Alphabet associations - I

[Norfolk Born]

Is that the knobbly-kneed trio who did the Egyptian-style dances on sand, from music hall days?

Meantime, for the benefit of readers and our esteemed archivist, maybe I should pull the answer together in one place, as it emerged bit by bit.

The "E" answer is "E" being one of the initials by which
1. E.T.A. Hoffmann
2. C.P.E. Bach
3. E. Power Biggs
are commonly known.

Is it unreasonable of me to have expected that all three parts of the answers, rather than just two, would start with 'E', especially since most people take 'initially' to mean 'firstly? If people are going to set questions in which the relevant letter can appear anywhere in the constituent parts of the answer, life is going to get very difficult for simpletons like me. It reminds me of the chap who said that a particularly abstruse German word must have something to do with eggs because it has the letters 'ei' in it.
EDIT: On the positive (?) side, you may have set a record for the number of hints dropped before somebody finally staggered their way to the finishing line.

[Norfolk Born]

[COLOR="blue"]... and those three are the only musically-related people I could think of who are known by initials including E.

What about E J Moeran?

[mercia]

What F connects

- a Springhead (Dorset) organic farm
- a philosopher's musical first
- an Oxton composer, writer & poet (that's one person not three)

[Nick Armstrong]

Is it unreasonable of me to have expected that all three parts of the answers, rather than just two, would start with 'E', especially since most people take 'initially' to mean 'firstly? If people are going to set questions in which the relevant letter can appear anywhere in the constituent parts of the answer, life is going to get very difficult for simpletons like me. It reminds me of the chap who said that a particularly abstruse German word must have something to do with eggs because it has the letters 'ei' in it.
EDIT: On the positive (?) side, you may have set a record for the number of hints dropped before somebody finally staggered their way to the finishing line.

Well in the world of clues in this sort of exercise, I think words like initially can be used 'cryptically', can't they? I mean obliquely, in a sense: so that 'initially' doesn't necessarily just bear its literal meaning of coming first, but can mean 'to do with initials' - which all 3 "E" s were. In the same way I said something like 'there was no stopping him' to hint at 'pulling the stops out' i.e. with reference to the organ. I'm sure there are other examples in this thread. It's not quite the same as setting a question involving Ravel, Mahler and Elgar on the basis that they each have an "E" in their name...

Sorry if it caused you frustration! But then again, that's sort of the aim of the game, no? It's true, this one seemed to discombobulate particularly, perhaps I misjudged it. I'm rather fond of my question, though. I think my last two have been solved within 30 minutes, so maybe it was time for me to stretch the assembled brains a little (as well as your patience! )

Rubberknickers was strangely silent throughout - I wonder if he was sitting in stumped silence, or whether he's been cycling up a few Welsh mountains.

[Nick Armstrong]

What about E J Moeran?

A very good point!

[Nick Armstrong]

EDIT: On the positive (?) side, you may have set a record for the number of hints dropped before somebody finally staggered their way to the finishing line.

I was wondering if this was going to be the first one where the question-setter has to give the answer, on the grounds that there must come a time when it is only humane to end the suffering!!

En passant, I totally agree with you that Liz McD's return was hilarious, her mounting incredulity as injury was heaped upon insult was classic Corrie stuff! And the mean side of me really hopes that vile Tracey comes seriously unstuck with the sleazeball lingerie-selling would-be rapist...

[Anna]

Rubberknickers was strangely silent throughout - I wonder if he was sitting in stumped silence, or whether he's been cycling up a few Welsh mountains.

Somewhere up a mountain I suspect (it's been a beautiful day here in Wales) as the CoOp no longer has supplies of bargain Rioja!!

Now, to M. Poirot's F

[subcontrabass]

What F connects

- a Springhead (Dorset) organic farm
- a philosopher's musical first
- an Oxton composer, writer & poet (that's one person not three)

Rolf Gardiner (organic farming pioneer) and Cyril Meir Scott (from Oxton) both studied in Frankfurt.

[mercia]

Rolf Gardiner (organic farming pioneer) and Cyril Meir Scott (from Oxton) both studied in Frankfurt.

actually I was thinking of Rolf's (composer) uncle, but Frankfurt is correct

can you get the musical first (premiere)?

[subcontrabass]

actually I was thinking of Rolf's (composer) uncle, but Frankfurt is correct

can you get the musical first (premiere)?

Are we looking at the "Frankfurt Group" (Norman O'Neill, Roger Quilter, Cyril Scott, Balfour Gardiner, and Percy Grainger)?

[mercia]

Are we looking at the "Frankfurt Group" (Norman O'Neill, Roger Quilter, Cyril Scott, Balfour Gardiner, and Percy Grainger)?

well Balfour Gardiner (uncle of Nazi-sympathiser Rolf and great-uncle of Sir John Eliot Gardiner) was certainly my Dorset farm connection

my clumsy wording of "philosopher's musical first" means a work (premiered in Frankfurt) unmistakeably connected to (German) philosophy, but NOT composed by any of the Frankfurt Group

[Anna]

Only a guess but are we possibly talking about Adorno? Berg's Wozzeck?

[mercia]

Only a guess but are we possibly talking about Adorno? Berg's Wozzeck?

er sorry, no - my composer died in 1949 if that helps

(was Wozzeck not premiered in Berlin?)

[Anna]

Sorry, yes, it was Berlin. Got sidetracked with the philosopher and Frankfurt. Subcontra will no doubt soon polish this off!

[mercia]

Subcontra will no doubt soon polish this off!

would have been polished off in 2001 (clue)