Edward Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976)

Born 22 Nov 1913 in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England

Ancestors

Died 4 Dec 1976 at age 63 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: England Project WikiTree [send private message]

Benjamin Britten is managed by the England Project. Join: England Project Discuss: england

Biography

Benjamin Britten is Notable.

Benjamin Britten was born in Suffolk, England.

Early Life, 1913-1930

Edward Benjamin Britten (Benjamin Britten), who would ultimately become a major figure of 20th-century classical music, was born 22 November 1913 ^[1] on the feast day of Saint Cecilia, in Lowestoft in Suffolk. He was the youngest of four children of Robert Victor Britten (1878–1934), a dentist, and his wife, Edith Rhoda, née Hockey (1874–1937). ^[2] Benjamin's father was said to have been loving but unmusical, while his mother was a talented amateur musician. ^[3] Britten nearly died of pneumonia at three months of age and had a damaged heart as a result. ^[4] It was thought for this reason that his life would never be normal, ^[5] but surprisingly he recovered well enough to become active in athletics and also excelled in music, unlike his siblings. ^[6] Physically, Britten was never robust and had multiple illnesses, many serious. ^[7]

When he was seven, Britten was sent to a home school, run by two ladies, the Astle sisters. In 1921, he started prep school, South Lodge, in Lowestoft. ^[8] Headmaster Thomas Sewell was a strict disciplinarian, and his severe punishments likely shaped Britten's adult attitudes towards pacifism. ^[9] In 1927, it was Sewell, advising Britten's father, who forced a career compromise by which in 1928, the young man started public school in Norfolk, but divided his time with regular day-trips to London to study composition with composer Frank Bridge and piano with Bridge's colleague, Harold Samuel.^[10] But for the two years he was at school, Britten was miserable, missing his mother and reacting badly to the frequent bullying he witnessed, even to the point of reportedly contemplating suicide or running away. ^[11]

Music Education, 1918-1933

Britten's first lessons in piano and notation were from his mother. In the tradition of precociousness among musical prodigies, his earliest attempted compositions date from age five.^[12] He started piano lessons at seven, and took up the viola at ten.^[13] He produced many compositions.^[14] Encouraged by his viola teacher, he attended symphony concerts in Norwich where, in 1924, he heard Frank Bridge's orchestral poem The Sea, conducted by the composer, and was deeply impressed.^[15][16] Three years later, he was introduced to Bridge, who, after reviewing his compositions, offered to give him lessons.^[17] In 1930, he won a composition scholarship at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London,^[18] where he studied for the next three years, winning prizes in composition,^[19] but also ^[20] continuing to study privately with Bridge^[21] and acquaint himself with the works of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mahler, and Alban Berg.^[22]

Professional Career, 1935-1975

War Years 1935-1945

In 1935, Britten was invited to a job interview by the BBC's director of music, Adrian Boult, and his assistant, Edward Clark. ^[23] He subsequently became a member of the film unit's small group of regular contributors. In the three years from 1935 to 1937, Britten wrote nearly 40 scores for stage, screen, and radio. ^[24] During 1937, Britten met and befriended fellow pacifist tenor, Peter Pears, and joined the Peace Pledge Union party for whom he composed a Pacifist March. It was a flop. ^[25] A more successful composition from this period was Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge for string orchestra, ^[26] also a hit internationally, being performed in Toronto, New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, under conductors including John Barbirolli and Serge Koussevitzky.^[27]

In April 1939, with Europe preparing for war, pacifism was unpopular in Britain, and Britten had suffered bad reviews in the press due to poor performances of his work, so Britten and Pears set sail for North America, going first to Canada and then to New York. ^[28][29] When the Germans invaded Poland and the Second World War began, Britten and Pears consulted the British embassy in Washington and were told that they should remain in the US as artistic ambassadors, which they did for a few years.^{[30] [31]} During this time, Britten studied the works of his friend, Aaron Copland. ^[32]

