Cantata academica
| Cantata academica, Op. 62 | |
|---|---|
| by Benjamin Britten | |
 | |
| Occasion | Quincentenary of the University of Basel |
| Performed | 1 July 1960 |
Cantata academica, Carmen basiliense (Op. 62) is a 1959 choral work on a Latin text by the English composer Benjamin Britten.[1] It was commissioned by Paul Sacher for the quincentenary of the University of Basel. He conducted the premiere on 1 July 1960.
History and text
The cantata, completed in March 1959, was written for the 500th anniversary of the University of Basel on 1 July the following year.[2] The Latin text, which was compiled by Bernhard Wyss, is based on the charter of the university, as well as older orations praising Basel.[1][2] Britten wrote out the text for the work on the pages of his old preparatory-school German exercise book. He later used the same book to plan his War Requiem.[3]
The work was premiered at the University of Basel on 1 July 1960, conducted by Paul Sacher; the performers were Agnes Giebel, Elsa Cavelti, Peter Pears, Heinz Rehfuss, the Basler Kammerchor, the Sterk'scher Privatchor, and the Basler Kammerorchester.[4] The British premiered was by the Cambridge University Musical Society in November, a few months after Britten received an honorary doctorate from the University.[3]
Composition
The piece is scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto or contralto, tenor, and bass), a four-part choir, two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets in B-flat, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets in C, three trombones, tuba, strings, timpani, four percussionists, two harps, and pianoforte.[4]
The work is in two parts and has thirteen total sections.[4]
- Pars 1
- Corale
- Alla rovesco
- Recitative (tenor)
- Arioso (bass)
- Duettino (soprano and alto)
- Recitative (tenor)
- Scherzo
- Pars 2
- Tema seriale con fuga
- Soli et duetto (alto and bass)
- Arioso con canto popolare
- Recitative (tenor)
- Canone ed istinato
- Corale con canto
Cantata academica is formally a work of serialism, although only on a large scale, "so tightly connected with the form that it is the form itself".[2] This reflects Britten's intention to be deliberately "clever" with the work; he noted in a letter to Wyss that the piece is "full of academic devices for the edification of the performers".[3] The final section is "but a unifying return to the opening"; each of the others has a single "ruling note", corresponding to the 12-note series of the work, which serves as an ostinato or pedal tone for the section.[2]
Adaptations
The movement Tema seriale con fuga was adapted for two 1973 compositions by Richard Rodney Bennett dedicated to Britten: a concerto for orchestra and a work called Alba for organ. It was also used as the basis for a 1963 collaborative composition by Bennett, Nicholas Maw, and Malcolm Williamson, called Reflections on a theme of Benjamin Britten.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Cantata Academica". The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. rev. Ed. Michael Kennedy. Oxford Music Online. Accessed 27 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Bradshaw, Susan (1960). "Britten's 'Cantata Academica'". Tempo (53–54): 22–26. doi:10.1017/S004029820004537X. S2CID 143923285.
- ^ a b c Cooke, Mervyn. "Reflections on and around Britten's War Requiem at Yale" (PDF). Colloquium Journal.
- ^ a b c d "Cantata academica, Carmen basiliense". Britten Thematic Catalogue. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
