Britten's Spring Symphony

Extract

Spring Symphony—the accent is on the first word. Musical pictures of the Spring have been combined in a symphonic cycle. The form deviates from the usual schemes: there is no sonata form nor are there any other of the traditional symphonic movements. Therefore, if someone has too hard and fast a notion of what a symphony should be, let him accept the word here in the metaphorical sense. But if a symphony means integrating the manifold aspects of one idea, here is a true example of the type. We have a series of twelve contrasting vocal pieces, the unity of which is provided not only by the one subject, Spring, but by the way in which the pieces are co-ordinated. They are grouped into four parts, similar to the traditional scheme of Allegro, Adagio, Scherzo and Finale, but our Allegro consists of several movements: an extended Lento introduction and four lively pieces which follow each other without pause. No thematic connection between them is apparent, nor between the movements of the second or third parts, representing, as it were Adagio and Scherzo. The fourth part is composed in one, as a Finale of large ternary form.