Canticle IV: The Journey of the Magi

Britten composed his Five Canticles over a long period of time, between 1947 and 1975.[1] They have in common to be written for voices, all including a tenor with Peter Pears in mind, and all setting religious but not Biblical texts. The first such work was possibly titled Canticle because it set a paraphrase of verses from the Song of Songs, sometimes referred to as the Canticle. In the works, Britten followed the model of Purcell's Divine Hymns, and wrote works that can be seen as miniature cantatas, and as song-cycles.[2]

After the third work, completed in 1954, Britten turned for a fourth to the religious text "The Bitter Withy", in 1962 but abandoned the project. He turned to "Journey of the Magi" after a hiatus of 17 years after the third, writing Canticle IV: The Journey of the Magi in January 1971 for a countertenor, a tenor, a baritone and piano.[2][3][4][5] All canticles followed opera compositions, the fourth written five months after Owen Wingrave. It was premiered on 6 June 1971 at the Aldeburgh Festival, performed by singers James Bowman, Peter Pears and John Shirley-Quirk, with Britten as the pianist, played at Snape Maltings. It was published in 1972 by Faber Music.[3][4] The three first singers, to whom Britten dedicated Canticle IV[2] would perform major roles in the world premiere of his last opera, Death in Venice, in 1973.[1]

Canticle IV sets the poem "Journey of the Magi" by T. S. Eliot, published in 1927. One of the Biblical magi narrates their voyage in retrospect.[3] The familiar poem tells of doubts and frustrations of the magi searching for the new-born Christ Child, and of their doubts afterwards about the significance of the voyage and of what they really had seen.[2]

The solo voices are at times blended into one. The composition is structured as a rondo. Sometimes the voiced sing in different time and metre, a feature that Britten had used also in his Church Parables. At the work's climax, the piano quotes plainchant, "Magi videntes stellarum" (The wise men beholding the star), used as antiphon preceeding the Magnificat for the first vespers on the Feast of the Epiphany.[2] The work's duration is given as 11 minutes.[3]

The canticles, including Canticle IV, were recorded by Naxos Records in 2005, with tenor Philip Langridge, countertenor Derek Lee Ragin, baritone Gerald Finley, and pianist Steuart Bedford.[6]