Edward Benjamin Britten was a pianist, conductor, and composer from England. He is best known for his extensive operatic output, which includes Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, and The Turn of the Screw, among other works, but he also composed song cycles and a significant number of symphonic works.¹⁾

Britten suffered with his health throughout his childhood after catching pneumonia when he was three months old. He was also exceedingly sensitive to criticism, and he frequently distanced himself from former acquaintances who insulted him.²⁾