Born into an aristocratic family, Berkeley was introduced to music by his father, a retired naval officer. He attended Merton College, Oxford, earning a BA in modern languages in 1926. It was during this period that Berkeley decided to pursue a career in music. Upon the recommendation of Ravel, Berkeley spent several years in Paris studying with Boulanger. Her instruction in counterpoint is evident in Berkeley's later music. His early work shows evidence of his French influences, both from his own ancestry and his associations with Boulanger and the work of Ravel and Faur‚. Later compositions are darker and include some attempts at serialism. He had a long association with Britten, and the pair wrote several joint works. He has composed in a wide variety of genres, including songs, concertos, symphonies and grand opera. He possesses a natural feeling for melody and a fine harmonic sense. ~ Lynn Vought, Rovi