Sunday, July 14, 2019

July 15 - Harrison Birtwistle (The Musical Birthday Series)

Harrison Birtwistle (b. 15 July 1934) is a distinguished British composer. 

This is a double dactyls, a genre of biographically inspired humorous poem with very strict structural rules.  Here are links to two definitions for those who are curious.  The first from the Poetry Foundation is clearer but less accurate than the second, from Wikipedia.  Take your pick.  The classic statement is the book Jiggery-Pokery:  A Compendium of Double Dactyls by Anthony Hecht and John Hollander (New York, 1967).






Double Dactyl for HB

Higgledy piggledy 
Harrison Birtwistle
Wrote in a way that was
Thorny and dense,

Leading to pleas from the
Ultra-conservatives,
Wishing he wrote in a
Way that made sense.


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