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| dedication = "To my Father" | performed = | vocal = }} ''A Boy Was Born'' (published as ''A Boy was Born''〔〔), Op. 3, is a choral composition by Benjamin Britten. The ''Choral variations for men's, women's and boys' voices, unaccompanied (organ ad lib)'' was originally composed from 1932 to 1933. It was first performed on 23 February 1934 as a BBC broadcast. Britten revised the work in 1955. The composer set different texts related to Christmas to music as theme and variations, scored for an a cappella choir with boys' voices. == History and versions == Britten composed ''A Boy Was Born'' at age 19 as a student at the Royal College of Music.〔 He wrote it between 25 November 1932 and 11 May 1933.〔 His last project at the college,〔 it is his first major vocal work and his first mature work on religious themes.〔 He dedicated it to his father.〔 ''A Boy Was Born'' is in the form of a musical theme and six variations setting ten different texts dating mostly from the 15th century, with one by Christina Rossetti from the 19th century,〔 so forming the first of his "poetic anthology" works.〔〔Oliver (1996): p. 39.〕 Variation structures particularly appealed to Britten: even before composing ''A Boy Was Born'', he had started a set of variations for string orchestra which he was later to complete as the ''Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge''.〔Oliver (1996): p. 40.〕 Later he was to compose a set of variations for his Piano Concerto,〔Oliver (1996): p. 69.〕 and his opera ''The Turn of the Screw'' is extensively based on the variation principle.〔 ''A Boy Was Born'' was first performed on 23 February 1934 in a BBC radio concert of contemporary music. Leslie Woodgate conducted the Wireless Chorus and choirboys of St Mark's, North Audley Street, London.〔〔 Sir Edward Elgar died the same day. The work takes about 32 minutes to perform. It was among Britten's first compositions to be published, by Chester Music. Britten revised it in 1955.〔Oliver, Michael. ''Benjamin Britten''. Phaidon, 1996: p. 216.〕 This version was first performed on 22 November 1955 in London at the Grosvenor Chapel, by the Purcell Singers conducted by Imogen Holst. Britten himself conducted a recording with Michael Hartnett (treble), the Purcell Singers, boys' voices of the English Opera Group, and the choir of All Saints.〔 In 1957–58, Ralph Downes added an organ part.〔 In 2013, celebrating Britten's centenary, ''A Boy Was Born'' was performed by the BBC Singers and the Temple Church Choir at The Proms, conducted by David Hill.〔〔 Festivals in Sheffield and Birmingham in 2013, in honour of the centenary of Britten's birth, were named after the composition.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A Boy Was Born」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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