Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, The

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Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, The. Orch. work (or for speaker and orch.), Op.34, by Britten which is sometimes known (against the composer's wishes) only by its sub-title Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. Written for documentary film (1946), The Instruments of the Orchestra (commentary written by Eric Crozier), in which narr. described the uses and characteristics of various sections of the orch., these being illustrated by Britten‘s variations. Theme is from Purcell's incid. mus. to the play Abdelazer (1695). F.p. of orch. version, Liverpool 1946.

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