The ''Te Deum in C'' is a sacred choral composition by

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 ...

, a setting of the

Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...

on the English text from the ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...

''. Britten wrote it between 11 July and 17 September 1934. It is scored for a treble solo, four-part choir (

SATB In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Choral music Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...

) and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

History and versions

Britten dedicated the work: "Written for Maurice Vinden and the Choir of St Mark's, N. Audley St, London". It was first performed in concert at the medieval church of

St Michael, Cornhill St Michael, Cornhill, is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. It lies in the ward of Cornhill, London, Cornhill. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London, and replaced b ...

, London, on 13 November 1935 by the St Michael's Singers and organist

George Thalben-Ball Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball (18 June 1896 – 18 January 1987) was an Australian organist and composer who spent almost all his life in England. Early life George Thomas Ball (he later took the additional name of "Thalben") was born in Sydn ...

, with soprano May Bartlett, conducted by

Harold Darke Harold Edwin Darke (29 October 1888 – 28 November 1976) was an English composer and organist. He is particularly known for his choral compositions, which are an established part of the repertoire of Anglican church music. Darke had a fifty-ye ...

. The work was among Britten's first compositions to be published, by

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. Commissioned by the

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, Britten orchestrated the work between 14 and 20 January 1936, for harp or piano and

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first a ...

. This version was first performed in concert at the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...

, London, on 27 January 1936 in the Lemare concert series, by the Choir of St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, conducted by Reginald Goodall. Britten played the viola in the unnamed orchestra. In 1961, Britten composed Jubilate Deo, also in C major, as a companion piece.

Music

The music is in one movement and takes about 9 minutes to perform. It is based on an

ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...

of the organ in the beginning and in the reprise after a contrasting middle section. Beginning

pianissimo In music, the dynamics of a piece are the variation in loudness between note (music), notes or phrase (music), phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings require interpretation ...

, the voices build chords from

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

. Barry Holden describes it as follows: "In the opening pages it adheres steadfastly to a chord of C major in the choral parts, and builds its musical interest without traditional use of harmonic progression, but by use of short motifs which are constantly reworked". Gradually more intense, the voices reach a climax on "Holy, Holy, Holy". After a general rest, they proclaim in unison with the organ: "Lord God of Sabaoth". In the middle section the soloist addresses God softly: "Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ". The choir joins, not only in this line, for "O Christ", repeating that pattern also for the following acclamations up to "Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heav'n to all believers", finally just inserting "Christ". Holden comments: "The haunting treble solo which sets the individual against the chorus is a typically ingenious idea." A second climax is reached before a quiet ending.

Paul Spicer Paul Spicer (born August 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former defensive end who was most recently the defensive line coach for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State. He then play ...

summarizes the piece as having "drama, energy, variety, and clarity and integrity of structure".

References

External links

Te Deum in C
Britten Thematic Catalogue
Te Deum in C

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{Authority control Choral compositions by Benjamin Britten

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 ...

1934 compositions