This essay on Lennox Berkeley’s Theme and Variations for Guitar serves as the written half of my final dissertation for my bachelor’s degree in classical music, following my studies for Peter Berlind Carlson at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between the years 2011- 2014. The other half of this project consists of a studio recording and a concert performance of this piece that I have analysed. Originally, this paper was written in Swedish but also translated to English to serve as an academic writing sample for the Royal College of Music in London, necessary for approving my continued postgraduate studies there starting in September 2014. Other reasons for translating this paper to English is partly the piece’s English origin but also the lack of other available information on this beautiful composition for the guitar. Hopefully, this paper may be of help to guitarists and Berkeley enthusiasts in exploring this remarkable piece of music and Lennox Berkeley’s relationship to the guitar. / <p>Bilaga: 1 CD</p>

The English art song in the 20th-century presents a performance challenge unique in the solo song repertoire. Unlike the corresponding bodies of German Lied and French mélodie, which proceeded from a well-ingrained national tradition of music and poetry, the English art song had no such background. The many British composers who have contributed to the song literature of this century reflect varied backgrounds and influences. Lennox Berkeley combined his English heritage with the French background of his mother's family, largely self-taught musical skills and an innate sensitivity to poetry to become one of the most prominent song composers of this century. He trained with Nadia Boulanger, gaining exposure to the formal and melodic techniques of Faure and the neo-classicism of Stravinsky. Berkeley composed a total of seventy-eight solo songs. His acceptance and furtherance of a fundamentally traditional songmaker's craft place him more directly in the post-war line of succession of English song than Benjamin Britten, whose innovative musical techniques place him in the vanguard of new music.This document explores those aspects of Berkeley's life and work that contribute to his compositional choices. It provides an overview of all of Berkeley's known solo songs as well as a more detailed analysis of Five Songs (Walter de la Mare), Five Poems CW.H. Auden) and Another Spring. The paper illustrates the qualities of Berkeley's songs which justify his inclusion among the most successful art song composers of this century