As a pianist, I am grateful that Mr. Britten was a pianist and performed these songs for the greater part of three decades with the great English tenor, Peter Pears.Here are a few subjective ideas of how a composer as masterful and imaginative as Britten uses his piano part:

Salley Gardens – how the piano writing creates melancholy and a comforting melancholy at that.

The Ash Grove – a Welsh tune. Here the piano part is given melody in canon (like a round) with the voice…. And later little “bee sting”- like discordant harmonies belying the simplicity of the text.

The Bonnie Early o’Moray – Ah! Scottish…the piano takes us to the landscape and the heart of a spirited country in another time … when queens reigned.

Come you not from Newcastle? - The composer writes “fast with spirit” at the head of the song – and the piano writing buoys the vocal line to the end.

Can Ye Sew Cushions - another Scottish tune – a lullaby – listen to how the composer uses occasional bass (left hand) harmonies to convey the mother’s anxiety beneath her lulling tones to her baby:” another mouth to feed…. How shall I do it?”

Sweet Polly Oliver – follow the piano writing as the text/story unfolds from sweet little Polly’s plan to become a soldier, to the sargeant’s voice, and more!

The Plough Boy – the right hand of the piano “whistles” as the text describes while the left hand punctuates the little boy’s unfolding flights of grandeur.

O Waly Waly – here, the piano settles into a harmonic support in a classic ballad form.

The Foggy Foggy Dew - in the piano part here, Britten creates the personality of the song’s narrator – a simple bachelor weaver, whose only “mistake” was to keep a maid from the “foggy foggy dew.”

These are just a few examples of how the piano complements the voice in setting the atmosphere of a song.of a wealth of riches in the art of the Art Song. The more you listen, the more you’ll discover as well! It’s endless and new every time!

…back to program notes.