her first recording of Six Metamorphoses in the 1960s. Afterward, Britten invited her to play at the Aldeburg Festival.4 Montagu Slater Montagu Slater was the dedicatee of Temporal Variations. Of all of Britten's oboe chamber works, Temporal Variations is the only one not dedicated to an oboist. Those who are well acquainted with Britten's operas are familiar with the name Montagu Slater, the librettist for Peter Grimes. Britten's affiliation with Slater began several years before that opera, which Britten began writing in 1944. Britten had worked with Slater during the years he composed film music for the G.P.O. Film Unit. More specifically, Britten wrote music for productions of the Left Theater, of which Slater, a 31 See Six Metamorphoses-Historical Background pp. 113-16. % Francis. 88 "Sarah Francis, oboe". http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artists/sfrancis.html (20 Feb. 2000). % Benjamin Britten, Music for Oboe and Piano, Sarah Francis, oboe and Michael Dussek, piano. 66776, Hyperion Records, 1995. 19writer and playwright, produced his most famous works, including Stay Down, Miner and Easter 1916.35 Slater was an author of all types of prose. He wrote journal articles, screenplays, and reviews. Slater was known for his left-wing activities, of which Britten was a part of for a while during the mid- to-late '30s. Britten was apparently displeased with Slater's libretto for Peter Grimes, thus there were no further collaborations between them. Had Britten revised Temporal Variations ,** it will never be known if he would have changed the dedication due to this disagreement. It seems odd also that Britten did not dedicate Temporal Variations to Natalie Caine, the oboist of the work's first performance, or at least to Adolph Hallis, the pianist of the first performance, who also sponsored the concert. For all the other works for oboe, his dedication was always to the oboist who first performed the work. Nevertheless, the Britten and Slater relationship in the mid-1930s involved collaborations on projects dealing with political skepticism. Perhaps this may shed light on the serious connotation of Temporal Variations, that being the state of political affairs of pre-war England, and a cause for which Britten and Slater both had shared passions and dissolution. Still, Britten had professional and social dealings with other left-wing intellects including Auden and Isherwood during this time. In fact, in late 1936 most of the Britten's accounts center around Auden, not Slater. Though 35 "Montagu Slater, A British Author." The New York Times. 22 December 1956: 19. 20Britten worked on a film, Mother Courage, with Slater in November, most of his film work that year involved collaborations with Auden. Auden was also the poet of Britten's most outspoken work, Our Hunting Fathers, Opus 8, in which the symbolic content reflects the current onset of war. It seems odd that Auden was not the chosen dedicatee for Temporal Variations since that work and Opus 8 were written around the same time. The twentieth-century British oboists noted above achieved some sort of acclaim either in England or throughout the world by virtue of their mastery of oboe playing. One would be hard-pressed to list their repertoire without including Britten's works. Their contributions to the works, whether it be through performance or merely by dedication, has promoted these works to the acceptance of oboists worldwide. Since he was not an oboist, Montagu Slater stands alone as a dedicatee of a Britten oboe work. His extra-musical (i.e., political) influence may shed light on the meaning of the title of the work (Temporal Variations) that Britten dedicated to him. 88 See p. 55, which refers to Britten's intention to revise Temporal Variations. 21Phantasy, Op. 2 Phantasy, Opus 2 was not only Britten's first work featuring oboe but also one of his first works to receive significant acclaim through broadcasts and performances. Being one of Britten's first substantial works, Phantasy was a work that Britten, as well as Boosey and Hawkes, felt to be worthy of publication. An in-depth historical background will outline this work's journey to distinction. A musical analysis will demonstrate Britten's youthful genius in compositional techniques such as form, unconventional harmonic usage, and extravagance in instrumentation. Other writings on Phantasy will compare and contrast analyses by other writers on Britten to reveal other facets on the work. Historical Background Sinfonietta, Opus 1, for chamber orchestra, and Phantasy, Opus 2, 7 for oboe and string trio were written in 1932 along with Two Psalms, Phantasy for string quintet, and Three Two-Part Songs on poems by Walter de la Mare.5* The latter is Britten's first published work (Oxford University Press). The two psalm settings, numbers 130 and 150, were submitted for the Mendelssohn Scholarship earlier that year, along with the Phantasy string 31 The Opus 2 Phantasy will hereafter be referred to as the Oboe Phantasy to distinguish it from the Phantasy in F minor (no opus number) for string quintet. 