Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): A Musical Biography
By Barry Lenson
The British composer Benjamin Britten wrote a remarkably giant and diverse physique of music. His compositions vary from the merely pleasant Younger Particular person’s Information to the Orchestra to the ravishingly stunning Spring Symphony to the emotionally devastating opera Peter Grimes. And let’s not overlook his Ceremony of Carols, a perennial Christmas favourite.
After which I’ll state my very own opinion that Britten wrote crucial single musical work of the 20th Century, Struggle Requiem. I’ve been listening to it for greater than sixty years. Why do I imagine it’s crucial musical creation of the final century? First, it masterfully intermixes texts from the Latin Requiem Mass with poems written by the British poet Wilfred Owen, who was killed in World Struggle I. The emotional influence of this work is immense. However the biggest motive it’s crucial piece of music written within the final century is that Struggle Requiem is about conflict.
The 20th Century was the century of harrowing, devastating, and endless wars – one after one other. That’s what we people have left behind as our biggest legacy. And after we take heed to Struggle Requiem, we descend into the infinite black coronary heart of all of it.
Britten’s Early Life and Schooling
Edward Benjamin Britten, born on November 22, 1913, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, was one of many foremost British composers of the Twentieth century. The youngest of 4 kids, Britten exhibited musical expertise from an early age, composing prolifically by the age of 5. His mom, a gifted newbie musician herself, inspired his musical pursuits. On the age of 14, Britten started taking classes from composer Frank Bridge, whose steering profoundly influenced his compositional model and growth.
Britten’s formal schooling started on the Royal Faculty of Music in London, the place he studied below John Eire and Arthur Benjamin. Regardless of his technical coaching, Britten usually felt stifled by the conservative ambiance of the establishment. Nonetheless, his time on the school marked the start of a profession characterised by innovation and a deep dedication to musical excellence.
Early Profession and Influences
Britten’s early profession was marked by quite a lot of compositions, together with choral works, chamber items, and movie scores. His first vital recognition got here with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born (1933), which displayed his aptitude for vocal music and complex harmonies. In 1935, Britten started working for the Basic Publish Workplace Movie Unit, the place he composed scores for documentary movies. Throughout this era, he cast a detailed skilled and private relationship with the poet W.H. Auden, resulting in collaborations on a number of initiatives, together with the operetta Paul Bunyan (1941).
The Nineteen Forties: Emigration and Worldwide Success
In 1939, with the looming risk of World Struggle II, Britten and his lifelong accomplice, tenor Peter Pears, emigrated to the USA. Throughout his keep in America, Britten composed a number of vital works, together with the track cycles Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (1940) and Les Illuminations (1940), each written for Pears. Nevertheless, Britten’s eager for his homeland impressed his return to England in 1942.
Britten’s return to England marked the start of his best and influential interval. In 1945, he premiered Peter Grimes, an opera based mostly on a bit in George Crabbe’s narrative poem The Borough. Peter Grimes was a crucial and business success, establishing Britten as a number one determine on this planet of opera. This work was adopted by extra operas, together with The Rape of Lucretia (1946), Albert Herring (1947), and The Flip of the Screw (1954).
The Nineteen Fifties and the Aldeburgh Pageant
In 1948, Britten and Pears based the Aldeburgh Pageant, an annual celebration of music and the humanities held within the coastal city of Aldeburgh, Suffolk. The pageant supplied a platform for Britten to premiere lots of his new works and fostered a neighborhood of musicians and artists that contributed to the cultural lifetime of the area.
Through the Nineteen Fifties, Britten continued to compose all kinds of works, together with the operas Billy Budd (based mostly on the Melville novella, 1951) and the chamber opera The Flip of the Screw (1954). His output additionally included vital choral and orchestral works equivalent to his Spring Symphony (1949) for orchestra, refrain and soloists.
Britten’s Later Years and Ongoing Legacy
Britten’s later years had been marked by a collection of profound and deeply private compositions. His Struggle Requiem (1962), written for the consecration of the brand new Coventry Cathedral, stands as one among his biggest achievements. The work is each a robust assertion on the horrors of conflict and a plea for peace.
Within the Nineteen Seventies, regardless of declining well being, Britten continued to compose vital works, together with the opera Loss of life in Venice (1973), based mostly on the novella by Thomas Mann. In 1976, he grew to become the primary composer to be elevated to the peerage, receiving the title Baron Britten of Aldeburgh.
Benjamin Britten handed away on December 4, 1976, on the age of 63. His affect on Twentieth-century music, significantly within the realm of opera, stays profound. Britten’s works are celebrated for his or her emotional depth, technical mastery, and the seamless integration of music and textual content.
Chosen Works Out there for Listening on Classical Archives
Make sure to go to the composer’s web page for Benjamin Britten for a whole checklist of the numerous Britten works which can be accessible for listening within the Classical Archives streaming library.*
Right here is only a small collection of the works you’ll discover there.
Younger Particular person’s Information to the Orchestra
Britten’s legacy endures, not solely by means of his prolific output but additionally by means of his contributions to music schooling and the humanities neighborhood, exemplified by the lasting influence of the Aldeburgh Pageant.
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