Birtwistle, Harrison 1934- . English
avant-garde composer. He has specialized in
chamber music, for example, his chamber opera
Punch and Judy 1967 and Down by the Greenwood
Side 1969. Birtwistle's early music was
influenced by Stravinsky and by the medieval
and Renaissance masters, and for many years
he worked alongside Maxwell Davies.
Orchestral works include The Triumph of Time
1972 and Silbury Air 1977; he has also
written one large-scale opera The Mask of
Orpheus 1986 and has experimented with
electronic music. His Chronometer 1972 is
based on clock sounds.