ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and throughout the compositional process associated with Michael Tippett's Fifth String Quartet and a comprehensive analysis of the entire quartet. Tippett's compositions often contain fantastical dreamscapes accompanied by powerful music, and his 'belief' in the combination originates in some of his earliest experiences. Following William Blake, Tippett sought to represent 'what [he had] never seen'—a paradise garden. Real and imaginary gardens provide contexts for two additional works: The Vision of St. Augustine and The Knot Garden. In Act III, scene v, of The Ice Break, Tippett placed the action in a garden of illicit delights, but his obsessive dream for a paradise garden persisted. For Tippett, the paradise garden was an evolving concept that had its origin in the corporeal world. As Tippett matured and the transcendental quotient of his music became greater, his music became more distilled, more 'luminous'.
