 Benjamin Britten composed the chamber music for his "War Requiem" for the Melos Ensemble and conducted the group in the first performance in Coventry.They should not be confused with two other chamber groups of similar name, the Melos Quartet or the Melos Art Ensemble (an Italian group).The Melos Ensemble was founded by musicians who wanted to play chamber music scored for a larger ensemble in a combination of strings, winds and other instruments with the quality of musical rapport only regular groups can achieve.