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IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882–1971)The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (1966)

This chapter studies Igor Stravinsky's final work, The Owl and the Pussy-Cat. With typical sly relish, Stravinsky seems to be mocking any pomposity in his admirers, confounding everyone by leaving the stage with a brief, light-hearted coda to his cherished large-scale achievements. This well-loved nonsense verse by Edward Lear was the first poem his wife Vera got to know, and the piece is dedicated to her. This chapter reveals that the song has a strong connection between English and Russian schools of absurdist humour. To add to the fun, Stravinsky even here adheres to a strict twelve-tone system, affectionately lampooning the method he favoured for his last works.