European Crossword Puzzle #8

An easy one (to search):

This bridge, not open to traffic yet, is the tallest bridge in Europe & the world. It crosses this river.

Bridge: 6 ("i" is 2nd)
River: 4
Also name the designer of the bridge:
6,6

"i" from Pride & Prejudice

No one bothered to search?! People are lazy....

River Tarn
Millau Bridge
Norman Foster

Hope this one doesn't shake like the Millennium Bridge did though.

That's it!

I've got to get going, or I'll miss my flight to SF this weekend.

Have a good weekend everybody!

Have lots of fun!

I'll put up a clue later. Should at least work some.

I'll just give an easy one. I'm too tired and I want to leave. I'll try to check out during the weekend, but if you've the answer, just continue with the game, or maybe DT can come back and give us another clue.

Clue: This treaty (10 letters, 2nd = e) ended a war and was signed at the palace that gave the treaty its name.

Have a nice weekend people.

Versailles? That seems too easy...

Well, easy is good, no?

So you or DT can give us a clue now.

Ok! here goes....

A person associated with an ancient type of combat (9 letters, 5th letter is "i" from Versailles) that has impacted Hollywood film culture over the years.

This once, very important town (4 words, 5 letters/5 letters/5 letters/6 letters) most closely linked to this combat, has a monument (12 letters, 8th letter is "e" from Versailles) that is even older than its counterpart in Rome; and was where this famous personage (9 letters, 4th letter is "r" from Versailles) was at.

I'm sure of two of these -- gladiator and Spartacus.

The town must be Capua. It seems to be called Santa Maria di Capua Vetere (see http://www.fact-index.com/c/ca/capua.html).

The monument is an amphitheater?

111op: You got them all!

Gladiator
Santa Maria Capua (di) Vetere
Amphitheater
Spartacus

I think the ancient "combat" part gave it away as 'gladiator' is pretty easy. The "anfiteatro" as they call it, is actually a colisseum like in Rome, but slightly smaller and over 100 years older - its underground labyrinth of chambers and hallways are remarkably preserved. Very cool town to stop by and visit if you are in the Naples area (it is approx 45 mins NE of Naples, by Caserta).

I guess. I had to think about it. But the Capua bit really gave me trouble.

Clue: This architect (8 letters, 2nd = "a") has a number of buildings in and around Venice. One of his last works is (two words: 6, 8) located in this town (7 letters).

(Andrea) Palladio
Teatro Olimpico
Vicenza

Yes!

A native of Genoa, this person (2 words, 8 letters (5th letter is "a"), 6 letters) was a resident of this city (6 letters, 4th letter is "i") and became more commonly known by his Anglicized name of (5 letters). This person is credited with a breakthrough discovery in the year (14--).

I've never heard of him, but here goes:

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)
lived in Venice

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/cabot.html

If you're reading this, DT, you can still give us a clue.

I won't be checking in until tomorrow.

You got it! Very interesting person, I was reading up on him when researching Marco Polo and there is very little info on him passed on in history. He is credited for discovering mainland North America in 1497 and landed on the Labrador Coast in Canada.

Clue: This establishment seems more prosperous than its neighbor, and, for some reason, we seem to hear more about it than its neighbor these days. The establishment also sponsors a literary prize that bears its name. One winner of this literary prize is this author.

Name of establishment/prize: 5 letters, 3rd = "o"
Controversial author (last name): 11 letters, 2nd = "o"

Café/Prix de Flore
Michel Houllebecq

Excellent!

Now someone new can give us a clue.

Isn't it just strange that Flore seems so much more popular than Deux Magots?

Oops -- I think that it's Houellebecq. You left out one "e."

But you can give us the clue anyway.

ttt for shellio for next clue?

A famous American was given part of this building in gratitude for services he had performed for this country, among others. Some years later he used it as one of his retreats from what may have been the world's most demanding job.

What's the building? 7 letters, with the missing 'e' from Houellebecq in 5th place.

What's the country? 8 letters, with the 'l' from Houellebecq in 5th place.

Who's the American? 10 letters, with the 'e' in 1st, 4th and 9th places.

Culzean Castle
Scotland
Eisenhower
(one might argue that Scotland isn't a country on its own, and rather, part of the United Kingdom )

Yup.

One might argue that, but not to a Scot.

This American woman, daughter of a millionaire, married a Brit and moved to India. She has a food dish named after her (her married name).

