Benjamin Britten’s idea of creating an opera for children in “The Little Sweep” stemmed from his belief in the potential of children. The Little Sweep is a masterpiece of artistry, singing, and education. This opera is a wonderfully appropriate vehicle for both entertaining and educating young people in communities and schools. The purpose of this study is to explore “The Little Sweep” through an inquiry of its context and Britten’s compositional techniques.
The first chapter is an introduction. The second chapter is a brief survey of Britten’s life, including a list of his works for children and, the examination of these works to address Britten’s purpose of musical education. The third chapter surveys the process of creating “The Little Sweep” and theatrical analyses. The fourth chapter presents four types of songs that Britten utilized in children chorales, audience participating songs, arias and, duets in the opera. Throughout all these four types of songs, we examine Britten’s consistent and unique techniques in composition. The fifth chapter is the conclusion of previous discussions, and a performance example of “The Little Sweep” by the researcher, which is brought to confirm the artistry and educational goal of the work once again.
***********************************************************Renaissance
Vecchie letrose.....................A. Willaert (1490-1532)
Parmi di star......................S. Cornet (c. 1520-1582)
Chi la gagliarda.....................G. D. Nola (1510-1592)
Contrapunto bestiale alla mente....A. Banchieri (1568-1634)
Classical
《Sechs Notturni》.................W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
I. Luci cari, luci belle...........K. V. 346
II. Se lontan, ben mio, tu sei.....K. V. 438
III. Due pupille amabili...........K. V. 439
IV. Piu non si trovano.............K. V. 549
V. Ecco quell fiero istante........K. V. 436
VI. Mi lagnero tacendo.............K. V. 437
Romantic
Ave Maria, op.12 ..................J. Brahms (1833-1897)
Der 13 Psalm “Herr, wie lange”, op.27 ..J. Brahms
Inno A Maria Vergine ............. F. Liszt（1811-1886）
Contemporary
The Deer Chase
American folksong arr. by Norman Luboff (1917-1987)
The Turtle Dove
English folksong arr. by R. Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Zion’s Walls
Revivalist Song arr. by A. Copland (1900-1990)＆ G. Kopnen