Peter Pears
Peter Pears was a great inspiration for Britten’s vocal writing.  Many of Britten's operas have a main tenor role which was written for Pears to sing.  Britten also wrote over 100 songs with piano accompaniment.  Britten also wrote works for tenor and orchestra.  These include Les Illuminations,  Nocturne, the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings and the Canticles.  In Britten’s operas he sang Peter Grimes and Albert Herring (title roles), The Beggar's Opera (Macheath),  Owen Wingrave (Sir Philip Wingrave), Billy Budd (Captain Vere), The Turn of the Screw (Quint), Death in Venice (Aschenbach) and the three Church Parables.