Billy Budd, based on Herman Melville s nautical allegory, is one of Britten s most challenging operas. This comprehensive guide considers the work from both literary and musical viewpoints. Melville s novella is discussed, as is the interpretation given to the novella by the librettists E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier. A detailed synopsis guides the reader through the musical and dramatic action of the opera and in a chapter devoted to the music, Britten s distinctive technique of tonal symbolism is analysed to demonstrate the effectiveness of his musical response to the dramatic suggestions of Melville s story. The most important critical writings on Billy Budd are represented by an expanded version of Donald Mitchell s 1979 notebook on the opera. A final chapter charts the opera s stage history and fluctuating critical reception.
