Current favourite jokes

[Pulcinella]

Bombay Sapphire?

Tanqueray for me please.

[ahinton]

Bombay Sapphire?

Tanqueray for me please.

Tanqueray for me, too; Tanqueray Ten if possible (although Schönberg would probably have preferred Tanqueray Twelve)...

[Pulcinella]

Tanqueray for me, too; Tanqueray Ten if possible (although Schönberg would probably have preferred Tanqueray Twelve)...

But number 10 a bit too flowery (scented) for me, iirc.

And I like a dash of tonic, too.

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh, but how UNfunny that is when one considers Schönberg's attitudes towards tonality and the traditions that he respected and followed! I cannot quite imagine Schönberg requesting a gin anyway (well, his loss, one might suppose) but the prospect that he would not appreciate either the counterpoint between gin and tonic or the harmonies to which the two together could give rise seems to me to be woefully lacking in credibility.

Pass the gin, someone! Any make!

[Beef Oven!]

Oh, but how UNfunny that is when one considers Schönberg's attitudes towards tonality and the traditions that he respected and followed! I cannot quite imagine Schönberg requesting a gin anyway (well, his loss, one might suppose) but the prospect that he would not appreciate either the counterpoint between gin and tonic or the harmonies to which the two together could give rise seems to me to be woefully lacking in credibility.

Schönberg? I was talking about Schoenberg. Was Schönberg one of Leon Dudley's drinking partners BEFORE THEY BOTH CHANGED THEIR NAMES

[ahinton]

Schönberg? I was talking about Schoenberg. Was Schönberg one of Leon Dudley's drinking partners BEFORE THEY BOTH CHANGED THEIR NAMES

No, actually. I have a 1921 letter to Sorabji from his friend of longest standing, the writer Sacheverell Sitwell in which, among other things, he expressed the hope that, when Sorabji went to Vienna to perform his first two piano sonatas, he (Sorabji) would meet Schönberg, but this never happened, even though Schönberg seems to have been made aware of this performance in advance - so no, the two of them didn't repair to a Viennese hostelry after said performance.

Anyway, whilst Schönberg changed the spelling of his surname once he'd (not) settled in US), most of his estate in terms of artistic legacy has transferred back to his home city of Vienna and become part of the excellent Schönberg Center there, the poetic justice of which seems almost to turn that spelling back to what it was originally (at least for him, even though not for his family who still live in US).

That said, for the record and for the avoidance of doubt, whatever Schönberg may or may not have known about Sorabji at any time, he would almost certainly never have encountered those provisional forenames Leon or Dudley.

I hope that this clears up any possible misconceptions, doubts or questions.

[Beef Oven!]

No, actually. I have a 1921 letter to Sorabji from his friend of longest standing, the writer Sacheverell Sitwell in which, among other things, he expressed the hope that, when Sorabji went to Vienna to perform his first two piano sonatas, he (Sorabji) would meet Schönberg, but this never happened, even though Schönberg seems to have been made aware of this performance in advance - so no, the two of them didn't repair to a Viennese hostelry after said performance.

Anyway, whilst Schönberg changed the spelling of his surname once he'd (not) settled in US), most of his estate in terms of artistic legacy has transferred back to his home city of Vienna and become part of the excellent Schönberg Center there, the poetic justice of which seems almost to turn that spelling back to what it was originally (at least for him, even though not for his family who still live in US).

That said, for the record and for the avoidance of doubt, whatever Schönberg may or may not have known about Sorabji at any time, he would almost certainly never have encountered those provisional forenames Leon or Dudley.

I hope that this clears up any possible misconceptions, doubts or questions.

If Schoenberg didn't change his name, only changing the spelling, you should at least respect this important fact and desist from spelling it yourself in a way he did not wish. You must subjugate your view on this matter to Schoenberg's wishes. By all means pronounce it as you want, but please have due respect for the great maestro.

[ahinton]

If Schoenberg didn't change his name, only changing the spelling, you should at least respect this important fact and desist from spelling it yourself in a way he did not wish. You must subjugate your view on this matter to Schoenberg's wishes. By all means pronounce it as you want, but please have due respect for the great maestro.

I yield to no one in my respect for both Schönberg (as he was born and continued to style himself until his American years) and Schoenberg (as he styled himself in his latter years despite continuing to feel somewhat ill at ease in his west coast American home) and I likewise respect his decision on the change of spelling of his surname - and I don't think that the pronunication comes into it, really - but the point here is that it is as reasonable to regard Schönberg as the composer who lived his life until deciding to change the spelling of his surname to Schoenberg comparatively late in life as it is to recognise his severance from and later rapprochement with Judaism (as witnessed by Chagall), to the extent that these two factors illustrate various contradictions (for which he was hardly unknown)...

[Richard Barrett]

Is there a punch line to all this? I'm losing the will to live.

[Beef Oven!]

I yield to no one in my respect for both Schönberg (as he was born and continued to style himself until his American years) and Schoenberg (as he styled himself in his latter years despite continuing to feel somewhat ill at ease in his west coast American home) and I likewise respect his decision on the change of spelling of his surname - and I don't think that the pronunication comes into it, really - but the point here is that it is as reasonable to regard Schönberg as the composer who lived his life until deciding to change the spelling of his surname to Schoenberg comparatively late in life as it is to recognise his severance from and later rapprochement with Judaism (as witnessed by Chagall), to the extent that these two factors illustrate various contradictions (for which he was hardly unknown)...

My point is that you should at least yield to the maestro, himself.

[Beef Oven!]

Is there a punch line to all this? I'm losing the will to live.

The punchline is at least implied in post #1513.

[Nick Armstrong]

Is there a punch line to all this? I'm losing the will to live.

Likewise. Let us attempt to apply the metaphorical resuscitation electrodes.

I have developed a new magic act with caramel shortcake biscuits, I've got a couple of twix up my sleeve.

My wife has packed her bags and gone - just because of my fetish for touching pasta. I'm feeling cannelloni right now.

Whilst chopping herbs last night, I absent-mindedly rubbed my eyes. As a result, I awoke this morning to find myself parsley-sighted.

[Beef Oven!]

Likewise.

You don't have to read these posts

[Richard Barrett]

Let us attempt to apply the metaphorical resuscitation electrodes.

It's the way you tell 'em.

[Nick Armstrong]

You don't have to read these posts

I didn't.

We cleared out gran's flat today. Put the good stuff on ebay, binned some stuff and gave the rest to a charity shop. Then went to the estate agents and put her flat on the market. She'll go mad when she gets home from bingo.