Music composer Edward Benjamin Britten began his musical creativity at the age of two. He composed operatic masterpieces and vocal music throughout the 20th century. He was born on November 22, 1913 in England and lived for sixty-three years until congestive heart failure took his life. When Britten was younger, he had a damaged heart due to pneumonia. He started paying attention to music when his mother sang. His father did not support his musical talents and was not allowed to have a radio in the house. He wrote his first play at six years old. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The play was called The Royal Family. He also loved school and his favorite subject was mathematics. Benjamin Britten was the youngest in his family of four. He had a brother and two older sisters. He loved playing the piano and had been playing since he was two years old. At ten years old, he wanted to play the viola and he took lessons from a friend of his mother, a professional musician. Around the age of fourteen, his viola teacher helped him meet an English composer named Frank Bridge. Britten frequently traveled to London to receive music lessons from Bridge. After high school, he received a scholarship to attend the Royal College of Music in London. In London, he attended numerous concerts and was influenced by Mahler, Ireland, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. One of Britten's best operatic compositions is called Peter Grimes. The story is about a fisherman named Peter Grimes who is accused by his community of killing his apprentice. The community doesn't want to give him another chance and the story continues with him against the community. Eventually, Peter's fishing boat is found sunk and it is assumed that he died in the sinking. Britten also composed War Requiem. He was asked to compose a piece for a dedication ceremony for the new Coventry Cathedral. Coventry's first cathedral was left in ruins after the Battle of Britain in World War II. With this composition he attempted to make a statement against the war. Britten grew up in England but did not go to the United States until 1939. When he returned from the United States, he composed a new song called Rejoice in the Lamb. The song was written for St. Matthew's Church in Northampton, to mark the 50th anniversary. Britten was a musically talented composer and was made a Life Fellow of the United Kingdom. Although he struggled with the same issues that some of us do today, such as lack of family support and a medical problem in his early years that persisted throughout his life, some people believe he revitalized opera during his years. of composition.