This collection of essays celebrates the work of Sir Harrison Birtwistle, one of the key figures in European contemporary music. Representing current research on Birtwistle's music, this book reflects the diversity of his work in terms of periods, genres, forms, techniques & related issues through a wide range of critical, theoretical & analytical interpretations & perspectives. Written by a team of international scholars, all of whom bring a deep research-based knowledge & insight to their chosen study, this collection extends the scholarly understanding of Birtwistle through new engagements with the man & the music. The contributors provide detailed studies of Birtwistle's engagement with electronic music in the 1960s & 1970s, & develop theoretical explanations of his fascination with pulse, rhythm & time. They also explore in detail Birtwistle's interest in poetry, instrumental drama, gesture, procession & landscape, & consider the compositional processes that underpin these issues.