Dance, a natural outgrowth of joy crossing cultures and time throughout history, strongly influenced the creation of "Oh, How My Heart Sings!" The changing meters of this piece help create the dance-like movements of spontaneous joy which is sung in the first section like a dialogue between two fun-loving friends.
The second section is a care-free variation of the first, sund on the syllable "la," freeing the singers further to make the music sing from their spirits. Less becomes more as the lack of words can free the focus of young ears to hear one another better.
The flowing, homophonic third section mirrors the beauty of a sparkling morning in early springtime; the piano accompniment reflecting the shimmering quality of the earth shining with dew.
Britten's pacifist masterwork, combining war poetry by Wilfred Owen with the Latin Requiem Mass, is included in the Masterworks Library of full scores, ideal for conductors, students and music lovers.