88 Mitchell and Reed, 139. 22quintet.% Although he did not win that competition with these works, he was given a consolation prize of £50. "[The Mendelssohn Scholarship committee] felt that Britten showed originality of thought, but had not yet acquired the technical expertise necessary to make the best use of his talent. However, they decided to award him £50, 'so as not to discourage me [Britten] from composing 0 In fact, this decision was not made until later in 1932 when Britten had already started and completed the Oboe Phantasy in September and October. The string quintet Phantasy, also known as the F-minor Phantasy, was composed between Sinfonietta and the oboe Phantasy. The oboe Phantasy could be misconstrued as the work awarded the famed Cobbett Chamber Music Award, but it was actually the F-minor Phantasy for which he won the award in July, 1932, still a couple of months before he began composing the oboe Phantasy." The Cobbett Chamber Music Prize was a competition established in 1905 by chamber music patron and music scholar W. W. Cobbett. The premise behind the competition was to encourage the composition of British- style instrumental music by contemporary British composers, as was popular in Restoration England with the viol fancies of composers including Purcell, Morley, and others. The seventeenth-century fancy was a single movement, %9 Carpenter, 43. “© Diary entry 4 Nov. 1932 as quoted in Carpenter, 43, “1 Mitchell and Reed, 139. 23and the requirement for the twentieth-century model was also in that format. Furthermore, a Cobbett Award contender's piece was to be no longer than twelve minutes. Winning Cobbett compositions involved string instruments but not exclusively, unlike the older fancy. One of Britten's teachers, Frank Bridge, had won twice, once for his Phantasy in C minor for string trio and once for a string quartet. John Ireland, Britten's teacher at the Royal College of Music, also won. The most famous work to win the Cobbett Prize was Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams. A type of neo- classicism results by fusing some ideals of the old, polyphonic episodic Fancy and the twentieth-century Phantasy: Perhaps, however, the most interesting result of Cobbett's initiative was not a form that acknowledged the Fancy but the somewhat unexpected making of common cause with the idea of the continuous one-movement form, traversing in one compressed scheme all the ground normally covered in a four-movement sonata or symphonic form, which in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century was one of the most influential and significant formal innovations.‘ ‘Though no award was given for the oboe Phantasy, it was still important for Britten's career. Legendary oboist, Léon Goossens, to whom the work is dedicated, performed its first broadcast performance with the International String Quartet, which took place on August 6, 1933 on a BBC broadcast. Britten's diary entry for that day remarks that "Goossens does his part splendidly. The rest — altho' they are intelligent players, aren't really 24first class instrumentalists."43 The performance at St. John's Institute, Westminster, on November 21 was a public performance. The performers were the same as in the broadcast performance. The same group performed on November 27 in Chelsea. In December 1933 the Monthly Musical Record wrote the following acclaim of the St. John's Institute performance: “Benjamin Britten's oboe quartet aroused considerable interest, being uncannily stylish, inventive and securely poised for a composer reported to be still in his teens."* The November 25 issue of The Times praised Phantasy and compared to other works that appeared in the concert: "Its material, though not in the least far-fetched, is arresting and his treatment of the oboe asa kind of melodic marginal comment of the main argument sustained by the strings is also original, but again quite natural and unforced. By comparison, John Ireland's 15-year-old pianoforte trio sounded old- fashioned."45 The next important performance came at the ISCM Festival in Florence on April 5, 1934, with Goossens again as oboist with the Griller String Quartet. Britten had submitted the Phantasy quintet and Sinfonietta to the ISCM Festival in Amsterdam the year before, but both were rejected.** “ Donald Mitchell and John Evans, liner notes for Benjamin Britten Early Chamber Music, Derek Wickens, oboe, John Constable, piano, and the Gabrieli String Quartet, Unicorn- Kanchana: DKP 9020, 1983. *8 Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, eds., Letters from a Life, Vol. 1, 1923-1939 (Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press, 1991), 305, “Ibid, * Ibid, “6 Carpenter, 46. 