Britten Thematic Catalogue

Beta Version

BTC1045 WINTER WORDS

Lyrics and ballads of Thomas Hardy, for high voice and piano, op. 52

After Gloriana, written for the 1953 coronation, was given the corresponding opus number '53' (instead of 52, the next number in the sequence) Britten allocated the vacant 'op. 52' number to Winter words. The work had originally been described as 'op. 54' on the composition draft.

Period of composition: Mar - Sep 1953
First performance: 8 Oct 1953 >>
Type of performance: Concert performance
Location: Harewood House, Leeds Festival
Performance details:

Peter Pears ten, Benjamin Britten pf

Genre: Solo vocal
Text: Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Duration: 20'
Dedication: 'To John and Myfanwy Piper'

John Piper (1903-1992), English painter and stage designer, who (from The rape of Lucretia, op. 37 onwards) designed the majority of Britten's theatrical works. Mary Myfanwy Piper (née Evans) (1911-1997), British art critic and librettist of The turn of the screw, op. 54, Owen Wingrave, op. 85, and Death in Venice, op. 88.

Notes

The two discarded songs have been included as an appendix in the 1994 edition, but may not be performed as part of the cycle.

Numbers

Discarded Numbers

  • If it's ever spring again
  • The children and Sir Nameless

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