Benjamin Britten's Sinfonietta was composed in 1932, while he was a student at the Royal College of Music, aged 18. It was first performed in 1933. It was published as his Op. 1 and dedicated to his teacher Frank Bridge.
Contents
Instrumentation
It was originally written for five winds and five strings: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello and double bass. In February 1936, Britten revised the score for a small chamber orchestra with two horns. However, this was only performed once during Britten's life.
Movements
A typical performance takes about 15 minutes. The movements are headed:
- Poco presto ed agitato
- Variations, andante lento
- Tarantella
The first movement is in sonata form. The music writer Erwin Stein has suggested that the whole work is modelled on the Chamber Symphony No. 1 of 1906 by Arnold Schoenberg.
In 1937, before Britten departed for America, his friend W. H. Auden inscribed his poem "It's Farewell to the Drawing-room's Civilised Cry" on the fly-leaf of a miniature score of the Sinfonietta. Britten was touched by the gesture.