One
of the more popular sections of The Chorister Newsletter is "The
Lighter Side of Music". Here, in one place, are all the excepts so
that you can read along and laugh. Enjoy!
Name
That Carol
How many of the following statements can you turn into titles of popular Christmas carols and songs? Hover over the graphic to see the answer.
- Approach, everyone who is steadfast
- Ecstasy toward to the orb
- Hush, the foretelling spirits harmonize
- Hey, minuscule area for southeast Jerusalem
- Quiescent nocturnal period
- Yo, coniferous sapling
- The primary carol
- Embellish the corridor
- I'm fantasizing concerning a blanched Yuletide
- I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent unshaven male in crimson disguise
- During the time woolly caretakers supervised their charges past the witching hour
- Begone! Narrate at 1,000 metres
- The thing manifested itself at the onset of a transparent day
- Our group desires that you enjoy a mirthful December holiday
- Removed in a bovine feeding trough
- Valentino, the roseate proboscis wapiti
- The slight percussionist lad
- Father Christmas approaches the metropolis
- Seraphim, we aurally detected in the atmosphere
- Beneficent male believers celebrate
Thomas
Beecham on Opera
Thomas Beecham, the renowned British conductor, was once approached rather gingerly after the performance of an opera and asked if he realized that the orchestra had often drowned out the singers. His reply? "Oh yes, I did it intentionally". True!
Milton
Katims and the Basses
A number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was performing Beethoven's Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims. There is a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins do not have a thing to do -- not a single note page after page. It was decided that during this performance, the bass players were to leave the stage after the opening of the Ninth rather than sitting on their stools looking dumb for 20 minutes. Once they got backstage, they decided to trot across the street and quaff a few brews at the pub. For fear of being late, one of the players had tied a string around the last few pages of the conductor's score so that he would have to slow down and try to untie the pages while continuing to conduct. The basses had another round of drinks and returned to the concert, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at the Milton Katims' face told them they were in serious trouble. It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.
Great Moments in Musical History
Quotes from grade school essays on classical music:
 | "Refrain means don’t do it. A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing." |
| "Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel." |
| "Most authorities agree that music of antiquity was written long ago." |
| "Agnus Dei was a woman composer famous for her church music." |
More quotes from grade school essays on classical music:
| "Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was rather large." |
| "Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling him. I guess he could not hear so good. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this." |
| "Henry Purcell is a well-known composer few people have ever heard of." |
| "An opera is a song of bigly size." |
| "A harp is a nude piano." |
| "Aaron Copland is one of our most famous contemporary composers. It is unusual to be contemporary. Most composers do not live until they are dead." |
| "A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals." |
| "I know what a sextet is but I’d rather not say." |
| "My favourite composer is Opus." |
| "Probably the most marvellous fugue was between the Hatfields and the McCoys." |
| "My very best liked piece is the bronze lullaby." |
Copyright © 1994-2005 Upper Canada Choristers Inc. All rights reserved.
