Edward Benjamin Britten was born on 22 November 1913, the feast of music's patron St. Cecilia, in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
He died 4 December 1976 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.  First performance of War Requiem on 30 May 1962 in Coventry Cathedral.

A few coincidences there for me: Britten was the same vintage as my father, my first son is Benjamin Robert (after Britten & me!) and my second is Giles Edward (after Giles Gilbert Scott and Edward is a good Sleeman name!).  I was living in Coventry in 1962 and remember the building of the new cathedral.

The best introduction to his life and works is "Britten" by Michael Kennedy (ISBN 0 460 02201 6 Published by J M Dent & Sons). Many interesting photos and background notes are to be found in "Benjamin Britten - Pictures from a Life 1913-1976" compiled by Donald Mitchell and John Evans (ISBN 0 684 115974 0 published by Charles Scribner's Sons).  Britten spent from 1939 to 1942 in the United States, where he was active in film, radio and theatre, collaborating with W H Auden, Christopher Isherwood and many other distinguished creative figures of the time. From 1945 to 1976 Peter Pears, the tenor, was closely associated with Britten. They met in 1936 through Peter Burra who died in an flying accident in April 1937.  Pears, Britten and Lennox Berkeley were at Burra's funeral in Berkshire. Burra, Pears and Britten all shared the homosexual inclination; Pears and Britten were both pacifists.  Europe was not a good place for them and they arrived in Quebec 9 May 1939.  The next four years were to be the foundation of their close co-operation, with Britten writing with the Pears voice in mind. Indeed this is a strong characteristic of Britten, who often music which was "impossible" and yet drew out the talent of the person for whom it was written.  [see also "Peter Pears - A Biography" by Christopher Headington (ISBN 0 571 15362 3 published by Faber and Faber)]

While still in America they began work on the Crabbe inspired opera "Peter Grimes".  George Crabbe (born in Aldeburgh 1754) published a long poem about Aldeburgh "The Borough" in 1810 [see "Peter Grimes" Jardine Press with Linocuts by James Dodds 1987]. On return to the UK they had to appear before a conscientious objectors' tribunal and were granted exemption from military service on condition that they gave recitals under the forerunner of the Arts Council. Much of the composition was done at Snape (now the site of the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies.  The first performance was on 7 June 1945 at Sadler's Wells Theatre [only a two minute walk from the Family Records Centre in London].  The opera's impact was such that all who were present realised that Peter Grimes, as well as being a masterpiece of its kind, marked the beginning of  an operatic career of great promise and perhaps also the dawn of a new period when English opera would flourish in its own right [Eric Walter White].  See it live if you get the chance, but purchase the "Sea Interludes" if you never buy another Britten recording.

The Kennedy book is the bible of Britten's works and year by year the catalogue of recordings on CD expands.  If you can visit Aldeburgh during the end of June you can enjoy the Aldeburgh Festival, which uses the concert hall at Snape as well as many local churches and other venues.  Hotel accommodation must be booked in advance or there is a large camp site.  I remember attending the festival in 1981 (when my son Ben was not quite 2 years old) and sitting in Aldeburgh church with Peter Pears, Murray Perahia and many other famous musicians - stunning.  A piece often performed by schools is Britten's Noye's Fludde (1957), giving children the opportunity to join in two-by-two in animal costumes.  It is great fun and contains his haunting arrangement of "For those in Peril on the Sea".  His ballet "The Prince of the Pagodas" choreographed by John Cranko (also of 1957) features the gamelan of Balinese music.  His early work for stings, often performed by amateurs as well as professionals, is worth owning.  Most people will have heard his "Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra" and perhaps "A Ceremony of Carols" for treble voices and harp.  The latter is coupled with "Rejoice in the Lamb" to a very weird text by Christopher Smart [written while he was in the madhouse!] - I performed in both of these while at school.   Shakespeare features in "Bottom's Dream" (1960), while his opera of 1941 "Paul Bunyan" celebrates the American legend of the pioneer lumberjack's giant chieftain - (Double CD of Sadler's Wells production 23-28 April 1999 on Chandos CHAN 9781(2) www.chandos.net ).

Britten produced music for a GPO (UK Postal system) film "Night Mail" 1936 available on video DD730.
Peter Grimes performed at the Royal Opera House with Jon Vickers, Heather Harper & Norman Bailey, conducted by Colin Davies is on video CVI 2015.