Benjamin Britten facts for kids
Benjamin Britten (born 22 November 1913; died 4 December 1976) was a very important English composer. He grew up in East Anglia, a region in England. The sea and landscape of East Anglia often inspired his music.
Britten wrote a lot of music for his close friend and singing partner, the tenor Peter Pears. His famous operas include Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His powerful War Requiem was first performed in 1962 at Coventry Cathedral, after it was rebuilt from war damage. Britten also wrote great music for children. He started the famous Aldeburgh Festival and was also an excellent pianist and conductor.
Contents
Britten's Life Story
Early Years and Musical Start
Benjamin Britten began composing music when he was just five years old. When he was ten, he joined a music festival in Norwich. There, a composer named Frank Bridge heard him. Bridge was so impressed that he offered to teach Britten how to compose music properly. This helped Britten learn important musical skills.
Britten also started learning about music from other modern composers like Schoenberg and Bartók. In 1930, he went to the Royal College of Music. He had great piano teachers there. However, he felt his composition teacher, John Ireland, didn't teach him much. Most of the music he wrote then was never performed.
Britten was more interested in music from other countries than English music. In 1934, he heard an opera called Wozzeck by Alban Berg. He wanted to study with Berg in Austria, but he wasn't allowed to go. Around this time, some of his first real compositions began to be performed. He even wrote music for movies, including one about a train delivering mail. The music made you feel the train rushing along.
Time in the USA
While working on movie music, Britten met the writer W. H. Auden. Britten became interested in political ideas. You can hear these ideas in some of his works from that time, like Our Hunting Fathers (1936). When Auden moved to the