Benjamin Britten
One of Britten’s most popular pieces of music for amateurs including children was Noye’s Fludde (1957).  He wrote three “church parables”.  His large operas include Billy Budd (1951) which was soon produced in Covent Garden.  In June 1953 he wrote Gloriana, an opera about Queen Elizabeth I, written for the coronation celebrations of Elizabeth II.  When he travelled with Peter Pears to the Far East he was influenced by the music of Bali and he composed a ballet called The Prince of the Pagodas, performed in Covent Garden in 1957.  Another great work inspired by the East was the parable Curlew River (1964).  The opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written for the Aldeburgh Festival in 1960. In 1962 he wrote the War Requiem to celebrate the new Coventry Cathedral.  This is one of the greatest musical works of the 20th century.