Poet: John Lydgate (c. 1370-c. 1452)
Source: single song
Date of Composition: 1955
Publication: Published in The Grasshopper; School magazine for Gresham’s School, on the occasion of their 400th anniversary
Voice Difficulty Level: Moderate
Subject: A hymn to Farfield
Range: C4 – G5
Tessitura: E4 – E5
Tempo: not indicated; 6/8
Duration: 01:15
Vocal Characteristics: Short phrases; 8v jumps; syncopation
Piano Difficulty Level: Moderate
Accompaniment Characteristics: Bass clef is dotted quarter-note chords for the entire song; treble clef is more intricate melody; sixteenth-note scales; syncopations
Additional Comments: Gresham’s School holds the copyright for this song, which while listed in Britten’s catalog of published works, is not readily available for performance. *Britten's note at the end states 'Lines from the Testament of John Lydgate (The Monk of Bury) lived about 1370-1452 but they still apply. . .' Composed for the 1955 issue of Grasshopper, the school magazine of Gresham's School, Holst, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of the school's foundation. The song was reproduced as a facsimile of the fair copy. Farfield had been Britten's house while he was at the school (1928-30).
*From the Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1052