Sir Michael Kemp Tippett was a prolific British composer of the 20th century, a humanitarian and a pacifist. The entire gamut of his work comprises of five operas, four symphonies, five string quartets, numerous songs and choral settings, four piano sonatas, orchestral works like the ‘Triple Concerto’, and works for voices and orchestra such as “The Vision of Saint Augustine,” etc. Tippet was imprisoned for three month for being a conscientious objector during the Second World War. He was also one of the first gay composers, who confessed his sexual orientation in public and used his music to explore the issues of sexuality.Though the libretti of his operas, which he often wrote himself, he faced stern criticism. However, that hardly deterred him from expressing his ideas or political thoughts through his works. Throughout his lifetime, he remained an avid learner of music. As a conductor, he recorded many of his own works.
