My brother Benjamin
Beth Britten (Author)
"The younger of Benjamin Britten's two sisters, Elizabeth ('Beth') Britten first published this loving and revealing portrait of their shared childhood in 1986. She evokes the Lowestoft upbringing of the four Britten siblings, their dentist father Robert, and mother Edith, who keenly encouraged the children's interest in music. She recalls the flat they shared in London while Benjamin studied at the Royal College of Music; and tells of'The Old Mill at Snape', Britten's home/studio after its renovation by Beth's future father-in-law. Of special interest are Britten's letters to Beth from America, where he and Peter Pears emigrated in 1939 then became ensconced after war broke out"-- Provided by publisher
Anecdotes
1 online resource (221 pages)
9780571299959, 0571299954
978261133
Prologue
Introduction. The family history and background
Lowestoft
The family
World War One 1914-1918
Nursery theatricals
Childhood
Growing up
Public school
First years in London
Father's illness and death
Travelling abroad
Starting to earn a living as a composer
Holidays on the Norfolk Broads and in Cornwall
Illness, and mother's death
The old mill at Snape
Letters from America
Outbreak of war
Dilemmas
A Japanese commission and life with the Mayers
More letters from America : future plans
Meeting with Koussevitsky
Home from America
Peter Grimes and the chamber operas
Goodbye to the old mill
Epilogue
Appendix
With a new preface by Sally Welford-Lange-Schweizer