Polly Ticks

Can you decode these puns?

What a bout this selection? Funny, I find no hilarity in ink lint on my closed new hamster—sure, fer Mont and Mont peel, yer gonna see a new haven for de mock rats. But re public ants, you see cons serve at Tivoli events. Stout of limb, awesome with the mike cane, in CD ROM knees (I admit “ROM knees” is a stir, etched a bit), Tom saw yer Huck a beet too real edge, (jes’ mark two, ancient for the rafters). The Enron pol, the rude E. July Anny, as to wives—was for a portion of Nina leaven bread with new Yorkshire, putting her broad ways at times squarely in the Lieds Center. Subways and R. B.’s are nearby. Back to Polly Ticks—Ed wards off (“Oh, bah--”)Ma’s rebukes with rich hard sons, in ovations, and while doves coo, sin itches like Alfred Tom’s son. Russ hurt them all and, oh—Riley’s questionable tack ticks. All air run ink for the prime airies and Witch states, “Will, go first”? And you, Jan, you airy or decent ember? Then comes con Van shuns next ear, mark my words. It’s peaches, peaches, Viet Nam in nations, sigh—gone are the old A’s in Casey Mo. Deli gay shuns Allstate’s old sines and ban errs. Lots of no E’s. Finally they sell ectoplasm a candid date and its ontological camp pain. Let soap that Dewars will see sand our sold years--welcome back oom safe in sound. And ambush bee, gone for every present dent in the few cheer.

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Analysis of Wagner, Tristan and Und Isolde, mm. 1-25

This excerpt illustrates two techniques very well--highlighting (using one or more instrument(s) to double only one or a few notes of an ongoing line in other instruments) and linking (the transfer of a line from one instrument to another). mm. 1-2: The vc. are in their strongest and most singing register. The tempo is probably too slow for the slur to be executed literally--the players probably need to change bow--I recommend that they change in different places, to retain the effect of the slur. mm. 2-3: The e.h. links from the vc. on D#4. Ob. 1 and the bassoons are highlighted by ob.2 and the clarinets, respectively, creating an emphasis on the downbeat. Each of the four pitches is played by two "instruments" (counting the vc as "one"). After the clarinets and vc drop out, only double reeds are left, which should make a good blend. mm. 4-7: This is a sequence fo mm. 1-3 with similar format: the oboe and clarinet roles are reversed. This causes a mixture of single-reed (clarinet) and double reeds. The clarinet, now in a stronger register, is more effective in the soprano than it would have been in the first phrase. mm. 8-11: The vc. are now quite high and somewhat strained-sounding. The pitch relationship between the three opening phrases is such that the vc. leap up to the first note of the previous woodwind phrase: e.g., to G#4 in m. 5, which retakes that note in m.2 and to B4 in m. 8, which retakes that note in m. 6, thus creating a sort of delayed, or implied, linking. This phrase is another quasi-sequence, but with different harmony. The instrumental assignments are the same as in mm. 1-3, with the addition of hn. 2, which (together with cl. 2, which is in a weak register) highlights C4. We see that in m. 10 cl. 1 highlights the soprano ob. 1, whereas in m. 2 ob. 2 is used for the same purpose. This "change" is possibly because the clarinet is now in a stronger register. mm. 12-13: This is an echo, 8va, of mm. 10-11. The phrases, from the beginning, exhibit an alternation in the sopranos of double-reed and non-double-reed (oboe, clarinet,oboe, flute). Fl. 1 is in a brighter register than it would have been for any of sopranos of the previous phrases. Now, Wagner apparently did not want emphasis on the downbeat--there is no highlighting. mm. 14: The violins (reinforced by the lower octave) echo the soprano of m. 13 and m. 11. This resumes the alternation between woodwinds and strings. m. 15: The alternation and echoing continues. The upper octave is given to only two flutes while there are two clarinets and e.h. on the lower octave. For balance purposes, the stronger register of the flutes requires more instruments below since these instruments are in weaker registers. Also, including e. h. in the mix retains the instrumental sound of the previous woodwind phrase. mm. 16-17: The adding of instruments helps the notated crescendo from m. 14. The lower-string pizzicato highlights the notes marked "sf", and is resonantly full, covering many notes of the harmony, stretching from the bass to just below the soprano, A secondary line, G#4-B4-A4, important because it recalls those notes (in rearranged order) in mm, 2 and 3, is brought out by doubling in ob. 1 and hn. 3, both in strong registers. The surprising F major triad ("deceptive" resolution of V) in m. 17 is emphasized also by fuller texture, but evaporates when the vc. return melodically, taking the violins' last note an octave lower. The bass clarinet, unobtrusively entering, takes the bass line of a sustained woodwind group. mm. 18-21: The vc. are accompanied by woodwinds continuing from mm. 16-17, now articulated by the addition of vla.-cb. pizzes (this resumes the pizz. of m. 16 in a softer manner). In m. 20 hn. 3 holds the G5 that the vc. have arrived at while the vc. move away and back to it while hn. 4 reinforces bn. 2 below. The vc. are in the same register as they were in mm. 1-10 and again rise sequentially, again reaching Bb 5 as part of the climax (as they did in m. 9). In m. 21, on the surprising Neapolitan sixth chord (beat two) on a hushed "p" marking, the pizzes are replaced by sustained arco and the warmer-sounding strings replace the bassoons. In m. 22, second beat, the vn. 2 cross over the vc. to take over the soprano, having entered as if they were continuing the viola part. They play on the G string with its darker, huskier sound--otherwise, they might have sounded thin after the vc. In m. 23 vn. 1 takes over the line, linking from vn. 2's D#4, while the vc. move to a unison C#4 with vn. 2 and then drop a seventh, anticipating the same notes an octave higher they will play when they resume the lead in m. 25. Vn. 1 move between the same notes in reverse order (from D#4 up to C#5) as they ascend, with increasing intensity and straining on the G string. At the high point, after the horns and bassoons come in to fill out the lower part of the texture, the vc. take over the line again, linking with the vn. 1.

