We Are the Darkness in the Heat of the Day
(1956) (from The Heart of the Matter) SMezATB a cappella
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Category: Choral
Series: BH Secular Choral
Format: Paperback

Song for five-part chorus (SMezATB) unaccompanied Text: Edith Sitwell Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 1-2 This short unaccompanied setting formed part of a programme of Edith Sitwell's verse put together for the Aldeburgh Festival in 1956. Britten had set her words to music in his Canticle III 'Still Falls the Rain'. After the performance Imogen Holst suggested to Britten that he might consider the setting of 'We are the darkness in the heat of the day' as a separate piece. She prepared the score for her Purcell Singers but it was never performed in Brittens lifetime.The short song is almost madrigalian in character, entirely homophonic (chordal) and leading to a beautiful and gentle conclusion. This is another of Britten's rarities which would add interest to a concert programme featuring his music or even recreating the spirit of that Aldeburgh programme around the poetry of Edith Sitwell - and perhaps others. Duration: 2 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

Inventory # : 48011791
UPC: 73999255157
ISBN:
Width: 7"
Length: 10.5"
Height: 0.017"
Product Weight: 0 lbs.
Number of Pages: 6