Overview

Widely regarded as one of the greatest choral works of the twentieth century, Britten's War Requiem was first performed at the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962. It provocatively juxtaposes the vivid anti-war poetry of Wilfred Owen with the Latin Requiem Mass in a passionate outcry against man's inhumanity to man. This handbook explores the background to Britten's use of the Owen texts, charting the development of the composer's lifelong pacifist beliefs and (in a chapter contributed by Philip Reed of the Britten-Pears Library, Aldeburgh) detailing the process of composition from hitherto unpublished correspondence and manuscript sources. The musical structure is investigated, and the work's compositional idiom related to Britten's output as a whole. A concluding chapter surveys the fluctuating critical responses to the score, and includes discussion of the composer's legendary 1963 recording and Derek Jarman's controversial interpretation on film.
ISBN-13

9780521446334

ISBN-10

0521446333

Weight

0.41 Pounds

Dimensions

5.50 x 0.32 x 8.50 In

List Price

$40.99

Edition

1st Edition

Format

Paperback

Language

English

Pages

128 pages

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published On

1996-11-07


View All Offers

Sort by:

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
✨ Brand New
Seller details
Alibris
★★★★★

Sparks, NV, USA

Print on demand Trade paperback (US). Contains: Halftones, Printed music items. Cambridge Music Han...
$19.35

 Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026

Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
$38.01

 Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026

Brand New
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

$71.50

 Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.