Benjamin Britten – Sheet Music & Scores

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was arguably one of the most important English composers of all time, and he was instrumental in the regeneration of English music in the twentieth century. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all his incredible works, which helped put Britain back on the musical map, with Stretta Music today!

Compositional Style

Benjamin Britten was never short of imagination. Like Mozart and Schubert, he composed easily and spontaneously, and never resorted to artificially constructed compositional processes. Britten was particularly influenced by English folk and renaissance, particularly by Henry Purcell, and he was also inspired by the neoclassical works Igor Stravinsky.

Benjamin Britten saw his first success at the young age of 19, when he composed his Phantasy Quartet for oboe and strings, and one of his most famous pieces, his Simple Symphony, followed just a few years later. Other well-known instrumental works include his 1946 The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

War Requiem

In 1962 Britten composed one of his most intense works, Britten’s War Requiem, in which he deals with the horrors of war, and advocates for peace. The work was commissioned for and premiered at the grand re-consecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962, which was razed in a bomb raid in 1940.

“My theme is war and the suffering of war. Poetry is in suffering... All a poet can do today is: warn.” Wilfred Owen

His Works

Britten composed a great deal of choral, chamber, symphonic and instrumental works, particularly for piano and strings. Britten’s stage work is also extensive, including 12 operas and several ballets. One of his most contentious yet popular operas is Peter Grimes from 1945.

More Links for Benjamin Britten

• Piano Pieces – by Britten
• Choral Works – by Britten
• Vocal Music – by Britten
• Chamber Music – by Britten
• Orchestral Works – by Britten
• Britten’s War Requiem – Sheet Music
• Britten’s Operas – Sheet Music
• Concert Band Works – by Britten
• Sheet Music Downloads– by Britten