Britten wrote his setting of ‘The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard’ in late 1943 to be performed by British servicemen held in a German prisoner of war camp called Oflag VIIB at Eichstätt in Bavaria. The piece is for male voices – tenors, baritones and basses – and piano. Britten arranged for the music to be sent out page by page, on microfilm. The piece is dedicated to “Richard Wood and the musicians of Oflag VIIb – Germany 1943”
The text of the Ballad can be found in the Oxford Book of Ballads. The Ballad which Britten sets is also known as “Matty Groves”. It probably comes from Northern England and dates from at least the early 17th century. It has been frequently performed over the years in various arrangements by folk musicians including Sandy Denny with Fairport Convention and Peggy Seeger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Groves
It tells the story of Lady Barnard and her lover Little Musgrave. A page boy overhears the lovers arranging to meet and tells Lord Barnard who rushes to confront the lovers. “Arise, thou little Musgrave”, sings Lord Barnard, “and put thy clothès on; It shall ne’er be said in my country, I have kill’d a naked man.” Things don’t turn out quite as expected though… The full text of the Ballad as set by Britten can be found here
Oxford Pro Musica Singers rehearsing in Exeter College Chapel, 2023
By the end of 1943 Britten had just celebrated his 30th birthday and was an established composer. He had recently written and performed works such as the Serenade for Tenor Horn and Strings, and several significant choral works. The Ceremony of Carols, the Hymn to St Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb all date from 1942 – 1943. In a letter to his close friend in New York Elizabeth Mayer dated 8 December 1943, Britten describes the reception of these works and adds “That brings us to the present, when I am quickly scribbling a short choral work for a prison camp in Germany where some friends of mine are, & where there is a choir & enthusiasm for my tunes! And THEN I start the OPERA – for production next Summer! Isn’t that exciting?” The opera was Peter Grimes, the work which would confirm Britten as the leading composer of his generation.
The Pegasus Archive website provides a vivid picture of what life was like for the men detained in the camp.
There was indeed a choir at the prison camp, run by Richard Wood, whose sister Anne had been in the BBC Singers with Peter Pears. There was also an orchestra, and in February – March 1944 a music festival took place. The festival consisted of 6 concerts, and Britten’s piece received its first performance and several repeat performances. There was a printed programme for the music festival which has survived.
Part of the programme for “The Music Festival”, held at Eichstätt in February 1944. Copyright: Jim Blair. With thanks to Mark Hickman at the Pegasus Archive website.
The programme gives the names of the 28 or so men who sang in the choir. What did they think of the piece Britten scribbled for them?
On 2 March 1945 The Times published a report on the ‘Festival behind barbed wire’ in which the conductor Richard Wood described the rehearsals and performances of the Ballad: “The choir (35 to 40 voices) started by cordially disliking the work but finally they all thoroughly enjoyed it. It grew on us all the time and the audience took to it immediately or were at least brought up short by it. It was performed four times.”
I’m thoroughly enjoying rehearsing the Ballad. Britten had a wonderful gift for setting words and this piece is no exception. The central section goes at one hell of a lick and I know from previous performances that it’s very exciting to perform. It would have given the soldiers in the camp something seriously challenging to work on (after all they had plenty of time!) , but it’s cleverly judged so that the music is not too difficult. Without wishing to give the game away, I find the final section very moving, and I’m sure some of the men in the camp must have had a similar reaction as they remembered loved ones back home.
I can understand the comment above that the singers disliked the work at first. I can remember as a 16 year old hearing Britten’s opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in rehearsal and thinking “What on earth is this??” Within a few days I was hooked! I have had a similar experience recently with another Britten work, Sacred and Profane which I’m currently rehearsing and which is now going round and round in my head!
Sacred and Profane – Works by Britten and MacMillan – Saturday 21 October 2023
Tim Ault October 2023
Sources:
“Letters from a Life Vol 2: 1939-45: Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten” edited by Donald Mitchell and Philip Reed, Faber 1998
“Benjamin Britten: A Biography“, Humphrey Carpenter, Faber 1992
and the sites linked to above