Analysis of RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, SCHEHERAZADE, mm. 1-13

The opening 6 measures is a "unison" passage that descends. Its highest pitch is E4, which makes it dark, and it uses all instruments that can play the soprano notes of the line except the horns and trumpets. The horns and trumpets are omitted after the first note possibly because they would not in be in their best playing registers. The line of the first 6 measures is doubled in three octaves. The tuba leaves the lowest octave in m. 2, again, possibly because the composer thought that, if it continued, it would not sound its best that low, and that it would sound more effective in the middle octave from that point. In m. 3 the trill is not given to to the trombones, tuba, or bass. It could have been given to the tuba and bass, but Rimsky might have thought their trills would be unclear. In the two scores I've seen, the marking for the clarinets shows a trill sign above the staff only, which could mean that the second clarinet does not trill. I assume that it does. The effect of some instruments trilling while others do not is, to my ear, a bit muddy or "messy." The violins do not play the last note before the GP, of course, because they can't. This is not noticed because there enough instruments--especially the trombones--that do play it with strength. After the GP, the trombones are omitted, with a considerably softening effect that is more effectively achieved than a simple "diminuendo" mark would be, and it enforces a change of color. The low clarinets emerge here. The next passage is a woodwind group that sets a simple, chorus-like phrase in a very non-straightforward manner. This passage surely was inspired by the beginning of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream overture, which it resembles in obvious ways. M. 8: The middle register clarinets enclose the low register flutes. M. 9: fl. 1 crosses over cl. 1 to continue the soprano while cl. 1 crosses over both flutes to take the tenor. The clarinets are in their weakest register and the vibrato of the flutes (as opposed to the non-vibrato of the clarinets) gives greater warmth to the passage. Otherwise, the change in color from clarinet to flute in the soprano is hardly noticeable because of their respective registers. M. 10: As the texture expands in contrary motion of the outer parts, bn. 1 enters on a relatively weak G4, taking over the tenor line from cl. 1 and avoiding parallel fifths in the clarinets. Entering in the middle of the texture, its new sound (double reed) is less noticeable than it would be as the bass. (In the Mendelssohn overture, instruments are added with each chord, and always BELOW the previous notes.) M. 11: Here is a considerable change in scoring, one that matches the change in tonal implication (the F# major triad, which implies V in B minor, is surprising after the modal E minor beginning): fl. 1 drops out (if it continued, it might be superflous?) and is replaced by ob. 2 while ob. 1 doubles fl.1 (the first unison doubling). It is in this pitch area that the flutes and oboes match most in quality and strength; thus the change in color is the least it could be for these instruments. But the passage becomes suddenly more intense with the introduction of three more double reeds--bn. 2 joins in, like bn. 1, as an inner voice to minimize intrusiveness, while cl. 2 continues as a warm and increasingly resonant bass. M. 12: In the final chord the flutes double the oboes an octave higher in the soprano and alto. Along with that, the cl. 1 suddenly jumps up over the oboes and flutes (of m. 11) to double the 2nd alto note A while cl. 2 likewise crosses the bassoons to double the bass an octave higher. The bassoons unite on the bass note that "should have been given to cl. 2," while hn. 1 enters to take the tenor that "should have been given to bn. 1," again, disguising its presence by being surrounded, pitch-wise. The register of the horn is borderline in terms of balance--very much higher, and it would become rather intense. The final chord completes the gradual increase in the number of instruments while keeping the spacing between instruments vertically and reinforces the implied crescendo by the increased strength of the flutes and cl. 1, which are now in stronger registers, adding to the greater intensity of more double reed instruments. The manipulation of the lower instruments avoids parallel fifths in every chord change! The sudden octave doubling of the soprano prepares the surprising and effective entrance of the solo violin on E6, which, with the harp (playing the whole chord an octave lower), suggests an abrupt scene change to the heroine, singing to the harp! The crossings of instrumental lines are less noticeable than they might be in other scorings because the instruments are all woodwinds (including horn?) and mostly in inner parts and because the overall voice-leading (irrespective of scoring choices) is mostly stepwise.

