Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony: String Quartet: Parts

Britten's Jubilate is written for SATB choir and Organ accompaniment.Benjamin Britten's birthday (22nd November 1913 Lowestoft) falls on St. Cecilia's Day a happy augury for the career of one of Britain's greatestcomposers. Essentially a vocal composer Britten won international fame for his operas and song-cycles. He never abandoned the principles of tonality and was a 'modern' composer who reached a mass audience and a conservative whoseoriginality no radical would sensibly deny. He shared with his predecessors Parry Vaughan Williams and Holst an intense interest in works for amateurs and children. His brilliant gifts as a pianist and conductor coupled withhis virtuosic inventiveness also led him to compose music for great performers such as the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and the singers Galina Vishnevskaya Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Janet Baker.The greatestpersonal influence on his music was the Tenor Peter Pears for whom he composed many operatic and vocal roles. In 1948 Britten Pears and Eric Crozier founded the Aldeburgh Festival now one of the most respected established fornew English music. In 1952 he was made a Companion of Honour in 1965 received the Order of Merit and in 1976 the year of his death he became the first composer to receive a life peerage.Oxford University Press wasBritten's first publisher. In the early 1930s A Boy Was Born and the Simple Symphony brought him great critical acclaim and launched his compositional career. Oxford is delighted to present some previouslyunpublished pieces in collaboration with the Britten Estate. These include the Double Concerto for Violin and Viola premiered at Snape by the Britten-Pears Orchestra under Kent Nagano in June 1997; Two Portraits forString Orchestra premiered on BBC Radio 3 in December 1995 by the Northern Sinfonia under Martyn Brabbins; The World Of The Spirit the full version first performed in 1938 on the BBC Home Service the abridged

Piano Duets edited by Michael Aston-An attractive and varied collection of 20th-century Piano duets by British composers. The album includes a reprint of Lambert's classic and witty work 'Trois piéces nègres pour les touches blanches' as well as new arrangements of Walton's 'Popular Song' and Vaughan Willliams's beautiful but little know 'The Lake in the Mountains'. This collection will be of interest to Piano duettists everywhere and an ideal introduction to the medium for students of grades 6-8 standard.Contents:York Bowen: Serenade Op.90 No.3Benjamin Britten: Playful Pizzicato from Simple SymphonyBenjamin Britten: Sentimental Saraband from SimpleSymphonyEdward Gregson: Four Pictures Nos. 3 and 4Constant Lambert: Trois pièces nègres pour les touches blanches (Aubade; Siesta; Nocturne)Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lake in the MountainsWilliam Walton: Touch her soft lips and part from Henry VWilliam Walton: Popular Song from Façade