Incidental music

film

recording sessions were in year of composition unless otherwise stated

GPO	produced by General Post Office Film Unit

BCGA	produced by British Commercial Gas Association

The King's Stamp, fl + pic, cl, perc, 2 pf, April–May 1935 [rec. 17 May]; GPO, dir. W. Coldstream, 1935

Coal Face (verse: W.H. Auden, M. Slater), spkr, whistler, SATB, perc, pf, May–June 1935 [rec. 19, 26 June]; GPO producer J. Grierson, dir. A. Cavalcanti, 1935

CTO: the Story of the Central Telegraph Office, fl, ob, cl, perc, pf, July 1935 [rec. 20 July]; GPO, producer S. Legg, 1935

Telegrams, boys' vv, fl, ob, cl, perc, pf, July 1935 [1st recording session 20 July]; GPO [film unidentified]

The Tocher (film ballet), boys' vv, fl + pic, ob, cl, perc, pf, July 1935 [rec. 20 July]; GPO producer Cavalcanti, animator L. Reiniger, 1938 [see also choral, Rossini Suite]

Gas Abstract, fl, cl, bn, perc, pf, Aug–Sept 1935 [rec. 3 Sept]; ?BCGA [film unidentified]

Dinner Hour, fl, cl, perc, pf, vn, vc, Sept 1935 [rec. 16 Sept]; BCGA, dir. A. Elton, 1936

Title Music III, fl, cl, perc, pf, vn, vc, Sept 1935 [rec. 16 Sept]; BCGA, dir. A. Elton, ?1936 [film unidentified]

Men behind the Meters, fl, ob, cl, perc, glock, pf, vn, vc, Sept–Oct 1935 [rec. 16 Sept, 2 Oct]; ARFP for BCGA, dir. A. Elton, 1936

Conquering Space: the Story of Modern Communications, fl, ob, cl, bn, perc, pf, Sept 1935 [rec. 1 Oct]; GPO, dir. Legg, 1935

How the Dial Works, fl, ob, cl, perc, pf, Sept 1935 [rec. 1 Oct]; GPO, producer R. Elton, R. Morrison, 1937

The New Operator, fl, ob, cl, bn, perc, pf, Sept 1935 [rec. 1 Oct]; GPO, producer J. Grierson, dir. Legg [soundtrack for silent film; never released]

The Savings Bank, fl, ob, cl, bn, perc, pf, Sept 1935 [rec. 1 Oct]; GPO, dir. Legg, 1935

Sorting Office, fl, ob, cl, bn, perc, pf, Sept 1935 [rec. 1 Oct]; GPO, dir. H. Watt [soundtrack for silent film; never released]

Negroes/God's Chillun (Auden), Sept–Nov 1935, rev. Jan 1938 [rec. 8 Jan]; S, T, B, TB chorus, ob + eng hn + tambourine, perc, hp, pf + b drum; GPO, 1938

GPO Title Music 1 and 2, fl, ob, bn, tpt, perc, hp, vn, va, vc, db, ?Nov 1935; GPO [film unidentified]

Night Mail (J. Grierson, Watt, B. Wright; verse: Auden), spkr, fl, ob, bn, tpt, perc, vn, va, vc, db, Nov 1935–Jan 1936 [rec. Dec 1935–Jan 1936] (2000); GPO, producer Grierson, dir. Watt, Wright, sound dir. Cavalcanti, 1936 [see instrumental ensemble]

Peace of Britain, fl, cl, tpt, perc, pf, str, March 1936 [rec. 21 March]; Freenat Films and Strand Films, dir. P. Rotha, 1936

Around the Village Green, 2 fl, ob, cl, tpt, trbn, timp, perc, hp, str, April, Sept–Oct 1936 [rec. 19, 21 Oct]; Travel and Industrial Development Association, dir. Spice, M. Grierson, 1937 [see orchestral, Irish Reel]

Men of the Alps, fl + pic, cl, tpt, trbn, perc, hp, str; Sept–Oct 1936 [rec. 20 Oct]; GPO and Pro Telephon, Zürich, producer, Watt, dir. Cavalcanti, 1937

The Saving of Bill Blewitt, fl, cl, tpt, trbn, perc, hp, str, Oct 1936 [rec. 20 Oct]; GPO, producer J. Grierson, dir. Watt, 1937; music lost

Calendar of the Year, March, Sept–Nov 1936 [rec. 9, 20 Oct, 3 Nov]; GPO, produced Cavalcanti, dir. E. Spice, 1937; most music lost

Line to the Tschierva Hut, fl + pic, cl, tpt, trbn, perc, hp, str, Sept–Nov 1936 [rec. 20 Oct, 3 Nov]; GPO and Pro Telephon, Zürich, producer, J. Grierson, dir. Cavalcanti, 1937

Four Barriers, ?Sept–Nov 1936; GPO and Pro Telephon, Zürich, producer Watt, dir. Cavalcanti, 1937; music lost

Message from Geneva, ?Sept 1936; GPO and Pro Telephon, Zürich, dir. Cavalcanti, 1937; music lost

Love from a Stranger (F. Marion, adapted from play by F. Vosper, after A. Christie: Philomel Cottage), orch, Nov 1936 [rec. 25, 27 Nov] (2000, transcr. C. Matthews); Capitol (Trafalgar) Films/Max Schach Productions, produced Schach, dir. R.V. Lee, 1937 [feature film; for pubd version, see Arrangements by others of Britten works]

The Way to the Sea (verse: Auden), spkr, fl + pic, ob + eng hn, cl, a sax, bn, tpt, trbn, perc, hp, pf, Dec 1936 [rec. 14, 16 Dec]; Strand Films for Southern Railway, producer Rotha, dir. J.B. Holmes, 1937

Book Bargain, ?1936–7; GPO, dir. N. McLaren, 1937

Advance Democracy (R. Bond), SATB, perc, 1938; Realist Film Unit, dir. Bond, Wright, 1938

Mony a Pickle, ?1938; GPO, dir. Cavalcanti, R. Massingham, 1938 [music taken from The King's Stamp, probably without Britten's knowledge]

Instruments of the Orchestra (Slater), orch, 1945 [rec. 28 March 1946] (1947); Crown Film Unit, producer A. Shaw, dir. M. Mathieson, 1946 [see orchestral, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, 1945]