Poet: Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
Source: The Poet’s Echo
Date of Composition: 1965 (Aug. 23)
Publication: Faber Music Ltd., 1967*
Voice Difficulty Level: Difficult
Subject: The poet cannot sleep, plagued by voices in his head.
Range: C4 – Ab5
Tessitura: A4 – Eb5
Tempo: Andante; 4/4
Duration: 03:46
Vocal Characteristics: Requires pitch independence; jarring tied, duple/triple eighth motive demonstrating unease of mind; demands advanced technique
Piano Difficulty Level: Difficult
Accompaniment Characteristics: Placid moving eighth-notes, interjected with sharp accented quarters; contrary motion in some gestures;
Additional Comments: Markings in parenthesis are not editor’s markings, but Britten’s; they do appear in the manuscript; the indication of (con Ped.) in ms. 51 does not appear in the manuscript; Translations in the Faber score by Pears; Britten Thematic Catalog http://www.brittenproject.org/works/BTC1123