ENGLISH CULTURE AND MUSIC

The most representative musician of the 20^th century was BENJAMIN BRITTEN: founder of the English Opera Group, Britten is considered the father of the modern English Opera and one of the few world-famous English composers.

Britten has often set to music and put on literary texts such as the Peter Grimes, the Albert Herring and his masterpiece: The Turn of the Screw, based on the short story by Henry James.

Between Britten's works, we can also remember the War Requiem, about the Second World War that struck him who was an earnest pacifist.

ENGLISH LIGHT MUSIC

The postwar period of the reconstruction is marked by the rise of numerous orchestras that widely contributed to spread the so-called English light music.

During these years, it was very important the advent of the radio as the favourite way of listening to light music.

One of the most important exponent of English light music is ERIC COATES who became popular thanks to his piece London Suite and other works employed as signature tunes by BBC or theme songs in films.

With regard to English light music, we can also remember FREDERIC CURZON, with his famous March of the Bowmen (inspired by the legend of Robin Hood), VIVIAN ELLIS, HAYDN WOOD, ROBERT FARNON (who composed a waltz dedicated to Westminster Abbey) TREVOR DUNCAN, ANTHONY COLLINS, etc.

EXOTICISM AND ORIENTALISM

Inside English light music, two musicians distinguished themselves for their taste for (the) exotic: ARTHUR BENJAMIN and ALBERT KETELBEY.

The most famous piece of the Australian ARTHUR BENJAMIN is the Jamaican Rumba (inspired by the Caribbean environment), while in the work of ALBERT KETELBEY, who composed mostly for the silent screen/films, prevail oriental undertones, like in his most popular piece, called In a Persian Market.

FIRST JAZZ INFLUENCES IN ENGLAND

Inside the English ragtime [American syncopated genre whose major exponent was Scott Joplin the most important composer is BILLY MAYERL, who invented/created a new music genre standing between ragtime and jazz, with English features.

Jazz music was born in the early 20^th century in the USA becoming very popular and becoming its very symbol because expressed the eclecticism and syncretism (the tendency to blend/merge various elements) typical of the American culture.

Jazz music was born by the blending of western white music genres with black music such as spirituals and gospels, work songs, the blues (another musical genre related to the black slavery) and the ragtime.

CELEBRATORY MUSIC

Another important English musical genre was that of the music composed for the Crown, consisting in anthems or marches to play during royal ceremonies.

The most famous among this kind of composers is EDWARD ELGAR whose popular march Pomp and Circumstance has also been employed by Stanley Kubrick in his film A Clockwork Orange.

Another popular piece is Orb and Sceptre by WILLIAM WALTON, a march composed expressly for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation/crowning (in 1953) and played every year during the Last Night of the Proms.

The "Proms", short form of "Promenades Concerts" are a series of concerts of classical music which take place during every summer at the Albert Hall in London since 1895. The final concert each year, called the Last Night of the Proms is always extraordinarily successful.

BRITISH DANCES

The composer MALCOM ARNOLD was inspired by the rich repertory of typical British dances for its production of short dances classified according to the various regions of the United Kingdom.

So, there are English dances, Scottish dances, Cornish dances, Welsh dances and Irish dances (the typical instrument of the Irish popular music is the fiddle, a kind of violin).

THE MUSICAL

The musical is a kind of performance made blending drama with singing and dancing; it was born in Britain towards the last 19^th century as tragic genre but then acquired more comic features.

London has been the undisputed home of the musical at least until the early 20^th century, when the American musical entered the competition with musical as West Side Story, Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc.

The major English musical impresario is the billionaire Andrew Lloyd Webber who, in the 1980s, had a monopoly of the London theatres with its musicals such as Cats, Starlight Express, Aspects of Love and The Phantom of the Opera (later adapted into a Hollywood film), that have been played all around the world and are still a sell-out.