St. Nicolas (Britten)

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Saint Nicolas is a cantata by Benjamin Britten. It was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Lancing College, Sussex in 1948. The cantata tells the story of the life and works of Saint Nicolas, Bishop of Myra in the 4th century and the model for Santa Claus. It is scored for choir, children's choir, and tenor solo. The orchestra consists of strings, percussion, organ, and piano. Like many of Britten's works, the tenor solo was written to be performed by his partner, Peter Pears. Saint Nicolas was written with amateur musicians in mind and is frequently performed by youth and amateur ensembles.^{[citation needed]}