In 1940, Britten composed Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, the first of many song cycles for Pears, ^[33] as well as the Violin Concerto and Sinfonia da Requiem. In 1941, he produced his first music drama, Paul Bunyan, an operetta, to a libretto by Auden.^[34] While in the US, Britten had his first encounter with Balinese gamelan music. He also encountered hostile criticism from the noted critic Virgil Thompson and began thinking of returning to England. In 1942, Britten read the work of the poet George Crabbe (1754-1832) for the first time. ^[35] The Borough, set on the Suffolk coast close to Britten's homeland, awakened in him the desire to write an opera based on Crabbe's poem about the fisherman Peter Grimes.^[36] Serge Koussevitzky offered him a $1,000 commission to write the opera.^[37] Britten and Pears returned to England in April 1942. During the long transatlantic sea crossing, Britten completed the choral works A Ceremony of Carols and Hymn to St. Cecilia. The latter was his last large-scale collaboration with Auden.

Having arrived in Britain, Britten and Pears became conscientious objectors.^[38] Pears joined Sadler's Wells Opera Company, which planned to reopen their London venue with Britten's opera, despite complaints of favoritism and homophobic remarks. ^[39] Peter Grimes opened in June 1945 and was hailed by public and critics;^[40] its box-office takings matched or exceeded those for La bohème and Madame Butterfly, which were staged during the same season. ^[41] Britten and Pears severed their ties with Sadler's Wells in December 1945, going on to found what was to become the English Opera Group. ^[42] A month after the opening of Peter Grimes, Britten and Yehudi Menuhin went to Germany to give recitals to concentration camp survivors. ^[43] What they saw, at Belsen most of all, so shocked Britten that he refused to talk about it until toward the end of his life, having colored everything he had written since. ^[44]

Controversial Aspects of Personal and Public Life, 1937-1976

When he began at the BBC, Britten met and associated with poet W. H. Auden, who was a considerable influence on him, encouraging him to widen his aesthetic, intellectual, and political horizons, and also to come to terms with his homosexuality. Auden was openly promiscuous, while Britten was puritanical and conventional by nature. ^[45]

In 1937, two events occurred of huge importance in Britten's life. His mother died, and although Britten was devoted to his mother and grieved her death, it also seems to have somehow freed him to engage in emotional relationships with people his own age or younger. ^{[46] [47]} Later in the year he met Peter Pears while they worked together on the estate of a recently deceased mutual friend. ^[48] Subsequently, during their trip to America in 1939, Britten and Pears consummated their relationship and from then until Britten's death, they were partners in both their professional and personal lives.

In the 1950s, the British Home Secretary, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, went on an antigay crusade, encouraging police to enforce old laws against homosexual acts. ^{[49] [50]} The principal law against homosexual acts was the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, in which Section 11 made any kind of sexual activity between men illegal for the first time. It was not repealed until the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1967. In 1953, Britten and Pears were surveilled and interrogated by the police. Britten was sufficiently upset by this to entertain the idea of arranging a sham marriage for Pears, but nothing came of it. ^[51]

1946-1960

After his return to England, Britten first composed a couple of heavier works, but also The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1945), his most enduringly popular work. ^[52] The producer was Basil Wright who had previously collaborated with Auden on The Night Mail at the Crown Film Unit. Britten's next opera, The Rape of Lucretia, was a financial failure. ^{[53] [54]} Britten thereupon organized the English Opera Group, dedicated to furthering English operas. ^[55] In 1948, at Pears' suggestion, they launched a festival in the small Suffolk seaside town of Aldeburgh, where Britten had moved to. ^[56][57][58] It was immediately successful, and became an annual event, continuing to the present day. ^[59] Many of Britten's major new works were premiered at the festival. ^{[60] [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70]} Following a tour in the Far East in 1956, Eastern music and culture were significant influences on Britten, particularly Balinese gamelan music ^[71] and Japanese Noh plays ^[72], as reflected in The Prince of the Pagodas (1957) and later semi-operatic works. ^[73]

