Hymn to St. Cecilia (op. 27) is a choral piece by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), on a text by W.H. Auden (1907-1973). Auden's original title was "Three Songs for St. Cecilia's Day", and he later published it as "Anthem for St. Cecilia’s Day (for Benjamin Britten)". A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... Christopher Isherwood and W.H. Auden, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Wystan Hugh Auden (February 21, 1907–September 29, 1973) was an English poet. ...

For a long time Britten wanted to write a piece dedicated to St. Cecilia for a number of reasons. Firstly, he was born on St. Cecilia's day, secondly, St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and finally, there is a long tradition in England of writing odes and songs to St. Cecilia. The most famous of these are by John Dryden ("A song for St. Cecilia's Day" 1687) and musical works by Henry Purcell, Hubert Parry, and George Frideric Handel. The first extant reference to Britten's desire to write such a work is from 1935 when Britten wrote in his diary “I’m having great difficulty in finding Latin words for a proposed Hymn to St. Cecilia spend morning hunting.” Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia in the Catholic Church the patron saint of music and of the blind. ... In several forms of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... John Dryden John Dryden (August 19, 1631 – May 12, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, and playwright. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (September 10, 1659 - November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers — indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ... Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (February 27, 1848 – October 7, 1918) was an English composer, probably best known for his setting of William Blakes poem, Jerusalem. ... George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in Great Britain, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ...

At this point, Britten had already worked with Auden on a number of large-scale works, including Paul Bunyan. Britten asked that Auden provide him a text for his ode to St. Cecilia, and Auden complied, sending the poem in sections throughout 1940, along with advice on how Britten could be a better artist. This was to be the last work they collaborated on. According to Britten's partner Peter Pears in 1980 “Ben was on a different track now, and he was no longer prepared to be dominated– bullied – by Wystan, whose musical feeling he was very well aware of. ...Perhaps he may have been said to have said goodbye to working with Wystan with his marvelous setting of the Hymn (Anthem) to St. Cecilia.” Paul Bunyan was a choral operetta composed by Benjamin Britten with lyrics by W. H. Auden. ... Peter Neville Luard Pears (June 22, 1910 – April 3, 1986) was an English tenor and life-long partner of the composer Benjamin Britten. ...

Britten began setting Hymn to St. Cecilia in late 1940 in the United States. In 1942 (the midst of World War II) Britten and Pears decided to return home to England. Unfortunately, the customs inspectors confiscated all of Britten's manuscripts, fearing they could be some type of code. Britten re-wrote the manuscript while aboard the M.S. Axel Johnson, and finished it April 2, 1942. It was written at the same time as A Ceremony of Carols, which shares the same affect. Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total: 50 million Full list Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total: 12 million Full list World War II... In communications, a code is a rule for converting a piece of information (for example, a letter, word, or phrase) into another form or representation, not necessarily of the same sort. ... 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... A Ceremony of Carols is a piece by Benjamin Britten scored for treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. ...

The text itself follows in the tradition of odes, including an invocation to the muse: "Blessed Cecilia/Appear in visions to all musicians/Appear and inspire". Britten uses this as a refrain throughout piece, whereas it is the last portion of Auden's first section. Ode is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. ...

The piece is in three sections, plus three iterations of the refrain, with slight variations, following each section. The first section is very similar to the refrain, based around the E phrygian scale and with the same melody. The second section is a scherzo with a modified fugue form. The third section is more lyrical, with solos in each voice describing a different instrument, traditional in odes to St. Cecilia. Due to historical confusion, Phrygian mode can refer to two very different musical modes or diatonic scales. ... A scherzo (plural scherzi) is a name given to a piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony. ... In music, a fugue is a type of piece written for counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ...

See also

• Benjamin Britten
• W.H. Auden
• Partial list of works

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... Christopher Isherwood and W.H. Auden, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Wystan Hugh Auden (February 21, 1907–September 29, 1973) was an English poet. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ...

References

• Britten, Benjamin. Hymn to St. Cecilia. Op. 27. New York; Boosey and Hawkes, 1942.
• Carpenter, Humphrey. Benjamin Britten, A Biography. New York: C. Scribner and Sons, 1992.
• Rosamond McGuiness, Tony Trowles. "Ode (ii): Odes for St. Cecilia's Day", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed December 10, 2004), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
• Mitchell, Donald. Ed. Letters from a Life: The selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten 1939-1976. Volume 2. Berkeley; University of California Press, 1991.