Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Program

Music

Advisor

Scott Burnham

Committee Members

David Schober

Norman Carey

Daniel Phillips

Subject Categories

Musicology | Music Performance | Music Theory

Keywords

Benjamin Britten, Violin Concerto, Suite, Reveille, pacifism, anti-war theme

Abstract

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study of Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, Op. 15, using the work as a lens through which to examine the composer’s early period. Rather than treating the concerto as a purely technical or stylistic artifact, the study situates it within the broader context of Britten’s formative years, his early artistic circles, the political tensions of the 1930s, and his evolving pacifist stance.

The final third of the dissertation offers a detailed formal and interpretative analysis of the full orchestral score, tracing an expressive arc across the entire work by identifying an idée fixe motif and following its development across the movements. This section interprets the concerto as a musical account in which Britten’s opposition to war and violence is expressed through instrumental means—its structure, gesture, harmonic design, and orchestration. Particular attention is also given to Britten’s earlier piece Reveille (1937), conceived as a kind of concert study not only for the violinist but also for the composer himself. Reveille was long considered lost and remained unpublished until after his death. It reflects Britten’s exploration of the violin’s technical possibilities and anticipates many aspects of the Violin Concerto. A review of his other early violin works is included as well. The analysis also draws on Britten’s annotated conducting score for the 1971 Aldeburgh Festival performance, which I use throughout to trace his conducting decisions, often informed by the musical structure and the phrasing it implies.

The research draws extensively on primary and unpublished sources. Archival documents from the Britten-Pears Foundation and the New York Philharmonic provide insight into the circumstances surrounding the concerto’s composition and premiere, explaining its complicated early history and relative absence from the concert scene for many years.

By combining archival research with close musical analysis, this dissertation contributes to Britten scholarship and to broader discussions on the role of music in articulating artistic conscience. It argues that the Violin Concerto stands as both a masterful musical structure and an ethical statement—a pacifist’s anti-war message.

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