About My Database of Composers' Whereabouts

I have composed a database that shows where composers were on each day of their life--as far as I can determine, using letters, biographies, etc., as sources.

There are over 400,000 entries. Composers covered are: Bellini,Donizetti, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Berlioz, Mussorgsky,Wagner,Liszt,Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Bruckner,Gounod,Smetana,Borodin,Moussorgsky,Verdi,Saint-Saens, Wolf, Mahler, Dvorak,Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov,Franck,Puccini, and Faure.

The database is in Microsoft Excel. If you would like purchase a copy on CD for your use, please contact me at this blog.

About the Medical Arts Symphony

The Medical Arts Symphony has been in existence for over 30 years. Its members are amateur musicians, many of whom are either active or retired members of the medical profession. Some are retired professional musicians. The orchestra gives two concerts yearly in Kansas City--usually in late November and late April. Professionals fill out the ranks for these concerts.

Notable compositions performed were Berlioz's HAROLD IN ITALY, Rachmaninoff's RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI, and Brahms' Second and Third Symphonies. Several contemporary works were performed--several of them premiers of local composers'.
The orchestra for many years sponsored the Leopold Shopmaker Violin Competition. This awarded three prizes and a performance with the orchestra for the first-prize winner. A recent winner went on to win the Queen of Belgium Competition.

We welcome new, qualified members. There are openings in strings and bassoon. If you would like to audition, call me at 816-523-7376. Rehearsals are held at Battenfield Auditorium at the corner of Olathe Blvd. and Rainbow Blvd. each Monday evening at 7:15.

Freewill?

Hi, everyone. I propose the idea that there is really no free will. Everything done by a human is biologically determined. All choices made are the result of some biological dictate of the body. The mind is our awareness of ourselves and our enivronment, the seat of our self-identity. It is subservient to bodily processes; e.g., neural processes. We think that we consciously make decisions simply because we are aware of having made them and of having pondered choices and we might be able to give rationales for them, but this is merely the awareness of conditions of the choices and memory of how similar conditions worked out in the past--thus, learning from experience.I know this is a very controversial topic--nobody I have talked to about it agrees with me. I would like to hear what others have to say about it.