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Born: 22 November 1913, Lowestoft,
England
Died: 4 December 1976, Aldeburgh, England
Britten, Benjamin
A 20th century composer, engaged
in writing music for movies, operas, and piano accompaniment of the tenor
Peter Pierce,
as well as in composing many operatic works,
including school operas.
Britten's operas
are among the finest English-language operas of the 20th century. Born
in England
he was trained at the Royal College of Music
in London.
In 1941, while living in the United States,
he composed the "Sinfonia da Requiem"
and his first opera "Paul Bunyan".
Britten also composed in other forms,
like the "War Requiem"
which was composed for the rededication of Coventry
Cathedral, bombed in the Second
World War,
and in which he manifested his belief in pacifism. His works also included
incidental music for plays and films and music for children, including
"The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra"
written in 1946. In this very popular work he introduces the musical instruments
in an impressive, sophisticated fashion while using the loved Rondeau
from Purcell's
'Abdelazar'as
a theme.
Britten's works range in style from
the simplest, most lyrical tonality to complex but dramatically effective
atonality.
He was a professional and personal
friend of the tenor Sir Peter
Pears
and founded, with him, the Aldeburgh
Festival,
now an important year-round center for performances and teaching. For Pears
he wrote many songs, including the Serenade
for Tenor, Horn and Strings.
Britten on the WWW
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Description
He played
He Was
He Lived in the
Twentieth Century
In
England
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