1960-1975

By the 1960s, the Aldeburgh Festival had become too large for its original venue and was relocated to an 830-seat concert hall in the village of Snape. Maltings Hall was opened by the Queen at the start of the twentieth Aldeburgh Festival on 2 June 1967. ^[74] It burned down in 1969 and had to be rebuilt, reopening in 1970. ^[75] It could accommodate large orchestral works and operas, several of which were premiered there, ^{[76][77][78][79]} including the War Requiem (1962) one of his most enduringly famous works.^[80][81][82]

In 1967, Britten began Owen Wingrave, an opera specially for BBC TV based on a tale by Henry James ^[83] which he did not complete until 1970. The opera was first broadcast in Britain in May 1971, and was also televised in eleven other countries including the US. ^[84]

By the end of this period, Britten found himself becoming far less prolific, as his health began to fail. ^[85]

Final Year, 1976

In his final year, 1976, Britten was granted a life peerage, becoming Baron Britten, of Aldeburgh in the County of Suffolk.^[86] and in so doing, also becoming the first English composer to be honored in this way. After the 1976 Aldeburgh Festival, Britten and Pears travelled to Norway, where Britten began writing Praise We Great Men, for voices and orchestra, based on a poem by Edith Sitwell. ^[87] He returned to Aldeburgh in August, and wrote Welcome Ode, for children's choir and orchestra. ^[88] In November, Britten realised that he could no longer compose. ^[89] On his 63rd birthday, 22 November, at his request, Rita Thomson organized a champagne party and invited his friends and his sisters, Barbara and Beth, to say their goodbyes to the dying composer. ^[90] He died of congestive heart failure on 4 December 1976. ^[91] His funeral service was held at Aldeburgh Parish Church three days later,^[92] and he was buried in its churchyard, with a gravestone carved by Reynolds Stone. ^[93] Westminster Abbey had offered burial there, but Britten had insisted on his grave being side by side with that, in due course, of Pears. ^[94] A memorial service was held at the Abbey on 10 March 1977, at which the congregation was headed by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. ^[95]

Compositions

Operas

Britten's operas are firmly established in the international repertoire, performed worldwide more than those of any other composer born in the 20th century.^[96]

• Paul Bunyan (1940)
• Peter Grimes (1945),
• The Rape of Lucretia (1946),
• Albert Herring (1947),
• The Little Sweep (1949)
• Billy Budd (1951),
• Gloriana (1953),
• The Turn of the Screw (1954)
• Noye's Fludde (1958),
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960)
• Curlew River (1964),
• The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966)
• The Prodigal Son (1968)
• Owen Wingrave (1971)
• Death in Venice (1973).

Song cycles

• Quatre chansons françaises (1928),
• Our Hunting Fathers (1936),
• Les Illuminations (1940),
• Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (1942)
• Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943)
• The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, (1945)
• Nocturne (1958)
• Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, (1960)
• The Poet's Echo (1965),
• Who Are These Children? (1969),
• A Birthday Hansel (1976), for voice and harp.

Other vocal works

• A Ceremony of Carols (1941)
• Missa Brevis (1959)
• Cantata academica (1959)
• War Requiem (1962).
• A Hymn of St Columba (1962)
• Canticles, (1947-1974)
• Phaedra (1975).

Orchestral works

• Simple Symphony (1934)
• Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (1937),
• Piano Concerto (1938)
• Violin Concerto (1940)
• Sinfonia da Requiem (1940),
• Four Sea Interludes (1945)
• The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1945).
• Spring Symphony (1949)
• Cello Symphony (1963).

Chamber and instrumental works

• Cello Sonata (1961)
• Nocturnal after John Dowland (1963) for solo guitar
• Three suites for solo cello (1964–71)
• The Gemini Variations (1965), for flute, violin and piano duet
• Suite for Harp (1969),
• Third String Quartet (1975).

