Donald Mitchell was born in 1925. Two composers have been central to his writings on music, Gustav Mahler and Benjamin Britten. His three studies of Mahler, 'The Early Years' (1958), 'The Wunderhorn Years' (1975), and 'Songs and Symphonies of Life and Death' (1985), are among the enduring monuments of postwar Mahler literature. He was founder Professor of Music at the University of Sussex (1971-76), was visiting Professor at King's College, London, and is currently a visiting Professor at the Universities of Sussex and York.