Britten Thematic Catalogue

Beta Version

BTC1158 ALLELUIA! FOR ALEC'S 80TH BIRTHDAY

A canon (on a well-known tune)
Period of composition: 30 Oct - 2 Nov 1971
Genre: Choral
Performing forces:

The canon is arranged for three vocal parts

Duration: 1'

Notes

The tune is the imitation plainchant 'Alleluia' Britten added to 'Hodie Christus natus est' sent to him by Alec Robertson in 1943 for use as the 'Procession' and 'Recession' in A ceremony of carols (Mar-Oct 1942).

Composed for Dear Alec . . ., a tribute for his eightieth birthday from friends known and unknown (Stanbrook Abbey Press, 1972), a limited edition published as a tribute to Alec Robertson, which included a facsimile of the autograph of the canon. Britten was invited to contribute by Donald Beswick in December 1970 but it was not until the autumn of 1971 that the three-part canon was composed.

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