Film, radio and theatre music

• The Ascent of F6 (1936),
• Night Mail a(1937)
• Love from a Stranger (1937)
• King Arthur (1937)
• On the Frontier (1938)
• Johnson Over Jordan (1939)
• The Sword in the Stone (1939).

Discography

Britten, like Elgar and Walton before him, was signed up by a major British recording company, and performed a considerable proportion of his output on disc. His debut was with Decca records:

• arrangements of French folk songs (1943)
• arrangements of British folk songs, (1944)
• Introduction and Rondo alla burlesca and Mazurka elegiaca.(1944)
• Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings,(1944)
• The Turn of the Screw, (1955)

• Decca's first major commercial success with Britten came with Peter Grimes (1956), which has never been out of the catalogues since its first release.^[97]
• From 1958, Britten conducted Decca recordings of many of his operas and vocal and orchestral works, including the Nocturne (1959), the Spring Symphony (1960) and the War Requiem (1963).^[98]
• The last was extremely popular for a classical set, and thereafter Decca issued multiple sets up to 2013, when, to mark the anniversary of Britten's birth, Decca released a set of 65 CDs and one DVD, "Benjamin Britten – Complete Works". Most of the recordings were from Decca's back catalogue, but in the interests of comprehensiveness a substantial number of tracks were licensed from 20 other companies including EMI, Virgin Classics, Naxos, Warner and NMC.^[99]
• Also, as a pianist and conductor in other composers' music, Britten made many recordings for Decca.

