The Omniscient Mussel » Weekly Quiz

Quiz #26: Let’s Start At The Very Beginning

Miss Mussel — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:12:45 +0000

Something a little more contemplative for this week’s adventure. There is something about hearing sacred music in a church and in the proper liturgical context that is unlike any other musical experience.

There have been some concert hall events that have certainly reached the spirit but nothing quite like this. For Miss Mussel, the reasons for this are twofold. The first is that the liturgy hasn’t changed much for 1800 years, so there is a strong sense of connection to those that have come before and as well as a reminder that our allotted 80 years are merely a heartbeat in the grand scheme of human endeavour.

The second attraction is that this is working music that does not aim to entertain but rather to facilitate transcendence. That the music accomplishes this within an aesthetic that is now considered to be austere, makes it all the more beautiful.

There is a new leader in the quiz standings but still plenty of time to get some points up over the next 6 weeks. A strong finish just might get you the top prize, which is, in case you have forgotten, a $100 gift voucher for Arkiv music. Second and third prizes are nothing to sniff at either.

The full rules are here. Clues on Tues and Weds. Guesses that include some combination of composer, title of piece and date of composition are sent in before midnight EST Weds qualify. Points are given for each component, so partial guesses still count.

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Quiz #25: Drumroll Please

Miss Mussel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:15:41 +0000

Midnight EST has come and gone, so it’s time reveal the details of this week’s mystery piece. It is……Lassus Trombone by Henry Fillmore, written in 1915. Some of his other tunes include Americans We and The President’s March. Fillmore was one of America’s greatest bandmasters and is thought by many to have been better than the more well-connected John Phillips Sousa.

Reader Daniel passed along this news clip:

Daniel also drew Miss Mussel’s attention to a bit of marching band humour courtesy of the Mr Show.

In high school, Miss Mussel’s music teacher was obsessed with marches despite the fact that in Canada we don’t march. Ever. For any reason. So we played them all the time. Army of the Nile, Colonel Bogey, Blaze Away, you name it, we played it. It was during this time that Miss Mussel developed a pathological hatred of the euphonium and its countermelody stardom while the lowly horns were stuck on off-beats and doubled by the alto saxophones. Ugh.

About 15 years ago, a 3 cd set of 100 Greatest Marches or similar ended up in Miss Mussel’s possession, most likely due to the fact that you could get 100 SONGS FOR $6.99!!! and that’s how Lassus Trombone got on the radar.

While we’re on the topic of marching bands, this little video is absolutely hilarious. Yes, it has been posted before here but it never fails to amuse.

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Quiz #25 Second Clue Set

Miss Mussel — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Good afternoon everyone,

Here are the final set of clues for this week’s Quiz.

The composer attended CCM in Cincinnati

The title of the piece contains the name of the featured instrument

One of the composer’s legacies was the invention of the smear.

He was not a gynaecologist.

Have another listen and don’t forget to send in your guess by today at midnight EST. [composer, name and date of composition or some combination thereof.]

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Quiz #25 First Clue Set

Miss Mussel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:04:21 +0000

Ok folks…it’s time for the first set of clues.

Have another listen and contemplate the following clues. You can to go to your Zen place and wait for the answer to come to you or just invite your dad over for dinner. That strategy has worked for one guesser so far, so anything is possible.

The composer’s father was an established publisher of religious music and thought the trombone was too evil an instrument for a righteous person to play.

The composer fell in love with an exotic dancer to whom he proposed via mail. [not really a clue but too great to leave out]

This piece was a favourite of John Phillips Sousa

The compoaser was president of the American Bandmasters Association from 1941 to 1946.

Ask your friends who were band geeks in college. They’ll sort you out after listening to 3 or 4 beats.

If you need to phone a friend, try this person, or this one, or maybe this one.

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Quiz #24 – Delayed Gratification Edition

Miss Mussel — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:04:06 +0000

Ok folks, a spare 15 minutes has been sorted and Miss Mussel can now tell you that the mystery piece from Quiz #24 is none other than Mahler’s 10th symphony. Third movment, to be precise. Click on the album image to head to the disc to your collection via Archiv.

In the first batch of clues, a bonus point was given for the person who could name the author of this über-dense quote: “as paradoxically inimical to the cultural category of art it nevertheless contributed to, relied upon and heightened in so significant a manner.” When Miss Mussel has to get her dictionary out at word number three, her mind goes instantly to two possible choices. Edward Said and Theodor Adorno. Since Mahler doesn’t have much to do with orientalism and the like, that leaves our pal Teddy.

The date of composition for this piece was a trick question because Mahler died before it was completed. He left orchestrated parts for the first and third movements and sketches of the others. Several people have had a crack at completing the score but the version by Deryck Cooke is the most commonly performed.

