1.   Some composers - Beethoven was one of them - had little gift for vocal writing.

2.   It also requires almost nonstop singing, though the vocal writing is devoid of long, lyrical lines, and even short melodic phrases are infrequent.

3.   Largely conjunct, rhythmically straightforward, the vocal writing was easy on voice and ear, but it registered little personality.

4.   Nor was he consulted about the vocal writing.

5.   Sometimes the action is in the accompaniment rather than in the vocal writing.

6.   The libretto by Ronald Duncan is extravagantly poetic, and Britten does not help matters with his melismatic vocal writing.

7.   The vocal writing is generally slow and stately, with melodies that convey the character of grand pronouncements.

8.   The vocal writing is basically accompanied recitative, with occasional patches of more lyric expression.

9.   The vocal writing is mostly supple, lyrical and rewarding for the voice.

10.   The vocal writing was inconsistent.