Benjamin Britten

Date of Birth: 22 November 1913

Zodiac Sign: Unknown

Date of Death: 4 December 1976

Biography

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976), was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. Britten was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works that included opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. His best-known works include the opera “Peter Grimes,” the “War Requiem,” and “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” Born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, Britten showed musical talent from an early age, composing prolifically as a child. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and later worked as a composer of film scores for the General Post Office film unit. His breakthrough came with the success of “Peter Grimes” in 1945, which established him as a leading composer of his generation. Throughout his career, Britten was known for his collaborations with his personal and professional partner, tenor Peter Pears. Together, they played a significant role in the founding of the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948, which remains one of the most important music festivals in the UK. Britten’s music is noted for its eclectic style, often incorporating elements of English folk music, and he was a staunch pacifist, which influenced some of his major works. His contributions to music earned him numerous awards and honors, including being made a life peer in 1976.

5 Interesting Facts about Benjamin Britten

1. Britten was the first British composer to be awarded a life peerage.

2. He composed his first string quartet at the age of nine.

3. Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes” is considered one of the most significant operas of the 20th century.

4. He was a lifelong pacifist and a conscientious objector during World War II.

5. The Aldeburgh Festival, which Britten co-founded, continues to be a major cultural event in the UK.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Benjamin Britten

1. “Composing is like driving down a foggy road toward a house. Slowly you see more details of the house. The pitches become the windows, the dynamics become the siding, the rhythm becomes the bricks.”

2. “It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness and of pain: of strength and freedom. The beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and everlasting beauty of monotony.”

3. “Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.”

4. “Music does not belong to the composer; it is the composer’s job to bring it alive.”

5. “I believe in roots, in associations, in backgrounds, in personal relationships.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the time of his death in 1976, Benjamin Britten’s estate was valued at approximately £1 million, which would be equivalent to several million pounds today considering inflation.

Children

Benjamin Britten did not have any biological children. However, he was deeply involved in the lives of many young musicians through his educational work and the Aldeburgh Festival.