War Requiem The chamber orchestra accompanies the intimate settings of the English poetry, while soprano, choirs and orchestra are used for the Latin sections; all forces are combined in the conclusion. The Requiem has a duration of approximately 80-85 minutes. The "War Requiem", first performed on 30 May 1962, was commissioned to mark the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original fourteenth-century structure was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. The reconsecration was an occasion for an arts festival, for which Michael Tippett also wrote his opera "King Priam". Britten, a pacifist, was inspired by
William Coventry, 5th Earl of Coventry Earl of Coventry and entered the House of Lords. In 1720 he was admitted to the Privy Council and appointed Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, a post he retained until his death. In 1724 he was successfully sued by Anne Coventry, the widow of Gilbert Coventry who was the previous earl, for her inheritance. Lord Coventry married Elizabeth, daughter of John Allen. She died in 1738. Coventry survived her by thirteen years and died in March 1751. His eldest son Thomas Henry Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst, predeceased him so he was succeeded by his second son George. William Coventry, 5th Earl of