Britten mentions the planning of this work (described as 'our Xmas piece') in a letter to Donald and Kathleen Mitchell, postmarked 29 Apr 1974. One of the typescript libretto drafts is dated Oct 1974, and there exists a small fragment of musical material marked 'Xmas piece' in a sketchbook from around Jul 1975.
Intended as a work for Pimlico School, where Kathleen Mitchell (friend of the composer) was headmistress. Texts were chosen from the Chester miracle plays, along with traditional and plainsong tunes, and a cast list drawn up. There exists only a small fragment of musical material, and the work was never completed.
2 items
Archive
https://www.bpacatalogue.org/archive/BBM-christmas_piece