Woman: 3 words - 4,8,6 ("r" 3rd letter of 1st name; 6th letter of middle name)
Food dish: 3 words - 4,6,4 ("r" 3rd letter of 2nd word)

"r" taken from Eisenhower

Mary Victoria Leiter
Lady Curzon soup

Did you get this from a Delta magazine article or something? I did a couple of searches, but I guess one inspired search revealed a link to a Delta article.

That's right.
Yes, I was reading about it on the Delta Sky magazine this past weekend on my way to SF.

Clue: This very important person supposedly nearly had an important musical work dedicated to him.

Person: 8 letters (4th = "o")

Heck, the musical work was a big deal as well, written by a super-famous composer.

Napoleon?
Beethoven's #3 Eroica?

Of course. The story was that Beethoven tore up the dedication when Napoleon crowned himself emperor.

So you're up!

This composer wrote a series of symphonic poem, one of which was named after a river in the composer's home country.

Composer: 7,7
River (has 2 different names depending on the language) Name both: 6 & 6
"L" is 2nd letter of one name; and 3rd letter of the other name.

I'm guessing Smetana and the Moldau.

Will do the search later.

BTW, it may be hours before I have time to check back on the answer. So if you think you got the right answer, just go ahead with the next clue without my confirmation.

Obviously the symphonic poem I've in mind is "Ma Vlast."

wow, you're quick. Got most of it right already.

I'll do the Google later and do the next clue.

Well, I'm supposed to know my music, you know.

So I had to Google the rest.

The first name is Bedrich.
The alternate name is Vltava.

I'll give a clue later. If DT reads this, he can give us one as well.

Clue: This (6 letters, nationality, 2nd letter = "a") director (3 words, 4, 3, 5) was scheduled to direct (opera: 2 words, 3, 4) at (location, 8 letters) but has since withdrawn his participation.

Hint 1: It's not quite accurate of me to call what he was supposed to be directing "an opera."

Hint 2: The director is somewhat controversial but famous -- some of his movies have been criticized as unwatchable.

The danish director Lars von trier was suppoed to direct The Idiot at Bayreuth

Harzer

Not quite. Or were you just trying to be funny? This composer can be regarded as an idiot by some (or worse, I suppose).

But you can take the next clue.

von Trier was scheduled to direct the Ring but pulled out. Not quite an opera as it's a cycle of four operas.

Please give us the next clue, harzer.

ttt/harzer?

I looked up "Danish Director" on Google to get this info.

The next clue:

This Polish town of six letters is known as "the crossroads of European history". Nearby is a memorial museum to victims of the Holocaust, named after the associated concentration camp.

Name the camp: ----a---

the town: Lublin
the camp: Majdanek

correct, cmt - too easy i guess.

Up to you now ...

Harzer

A side note:
111op- have a great trip to Paris/Loire!

Hey, thanks! I'm leaving after work, so I'll still be eagerly awaiting the next clue for a couple of hours.

What're you doing for Labor Day weekend, by the way?

The English version of the title of a famous European novel has the name of a common European fruit in it. (The title in the original language is the name of a family.)

The fruit: 6 letters; the 4th is oan "L" from Lublin.

The novel takes place in a town with 9 letters (sometimes written as two words with 3 and 6). The 6th letter (3rd letter of the second part) is the "E" from Majdanek.

The city where its author was born has 7 letters. The 5th is the "N" from Lublin.

A less common name for the nearby mountain has 10 letters. The penultimate is another "L" from Lublin.

Medlar
Aci Trezza
Catania (I've also seen Vizzini, which does not fit the clue)

Read about the novel here:
http://www.uga.edu/~italian/ottocento/otto4.htm

I don't know this one at all, by the way.

I need to look up the nearby mountain.

Mt Etna is also called Mongibello.

http://www.petralia.freeserve.co.uk/Etna/Index.htm

Anyway, if cmt doesn't confirm before I leave today, someone else or DT can just give a clue. I'll check the thread when I'm back.

Have fun people.

Correct. You're "it," 111op.

I've about 8 minutes left on this internet cafe thing by the W4th subway station, so I might as well give a clue. Then I can go to JFK and catch the plane.

I'll give two, for the heck of it. They've a similar flavor.

Clue: 1. Common nickname of two musical works. One is a piano sonata and the other is a symphony. (10 letters, 2nd = "a")

2. A literary work contains the nickname of a musical work, and so does a subsequent string quartet. (8 letters, 4th = "e")

2. might be a little harder -- hint here is that the literary work is Russian.

Have fun and just continue without me!

Sorry, in 2., the title of the literary work and the string quartet directly reference the nickmame of the initial work.

Sorry, 3rd of 2. is "e".

