Britten Thematic Catalogue

Beta Version

BTC899 AN OCCASIONAL OVERTURE [AN AMERICAN OVERTURE]

For orchestra, formerly op. 27

Later assigned to Hymn to St Cecilia (Apr 1942)

Subtitle: For orchestra
Other titles: An American overture

Published title (1985).

Period of composition: 7 - 16 Oct 1941
Genre: Orchestral
Performing forces:

3 fl (III=picc), 3 ob, 3 cl in B flat (III=bass cl), 3 bn - 4 hn, 3 tpt in C, 3 trbn, tuba - timp, 2 perc (sd, td, (if no small timp), tamb, t-t, t bells, bd and cymb, susp cymb) - cel (=pf ad lib.), 2 harps (II ad lib.) - str

Duration: 10'

Notes

The work was composed for the conductor Artur Rodzinski, originally titled 'An occasional overture' (not to be confused with the later Occasional overture, op. 38). It was not performed at the time, and the manuscript score remained in America, forgotten by everyone (including the composer, who could not remember writing it). News of its existence was communicated to Britten in 1972 by a cataloguer at its current home, the New York Public Library.

All content copyright (C) Britten-Pears Foundation 2012 unless stated. Please note all BTC numbers are provisional at this stage.