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