This
month, Clef Notes is exploring the topic “Music and War.” So far, we’ve looked
at several war favorites premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, pieces
commemorating September 11, and works written around WWI. This week, let’s wrap
up by looking at a few pieces composed as a result of WWII.
The
Cathedral of St. Michael in Coventry was bombed in 1940 by enemy forces. The
building was a 14th-century structure and this act of evil shook the
nation. Years following the war, a new cathedral was built using remains from
the original. Upon its completion in 1962, a dedication event was planned
including a work composed for the festivities by Benjamin Britten.
Not
everyone approved of Britten as the designated composer, as he was a pacifist
and even left the country just before Britain entered the war. Despite this
controversial decision, Britten successfully completed a memorial for the dead
of all wars throughout history: the War
Requiem.
Britten’s
War Requiem is an oratorio that uses
the Latin Requiem Mass with an added commentary text taken from settings of
poems by Wilfred Owen, a young poet who died in battle during WWI. This grand
work includes an orchestra, soprano solo, and mixed chorus for the performance
of the ancient Requiem Mass. Owen’s poetry shows a more personal side of war,
using tenor and baritone solos representing men affected by the war, a distant
boy choir, chamber ensemble, and organ.
Here
you can listen to Britten’s War Requiem.
Do you think he effectively creates a memorial to those whose lives were taken
by war?
