Cuckoo!

Jane Taylor’s charming lyrics for Cuckoo! showcase the passing of the year and the migration habits of the cuckoo. In 2 parts, Britten uses a descending major third motif to mimic the sound of the cuckoo whilst the melody line soars freely around it.

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Buy the full score

This song is available for purchase from Boosey & Hawkes as part of a collection of 13 songs for unison treble voices and piano, written between 1933 and 1934.

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Resources

  1. Patchworking 'Build it!'

  2. Breathing and Airflow

  3. Performance Skills

  4. Dynamics

  5. Diction: Vowels

  6. Tempo, Pulse, Counting

  7. High Range

  8. black and white image of young man with short hair playing the piano and looking intensely at the camera

    Britten's Early Works

  9. Britten's Impact

  10. Britten's Childhood

  11. Britten's Music for Children

  12. Composing and Exploring - Cuckoo!

Credits

Music by:
Benjamin Britten
Text by:
Jane Taylor - 'Tom Tiddler's Ground' - Walter de la Mare

Performance track

Singers:
New London Children’s Choir
Conductor:
Ronald Corp
Accompanist:
Alexander Wells
Licensed by:
kind permission of Naxos

Song Details

Genre:
Classical
Tempo:
Quietly
Time Signature:
6/8
Key Signature:
Ab Major and F Minor
Tonality:
Major
Range:
F4 - F5
Piano Supporting Melody:
Occasionally