Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, 1913--1976, volume 6: 1966--76
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Music
Abstract
This Fellowship will support Mervyn Cooke's editorial work on the sixth and final volume of the authorized edition of Benjamin Britten's voluminous and hitherto largely unpublished correspondence, selected from some 84,000 items now preserved at The Britten--Pears Library in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. This final volume in the series covers the last decade of the composer's life, from 1966 to his death in 1976, and its publication will be timed to coincide with the international celebrations of his life and work during his centenary year (2013).
The first two volumes of Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten were published by Faber and Faber in 1991 under the editorship of Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, and covered the composer's life and works in the formative period 1923--45. Mervyn Cooke became co-editor for volume 3, published by Faber and Faber and the University of California Press in 2004, which covered the years 1946--51. Volume 4 (1952--7) was principally edited by Cooke and Reed, with Mitchell remaining as supervising editor, and was published in 2008; volume 5 (1958--65) was edited by Cooke and Reed alone, and was published in 2010. Volumes 4 and 5 were published by The Boydell Press in association with The Britten--Pears Foundation, an arrangement which will persist with volume 6. Each of these volumes amounts to c. 800 pages and, in addition to detailed editorial annotations, they include a wide range of photographs and illustrative material, including many facsimiles of primary source material (e.g. manuscripts and libretto drafts) which have never been published before.
Volume 6, as did the previous volumes, will use the medium of annotation to provide new factual information on Britten's life and works derived from primary archival sources, and will therefore serve both as an autobiography (i.e. Britten's life and art as recounted in his own words) and an objective biography in which full account is taken of the extensive published literature on the composer, both ephemeral and scholarly. An important aim of the project is to reflect all major aspects of Britten's career in a balanced manner by not merely considering the composing activity for which he is best known: thus his many other professional activities (performing, conducting, recording, touring, festival and opera-company administration) and private relationships (with his partner Peter Pears, with his librettists and other creative associates, friends, family and young companions) receive full and thorough treatment, and the correspondence is set in the relevant cultural, artistic and economic contexts prevailing at the time. Such considerations arise, for example, from his dealings with major institutions such as the Royal Opera House, BBC, Decca, Boosey & Hawkes and Faber Music (the latter set up in 1965 specifically to publish Britten's music), English Opera Group and Aldeburgh Festival.
An assessment of the reception accorded to the major works produced by Britten during the years covered by the volume will be undertaken in the annotations on the basis of significant press reviews and other critical commentary. The major works to be covered are the second and third church parables, The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) and The Prodigal Son (1968); the television opera Owen Wingrave (1970); and Britten's final opera, Death in Venice (1973). Other works include the vaudeville The Golden Vanity (1966); the Second and Third Suites for solo cello written for Mstislav Rostropovich (1967 and 1971); the Brecht setting Children's Crusade (1968); a number of works for harp written for Osian Ellis; the two final canticles, The Journey of the Magi (1971) and The Death of Saint Narcissus (1974); the cantata Phaedra (1975); and the Third String Quartet (1975).
The first two volumes of Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten were published by Faber and Faber in 1991 under the editorship of Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, and covered the composer's life and works in the formative period 1923--45. Mervyn Cooke became co-editor for volume 3, published by Faber and Faber and the University of California Press in 2004, which covered the years 1946--51. Volume 4 (1952--7) was principally edited by Cooke and Reed, with Mitchell remaining as supervising editor, and was published in 2008; volume 5 (1958--65) was edited by Cooke and Reed alone, and was published in 2010. Volumes 4 and 5 were published by The Boydell Press in association with The Britten--Pears Foundation, an arrangement which will persist with volume 6. Each of these volumes amounts to c. 800 pages and, in addition to detailed editorial annotations, they include a wide range of photographs and illustrative material, including many facsimiles of primary source material (e.g. manuscripts and libretto drafts) which have never been published before.
Volume 6, as did the previous volumes, will use the medium of annotation to provide new factual information on Britten's life and works derived from primary archival sources, and will therefore serve both as an autobiography (i.e. Britten's life and art as recounted in his own words) and an objective biography in which full account is taken of the extensive published literature on the composer, both ephemeral and scholarly. An important aim of the project is to reflect all major aspects of Britten's career in a balanced manner by not merely considering the composing activity for which he is best known: thus his many other professional activities (performing, conducting, recording, touring, festival and opera-company administration) and private relationships (with his partner Peter Pears, with his librettists and other creative associates, friends, family and young companions) receive full and thorough treatment, and the correspondence is set in the relevant cultural, artistic and economic contexts prevailing at the time. Such considerations arise, for example, from his dealings with major institutions such as the Royal Opera House, BBC, Decca, Boosey & Hawkes and Faber Music (the latter set up in 1965 specifically to publish Britten's music), English Opera Group and Aldeburgh Festival.
