Michael Tippett

Sir Michael Kemp Tippett O.M. 2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998 Was One Of The Foremost English Composers Of The 20th Century. Tippett Was Regarded By Many As An Outsider In British Music A View That May Have Been Related To His Early Conscientious Objection And His Homosexuality. His Pacifist Beliefs Led To A Prison Sentence In World War II And For Many Years His Music Was Considered Ungratefully Written For Voices And Instruments And Therefore Difficult To Perform. An Intense Intellectual He Maintained A Much Wider Knowledge And Interest In The Literature And Philosophy Of Other Countries Africa Europe Than Was Common Among British Musicians. His Sometimes Quirky Libretti For His Operas And Other Works Reflect His Passionate Interest In The Dilemmas Of Human Society And The Enduring Strength Of The Human Spirit. read less