Folksongs

Benjamin Britten (1913-76) remains one of the most important and productive English composers of the 20th century. Perhaps best remembered for his many operas (such as Billy Budd or Death in Venice), Britten also compiled eight collections of folksongs from the British Isles. His settings are witty and original, drawing upon his own experience in writing for voice and years spent accompanying singers. Britten’s “Bonny Earl o’ Moray” presents two stanzas of a timeless, old Highlands tune. The vocal line adheres to the original narrow range, upward leaps, and elegiac tone. However, Britten’s striking and at times dramatic piano accompaniment make clear how far removed we are from original tune’s antique world. Likewise, his setting of the popular “Greensleeves” melody operates on two strata: the hauntingly familiar melody above the stark, pungent accompaniment. The more spirited “Oliver Cromwell” sets a nursery rhyme from Suffolk, the region of Britten’s own childhood. Lasting barely a minute, this comic miniature romps through the nonsensical words like a sugared-up kid at play. A major challenge is, of course, getting all the phrases out at the composer’s breathless tempo and keeping the pace right up to the final, abrupt cadence.

(c) Jason Stell