While Mahler was writing his final symphony, he was overcome with the grief of losing his beloved wife Alma to young architect Walter Gropius. Tragic notes in the margin illustrate Mahlers internal turmoil and correspond with specific events in the score:

The Devil dances it with me / Madness take me, cursed one! / Destroy me, that I forget that I am! / that I cease to be, that I de… [das ich ver... ]‘, at the end: ‘You alone know what it means! … Ah! Farewell my lyre!’).

Someone else is wearing the Yellow Jersey this week, meaning they are in top spot after 3 weeks of Quiz play. There are seven remaining weeks until the prizes are awarded, so still plenty of time to have a go.

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Quiz #24: Second Clue Set

Miss Mussel — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:18:58 +0000

Hello Quiz Fans!

Miss Mussel fell of the face of the earth for two days, so this week’s quiz is in a bit of a shambles. To all of you that were not able to be productive on Wednesday due to lack of quiz, please accept Miss Mussel’s sincerest apologies. She was busy trying to convince American border patrol officers that they should tell her how they profile drug smugglers, in the interests of journalism etc. You can imagine how well that went over.

OK….here is the second batch of clues. A few more people worked it out after Tuesday’s hints. Have another listen, just because the track is lovely, and give some thought to the following:

Yesterday Miss Mussel described the sample as the “entire whole movement.” Embarassing tautology aside, this is significant because usually this composer is much less brief. As in “has been known to take 90 minutes to get his point across.”
The date of composition is a bit of a trick question.
There are currently several versions of this piece in circulation. Only the first and third movements are common to eacht.

Put the composer, name of piece, movement and/or date of composition into an email message and send it to OMHQ.

The quiz will remain open until Friday at midnight EST. Answers sometime at the weekend.

Best of luck!

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Quiz #24: First Clue Set

Miss Mussel — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:21:53 +0000

No guesses yesterday. Miss Mussel is sure that most of you know who the composer is but going through his entire oeuvre and eliminating all possibilities via your CD collection would be a mammoth undertaking. [FREE CLUE ALERT *ahem*]

The following should help you narrow it down a bit.

The sample is the entire whole movement.

The composer’s work has been described as “as paradoxically inimical to the cultural category of art it nevertheless contributed to, relied upon and heightened in so significant a manner.“

Two of the movements were premiered in Vienna in 1924 however it would be 40 more years before the first complete performance was mounted.

Bonus Point: name the author of the quote in #2.

Guesses as to the composer’s name, title of piece and date of composition to hello@theomniscientmussel.com.* There is one point available for each part of the answer plus an additional bonus for writing in before the final clues are revealed, so guessing it worth it.

*Not a typo. The email meltdown is fixed.

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Quiz #24: Here’s One I Made Earlier

Miss Mussel — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:50:07 +0000

What do you do when a good title is just not coming? Steal an unrelated but still excellent one from another source that refers to a joke that most of Miss Mussel’s readers won’t get! Hurrah!

It’s insanity week here at OM Headquarters so most of this week’s posts will be queued up ahead of time. Miss Mussel will still pop in to check comments but barring any unforseen events attention will be diverted elsewhere. A significant part of these endeavours will turn up in this space at some point in the near to mid future.

In the meantime, click on the triangle to hear this week’s sample. Clues tomorrow and Weds.
Newcomers: there are prizes for a correctly guessing the composer, date, title and (if applicable) movement. Two weeks are completed already but there is still plenty of time to catch up to the leaders.

Send your answers here.

Please note that email @theomniscientmussel.com is still not 100% reliable. An announcement will be posted when everything is back on track. In the meantime, please use the link in this post.

Happy guessing everyone!

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Quiz #23 Now You Know

Miss Mussel — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:37:25 +0000

It’s Thursday, one day before Free Swag Friday and two days before a glorious day away from your place of employment. Unless you work freelance. Then everywhere there is internet is your place of employment. Miss Mussel will save thoughts on DSL cable as the new umbilicus for another day and get right down to the reason you’re all here.

This week’s piece is: Short Ride In A Fast Machine by John (Coolidge) Adams written in 1986.

The other similarly-named American composer mentioned in yesterday’s clues is John Luther Adams, styled by Alex Ross as “one of the most original thinkers of the new century.”

So….no slouch then.

Here is Short Ride In A Fast Machine on…err…gamelan as part of an education project done by the LSO St Luke’s at the Barbican in London.

Thanks to all those who wrote in with guesses and to those who played along at home. Til next week, adieu!

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Quiz #23 Second Clue Set

Miss Mussel — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:07:14 +0000

Apologies to everyone for the grave abuses of the English language that characterized yesterday’s clues. Sometimes writing at 2am works. Other times, not so much. The major offenses have been cleaned up but those of you who checked in before 11am EST….uh…sorry.

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way….on to the last set of clues.

A few sources have mentioned that this is the encore most often played by American orchestras.
There is another composer with the same first and last name as well as two American presidents.
The composer had this to say about the title, “You know how it is when someone asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn’t?”

You’ve got til today at midnight EST to chime in with any or all of the name of the composer, title of piece and date of composition.

Happy listening!

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