"Benjamin Britten's dramatic works--full operas, chamber operas, and dramas for church performance--dominate the repertoire of contemporary English opera, though they no longer monopolize it. His Peter Grimes will always rank with The Siege of Rhodes as a new beginning for English opera; unlike Sir William D'Avenant's work, the score of Peter Grimes seems likely to survive. Performances of Britten's operas are, however, far from frequent, and the...

This book is designed to introduce the non-specialist music lover to Britten's opera, The Turn of the Screw. The opening chapters by Vivien Jones and Patricia Howard deal with the literary source of the opera James's novella, the structure of the libretto, and the technique by which a short story was transformed into an opera. The central chapter, on the musical style and structures of the opera, includes an account of the composition process deduced...