B. Britten - Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten Of Aldeburgh OM CH - Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac (1952)
Anonymous:
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John Hahessy (Alto)
Sir Peter Pears (Tenor)
Benjamin Britten (Piano)
#lieder #tenor #modernmusic

[@hardtofindscores]

Anonymous: God speaks: Abraham, my servant, Abraham, Take Isaac, thy son by name, That thou lovest the best of all, And in sacrifice offer him to me Upon that hill there besides thee. Abraham, I will that so it be, For aught that may befall. Abraham: My Lord, to Thee is mine intent Ever to be obedient. That son that Thou to me hast sent Offer I will to Thee. Thy bidding done shall be. Here Abraham, turning him to his son Isaac, saith: Make thee ready, my dear darling, For we must do a little thing. This woode do on thy back it bring, We may no longer abide. A sword and fire that I will take, For sacrifice behoves me to make; God’s bidding will I not forsake, But ever obedient be. Here Isaac speaketh to his father, and taketh a bundle of sticks and beareth after his father, and saith: Isaac: Father, I am all ready To do your bidding most meekely, And to bear this wood full bayn am I, As you commanded me. Here they both go to the place to do sacrifice: Abraham: Now, Isaac son, go we our way To yonder mount if that we may. Isaac: My dear father, I will essay To follow you full fain. Abraham being minded to slay his son Isaac, lifts up his hands, and saith the following: Abraham: O! My heart will break in three, To hear thy words I have pitye; As Thou wilt, Lord, so must it be, To Thee I will be bayn. Lay down thy faggot, my own son dear. Isaac: All ready father, lo, it is here. But why make you such heavy cheer? Are you anything adread? Abraham: Ah! Dear God! That me is woe! Isaac: Father, if it be your will, Where is the beast that we shall kill? Abraham: Thereof, son, is none upon this hill. Isaac: Father, I am full sore affeared To see you bear that drawne sword. Abraham: Isaac, son, peace, I pray thee, Thou breakest my heart even in three. Isaac: I pray you, father, layn† nothing from me, But tell me what you think. Abraham: Ah! Isaac, Isaac, I must thee kill! Isaac: Alas! Father, is that your will, Your owne child for to spill Upon this hilles brink? If I have trespassed in any degree With a yard you may beat me; Put up your sword, if your will be, For I am but a child. Would God my mother were here with me! She would kneel down upon her knee, Praying you, father, if it may be, For to save my life. Abraham: O Isaac, son, to thee I say God hath commanded me today Sacrifice, this is no nay, To make of thy bodye. Isaac: Is it God’s will I shall be slain? Abraham: Yea, son, it is not for to layn. Here Isaac asketh his father’s blessing on his knees, and saith: Isaac: Father, seeing you muste needs do so, Let it pass lightly and over go; Kneeling on my knees two, Your blessing on me spread. Abraham: My blessing, dear son, give I thee And thy mother’s with heart free. The blessing of the Trinity, My dear Son, on thee light. Here Isaac riseth and cometh to his father, and he taketh him, and bindeth and layeth him upon the altar to sacrifice him, and saith: Abraham: Come hither, my child, thou art so sweet, Thou must be bound both hands and feet. Isaac: Father, do with me as you will, I must obey, and that is skill, Godës commandment to fulfil, For needs so it must be. Abraham: Isaac, Isaac, blessed must thou be. Isaac: Father, greet well my brethren ying, And pray my mother of her blessing, I come no more under her wing, Farewell for ever and aye. Abraham: Farewell, my sweete son of grace! Here Abraham doth kiss his son Isaac, and binds a kerchief about his head. Isaac: I pray you, father, turn down my face, For I am sore adread. Abraham: Lord, full loth were I him to kill! Isaac: Ah, mercy, father, why tarry you so? Abraham: Jesu! On me have pity, That I have most in mind. Isaac: Now, father, I see that I shall die: Almighty God in majesty! My soul I offer unto Thee! Abraham: To do this deed I am sorrye. Here let Abraham make a sign as tho’ he would cut off his son Isaac’s head with his sword; then … God speaks: Abraham, my servant dear, Abraham, Lay not thy sword in no manner On Isaac, thy dear darling. For thou dreadest me, well wot I, That of thy son had no mercy, To fulfil my bidding. Abraham: Ah, Lord of heaven and King of bliss, Thy bidding shall be done, i-wiss! A horned wether here I see, Among the briars tied is he, To Thee offered shall he be Anon right in this place. Then let Abraham take the lamb and kill him. Abraham: Sacrifice here sent me is, And all, Lord, through Thy grace. envoi Such obedience grant us, O Lord! Ever to Thy most holy word. That in the same we may accord As this Abraham was bayn; And then altogether shall we That worthy King in heaven see, And dwell with Him in great glorye For ever and ever. Amen

[@treesny]

The story of Abraham and Isaac recurs in Britten's "War Requiem," in Wilfred Owen's savagely ironic attack on the fathers who sent their sons to the slaughter in the Great War. This piece is one of the few in which Britten actually trained his gaze on the father-son relationship: in most of his works he does everything he can to avoid it. Britten's work might well be considered "the Absent Father," while that of fellow composer Michael Tippett could be called "the ever-present Father" -- consider King Fisher in "The Midsummer Marriage," the title character in "King Priam," Lev in "The Ice Break" and more. What is most evident from reading biographies of these two very different artists is the deep (figurative) wound left by the WW I; it is surely significant that for the "War Requiem" Britten chose poems from that earlier conflict, and not texts from WW II.

[@ChristianMayer8]

It is amazing 👏🏻 👏🏻 thanks. I just being preparing this Canticle.