25The 1934 visit to Italy marked Britten's first international exposure; unfortunately, it was during this trip, a day after the performance of Phantasy, that his father died.47 Sinfonietta and Phantasy were Britten's first publications with Boosey and Hawkes, which were accepted for publication at the same time with the two part-songs and Friday Afternoons.4® Oxford University Press decided not to publish Phantasy. Apparently, they knew that Britten would turn to Boosey and Hawkes for its publication, since Hubert Foss of Oxford University Press remarked that "the Sinfonietta and oboe quartet [were] ‘uncommercial ', and suggested that 'it may be worth while to let Boosey waste money on him... '."4? In January 1935, Britten turned his works over to Boosey, and, indeed, Phantasy was published that year. Not only was Oxford University Press dissatisfied with Britten's works, but Britten likewise was dissatisfied with Oxford University Press's operations: besides, there is always so much bother & hold-up about O.U.P. publications. My Simple Symphony has already been printed over 4 months & is not out yet!" This turned out to be a fatal flaw for Oxford University Press, since now most of Britten's works are under the sole publisher of Boosey & Hawkes and its subsidiaries. * Oliver, 40. *8 Carpenter, 60. 48 Hubert Foss to Humphrey Milford, 2 June 1933 (Oxford University Press), quoted from Carpenter, 63. ® Diary entry, 28 Jan. 1935 quoted from Carpenter, 63. 26Introductory Remarks to the Analysis Many accounts of the Oboe Phantasy proclaim Britten's youthful genius with his use of arch form. This quartet, indeed, is in an arch form, a popular form used by many composers of the early twentieth century, but to merely label Phantasy as such does not seem to go far enough. Britten's delineation of sections is craftily obscured, and he was able, through his resourcefulness of motifs, to produce a one-movement work that flows seamlessly from one section to the next in keeping with the criteria of phantasy writing of that time. New material is not always merely presented, but introduced piecemeal as a warm-up to the section. New material is also disguised as a return of a previous section, only to evolve into a new entity. The overall form of oboe Phantasy is ABCBA. As will be described below, the improvisatory section of mm. 311-33 could be thought of as a "D section," with the return of both C and B section material beginning in m. 334. However, this analysis will treat the C section as one larger unit as indicated below. Both measure numbers and rehearsal letters will be referenced as follows: A section mm. 1-61 (6 after 5) B section mm. 62-235 (1 before 20) C section mm. 236-333 (1 before 29) Return of B section mm. 334-72 (6 before 32) Return of A section mm. 373-426 (end) 27This analysis will address each of those sections separately, but will refer back to previously used material or predict future usage as is appropriate. A Section One of the most interesting facets of the first section is the diverse motifs, diverse with regard to their melodic and rhythmic qualities. These motifs all have martial qualities by the rhythm, articulation, and/or special effect used. Ex. 1-1 Cello (con sordino, sul tasto) mm. 7-8 Pp > +s 3 Viola (con sordino) mm. 9-10 zz. PP The cello example above is the main theme of the A section, later stated by the violin. Ex.1-2 | Violin (con sordino, sul tasto) mm. 15-16 28In fact, this exact rhythm permeates the A section in the strings, though the exact intervals change. For instance, the four quarter notes are sometimes ascending or descending scale segments. This is no surprise, because the first cello melody had introduced descending scale fragments in mm. 11 and 13. The viola motif in Example 1-1, though not an important melodic motif in further development, is important for setting a barbaric mood with its aggressive pizzicati. It makes only one other appearance during the first statement of the oboe in m. 24, but becomes an important driving force before and during the recapitulation. The oboe melody beautifully contrasts the strings with a sustained lyrical line. Ex. 1-3 Statement 1 mm. 24-28 PRP p pir espress. Statement 2 mm. 29-34 > PP = P pinespress. —— Po Statement 3 mm. 37-40 > ———— 7p molto nf —— ——==a_ _— =——— Statement 4 mm. 46:50 P SF cant. —— 29There are four statements of the oboe's melody: the first is the original statement, the second an extended version of the first, the third a new motif that descends rather than ascends, and the fourth an expanded version of the first in a new tonal area. The pentatonic outline of Statement 1 should be noted because pentatonic scales recur in other sections of the work. Additionally, these scales provide ancient, pagan-sounding effects. The pentatonic sound is further explored harmonically, with the chordal outbursts on weak beats on open strings (perfect fifths) beginning in m. 36. In this section, triplets of the melody against the eighth-note ostinato in the viola provides a new level of rhythmic interest. The string parts up to this point have distinct textures. They eventually converge (as they do in other sections), moving in the same rhythms as the