Benjamin Britten
A Life For Music
Neil Powell
- Benjamin
- Britten
- was
- the
- greatest
- English
- composer
- of
- the
- twentieth
- century
- and
- one
- of
- the
- outstanding
- musicians
- of
- his
- age.Born
- in
- Lowestoft,
- Suffolk,
- in
- 1913,
- Britten
- was
- the
- youngest
- child
- of
- a
- dentist
- father
- and
- amateur
- musician
- mother.
- After
- studying
- at
- the
- Royal
- College
- of
- Music,
- he
- became
- a
- vital
- part
- of
- London’s
- creative
- and
- intellectual
- life
- during
- the
- 1930s,
- collaborating
- with
- W.
- H.
- Auden
- and
- meeting
- his
- lifelong
- partner,
- the
- tenor
- Peter
- Pears.
- At
- the
- outbreak
- of
- the
- Second
- World
- War,
- Britten
- and
- Pears
- were
- already
- in
- America,
- earning
- a
- precarious
- living
- as
- freelance
- musicians
- before
- re-crossing
- the
- Atlantic
- by
- ship
- in
- the
- perilous
- days
- of
- 1942.But
- the
- east
- coast
- of
- England
- was
- where
- Britten,
- as
- he
- himself
- said,
- belonged:
- this
- was
- where
- he
- returned
- to
- write
- his
- most
- famous
- opera,
- Peter
- Grimes,
- and
- –
- with
- Pears
- and
- Eric
- Crozier
- –
- to
- found
- the
- Aldeburgh
- Festival
- in
- 1948.
- In
- the
- years
- that
- followed,
- his
- worldwide
- reputation
- grew
- steadily,
- helped
- by
- a
- busy
- schedule
- of
- international
- tours
- and,
- for
- many,
- crowned
- by
- the
- extraordinary
- success
- of
- his
- War
- Requiem.
- Meanwhile,
- his
- festival
- went
- from
- strength
- to
- strength,
- its
- progress
- symbolised
- by
- the
- opening
- of
- Snape
- Maltings
- Concert
- Hall
- in
- 1967.Britten
- was
- a
- mass
- of
- paradoxes:
- a
- solitary,
- introspective
- thinker
- who
- came
- to
- ebullient
- life
- in
- the
- company
- of
- young
- people,
- for
- whom
- he
- composed
- some
- of
- his
- most
- memorable
- works;
- a
- man
- of
- the
- political
- left
- who
- was
- on
- the
- friendliest
- terms
- with
- members
- of
- the
- royal
- family;
- a
- composer
- inspired
- by
- some
- of
- the
- twentieth
- century’s
- deepest
- preoccupations
- who
- combined
- innovation
- with
- a
- profound
- understanding
- of
- musical
- tradition.
- Devoted
- to
- his
- friends,
- protégés
- and
- fellow
- musicians,
- he
- was,
- above
- all,
- someone
- who
- lived
- for
- music.Neil
- Powell’s
- book
- is
- the
- landmark
- biography
- for
- Britten’s
- centenary
- year:
- a
- subtle
- and
- moving
- portrait
- of
- a
- brilliant,
- complex
- and
- ultimately
- loveable man.
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