Editing Benjamin Britten (section)

===Controversies===

====Boys====

Throughout his adult life, Britten had a particular rapport with children and enjoyed close friendships with several boys, particularly those in their early teens.{{Efn|The filmmaker [[John Bridcut]] sees significance in evidence that Britten mentally regarded himself as perpetually 13 years old. Bridcut views this as manifest both in the Letts diaries Britten bought and used well into his adult life, in which he wrote several statistics relevant to himself when that age,{{Sfn|Bridcut|2006|pp=1–2}} and in his remark to [[Imogen Holst]], "I'm still thirteen."{{Sfn|Bridcut|2006|p=8}}}} The first such friendship was with Piers Dunkerley, who was 13 years old in 1934, when Britten was aged 20.{{Sfn|Bridcut|2006|p=3}} Other boys Britten befriended were the young [[David Hemmings]] and [[Michael Crawford]], both of whom sang treble roles in his works in the 1950s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bridcut|2006|loc=plate 13}}; and {{Harvnb|Carpenter|1992|pp=356–358, 385}}.</ref> Hemmings later said, "In all of the time that I spent with him he never abused that trust", and Crawford wrote "I cannot say enough about the kindness of that great man&nbsp;... he had a wonderful patience and affinity with young people. He loved music, and loved youngsters caring about music."<ref name=dnb/>{{Efn|In the early 1940s, while living in North America, Britten shared a room with 13 year old Bobby Rothman when staying with the Rothman family: "many an evening we used to spend&nbsp;... a lot of time just really talking he in the bed next to me&nbsp;... His fondness for me was something that was beyond my normal social connections, and I was a little overwhelmed that someone should be so fond of me&nbsp;... I can still remember us talking late at night one time, and finding when it was really time to call it quits and go to sleep&nbsp;... he said, 'Bobby, would you mind terribly if, before we fell asleep, I came over and gave you a hug and a kiss?' It was just one of those touching moments&nbsp;... And I've got to say I really did not know what to do except say, 'no, no I don't mind', and he gently got up and gave me a gentle hug and kiss and said goodnight."{{Sfn|Britten|2004|p=90}}}}

It was long suspected by several of Britten's close associates that there was something exceptional about his attraction to teenage boys: Auden referred to Britten's "attraction to thin-as-a-board juveniles&nbsp;... to the sexless and innocent",{{Sfn|Carpenter|1992|p=164}} and Pears once wrote to Britten: "remember there are lovely things in the world still&nbsp;– children, boys, sunshine, the sea, Mozart, you and me."{{Sfn|Bridcut|2006|p=6}} In public, the matter was little discussed during Britten's lifetime and much discussed after it.{{Efn|The journalist [[Martin Kettle]] wrote in 2012 that although there is no evidence of wrongful conduct, it is important that allegations of [[paedophilia]] should be openly discussed, both to avoid covering up criminal behaviour and to avoid oversimplifying the complexity of Britten's sexuality and creativity.<ref>[[Martin Kettle|Kettle, Martin]]. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/21/britten-boys-obsession-cannot-ignore "Why we must talk about Britten's boys"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 21 November 2012, accessed 11 June 2016.</ref>}} [[Humphrey Carpenter|Carpenter]]'s 1992 biography closely examined the evidence, as do later studies of Britten, most particularly [[John Bridcut]]'s ''[[Britten's Children]]'' (2006), which concentrates on Britten's friendships and relationships with various children and adolescents. Some commentators have continued to question Britten's conduct, sometimes very sharply.<ref>Toronyi-Lalic, Igor. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/biographyandmemoirreviews/9857511/Benjamin-Britten-by-Paul-Kildea-review.html "Paul Kildea's erudite biography underplays Benjamin Britten's dark side"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 11 February 2013, accessed 11 June 2016; and Morrison, Richard. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402162114/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/richardmorrison/article2045275.ece "Crossing the line between affection and abuse"], ''The Times'', 9 May 2006, accessed 11 June 2016 {{Subscription}}.</ref> Carpenter and Bridcut conclude that he held any sexual impulses under firm control and kept the relationships affectionate – including bed-sharing, kissing and nude bathing – but strictly platonic.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carpenter|1992|pp=356–358}}; [[Lucasta Miller|Miller, Lucasta]]. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/jul/01/highereducation.biography "Ben and his boys: Britten's obsession with adolescents is sensitively handled"], ''The Guardian'', 1 July 2006; and [[Jonathan Keates|Keates, Jonathan]]. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3653043/Boyishness-as-much-as-boys.html "Boyishness as much as boys"], ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'', 11 June 2006 {{Subscription}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=DiGaetani |first=John Louis |title=Stages of Struggle: Modern Playwrights and Their Psychological Inspirations |date=2008 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-8259-7 |page=105 |quote=... he continued to be sexually attracted to adolescent boys, though the relationships were platonic according to his biographers.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Stephen |date=1 October 2006 |title=Review: ''Britten's Children'' by John Bridcut |journal=[[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]] |volume=60 |page=51 |doi=10.1017/S0040298206210325 |jstor=3878655 |quote=... numerous embraces and chaste kisses, and even chaster bed-sharing, but beyond that, nothing. |number=238}}</ref>

[[File:Benjamin Britten grave by Arno Drucker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Britten's grave at [[St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh]], Suffolk]]

====Cause of death====

A more recent controversy was the statement in a 2013 biography of Britten by [[Paul Kildea]] that the composer's heart failure was due to undetected [[syphilis]], which Kildea speculates was a result of Pears's promiscuity while the two were living in New York.{{Sfn|Kildea|2013|pp=532–535}} In response, Britten's consultant cardiologist said that, like all the hospital's similar cases, Britten was routinely screened for syphilis before the operation, with negative results.<ref>Petch, Michael, ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', April 2013, p. 414.</ref> He described as "complete rubbish" Kildea's allegation that the surgeon who operated on Britten in 1973 would or even could have covered up a syphilitic condition.<ref>Higgins, Charlotte. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/22/benjamin-britten-syphilis-condition-unlikely-cardiologist "Benjamin Britten syphilis 'extremely unlikely', says cardiologist"],''The Guardian'', 22 January 2013</ref> Kildea continued to maintain, "When all the composer's symptoms are considered there can be only one cause."<ref>[[Paul Kildea|Kildea, Paul]]. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:GRDC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1442322C9A6F8460&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "The evidence does show Britten died from syphilis"], ''The Guardian'', 30 January 2013</ref> In ''The Times'', [[Richard Morrison (music critic)|Richard Morrison]] praised the rest of Kildea's book, and hoped that its reputation would not be "tarnished by one sensational speculation&nbsp;... some second-hand hearsay&nbsp;... presenting unsubstantiated gossip as fact."<ref>[[Richard Morrison (music critic)|Morrison, Richard]]. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1443FB8B58F7CCC8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "The temptation to settle old scores – A centenary biography of Britten should not be judged by just one sensational speculation – the rest is fascinating and convincing"], ''The Times'', 4 February 2013</ref>