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Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976)
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 Benjamin
Britten (20th-Century Composers) by Michael Oliver
He
wrote the first successful English opera since Purcell, along with
a collection of songs, choral compositions, and ballets that have
assured him an important place in 20th-century music. Michael
Oliver, in one of Phaidon's series, 20th-Century Composers, offers
a compact, useful introduction to British composer Benjamin
Britten and his work, from folksong settings to church music and
the great opera Peter Grimes. Frank about Britten's
homosexuality and his long-time relationship with the tenor Peter
Pears, the book is never prurient and seldom gossipy. Like all the
Phaidon books, this one is relatively brief, well written, well
illustrated, and not too technical.
 The
Music of Benjamin Britten : Illustrated With over 300 Music
Examples and Diagrams by Peter Evans
This
comprehensive guide to Britten's musical achievement discusses all
the published compositions in subdivisions of genre and period,
and devotes a separate chapter to each opera. With the help of
over 300 music examples and diagrams, Evans demonstrates Britten's
mastery of the art of composition. Since this book's first
appearance in 1979, Britten's publishers have made available a
considerable number of works withheld during the composer's
lifetime; some are juvenilia, but others date from as late as the
Peter Grimes period. In a postscript to this edition, Peter Evans
assesses the creative stature of these works and their
significance in Britten's development. The catalogue of works now
includes these additional titles, and the selective bibliography
has been revised.
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An exploration of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem
and related compositions, with a biography, sound clips, and
links.
Excerpt
Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft, England,
on November 22, 1913 - St. Cecilia's Day. His earliest exposure to
music came from his mother, who was an amateur singer. He began
composing his first works at the age of five, and produced
prolifically throughout his childhood, despite his lack of musical
guidance. When he was six, he wrote a play, "The Royal Falily"
[sic]; it was about the death of Prince John, the fifth son of
George V, at the age of 13 in 1919. He would compose before
breakfast, to have time to go to school. As a young boy he enjoyed
mathematics, and was the captain of the cricket team. When he was
eleven, Britten was discovered by Frank
Bridge, a composer who had recently become interested in
experimental styles and the work of Bartók
and Schoenberg.
Bridge gave Britten a technical foundation on which to base his
creativity and introduced him to a wide range of composers from
many different countries...
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Excerpt:
Benjamin Britten must be accepted as the most
outstanding English composer working in the mid-20th century,
winning a significant international reputation, while remaining
thoroughly English in inspiration, a feat his immediate
predecessors had been unable fully to achieve...
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Excerpt:
Britten was born, by happy coincidence, on St.
Cecilia's Day, at the family home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England.
His father was a dentist. He was the youngest of four children,
with a brother, Robert (1907), and two sisters, Barbara (1902) and
Beth (1909). He was educated locally, and studied, first, piano,
and then, later, viola, from private teachers.
He began to compose as early as 1919, and after
about 1922, composed steadily until his death. At a concert in
1927, conducted by composer Frank Bridge, he met Bridge, later
showed him several of his compositions, and ultimately Bridge took
him on as a private pupil. After two years at Gresham's School in
Holt, Norfolk, he entered the Royal College of Music in London
(1930) where he studied composition with John Ireland and piano
with Arthur Benjamin. During his stay at the RCM he won several
prizes for his compositions.
He completed a choral work, A Boy was Born, in
1933; at a rehearsal for a broadcast performance of the work by
the BBC Singers, he met tenor Peter Pears, the beginning of a
lifelong personal and professional relationship. (Many of
Britten's solo songs, choral and operatic works feature the tenor
voice, and Pears was the designated soloist at many of their
premieres.)...
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Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
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