The most famous English composer of his generation. He studied with John Ireland and Frank Bridge to whom he paid honour with his Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. His reputation, however, rests largely on his operas. Peter Grimes was his first success and is still the most widely performed. His cantata, St Nicholas, and The Ceremony of Carols (written on board a ship while returning from America) are known to many generations of choristers. He was a fine pianist and frequently accompanied the tenor Peter Pears who was inspirational for much of Britten's work. He was the first composer ever to have been made a peer.
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