Simple symphony, op. 4

Britten built the Simple Symphony in 1933–34 entirely from material he had written between the ages of nine and twelve, going back through his juvenile manuscripts and selecting themes from piano pieces and songs. The four movements carry alliterative titles — Boisterous Bourrée, Playful Pizzicato, Sentimental Saraband, Frolicsome Finale — and are scored for string orchestra or string quartet. He conducted the first performance in Norwich on 6 March 1934 with an amateur orchestra, and dedicated the work to Audrey Alston, the viola teacher who had first taken his composing seriously.