Rhythmic energy is the most striking single feature of Tippett's music – and especially of that written during the first ten years or so of his creative maturity, the period with which this paper is concerned. Tippett's significance lies less, however, in the fact that he has made a major contribution to a vital trend in twentieth-century music than in the particular complexion of his contribution. By associating rhythmic energy so closely with the idea of regeneration, he has given rhythm the decisive role in the formulation of a philosophy; and by articulating this philosophy broadly in terms of a received musical language he has shown that regeneration can grow from within and need not be imposed from without. With one exception, the components of his rhythmic language are drawn from the common currency of the present and previous centuries. The disposition of these components may be unexpected, but their identity remains familiar and is rarely distorted – by melodic angularity or rhythmic displacement, for example. When Tippett uses syncopation it is readily heard as such (as in bar 2 of ex. 2 below or the second half of bar 6 of ex. 3) and thus can easily be distinguished from the exception, anticipatory rhythm, with which it bears a superficial resemblance.