Children’s Crusade: Kinderkreuzzug.

BRITTEN, Benjamin; Bertolt Brecht; Sidney Nolan.

$750.00

Item Number: 148454

London: Faber Music Limited in association with Faber & Faber Limited, 1973.

Faber Music Limited facsimile limited edition of the composer’s manuscript of his 82nd published work. Folio, bound in half morocco over boards with gilt titles to the spine, facsimile’s of the composer’s music score, with colored illustrations, words written in German and English, Op. 82. Boldly signed by the composer, Benjamin Britten, and artist, Sidney Nolan, on the colophon. One of 1,000 copies, 300 have been numbered and signed, this is number 3. In fine condition. Music by Benjamin Britten. Words by Bertolt Brecht. Illustrations by Sidney Nolan. Housed in a custom slipcase.

Children’s Crusade: Kinderkreuzzug, Op. 82, by Benjamin Britten is a 1969 cantata for children’s voices and orchestra based on Bertolt Brecht’s 1939 poem Kinderkreuzzug 1939. Composed during Britten’s later period, the work reflects his enduring commitment to pacifism and his concern for the impact of war on the innocent. The piece tells the story of a group of children displaced by conflict as they search for peace and safety, only to meet a tragic end. Britten’s setting is stark and emotionally direct, combining simple, chant-like melodies with dissonant orchestral textures, creating a haunting effect that reinforces the anti-war message.