 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-06-19 00:01
I was reading a collection of humorous anecdotes pertaining to the arts written by British actor and personality Frank Muir entitled "The Frank Muir Book". It is a loosely threaded collection of quotes about various areas of the arts. The section on music is a particularly good reed.
He quotes a definition of the clarinet from the "Devil's Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce as follows:-
"Clarionet: An instrument of torture operated by a person with cotton wool in his ears. There is only one thing worse than a clarionet, two clarionets."
Cruel for us that know and love our noble instrument and spend much of our life avoiding the above. I was wondering, for the sake of the Sneezy archives, if anybody out there had any other interesting definitions. The complete Devil's Dictionary is available somewhere on line. It also has an incisive view of the piano.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-06-19 13:42
The Devil's Dictionary is available on-line at many sites. The first one that came up on Google is http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/ . It demands reading from cover to cover. Bierce could make the English language jump through hoops like no one else.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-06-19 14:31
Ken Shaw wrote:
> Bierce could make the English language
> jump through hoops like no one else.
For you computer/IT buffs & peons:
Stan Kelly-Bootle took Bierce into the 20th century:
The Devil's DP Dictionary and The Computer Contradictionary (an update to TDDPD).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-06-19 17:24
Bierce's personal history was about as bizarre as his definitions. It's worrh trying to find.
Regards,
John
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2003-06-19 22:57
He must have only heard a truely bad clarinet ... poor chap.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Alseg
Date: 2003-06-20 02:54
RE: Frank Muir:
"The Frank Muir Book".
I think that he is the same fellow who is heard on the BBC broadcasts of "My Word" and "My Music" which are rebroadcast on NPR. They are sometimes witty, often caustic, and always +teddibly+ British. Cynicism is their trademark. (hear that, CPW?)
AS
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
