Alphabet associations - I

[Nick Armstrong]

perhaps time for a big clue.

Stendhal was famous for his love of spinach - as he says in his autobiographical "Vie d' Henry Brulard" - 'Les épinards et Saint-Simon ont été mes seuls goûts durables, après celui toutefois de vivre à Paris avec cent louis de rente, faisant des livres.' [ 'Spinach and Saint-Simon have been my only lasting pleasures, that is however, after that of living in Paris with a private income of a hundred louis and writing books.'

Ah that would explain why I was up a blind alley - there seem to be loads of vegetables of which he was fond.

I recall being told that Stendhal was a fan of artichokes too.

And peas..

"Stendhal et les petits pois

On connaït le goût de Stendhal pour les épinards auxquels il resta aussi fidèle qu'à Saint-Simon, mais les spécialistes n'ont pas souligné l'importance, dans son oeuvre, des petits pois.

Dans son Journal, le 25 mars 1808 apparaît une notation importante : 'Remède souverain contre l'amour : manger des pois.' "

(Stendhal and peas

We know about Stendhal's love for spinach to which he remained as faithful as he did to Saint-Simon, but specialists have overlooked the importance in his work of peas.

In his diary, an important note appears on 25 March 1808: "A sovereign remedy against love: eat peas" )


However I am still up a different alley - what's the 'F' link with Ms Foster Jenkins?

[rubbernecker]

[COLOR="blue"]Ah that would explain why I was up a blind alley - there seem to be loads of vegetables of which he was fond.

I recall being told that Stendhal was a fan of artichokes too.
[COLOR]

I too thought it was artichokes which is why I found myself stuffed up a cul-de-sac and gave up trying to solve this.
Viz: A Stendhal letter home in which he extolled the virtues of the Roman artichokes. "Everything here falls like manna. Twelve hundred artichokes cost 21 sous...."

The identity of Stendhal's favourite vegetable is not as certain as Proust's favourite cake, I submit.

[rubbernecker]

I'm now going off to make egg florentine

[vinteuil]

Ah that would explain why I was up a blind alley - there seem to be loads of vegetables of which he was fond.

I recall being told that Stendhal was a fan of artichokes too.

And peas..

"Stendhal et les petits pois

On connaït le goût de Stendhal pour les épinards auxquels il resta aussi fidèle qu'à Saint-Simon, mais les spécialistes n'ont pas souligné l'importance, dans son oeuvre, des petits pois.

Dans son Journal, le 25 mars 1808 apparaît une notation importante : 'Remède souverain contre l'amour : manger des pois.' "

(Stendhal and peas

We know about Stendhal's love for spinach to which he remained as faithful as he did to Saint-Simon, but specialists have overlooked the importance in his work of peas.

In his diary, an important note appears on 25 March 1808: "A sovereign remedy against love: eat peas" )


However I am still up a different alley - what's the 'F' link with Ms Foster Jenkins?

I first encountered Stendhal's love of spinach in Perec's "53 Jours" where it is a key plot device in providing the clue to the role of Stendhal in the story : cf note to chap 18 ("allusions qui conduisaient à Stendhal") - 'une côte de veau aux épinards, et l' on sait que c'etait le mets favori de Stendhal'.

so - you've got spinach, Miss Foster-Jenkins, a spring festival...

[vinteuil]

I'm now going off to make egg florentine

... seems to me that rubbernecker gets the G !

[rubbernecker]

... seems to me that rubbernecker gets the G !

Oh no, you don't... I haven't said anything!

[rubbernecker]

Oh gawd... all right then, this is dead straightforward: what G connects a prominent organist/composer, succeeded in the post by his nephew, and an ensemble associated with Essex? (... and I don't mean a trouser suit)

[rubbernecker]

Gabrieli?

I assume that took you considerably less time than the 79 minutes that elapsed between the posting of the question and your answer

On to H you go

EDIT: The order, strictly speaking is: Andrea, Giovanni, Quartet. I tell you this only because scb would be bound to pull you up on it!

[subcontrabass]

Unfortunately not! I started off down the cul-de-sac of Gibbons till I found out they were father and son.

What H connects George the poet, Janet the oboist and Hugh the Drover?

(hopefully the same H as I'm thinking of!)

Harold?

"Childe Harold" by Lord George Byron; Janet Craxton, daughter of Harold Craxton; "Hugh the Drover" - libretto by Harold Child.

[subcontrabass]

Do you people need any more convincing that my questions are hopeless?

That was a nice question with several twists.

This is probably even easier:

What I links three tenors?

[rubbernecker]

I'm thinking Harold, so let me see if my reasoning is really as convoluted as I think:

The librettist for Hugh The Drover was Harold Childe. George Byron wrote Childe Harold (to the Dark Tower Came). Janet Craxton is the child of Harold Craxton.

EDIT: Beaten to the punch!

[rubbernecker]

Should really have been a C question !!

No, it was just fine as it was! Nice one

[subcontrabass]

Well I've found two Russian operatic tenors called Ivan and some more tenor Ivans in the Alexandrov Ensemble but I'm sure I'm barking up the wrong tree.

Try some closer to home.

[rubbernecker]

Try some closer to home.

Bostridge, Partridge... and er, there was one called Ian Caley many years ago?

[subcontrabass]

Bostridge, Partridge... and er, there was one called Ian Caley many years ago?

There is another living one called Ian Campbell, an Australian who no longer sings but became an administrator of opera companies. (I only said some were closer to home)

Over to you for J.