Choral Conundrums

[Simon]

It's that last bit that must have put people off, ardcarp.

I can only comment that where there are wills there are always false relations...

S-S!


PS. The one I was putting together before my recent travels is nearly finished, so I hope to post it before I go off again.

[ardcarp]

Welcome back Simon, and thanks for stooping to my feeble challenge.

The one I was putting together before my recent travels is nearly finished, so I hope to post it before I go off again.

The birth of your latest is much anticipated, though I fear a long gestation might suggest many nights of doubt and sorrow for us. Don't be too long away. We might need a clue. And we miss you.

[Simon]

Well, here's another puzzle that I hope some will enjoy. It's not complex, but it took a couple of hours to fine tune today. I've done bits of it over the past few weeks as and when I've had a few minutes.

Hidden within the following fictitious chorister's report of a school/choir trip, there are various names relating to choral music. Most are composers; some are actual works. The letters of the names are adjacent, excluding spaces, though of course not necessarily in the same word. Most will be names that most cathedral choristers will come across; there are perhaps a couple of more obscure ones.

There are 26 in total that I've put in deliberately. Of course, some could have appeared unintentionally that I haven't spotted myself yet...

bws S-S!

It was the weekend of the school trip after Easter. We were off to play Truro at cricket and have some fun in Cornwall. Casual dress was normal, but some of course saw this as an excuse to be eccentric. Mr Hooter, Dec Alto, always likes a laugh – this time he wore a Mexican hat and a poncho – well, something that looked like a poncho anyway. And Mr Strainer, Can Tenor, always makes us laugh with his ready songs made up on the spot about anything that happens.

Truro made us very welcome and had arranged the match for us in a village nearby. The cricket ground was near the village green, easy to get to, so we made it on time for once. The game was fun: my best friend Will scored 104, including a massive six that went right over the pavilion – into a wood in fact – so that ball ended up lost. It reminded me of when we had a knockabout near the cathedral: another ball he hit went right over the quire, landing about a metre away from the Dean. “You shouldn’t have hit it so far” ranted the HC. Lol.

Will has always been great with the bat, tending to pick the ball up very early. But on this occasion his was the only score in double figures even, and Truro were miles better than us at bowling – their big star is 6’5” – tall isn’t the word! – and were devastating in attack. So in the end, with us mainly relying on one boy, century or not, they beat us virtually without trying. Ah well!

After the match we had tea, all of us massing around a big table loaded with food. Not much trifle though: there would have been plenty, except the clumsy ass Martin knocked the biggest dish off the table. Whenever he’s near, never leave anything fragile about! The bishop’s wife came in to meet us. I got to shake her hand, elegant as anything. Very nice lady.

Met some girls in the evening near our hotel; one ended up kissing joyfully with our batting hero Will. He’ll be mooning about for days now and claim undying love, if the last trip is anything to go by. I sneaked some cider into our room and felt a bit woozy in the night, I wonder why? [Insert appropriate smiley!!]

Anyway, felt better in the morning and, despite the loss at cricket, not too downhearted. Of course, now summer beckons and there should be lots more matches.

The second day we went to the zoo. I confess I am nerdy about photography and so I unwisely got into trouble for climbing on the fence near the opossums: I only wanted to take a close-up but the attendant threatened to kick me out. A brill picture missed - shame. We also visited a rollerskate park. I’m good at that and rode rings round everybody else.

It was all in all a good weekend. Hope you’ve enjoyed the report. Off now to bed with my newest book “Hunters and Hearts” by James and John Iverson. Amazing and recommended. http://www.huntersandhearts.com/

[Simon]

my feeble challenge.

Not feeble at all, ardcarp - nicely thought out, in my view. And thanks for the welcome back, which hopefully you'll be able to repeat several times over the next few months as I'm all over the place!

I assume others will have understood the answer?

bws S-S!

[decantor]

OK, Simon, I'll stick my neck out, though it's not very comfy.....

Howe, Dyson, Greene, Wills, Wood, Ireland, Farrant, Batten, Tallis, Boyce, Beatus Vir, Mass, Tye, Smart, Arne, Handel, Mundy, Ley, Merbeck, Day, Amner, Wise, Sumsion, Dering, West, John IV

I'm not very happy about 'Mass', so 'Hunt ' might take its place, though I'm not sure I've encountered any of Donald Hunt's compositions. My back-up words that a chorister might know about his trade are thema, mean, and Deus.

If I'm wrong, don't give us the answer yet. Trouble is, I've spent so much time looking 'across' words that I can hardly read normally any more! 'Twas fun to do, though - thank you.

[subcontrabass]

OK, Simon, I'll stick my neck out, though it's not very comfy.....

