Songs from the Chinese is a song cycle for soprano or tenor and guitar composed in 1957 by Benjamin Britten (1913–76), and published as his Op. 58. It consists of settings of six poems translated from the original Chinese by Arthur Waley (1899–1996). It was written for, and first performed by, the tenor Peter Pears and the guitarist Julian Bream.
| Date of composition | 1957 |
| Premiered | 1958, June 17th (Great Glemham House, Aldeburgh Festival) in Aldeburgh, United Kingdom |
| Dedicated to | 'For Peg and Lu, from Ben, Peter and Julian' |
| Type | Song(s) |
| Catalogue | BTC 1078 |
| Approx. duration | 10 minutes |
| Instruments |
Voice
Piano |
| Autotranslations beta |
Benjamin Britten: Songs from the Chinese, BTC 1078 Benjamin Britten: Songs from the Chinese, BTC 1078 Benjamin Britten: Songs from the Chinese, BTC 1078 |