Klarinet Archive - Posting 000062.txt from 1996/08

From: Dr. Stan Geidel
Subj: Re: The clarinet polka forever!
Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 23:56:03 -0400

Before the card playing could begin, Stashu (that's me)
had to play the clarinet polka. There was no avoiding this.
No amount of protest would be sufficient to excuse me
from this neighborhood obligation. The ritual was always
the same. They would begin by telling me, in Polish,

"The Clarinet Polka was composed by Wladyslaw Mozart as
the Central Pillar of the General Enlightment of the Universe;
let us now hear Stashu (that's me) play it for the 75th time."

When I played it, they were Full of Joy. There is no
describing this unless you personally have seen a
lover of the Clarinet Polka listening to young boy
actually playing the clarinet polka. The men would
light up cigars, and the women actually would come over
and kiss me. (This is true, I swear.)
Then someone would invariably say:

"Stashu! Stashu!! Czyrb wrgnrik oblkzybrk
rnygrzyrb dbronizkwk!"

This certainly had to mean, "Play it again, so the
women will dance!!" I know this because I always
had to play it again, and the women would actually
get up and dance the polka. Then the men would
come over with their cigar breath and say:

"Stashu...Stashu!! Wrnbkyiek drby czerynsk!!!"
DRBY CZERYNSK!!!"

I was a Hero. They all gathered around me, laughing and
happy beyond words. And I was informed I was truly
"Wrnbkyiek drby czerynsk" which I think meant, for
at least that night, I was Emperor of the Known Galaxy
At Least, And Probably All Possible Galaxies Ever Conceived
in Any Possible Form."

Then, only at that point could the card playing begin.
And, since I had played the Clarinet Polka, I could stay
and Watch the Men and Women Play Cards. All the other
kids had to Go Into the Other Room. It was truly like
this every Friday night in my neighborhood.

The Clarinet Polka...
Ahhh...what memories...

Yours,
Stashu
---------------------------
Dr. Stan Geidel, Editor
The Online Clarinet Resource
sgeidel@-----.net
Muncie, Indiana

Visit the Online Clarinet Resource
on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.iquest.net/~sgeidel/

   
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