Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: November 22
Benjamin Britten's brief biography – his life, major works, list of operas. Opera and vocal music. Considered 20th century's most prominent key figure in 20th and one of the most important composers.
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Benjamin Britten (Lord Edward Benjamin Britten) came as a major English composer after Elgar, more than half a century later. His music sets him apart from compatriots Elgar and Vaughan Williams, with focus on voice music and opera. His birth coincides with St Cecilia’s Day, patron saint of music.
Early Life and Frank Bridge's Influence
He was the son of a dental surgeon and a singer mother. Along the British coast where Lord (Edward) Benjamin Britten was born on November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft, he was aged 10 when he heard Frank Bridge’s song The Sea. This had a tremendous impact on him as a boy. Significantly, he also studied with Frank Bridge before entering the Royal College of Music in London.
Early Compositions and Exposure
Britten's Sinfonietta was published when he was 19 years old. His first international success was the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, played at the Salzburg Festival in 1937 followed by a number of works that established him as the leading English composer of the day, especially his Sinfonia da Requiem and Serenade.
Adult Life and Career
In 1939 he moved to North America with his lifetime partner, the tenor Peter Pears, returning to Britain during the Second World War. He participated in the war by playing concerts for the wounded.
Later Years
His second opera, Peter Grimes, was premiered in London in 1945, established him as a dramatist and gained him international fame. This was followed by The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, a wonderful journey around the orchestra. Until his death in Aldeburgh, 4th December, 1976, about six more operas followed.
Much of his music is inspired by words, as shown by the many song cycles, the Spring Symphony and the Nocturne. He had a close artistic association with Shostakovich and the great Russian cellist Matislav Rostropovich.
Appointments and Awards
Britten was appointed a Companion of Honour, to the Order of Meriot, and the first British composer awarded a life peerage.
Britten's Operas
Peter Grimes
The Rape of Lucretia
Albert Herring
Billy Budd
The Turn of the Screw
Noye's Fludde
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Death in Venice
Britten's Other Major Works
Sinfonietta
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Violin Concerto
Song Cycle, Les Illuminations
Sinfonia da Requiem
Hymn to St Cecilia, for five-part chorus
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell (Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra)
A Ceremony of Carols
Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Cantata, Saint Nicholas
Spring Symphony
War Requiem
Cello symphony
Suggested Recording:
Britten: Song cycle: Les Illuminations, Op.18; Nocturne, Op.60, etc…
Decca CD.
Image Credit:
Benjamin Britten. Wikipedia Commons (Britten in 1968, by Hans Wild) / Public Domain
Resources:
The Great Composers by Wendy Thompson, Hermes House (2001)
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan (1994)
The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000)
(c) November 2009. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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