New Library Acquisition – Benjamin Britten, 'Gloriana' (1953)

Britten’s three-act work was commissioned for the Coronation of Elizabeth II, set to a libretto written by William Plomer.

One hundred numbered copies of the vocal score (compiled by Imogen Holst) were produced by Boosey & Hawkes on hand-made paper and bound in real parchment, then signed by both Britten and Plomer; the first of which was gifted to the Queen.

George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood (1923–2011), instrumental in securing the coronation commission for the opera, was gifted the first of ten additional lettered copies. These lettered copies (A–J) were not for sale, and therefore represent an exceptionally rare, and exquisitely presented, portion of twentieth-century musical history. Included within the copy is a letter from Boosey & Hawkes, presenting the volume to Harewood under instruction from Britten.

Following his succession to the Earldom in 1947, Harewood took up many roles within the world of Opera. At his birth, he was sixth in line to the throne, as the eldest grandson of George V and cousin to Elizabeth II. During the war, he was captured and kept as a prisoner at Colditz, and narrowly escaped execution. He used his familial connections to persuade his cousin to commission an opera to mark the Coronation, suggesting his friend, Britten, as the composer. The two had been friends since Harewood had taken up the first presidency of the Aldeburgh Festival and was cemented in the following years through Britten’s composition of an anthem, ‘Amo Ergo Sum’, for Harewood’s wedding to Marion Stein, the daughter of Britten’s publisher.

Sadly, Gloriana was not best received upon its premiere. The work was not deemed appropriately celebratory, and perhaps even insulting, presenting a less-than-glamorous image of an elderly Elizabeth I. Harewood himself would later refer to it as ‘one of the great disasters of operatic history’, with Britten himself having supposedly shouted ‘Clap, damn you, clap’ from his box. However, both Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had been privy to a run-through of the opera two weeks prior, and reportedly enjoyed both that and the premiere, in spite of its critical reception. At any rate, Britten continued to receive royal commissions.

Benjamin Britten, Gloriana (London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1953), will be incorporated into music displays in the Upper Library (under the new shelfmark Mus.1298), with details being sent in advance for when it will first be on display.