Four Sea Interludes

Benjamin Britten

A Closer Look at Movements II and III

David Bacon

Peter Grimes: An Opera

Brittens most successful opera
Premiered in 1945

Set in Aldeburgh, England- fishing city

Peter Grimes is oppressed for accusations of murder
Music interludes in between acts---Four Sea Interludes

Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a

Four separate musical interludes

All four are programmatic works

Characterize the sea

Aspects in each movement that remind

listener of oppression within opera
Movement II: Sunday Morning
Movement III: Moonlight

Movement II: Sunday Morning

Two Contrasting Themes:

Above: Sharp, strong melodic

line in upper woodwinds, later
happens in upper strings and
high trumpets. Centered in A
Major

Below: Flowing melody in

violin and viola, happens
earlier in viola and cello.
Centered in A Lydian

Movement II: Sunday Morning

Elements of melodic oppression:

Characterization of the sea:

Bell ringing- happens in key of Bb Major and Eb Major,

minor second and tri-tone away from home key of A Major

Dynamic swells in flowing melody

Stacked chords with sevenths, ninths, and chromatic pitches

Form of the movement:

Movement III: Moonlight

Main melodic idea:

Use of the second inversion chord sequentially

Use of key areas that are intervalically a third
apart

Melodically: Eb Major, G Major, B Major

occurring within one melody

Use of octave leaps over flowing melodic lines

Movement III: Moonlight

Elements of melodic oppression:

Characterization of the sea:

Whole tones in octave melody

Unresolved chords

Throughout this interlude, wherever the syncopated crochet

figure appears, there should be a gentle swell to every beat

Form of the movement:

Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NlaYS8pQ6I

Sunday Morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxYG-EU4iSI

Moonlight