Benjamin britten young persons guide
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Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The theme, or main melody, for this composition comes from a dramatic work by a much earlier composer, Henry Purcell. Purcell was one of the most famous English composers of the late seventeenth century. He was especially well known for his use of counterpoint. Counterpoint combines more than one melody at one time. Benjamin Britten uses counterpoint in the final section of The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra .
The theme is first played bygd the full orchestra. Then it is played by the various families of instruments (woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, and full orchestra again). Next, Britten shows off the individual instruments by having them play a variation of the theme. Each variation also changes the theme's dynamics (loudness), tempo (speed), and mood. There are thirteen variations: (1) flutes and piccolo, with harp accompaniment; (2) oboes; (3) clarinets; (4) bassoons; (5) violins; (6) violas; (7) cellos; (8) double basses; (
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About this Piece
Benjamin Britten began work on what would become The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in 1946 as a score for a documentary rulle, Instruments of the Orchestra, and it was presented in that medium that year in London. Soon symphony orchestras appropriated it for the concert hall, often adding spoken commentary. The composition is so artfully crafted that it has taken a firm place in the purely instrumental repertoire and is frequently performed without narration.
The theme that serves as the basis of a series of brilliant and imaginative variations is a stirring dance tune from Abdelazar by Henry Purcell (1659–1695). It is first stated by the full orchestra and then is circulated among the woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion before returning to the full orchestra again. Having exposed the theme in the fyra sections of the orchestra, Britten goes on to put it through remarkably contrasting musical guises, all spotlighting in turn each member of
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The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
1945 orchestral work by Benjamin Britten
This article is about the composition by Benjamin Britten. For the television series, see Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34, is a 1945 musical composition by Benjamin Britten with a subtitle Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. It was based on the second movement, "Rondeau", of the Abdelazer suite. It was originally commissioned for the British educational documentary film called Instruments of the Orchestra released on 29 November 1946, directed by Muir Mathieson and featuring the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent;[1] Sargent also conducted the concert première on 15 October 1946 with the Liverpool Philharmonic in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England.
Instrumentation
[edit]The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is scored for symphony orchestra:
- Woodwinds: piccolo, two