A Boy Was Born facts for kids

A Boy Was Born is a special piece of music by the famous British composer Benjamin Britten. It's a choral work, meaning it's written for a group of singers (a choir) without any instruments playing along, except maybe an organ sometimes. Britten wrote this piece when he was only 19 years old, between 1932 and 1933. It's made up of a main tune and several "variations," which are like different versions of that tune. The words used in the music are mostly old poems from the 15th and 16th centuries, all about Christmas.

The Story Behind A Boy Was Born

Benjamin Britten wrote A Boy Was Born when he was a student. He was studying at the Royal College of Music. This piece was his final project there. It was his first big work for voices and his first important piece with religious themes. Britten dedicated the music to his father.

What are Theme and Variations?

This music is built around a "theme" (a main tune or idea) and "variations." This means Britten took a simple musical idea and changed it in many different ways. He used ten different poems for the words. Most of these poems were from the 16th century. One poem, however, was written later by Christina Rossetti. Britten really liked writing music using variations. He used this style in other famous pieces too, like his Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.

First Performances and Revisions

A Boy Was Born was first heard on 23 February 1934. It was part of a BBC radio concert. The Wireless Chorus and choirboys from St Mark's, North Audley Street, performed it. Leslie Woodgate was the conductor. The piece takes about 32 minutes to perform. It was one of the first pieces Britten had published.

Britten later made some changes to the music in 1955. This new version was first performed on 22 November 1955 in London. The Purcell Singers, led by Imogen Holst, performed it. Britten himself conducted a recording of the work.

In 2013, people celebrated 100 years since Britten's birth. A Boy Was Born was performed at The Proms. The BBC Singers and the Temple Church Choir performed it. David Hill conducted the performance. Festivals in Sheffield and Birmingham were even named after this composition to honor Britten's special year.

The Music of A Boy Was Born

In this complex work, Britten showed his amazing talent. He was very skilled at writing music and setting words to it. The piece has six choral variations. They are all based on the first four notes sung by the sopranos (the highest voices):

<score> { \set Score.automaticBars = ##f \key d \major \time 2/2 \relative c' {d2 \bar "|" e2 g2 \bar "|" e2} \addlyrics {A boy was born } }</score>

The music uses a mix of keys and modes. This gives it a special sound. Britten used different ways to change the main tune. He made it longer or even played it upside down.

Exploring the Variations

• Variation 1 is like a conversation. The women's voices sing as Mary. The boys' voices sing as the child.
• Variation 2 tells the story of the Massacre of the Innocents. The music uses sudden, jerky rhythms. This makes the original theme sound changed and twisted.
• Variation 3 has a smaller group of singers. They sing "Jesu, as Thou art our saviour." A boy or boys sing "Jesu" with a long, flowing melody four times.
• Variation 4 is about the three kings. The main tune plays softly in the background. It sounds like a faraway procession.
• Variation 5 is for higher voices only. It starts with Christina Rossetti's "In the Bleak Midwinter." The women's voices sing, and their notes sometimes clash. This sounds like the cold. Their falling melodies suggest snow. Against this, the boys' choir sings a simple, folk-like version of the Corpus Christi Carol.
• Variation 6 is the finale. It's a lively "rondo" (a musical form where a main theme keeps returning). This part is very complex to sing. It divides into eight different voice parts. Then, you hear parts of the earlier variations. Finally, the original theme returns.

The singing in this piece is very challenging. The boys' choir needs to be a separate group. But they should be close to the mixed choir. This is because their parts are closely connected.

See also

• "Puer natus in Bethlehem", a medieval Latin Christmas hymn