''Advance Democracy'' is a 1938 piece for unaccompanied choir by British composer
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...
.
History
In 1938, in reaction to the
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
and threat posed by the Axis against the liberal order in Europe, the
London Co-operative Society commissioned a propaganda piece to promote democracy.
Poet
Randall Swingler wrote the lyrics.
Music
The piece begins with text evoking the fascist menace, with a minor key and staccato.
The call to advance democracy is underlined by a bright C major.
References
References
External links
S:t Jacobs Ungdomskör - Benjamin Britten: Advance Democracy
{{Authority control
Choral compositions by Benjamin Britten
1938 compositions