Benjamin Britten: A Boy Was Born (SATB/Organ Accompaniment)

Revised edition and Organ accompaniment. The fair copy was completed on 31 May 1933. The first edition included a piano part for rehearsal only. OUP sought an estimate for printing offprints of all the individual movements in 1933, though only the theme and variations 3-5 were issued separately (see below). However, in 1938, 230 copies of variation 1 were produced especially for the Cambridge University Music Society. [OUP file 251] The work was revised in October 1955 for the performance by the Purcell Singers; [see notes to original Decca recording and BB to OUP, 16.07.1957 and date on 1958 edition] the optional organ part (edited by Ralph Downes) was added in 1957-58, and replaced the piano part in the score. [It was probably completed in late 1958: see IH to OUP: 13.02.1958 (OUP Archive)]