His style is based on the tension of diminished octaves and the close relation to the prosody of the spoken language, and was modelled on modern classical composers from the first half of the 20th century, among them Bartók. He spoke to children with cheerful simplicity and, with adults, used a humour bordering on the grotesque to speak about things that could only be hinted at. In some of his late compositions he transcended humour and protestations about the outside world to express the most intimate messages.