An assessment of the reception accorded to the major works produced by Britten during the years covered by the volume will be undertaken in the annotations on the basis of significant press reviews and other critical commentary. The major works to be covered are the second and third church parables, The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) and The Prodigal Son (1968); the television opera Owen Wingrave (1970); and Britten's final opera, Death in Venice (1973). Other works include the vaudeville The Golden Vanity (1966); the Second and Third Suites for solo cello written for Mstislav Rostropovich (1967 and 1971); the Brecht setting Children's Crusade (1968); a number of works for harp written for Osian Ellis; the two final canticles, The Journey of the Magi (1971) and The Death of Saint Narcissus (1974); the cantata Phaedra (1975); and the Third String Quartet (1975).
Planned Impact
Beneficiaries include the following (numerical order does not imply prioritisation):
1. Academic researchers in the fields of Britten studies, historical musicology, opera and theatre studies, literature studies, social and cultural history;
2. Students at secondary, tertiary and research levels with interests in any of the topics listed in 1 above;
3. Performers and artistic directors of all levels, including children and amateurs (for whom Britten wrote numerous works) as well as professional instrumentalists, singers, actors, dancers, conductors, and directors working for stage, film, TV and radio;
4. Critics, journalists and other freelance writers working in the fields of music and opera criticism;
5. Arts festival and events programme-planners, including exhibition organisers;
6. All members of the public with an interest in classical music and related cultural issues, who may include concert-goers, opera-goers, CD and DVD purchasers, radio listeners, TV viewers, and internet users;
7. Institutions wishing to promote Britten's music as emblematic of cultural excellence in the United Kingdom, such as the British Council (with which Britten had longstanding personal connections), BBC, Britten--Pears Library, Britten--Pears Foundation, Aldeburgh Festival, Boosey & Hawkes and Faber Music (music publishers), and record companies.
Specific benefits and impact potentialities include the following (numbering corresponds to categories outlined above):
1. and 2. The provision of definitive biographical and contextual information on Britten's life and works, based on primary source materials wherever possible, will provide an essential resource for all future Britten researchers, at all levels;
3. The research will enhance understanding of Britten's artistic and life preoccupations, thereby illuminating ways in which his operas and concert works may be interpreted and realised;
4. The project will be an essential resource for writers wishing to draw on it for occasional pieces and in the preparation of programme notes, CD and DVD liner notes and articles for (e.g.) opera-house programme books -- an area in which many academic musicologists are also highly active;
5. The edition contains numerous details and facsimiles of previously unpublished primary source materials of interest to exhibition organisers, and will suggest avenues of exploration for all those concerned with mounting stage and concert performances;
6. Because the editorial annotations are non-technical in nature and do not presuppose musical literacy, a wide range of general readers can reach a fuller understanding of any Britten-related biographical, musical, cultural and interpretative issues in which they may be interested;
7. Britten's status as the UK's most widely performed and recorded composer has made his works highly exportable abroad, and the Britten--Pears Foundation in particular (which offers practical support to the project and retains the copyright in the letters and annotations) routinely injects considerable funding into major Britten performance events worldwide, an initiative enhanced by the additional knowledge and understanding of the composer's life (including commentary on hitherto neglected works) which this authorized documentary study provides.
In all these categories, the dissemination of the research via diverse media aims to enhance aesthetic and cultural understanding while stimulating specific creative output in the shape of both academic and more ephemeral writings, and a wide range of musical performances at all levels of attainment. These benefits can begin to be realised immediately, owing to the pre-existence of earlier volumes in the series which have already reaped similar benefits and thereby established a public expectancy for this impact to be sustained until the conclusion of the proje
1. Academic researchers in the fields of Britten studies, historical musicology, opera and theatre studies, literature studies, social and cultural history;
2. Students at secondary, tertiary and research levels with interests in any of the topics listed in 1 above;
3. Performers and artistic directors of all levels, including children and amateurs (for whom Britten wrote numerous works) as well as professional instrumentalists, singers, actors, dancers, conductors, and directors working for stage, film, TV and radio;
4. Critics, journalists and other freelance writers working in the fields of music and opera criticism;
5. Arts festival and events programme-planners, including exhibition organisers;
6. All members of the public with an interest in classical music and related cultural issues, who may include concert-goers, opera-goers, CD and DVD purchasers, radio listeners, TV viewers, and internet users;
7. Institutions wishing to promote Britten's music as emblematic of cultural excellence in the United Kingdom, such as the British Council (with which Britten had longstanding personal connections), BBC, Britten--Pears Library, Britten--Pears Foundation, Aldeburgh Festival, Boosey & Hawkes and Faber Music (music publishers), and record companies.
