Britten, Benjamin: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra op. 34 (1946) 17'
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell for orchestra with narrator ad lib
Music Text
Eric Crozier (E) or John Amis (E)
Scoring
2.picc.2.2.2-4.2.3.1-timp.perc(3):gong/xyl/cyms/tgl/cast/tpl.bl/ whip/BD/SD/tamb-harp-strings
Repertoire Note
This familiar standard hardly needs explanation, having become, along with Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, one of the classic introductions to the sound of the orchestra for young people. In addition to its instructive function, The Young Person’s Guide is an effervescent and superbly crafted work, one of Britten’s most significant tributes to Purcell. It is a showpiece that puts each section of the orchestra through its paces, and the crowning reappearance of the Purcell theme (taken from the incidental music to Abdelazer) at the height of the fugue is surely one of the great moments in 20th-century music.
Items on Sale
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell for orchestra with narrator ad lib
Music Text
Eric Crozier (E) or John Amis (E)
Scoring
2.picc.2.2.2-4.2.3.1-timp.perc(3):gong/xyl/cyms/tgl/cast/tpl.bl/ whip/BD/SD/tamb-harp-strings
Repertoire Note
This familiar standard hardly needs explanation, having become, along with Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, one of the classic introductions to the sound of the orchestra for young people. In addition to its instructive function, The Young Person’s Guide is an effervescent and superbly crafted work, one of Britten’s most significant tributes to Purcell. It is a showpiece that puts each section of the orchestra through its paces, and the crowning reappearance of the Purcell theme (taken from the incidental music to Abdelazer) at the height of the fugue is surely one of the great moments in 20th-century music.
Items on Sale
| Orchestral Anthology 1 | (Full score - Masterworks) | > Details |
| Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra | Study Score - Hawkes Pocket Score 606 | > Details |
Mailing List
Sign up for news updates and offers via email
SIGN UPFeatured Publication
Benjamin Britten: Complete Folksong Arrangements
These landmark vocal publications, for high voice and medium/low voice, collect together 61 of Britten's folksong arrangements. There are suitable transpositions to fit the voice ranges, and piano transcriptions of the songs with guitar.
READ MORECompetitions
