20th century and todayBenjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten was born in England, in a fishing port by the sea, on the feast day of musicians!
Benjamin Britten’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1913👶 Birth
Born in Lowestoft on 22 November, St Cecilia’s Day, patron saint of musicians
- 1918🎼 Workage 5
Composing from age 5
- 1922🌍 Meanwhile
Public radio broadcasting begins (BBC, Radio Tour Eiffel)
- 1927📚 Trainingage 14
Lessons with the composer Frank Bridge
- 1934🎼 Workage 21
Simple Symphony, on tunes written in childhood
- 1936🎼 Workage 23
Score for the documentary Night Mail, with the poet Auden
- 1937❤️ Private lifeage 24
Meets the tenor Peter Pears, his lifelong partner
- 1939🧳 Journeyage 26
Stays in the United States at the start of the war
- 1948🎩 Careerage 35
Founds the Aldeburgh Festival
- 1948🌍 Meanwhile
The long-playing record (LP) goes on sale
- 1957🌍 Meanwhile
Sputnik, the first artificial satellite
- 1964🌍 Meanwhile
Robert Moog presents his synthesizer
- 1976🎩 Careerage 63
First composer to be made a life peer
- 1976🕯️ Deathage 63
Dies in Aldeburgh on 4 December
Listen to the music
Press the big button to listen. Close your eyes: how does it make you feel?
Benjamin Britten’s music is still recent: it belongs to its creators and their families. Ask a grown-up to play it for you on the radio or at a concert!
Once upon a time…
Benjamin Britten was born in England, in a fishing port by the sea, on the feast day of musicians! He composed from the age of five, and by fourteen had already written hundreds of pieces.
He loved the sea and the fishermen of his childhood. His opera Peter Grimes tells the story of a lonely fisherman, with music that imitates the waves and the storm.
He also wrote The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra: each instrument introduces itself in turn, from the flutes to the percussion. And in Noye’s Fludde dozens of children play the animals in Noah’s Ark!
He was the first composer to become a “lord” in England.
Benjamin Britten’s instruments
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