Making Musicians: A Personal History of the Britten-Pears School by Moira Bennett (review)

Abstract

Making Musicians: A Personal History of the Britten-Pears School. By Moira Bennett. Orford, Suffolk, Eng.: Bittern Press, 2012. [232 p. ISBN 9780957167209. $24.95.] Illustrations, index.Making Musicians, by Moira Bennett, chronicles the struggles and successes of the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies, a program for young musi- cians founded by composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears in Suffolk, U.K. content of the book's 232 pages is split fairly evenly between historical narra- tive on the one hand and images of various kinds on the other. combination makes for a pleasant read with most pages featuring engaging pictures of the school's participants as well as block quotations of their remembrances. book's land- scape-style format with squat, wide pages al- lows for two columns of text and images per page, facilitating a plethora of pictures that show well on thick, glossy paper.Thumbing through the book, a reader cannot help but be taken in by the lively black-and-white photos that capture the ex- pressive faces and bodies of musicians in action: perusing scores, conducting ensem- bles, demonstrating musical gestures, play- ing instruments, dancing, talking, singing, and thinking, in rehearsal, classes, or even in fully costumed operatic productions. Beyond the artists themselves, photos also record the transformation of the old brew- ery buildings into rooms dedicated to mak- ing music, with before pictures of the rus- tic old beams of the granary and pictures featuring the rehearsal space, en- trance and recital halls, and library shelves full of books. In addition to substantial quotes from participants set off by rectan- gle borders, other insets recreate a variety of course listings and donor records as well as concert programs. Although they are not facsimiles of actual documents, these items complement the story of the school.Bennett's personal history-part mem- oir, part carefully researched record- bubbles with an excitement reflecting the school's evolution from merely an idea in the 1950s, to a new venture in the 1970s and 1980s, to a well-established with an international reputation by the end of the century. Bennett herself joined the staff of the Britten-Pears School in 1979, the year that it officially opened, and stayed un- til 1982, when she became Head of Development for the Aldeburgh Founda- tion (the umbrella organization for the school, the Aldeburgh Festival, and the Snape Maltings Concert Hall). Graham Johnson, an accompanist for early master classes, describes Bennett as a young mother of the school who enchanted Peter Pears and made the a happy place for students and teachers alike (p. 11).The historical narrative proceeds in more or less chronological order, flashing backward and forward as needed to build the backstory, as well as give a sense of what the young musicians went on to accomplish after attending the school. In an account that features so many participants, this back-and-forth allows Bennett to follow the thread of each individual's story, although at times it can become somewhat confus- ing. book is divided into five chapters with the two outer ones serving as introduc- tion and conclusion. three interior chapters cover successive time spans. first focuses on the early years (1953-79) in which ideas took shape, initial classes were held, and the building renovation was planned and executed. second covers the years following the official opening of the (1979-87) when routines were established. third addresses the years directly after Pears's death (1987-91), dur- ing which the went through impor- tant changes in an effort to stay current, eventually becoming the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program. narrative leaves off in 1991; some readers may feel that it cuts off too early, but the final chapter pro- vides closure and points toward the future.The introduction, subtitled The Setting, surveys the sometimes benign, sometimes desolate landscape of the east- ern Suffolk coast and particularly the nearby towns of Snape, where the was located on the site of an old maltings, and Aldeburgh, the sea-battered coastal town where Britten and Pears lived. …