Specific benefits and impact potentialities include the following (numbering corresponds to categories outlined above):
1. and 2. The provision of definitive biographical and contextual information on Britten's life and works, based on primary source materials wherever possible, will provide an essential resource for all future Britten researchers, at all levels;
3. The research will enhance understanding of Britten's artistic and life preoccupations, thereby illuminating ways in which his operas and concert works may be interpreted and realised;
4. The project will be an essential resource for writers wishing to draw on it for occasional pieces and in the preparation of programme notes, CD and DVD liner notes and articles for (e.g.) opera-house programme books -- an area in which many academic musicologists are also highly active;
5. The edition contains numerous details and facsimiles of previously unpublished primary source materials of interest to exhibition organisers, and will suggest avenues of exploration for all those concerned with mounting stage and concert performances;
6. Because the editorial annotations are non-technical in nature and do not presuppose musical literacy, a wide range of general readers can reach a fuller understanding of any Britten-related biographical, musical, cultural and interpretative issues in which they may be interested;
7. Britten's status as the UK's most widely performed and recorded composer has made his works highly exportable abroad, and the Britten--Pears Foundation in particular (which offers practical support to the project and retains the copyright in the letters and annotations) routinely injects considerable funding into major Britten performance events worldwide, an initiative enhanced by the additional knowledge and understanding of the composer's life (including commentary on hitherto neglected works) which this authorized documentary study provides.
In all these categories, the dissemination of the research via diverse media aims to enhance aesthetic and cultural understanding while stimulating specific creative output in the shape of both academic and more ephemeral writings, and a wide range of musical performances at all levels of attainment. These benefits can begin to be realised immediately, owing to the pre-existence of earlier volumes in the series which have already reaped similar benefits and thereby established a public expectancy for this impact to be sustained until the conclusion of the proje
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mervyn Cooke (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The principal achievements of the project were as follows: (1) To provide, via detailed annotation of a selection of hitherto unpublished correspondence, new factual information on Britten's life and works derived from primary archival sources. The edition thus serves both as an autobiography (i.e. Britten's life as recounted in his own words) and an objective biography in which full account is taken in the annotations of the extensive published literature on the composer, both ephemeral and scholarly. (2) To reflect all major aspects of Britten's career in a balanced manner by not merely considering the composing activity for which he is best known. His many other professional activities (performing, conducting, recording, touring, festival and opera-company administration) and private relationships (with his partner Peter Pears, with his librettists and other creative associates, friends, family and young companions) therefore received thorough coverage. (3) To present, through the annotations, full discussions of the cultural, artistic and economic contexts of the various phases of Britten's career, as appropriate. Such considerations arise, for example, from his dealings with major institutions such as the Royal Opera House, BBC, Decca, Boosey & Hawkes and Faber Music (the latter set up in 1965 specifically to publish Britten's music), English Opera Group and Aldeburgh Festival. (4) To assess the reception accorded to the major works produced by Britten during the years covered by the volume on the basis of significant press reviews and other critical commentary. Major works covered include the church parables The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) and The Prodigal Son (1968); the television opera Owen Wingrave (1970); his final opera, Death in Venice (1973); and the Third String Quartet (1975). Other works investigated include the vaudeville The Golden Vanity (1966); the Second and Third Suites for solo cello written for Mstislav Rostropovich (1967 and 1971); the Bertolt Brecht setting Children's Crusade (1968); a number of works for harp written for Osian Ellis; the two final canticles: Canticle IV: The Journey of the Magi (1971) and Canticle V: The Death of Saint Narcissus (1974); and the cantata Phaedra (1975) composed for Janet Baker. |
| Exploitation Route | The authoritative and extensive content of the edition has ensured that it has already become the principal reference work for all scholars, performers and listeners researching the details of Britten's life, career and creative works. Britten is arguably the most internationally successful classical composer in British musical history in terms of the frequency and wide geographical spread of live performances of his music, and his operas have been translated into numerous languages for productions outside the UK at the major opera houses of the world. This enormous breadth of exposure - which embraces concert-goers, opera-goers, CD and DVD purchasers, radio listeners, TV viewers and internet users, in addition to performing musicians of all levels of attainment, from children and amateurs up to world-class professionals - ensures that the new research embodied in the edition can be readily disseminated through the following non-academic media: 1. CD and DVD liner notes. 2. Articles for opera-house programme books. 3. Programme notes for live performances. 4. Broadcast media. 5. Public study days and pre-performance talks. 6. Academic conferences, especially those celebrating the composer's centenary in 2013. All the various dissemination media outlined above permit the research findings of the letters project to impact significantly on a wide international audience and enhance public appreciation of Britten's works - and the broader area of British musical culture into which they fall - across an exceptionally diverse range of listeners and enthusiasts. |
| Sectors | Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |