Saturday, January 21, 2017

Oh, How Do You Feel About Schoenberg?

For Marjory

Oh, how to you feel about Schoenberg?
Please tell me in ten words or less.
I'll need your opinion in writing
Before this affair can progress.

And how do you feel about Webern,
And Carter and Ives and Varèse?
Would you tolerate Boulez and Babbitt
Despite what the Times critic says?

Because if we move in together,
You're going to hear them a lot,
And the last seven women I lived with
Ran out of the house like a shot.

They took all the money and children.
They transferred the cable connection.
They took all the furniture, china, and books,
And left me my record collection.


3 comments:

john schott said...

Bravo! I heard Tom Lehrer singing it in my head.

Anonymous said...

Early Schoenberg and Webern are OK for my ears and I liked Ives and Carter as I advanced in my years.

I listened and tried to achieve appreciation and succeeded a bit for a Boulez recapitulation.

But when it comes to Babbitt I have to admit whenever I hear it I think it's plain shit!

Cal said...

I know virtually nothing about the music, but the rhyme is excellent. It makes me think of my adolescent record collection, though, which I stupidly gave to my little brother years ago and have only been able to partially re-create through iTunes. Ah me . . .