The Building of the House: A History of the Britten–Pears Library, Aldeburgh, 1963–2009

Abstract

In 1963, the composer Benjamin Britten and the tenor Peter Pears built a library at their home, the Red House in Aldeburgh. A venue for music rehearsal, it also accommodated an ever-increasing number of books, printed scores, literary and music manuscripts, rare volumes of early music, and many items of fine art. Originally built as a private library and music room, it attracted the attention of a number of readers in the mid-1970s before opening officially as a public research centre in 1980. Drawing upon examples from the collection, and on interviews with former staff and colleagues of Britten and Pears, this article focuses on the historical development of the Library. The article also details how, with the acquisition of further material such as retrieved manuscripts, recordings, concert ephemera, and costume and set designs — all of which disclose information about both musicians' careers — the Library began to face the ongoing problem of providing adequate storage for its wide-ranging collection.