Britten, (Edward) Benjamin (1913-1976)

British composer, whose operas are among the finest English-language operas of the 20th century. Born in Lowestoft, England, he was trained at the Royal College of Music, London. Britten achieved great success with his first opera, Peter Grimes (1945), and followed it with numerous others, including The Rape of Lucretia (1946). His later operatic works include Death in Venice (1973), based on a story by German novelist Thomas Mann. Britten termed some of his later works “chamber operas,” because they require an orchestra of only 12 pieces. Britten also composed in other forms, including the cantatalike works he called “church parables.” His War Requiem (1962) is a massive choral work incorporating verses by the British poet Wilfred Owen. In 1947 he and the English tenor Sir Peter Pears founded the Aldeburgh Festival, now an important year-round center for performances and teaching.