Howe, Dyson, Greene, Wills, Wood, Ireland, Farrant, Batten, Tallis, Boyce, Beatus Vir, Mass, Tye, Smart, Arne, Handel, Mundy, Ley, Merbeck, Day, Amner, Wise, Sumsion, Dering, West, John IV

I'm not very happy about 'Mass', so 'Hunt ' might take its place, though I'm not sure I've encountered any of Donald Hunt's compositions. My back-up words that a chorister might know about his trade are thema, mean, and Deus.

If I'm wrong, don't give us the answer yet. Trouble is, I've spent so much time looking 'across' words that I can hardly read normally any more! 'Twas fun to do, though - thank you.

From my efforts you seem to have missed Howells, Wood in F, Ireland in G, Mass in G, Snow. What about an ave or two?

[decantor]

From my efforts you seem to have missed Howells, Wood in F, Ireland in G, Mass in G, Snow. What about an ave or two?

I bow to your superior perception in all the above, SCB - though the only Snow I know is a cold, unwelcome character. But can one really claim an AVE unchaperoned by a MARIA or a VERUM?

It looks as though it will be your turn to set the next conundrum. Got something handy?

[ardcarp]

Damn! I've just got back after a night's gruelling rehearsal and a day's work to fing it all over bar the shouting. But well done everyone, and nice one Simon.

[subcontrabass]

I bow to your superior perception in all the above, SCB - though the only Snow I know is a cold, unwelcome character. But can one really claim an AVE unchaperoned by a MARIA or a VERUM?

It looks as though it will be your turn to set the next conundrum. Got something handy?

You got several that I missed. Moses Snow (1661-1702) was a singer, composer and organist. Valentine Snow (c.1700-1770, possibly the son of Moses) was a virtuoso trumpeter, for whom Handel wrote most of his trumpet obbligato parts. I agree about the AVE.

I will leave the next one to you (or anyone else who wants to do one).

[decantor]

You got several that I missed. Moses Snow (1661-1702) was a singer, composer and organist. Valentine Snow (c.1700-1770, possibly the son of Moses) was a virtuoso trumpeter, for whom Handel wrote most of his trumpet obbligato parts. I agree about the AVE.

I will leave the next one to you (or anyone else who wants to do one).

SCB, thank you for clearing up the Snow. Mind you, I thought we were looking for names (etc) that choristers would recognise: have they really upped their game to that extent over the last few years?

Sorry you missed out, ardcarp - you should have called a Time Out. But at least you've got a life!

I think we should await Simon's judgement before embarking on any more brain-teasers. And I do see, Simon, why the puzzle took time and care to finalise - it was well contrived and wondrously frustrating! My first perusal yielded just three names.

[Simon]

Hi there all,

Got back and am honestly too tired to do much more than have a quick shufti whilst I was logged on.
But congrats to you all - and to others who have acceptd the challenge but not posted. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the kind words.e

Anyway, AVE doesn't count on its own as you assumed - try as I might I couldn't fit it in with any of its associated words.

I didn't include DAY nor WEST, as the first I'd forgotten about and the second I don't know about. Who he? We never sang anything by West, AFAIK. I didn't include SNOW, because I, too, had not heard of either of the gentlemen of that name that you mention! So as they say so wisely, one lives and learns - thanks!

Having posted all that, you've still missed two between you, heh, heh, heh! One's not obvious, but well enough known, and the other - a piece, not a composer - is an absolute sitter and you will kick yourselves!

A good night's sleep is now planned. Hope to catch up maybe tomorrow...

bws S-S!

Edit: I confess I thought you'd miss JOHN IV. But no.

[subcontrabass]

I have now found two more composers. I assume that IVES is the one you intended (Grayston or Bill?). There is also an OTTO, but he seems to be out of scope. I cannot find another work unless you are referring to a MASS with no further specification.

[decantor]

Simon, if you are interested, google "John E West", though we always called him Johnny West.

But musically you have missed nothing. For nearly 20 years I directed the chapel choir in a boys' school. Only once did the Head Man make a request for specific music at evensong, and that was for West's canticles (which he'd heard at another school when he'd preached there). It turned out to be High Victorian bombast. At the first rehearsal, the boys got the giggles. When the adults' turn came, they reacted in the same way..... along with remarks such as "You cannot be serious!" We managed to stay po-faced for the service, with no singer catching another's eye. The HM adored it, as did the parents who attended. I guess that's often the way of the world in music. We never did that set again, but the composer's name is imprinted for ever.

Now for another look at your conundrum. (I suggested Mass in my first shot: I assume it's not that. Could it be as simple as Sing joyfully?)

[Simon]

Well done both of you: Ives and Sing Joyfully it was.

Next.....?

[subcontrabass]

I presume that the inclusion of composers ILES and TRAINER was accidental as they do not seem to fit into your scenario. I did wonder about REDE as a variant spelling of Reade (or Read) but I could find no evidence for that spelling. The inclusion of a LYRE was presumably also accidental.