by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
A sharp, where you'd expect a natural
Language: English
A sharp, where you'd expect a natural, A natural, where you'd expect a sharp; No rule observed but the exceptional, And then (first happy thought!) bring in a Harp! No bar a sequence to the bar behind, No bar a prelude to the next that comes; Which follows which you really needn't mind -- But (second happy thought!) bring in your drums! For harmonies, let wild discords pass; Let key be blent with key in hideous hash; Then (for last happy thought!) bring in your Brass! And clang, clash, clatter -- clatter, clang and clash!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, from an American newspaper of about 1884, collected by Nicolas Slonimsky in Music Since 1900 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Henry Dixon Cowell (1897 - 1965), "A sharp, where you'd expect a natural", subtitle: "Directions for Composing a Wagner Overture", 1938, from Three Anti-Modernist Songs, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: T. P. (Peter) Perrin
This text was added to the website: 2004-04-10
Line count: 12
Word count: 93