music intensifies (four measures after 3). After this point, in m. 47, the oboe melody is transposed up a whole step. Thus, if Statement 1 is thought of as being in a G tonal area, then Statement 4 can be considered an A tonal area. Already, A has been suggested at the cadence of Statement 2 (m. 34) but retreats back into G at the cadence of m.40 (Statement 3). Likewise, Statement 4, in A, cadences a step higher in a firmly established B major in mm. 51-52. ‘The following measures, the high point of the A section, cancel out all sharps, the harmony thus appearing to be in C major. This is the apex of the section with all string parts using double and triple stops. These chords are 30expansive both in range and harmonic structure, with the first implying the subdominant and the second a dominant over a C. Ex.1-4 Strings mm. 53-54 (reduced) SS > a om om av The implied key, C Major, changes quickly in m. 58, resembling E major in a semi-improvisatory section, Pitt Presto ad libitum. This four-measure section closes the A section with an oboe passage ascending from its low B up to high D-sharp over trills in the strings. The string trills are based on the quartal sonority F-sharp-E-B that also ascends after the oboe has reached its destination on a high D-sharp trill. The harmony that concludes the section is a B-major triad with an E in the cello. B Section Although the end of the A section implies B major, or perhaps even E major, the B section begins in an unrelated key. The key signature has been cancelled, though the key is not C major or a minor. In fact, it appears to be a combination of keys. The pizzicati double stops in the cello center around D- 31flat, and the violin melody and accompanying trills in the viola imply C Dorian. Key center, however, is somewhat irrelevant to the motifs used. Like the A section, there are various levels of motifs, a pizeicato motor rhythm in the cello, trills in the viola, and the melody in the violin. Ex. 1-5 Cel 61-6 ello (am. FP marcato molto, 2 > > Lf > of > Viola (mm. 64-¢ on \ te Brae bees Sf ——- af Violin (mm. 66-71) Vv > mV > Seo bes we

: Violin BE >>??? Vide —<——————— Oboe mm. 103-04 The oboe states the melody, two after 7, on the same tonal level as the violin did earlier. At that point, the violin joins the cello with the pizzicato figure. A new melody is introduced, one measure after 9, in the cello, with a motive that borrows a little bit of the viola trill and again makes extensive use of the pentatonic scale. Ex.1-7 Cello mm. ye L ’ — f Pf f= P= > 7 fa At 12, the minor third grace-note motif shown above reverts back to the main theme of A (see Example 1-2) for a moment. However, the violin and viola reminisce the descending pentatonic portion of the B section theme in mm. 150-56. This dies away back into the original theme of the B section at 18 with the cello's perfect fifth pizzicati. Over that is a looming, sustained octave-G pedal tone in the violin. The oboe gives a reminder of minor third D and F from the A section. This time, the statements of the original theme of the B section are not so harmonically stagnant. They are stated in sequential ascending major thirds: first with the viola starting on its low D (m.165), then on the violin on F-sharp (m.175), then on cello on B-flat (m. 185), ending with the oboe on D (m.195). The sustained pedal tones noted above are taken over by the oboe in this section. When the oboe states the theme at m. 195, the 34cello sustains the tone on G® 5! noteworthy because of Britten's use of extreme range in his writing for strings. Furthermore, the other strings have taken over the responsibility of the open fifth pizzicati, and the cello finally joins them at m. 205. The barbaric tone of the plucked strings against the oboe is broken at 18, where a section resembling the improvisatory section of m. 58 is stated by the strings. These measures (mm. 210-12) like the previous improvisatory section at mm. 58-61, lead into a new section, not the main C section, but a bridge passage to C (mm. 213-35). ‘The bridge passage is indicated with an Andante marking in which the quarter note equals the prior half-note pulse. This section serves two functions. First, it foreshadows the theme of the C section, which, as will be demonstrated, is a version of the original oboe theme of the A section in the strings. Second, this section serves as a winding down of the themes of the B section, especially in the oboe part. Most notable are the contrasts of ranges between the oboe and strings; the strings begin high in their range and end low, and the oboe does the reverse. The melody and accompaniment of the strings is active, whereas the oboe remains stagnant on B-C-sharp trills. Both strings and oboe end the section on either melodic or harmonic fourths and fifths. The downward melodic fourths and fifths have already marked phrase endings in the oboe's melody of the A section; later, it will appear 51 This document will use the range designation where middle C = C4. 35,