A masterly question, dishy, to which there is no real answer beyond 'expected the unexpected'. 

It's very characteristic of that period Tippett, but earlier Tippett sounds quite different; more approachable, but even that splits into two distinct periods: the early works, based on modal harmonies, full of counterpoint: referencing British folk music, Tudor vocal music, Beethoven, often using springy additive rhythms; works from this first group would include the Concerto for Double String Orchestra, the First Piano Sonata and the oratorio A Child of our Time: the end point is probably his First Symphony. The second group derive from work towards, through and beyond his first opera, The Midsummer Marriage; music of exhilarating lyricism, magic and vigour: works from this group apart from the opera incude the Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, the Piano Concerto and the Second Symphony, although the latter is starting to prepare for the huge change in style that came with the second opera, King Priam: there are three satellite works which relate directly to this, the Second Piano Sonata, the Songs for Achilles, and the Concerto for Orchestra, and all three quote directly from the opera; a very spare, lean style which owes something to the Stravinsky of Agon.

With the third opera, The Knot Garden, and the Third Symphony his style changes again, though it's a more gradual change in which features of his earlier periods combine to form new hybrids, and bring a final flush of idiosyncratic works: two further operas, generally held to be below the others in standard, a Fourth Symphony, more sonatas and string quartets, a big choral piece The Mask of Time, a Triple Concerto, an extended piece for solo soprano and orchestra, and a final orchestral score, The Rose Lake.

Works from opposite ends of his life seem to have nothing in common when heard in isolation, but if you follow a path through adjacent periods it can be fascinating to see how he develops, in the main organically, apart from the huge change with Priam. Composing didn't come easy to him: often he has to wrestle with his material: he sets his sights very high, and sometimes doesn't quite achieve. But there is a huge amount of memorable music in there, music which has grabbed some of us more possessively than that of almost any other composer. In truth, no single work represents him, every discovery reveals a new side, attitude or soundworld.

Lucky you, you have a rather wonderful journey ahead of you.

I couldn't possibly improve on Ron's tipping but perhaps I could just tippetty-toe in to put in a word for one of my favourite Tippett pieces, The Vision of St Augustine. It isn't a piece that gets performed very often but, whether you end up liking it or not, it certainly counts as extremely 'Tippetty'. No one else could have written it and no one else would have included the odd moment when you just want to throttle him. It is 1963, the work after the Concerto for Orchestra, and still showing some (but perhaps more distant) signs of being within the planetary influence of King Priam.

I suspect he must also have been if not the only at least one of the first composers to bring to the operatic stage the phrase 'you mother-f------ b------'. Entirely suited to its dramatic context, I might add. From The Ice Break, I vaguely remember. Which also includes a Black Power-inspired athlete singing a paraphase on Monteverdi's Nigra sum et formosa. Clever, that.

I haven't had much luck with Tippett beyond the third and fourth symphonies, the dances from Midsummer Marriage and King Priam. Must try harder. Thanks for the tips!

So would I. And The Vision of St Augustine, haven't listened to that for years.

Presumably to be followed-up by tips about Philip Glass, in a thread called PG Tips...

The Juilliard String-Quartet performs The Vision of St. Augustine? Who did the arrangement?

message moved to "glossary" thread...