Sources

1. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 1
2. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office,GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 1 Dec 2019), database entry for Britten, Edward Benjamin (Mother's maiden Hockey) GRO Reference: 1913 D Quarter in MUTFORD Volume 04A Page 2157
3. ↑ Blyth, Alan (1981). Remembering Britten. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 9780091449506, p. 36
4. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 3
5. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5
6. ↑ Blyth, Alan (1981). Remembering Britten. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 9780091449506, p. 25; and Powell, Neil (2013). Britten: A Life for Music. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-193123-0, p. 16
7. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5,, p. 486
8. ↑ Powell, Neil (2013). Britten: A Life for Music. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-193123-0, p. 5
9. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 8–9
10. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 8
11. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 18 and Oliver, Michael (1996). Benjamin Britten. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0-7148-3277-7, p. 23
12. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 6–7
13. ↑ White, Eric Walker (1954). Benjamin Britten: His Life and Operas. New York: Boosey & Hawkes. ISBN 978-0-520-01679-8, p. 2
14. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5 pp. 8 and 13
15. ↑ Britten, Benjamin. Notes to Decca LP LW 5162 (1956), reproduced in Britten (1991), p. 9
16. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 13–14
17. ↑ Lara Feigel, Alexandra Harris eds, Modernism on Sea: Art and Culture at the British Seaside; accessed 3 September 2013
18. ↑ Bridcut, John (2006). Britten's Children. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22839-3: p. 17
19. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 14
20. ↑ Craggs, Stewart R. (2002). Benjamin Britten: A Bio-bibliography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 978-0-313-29531-7, p. 4
21. ↑ Cole, Hugo. "Review – Britten", Tempo, New Series, No 78, Autumn 1966, pp. 31–32 (subscription required)
22. ↑ Britten, Benjamin. "On Behalf of Gustav Mahler", Tempo, New Series, No 120, March 1977, pp. 14–15, (subscription required)
23. ↑ Oliver, Michael (1996). Benjamin Britten. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0-7148-3277-7, p. 217
24. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p, 34
25. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 112
26. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 40
27. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5 p. 46
28. ↑ Quoted in Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 17
29. ↑ Robinson, Suzanne. "An English Composer Sees America: Benjamin Britten and the North American Press, 1939–42", American Music, Volume 15, No 3 (Autumn 1997), pp. 321–351 (subscription required)
30. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5 p. 46
31. ↑ Headington, Christopher (1993) [1992]. Peter Pears: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-17072-2, pp. 87–88
32. ↑ Headington, Christopher (1993) [1992]. Peter Pears: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-17072-2, pp. 91–92
33. ↑ Evans, Peter (1979). The Music of Benjamin Britten. London: J M Dent. ISBN 978-0-460-04350-2, p. 57
34. ↑ Robinson, Suzanne. "An English Composer Sees America: Benjamin Britten and the North American Press, 1939–42", American Music, Volume 15, No 3 (Autumn 1997), pp. 321–351 (subscription required)
35. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 150–151
36. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5 p. 46
37. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5 p. 46
38. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 79
39. ↑ Gilbert, Susie (2009). Opera for Everybody. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22493-7. pp. 78, 83 and 98
40. ↑ Gilbert, Susie (2009). Opera for Everybody. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22493-7. p. 98
41. ↑ See, for example, "Sadler's Wells Opera – Peter Grimes", The Times, 8 June 1945, p. 6, and Glock, William. "Music", The Observer, 10 June 1945, p. 2
42. ↑ Blyth, Alan (1981). Remembering Britten. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 9780091449506, p. 79
43. ↑ Gilbert, Susie (2009). Opera for Everybody. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-22493-7., p. 107
44. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 80
45. ↑ 46. Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 104, 105, 148 and 166
46. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 184
47. ↑ Powell, Neil (2013). Britten: A Life for Music. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-193123-0, p. 127; and Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 38
48. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, pp. 38–39
49. ↑ "Operas, Britten", Operabase, accessed 25 May 2013 Archived 23 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
50. ↑ Weeks, Jeffrey (1989). Sex, Politics and Society. London: Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-48333-0, pp. 239–240
51. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 334
52. ↑ "Instruments of the Orchestra", British Film Institute, accessed 24 May 2013.
53. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 81
54. ↑ Hope-Wallace, Philip. "Opera at Glyndebourne", The Manchester Guardian, 15 July 1946, p. 3; and Carpenter, pp. 242–243
55. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 243
56. ↑ Wood, Anne. "English Opera Group", The Times, 12 July 1947, p. 5
57. ↑ Headington, Christopher (1993) [1992]. Peter Pears: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-17072-2, pp. 149–150; and Matthews, p. 89
58. ↑ Headington, Christopher (1993) [1992]. Peter Pears: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-17072-2, p. 151
59. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, pp. 92–93
60. ↑ Hall, George. "Festival Overtures: Britten in Bloom", Opera Volume 64.4, April 2013, pp. 436–438
61. ↑ Times, 27 April 1949, p. 3
62. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 214
63. ↑ Blom, Eric. "Britten's Billy Budd, The Observer, 2 December 1951, p. 6
64. ↑ Hope-Wallace, Philip. "Britten's Billy Budd", The Manchester Guardian, 3 December 1951, p. 5
65. ↑ Porter, Andrew. "Britten's Billy Budd", Music & Letters, Volume 33, No. 2, April 1952, pp. 111–118 (subscription required)
66. ↑ Porter, Andrew. "Britten's Gloriana", Music & Letters, Vol. 34, No. 4 (October 1953), pp. 277–287 (subscription required)
67. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 107
68. ↑ Greenfield, Edward. "Gloriana at Sadler's Wells", The Guardian, 22 October 1966, p. 6
69. ↑ Christiansen, Rupert. "Gloriana: Britten's problem opera", The Daily Telegraph18 June 2013; and Church, Michael. "Richard Jones's revelatory ROH revival of Britten's underrated Gloriana", The Independent 21 June 2013
70. ↑ Mason, Colin. "Britten's New Opera at Venice Festival: Welcome for The Turn of the Screw", The Manchester Guardian, 15 September 1954, p. 5
71. ↑ Britten, Benjamin (2008). Reed, Philip; Cooke, Mervyn; Mitchell, Donald (eds.). Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Volume IV, 1952–1957. London: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-382-6.
72. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5 p. 335
73. ↑ Britten, Benjamin (2008). Reed, Philip; Cooke, Mervyn; Mitchell, Donald (eds.). Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Volume IV, 1952–1957. London: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-382-6., p. 388
74. ↑ Britten, Benjamin (2008). Reed, Philip; Cooke, Mervyn; Mitchell, Donald (eds.). Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Volume IV, 1952–1957. London: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-382-6, p. 441
75. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, pp. 434–435 and 478–480
76. ↑ Mann, William, "Queen opens concert hall", The Times, 3 June 1967, p. 7; and Greenfield, Edward, "Inaugural Concert at the Maltings, Snape", The Guardian, 3 June 1967, p. 7
77. ↑ Greenfield, Edward. "Queen at new Maltings concert", The Guardian, 6 June 1970, p. 1
78. ↑ Mann, William. "Shostakovich special", The Times, 15 June 1970, p. 10
79. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 124
80. ↑ Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-14324-5, p. 482
81. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5 pp. 124–125 and 127
82. ↑ Ray, John (2000). The Night Blitz: 1940–1941. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-35676-8, p. 155
83. ↑ Robinson, Suzanne. "An English Composer Sees America: Benjamin Britten and the North American Press, 1939–42", American Music, Volume 15, No 3 (Autumn 1997), pp. 321–351 (subscription required)
84. ↑ Blyth, Alan (1981). Remembering Britten. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 9780091449506, p. 151
85. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 12
86. ↑ Oliver, Michael (1996). Benjamin Britten. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0-7148-3277-7, p. 206
87. ↑ Powell, Neil (2013). Britten: A Life for Music. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-193123-0l, p. 458
88. ↑ Rosenbaum, Martin. "Government forced to release list of rejected honours", BBC, 26 January 2012, accessed 24 May 2013; and List of honours refused, Cabinet Office, January 2012
89. ↑ Headington, Christopher (1996). Britten. Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-4812-9, p. 143
90. ↑ Kennedy, Michael (1983). Britten. London: J M Dent. ISBN 978-0-460-02201-9, p. 114
91. ↑ Source Citation General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 10; Page: 2222 Source Information Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office.
92. ↑ Kennedy, Michael (1983). Britten. London: J M Dent. ISBN 978-0-460-02201-9, p. 114
93. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 154
94. ↑ Matthews, David (2013). Britten. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908323-38-5, p. 155
95. ↑ Powers, Alan. "Reynolds Stone: A Centenary Tribute", Fine Press Book Association, accessed 27 May 2013
96. ↑ Whittall, Arnold (1982). The Music of Britten and Tippett. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-23523-5l, p. 203
97. ↑ Mitchell, Donald. "Britten, (Edward) Benjamin, Baron Britten (1913–1976)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2103 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
98. ↑ Mitchell, Donald. "Britten, (Edward) Benjamin, Baron Britten (1913–1976)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2103 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
99. ↑ "Decca announces first Britten complete works" Archived 19 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Britten100, Britten-Pears Foundation, 16 May 2013

See also:

• Wikipedia contributors, "Benjamin Britten," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Britten&oldid=1086688112 (accessed May 20, 2022).
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Benjamin Britten
• Britten is mentioned in the book 'BOOSEY & HAWKES: THE PUBLISHING STORY' written by Helen Wallace.'Boosey & Hawkes, the Publishing Story' by Helen Wallace-1
• Beth Britten's biography of her brother Benjamin Britten the composer, entitled 'My Brother Benjamin', published by The Kensal Press in 1986 (ISBN 0-946041-40-7), includes extensive family trees. Hundreds of friends, professional connections and people in the 'music world' are also mentioned in the text.'My Brother Benjamin' by his sister Beth Britten
• Evans, John., (2010)., Journeying Boy. The Diaries of the Young Benjamin Britten 1928-1938. Faber and Faber. Retrieved (Preview) from Google Books (Here;) Accessed 7 Feb 2024.