In 1934 Benjamin Britten wrote a series of 12 songs for the school in Wales where his brother was a teacher. These songs, called Friday Afternoons (that was when pupils had their singing practice), started a long process of writing music for schools and Britten’s lifelong interest in music for young people and in music education. Britten set to music text by many different poets and authors. The music always illustrates beautifully the mood of the text. All the songs are accompanied by the piano.
Begone, dull care! is one of the Friday Afternoons songs. The text was written by an
anonymous artist in the 17th century, and was published in a book called English Lyrical Verse (The King’s Treasuries).
In the 1920s and early 30s, children sang mostly nursery rhymes and playground chants, and folk songs with simple accompaniments. When Britten composed these songs, they would have felt very contemporary to the children, just as it does when we sing the latest pop songs at school today.
From: https://fridayafternoons.charanga.com/pdfs/Planning%20-%20Flexible%20Pathway/Listen%20And%20Appraise/FA-Unit6-Listen-And-Appraise-Begone-dull-care-by-Benjamin-Britten.pdf
