Britten's operas and operatic style are considered to have developed from the models of Berg (Wozzeck), Stravinsky (Oedipus Rex), Hindemith (Das Nusch-Nuschi), Brecht-Weill (Die Dreigroschenoper), Pfitzner, Busoni, R. Strauss, and Verdi, while his eclecticism is compared to that of Monteverdi, Mozart, and Wagner. A specific example of Britten's modelling is that of a leitmotif from Albert Herring (Prelude to Act II, Scene 2), which may have been suggested by a passage from Act III of Verdi's Falstaff. Britten subjects his motif to variations, one of which serves as a model for his song Canticle I, and thus provides a link between Britten's operatic and lyrical styles.

Works: Britten: Albert Herring (241-42), Canticle I (243).

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Nikola D. Strader