Simple Symphony


The Simple Symphony, Op. 4, is a work for string orchestra or string quartet by Benjamin Britten.
It was written between December 1933 and February 1934 in Lowestoft, using bits of score that the composer had written for the piano as a young teenager, between 1923 and 1926. It was composed for string orchestra and received its first performance in 1934 at Stuart Hall in Norwich, with Britten conducting an amateur orchestra.
The piece is dedicated to Audrey Alston, Britten's viola teacher during his childhood.
The piece is based on eight themes which Britten wrote during his childhood and for which he had a particular fondness. He completed his final draft of this piece at age twenty.

Instrumentation

It has four movements, each quoting themes from 2 earlier works by Britten:
Eight main themes appear in the symphony, with two movements, the most famous is the pizzicato. The entire pieces last about 20 minutes. The second movement is popular with mandolin players as it is pizzicato. Prominent in this popular theme is 8 notes which sound familiar as echoing the opening of "Barwick Green" the theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 everyday story of country folk, "The Archers", written in 1924 by Arthur Wood.

Later uses

In 1944, the choreographer Walter Gore created a ballet also entitled Simple Symphony for the Ballet Rambert.
Many themes of the symphony are also used for the soundtrack Bad Blood by Leos Carax. It appears in Wes Anderson's film Moonrise Kingdom, which prominently features many pieces by Britten. It also appears in the first two seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.