He often wrote for the individual voice; for example, the role in the opera Peter Grimes 1945, based on verses by George Crabbe, was created for his life companion Peter Pears. Among his many works are the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra 1946; the chamber opera The Rape of Lucretia 1946; Billy Budd 1951; A Midsummer Night's Dream 1960; and Death in Venice 1973. Created Baron 1976. Born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, he was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk. He studied at the Royal College of Music. From 1939 to 1942 he worked in the USA, then returned to England and devoted himself to composing at his home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, where he and Pears established an annual music festival. His oratorio War Requiem 1962 was written for the rededication of Coventry Cathedral.
