Musical Moments 1: His Last Piano Lesson- Dannie Abse

Key Themes: Death, Music
Links To Larkin:
Summary Of The Poem: Overall, this poem appears to be about Abse and 'his last piano lesson' as he is being forced to learn piano by his father. But Abse is completely distracted by the outside world and seems to hate learning the piano. However this is completely different from Larkin as he enjoyed music, and it's one of the few things that really animated and that Larkin was passionate about, whereas Abse hates every second and dreads every piano lesson. Furthermore 'the piano-lid's closed, a coffin of music' suggests that the music and the piano lessons were driving Abse towards dying either literally or possibly of boredom or something along those lines. In addition to this by making the piano teacher German or reffering to her as a German '(Germany still six million miles away) Miss Crouch, the upright piano teacher' is significant as Abse is a Jew, and so this shows how much he hates his piano teacher and his piano lessons. 

Musical Moments 2: Outside A Graveyard- Dannie Abse

Key Themes: Death, Music, Memory

Links To Larkin: Broadcast, Love songs in age

Summary Of The Poem: This brings a more regretful and a sense of romance into the poem, as it's although Abse is looking back on his life and that actually his piano lessons weren't as bad as he made them out to be as well as his piano teacher wasn't as bad as what Abse found her now that he's grown up. Furthermore it suggests that Abse regrets not continuing with the lessons and he also regrets being so harsh to his teacher. But then towards the end of the poem it becomes happier as Abse sees his piano teacher as some sort of ghost, or figure of imgination about the church and sees her playing the piano in 'a concert-hall, exalted Bechstein', and she is all dressed up, so by giving up being a piano teacher she has become a pianist.

Red Balloon- Dannie Abse

Key Themes: 

Links To Larkin:

Summary Of The Poem: From this poem the message that Abse is trying to convey is that of his childhood and his life choices that he made and didn't make and that the 'red balloon' is meant to symbolise him, and possibly the way he was treated by bullies at school as a child, or from people in his viallge/town/city etc mocking him or the children in his village/town/city mocking him for who he is and his religion.

At The Concert- Dannie Abse

 Key Themes:

Links To Larkin:

Summary Of The Poem: I don't understand this poem