Don't miss your train!
Have a safe trip.
I'm working all weekend and all week next week.

Tolstoy wrote a story called "The Kreutzer Sonata".

Is "Pathetique" the name of both a sonata and a symphony?

Harzer

Yes! Beethoven piano sonata + Tchaikovsky Symphony.

You got the other one too -- Beethoven violin sonata, Tolstoy story and I think Janacek String Qt.

I have to go -- past 1 here in Paris. Interesting day today -- I nearly lost my passport....

You get the next clue, harzer.

In this town an emperor was crowned and a Protestant reformist was born:

- - - O -

Noyon

Right! - over to you

Harzer

This may be too easy, but since it's morning, and a holiday in the US, and I'm actually posting this promptly, why not.

One of the Ns from Noyon is the penultimate letter in the 6-letter REAL name of the town described in a famous book by a politically exiled physician.

ttt

Is the book Chekhov's "In exile" and is the town "Gyrino"?

http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.229/

You know what, probably not. I've no idea.

Hint: The name of the region it's in starts with a B.

It's not Vienna, is it?

Just a random guess.

Which country is it?

5 more hints:
This physician also painted.
His socialist views were at odds with his country's rulers at the time.
This occurred in the 20th century. This town has a fictitious name in the book he wrote about his experiences during the exile.
The town is in a province that starts with an M, which is in a region that starts with a B.

I've no idea. You said it's easy, so I feel stupid, but, well, I can't win every time.

If you can think of the book it will be easy. Maybe it's not easy if you never heard of the book. The book has the name of another town in it. The book title has a religious word in it, but the doctor was of a different religion. The fictional name of the town ends with the same 5 lettes as the real name of the town.

Fiction is really my weak point -- I don't read that much fiction; actually I don't read much at all these days.

I'll think about it some more when I get a chance. I suppose if it's obvious, it's a matter of giving Google the right things. I was surprised to get your medlar clue that way -- once I guessed the medlar, the rest was straightforward. But maybe someone else will solve it instead.

It's not fiction. It reads like a novel, but it is somewhat like a very personal memoir with aspects of an anthropological study of the people and ways in a very poor area of the region that starts with "B" in a Romance-language speaking country. It's a famous non-fiction book, widely read in translation.

OK OK, I'll tell you. It takes place in Italy, and the doctor was anti-Fascist.

Well, I guess "exiled socialist physician famous novel" turned this up:

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/clevi.htm

Carlo Levi's "Christ stopped at Eboli."

Ok, further search reveals this:

http://www.daddezio.com/italy/travel/basilicata.html

Gagliano is the fictitious name; Aliano the real name.

No, this is definitely not something I'd know.

I need to leave work now.

I think I've it -- I was actually working on it while your message came in, so our messages crossed. The novel was easy to Google, but the rest was difficult.

I'm still confused though. Where was he exiled, actually? And what are the province and region? I keep seeing Lacania in my searches.

You've got it: Aliano, the real name of the town called "Gagliano" in the book.

Sorry, I didn't realize it wasn't more known. I've just known about this book since my teens, I think, since my grandmother was from a town not too far from there. You are so well informed about so many things and such a good searcher that I thought you'd get it right away, as you get some very difficult things so quickly. But maybe the book is not as widely known as I thought.

If you found Lucania as the name of the region, you were not wrong. The current name of the region is Basilicata, but it used to be called Lucania, and some people still like to use that name instead. (The dialect is usually called Lucano and the people Lucani.) Aliano is in the Province of Matera in the region Basilicata. (Basilicata has only two provinces. The other one is Potenza.) Here's a Fodors thread about the region: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34401476

Well, I don't know. We all have our strengths. Now you know that this is not my strength. I should have suspected that your clues have an Italian bias though. Anyway, it's really Google that's doing the real work.

I guess I'll give a clue before I leave. Gosh this is addictive.

This one can be a bit unfair, but I guess it's sort of a fun one, and I really need to leave work.

I tried to look for this book over the weekend in the bookstore at Bon Marche and La Hune. Each time I would ask, "Vous parlez l'anglais?" They would say "non." So I would say, "Vous avez le livre ....?" Both shops were out and they claimed that the book was being ordered. The complete title is long, but the shortened version has two words.

7, 7, and 2nd letter of 2nd word is "a."

So guess the book I was looking for. The hint is that there was an article on this in the New York Times not long ago. That's why I heard about it. I thought that it was very amusing.

Whoever gets the clue can just continue without me, but I'll check back tomorrow.

Hint: A very memorable quote from the book is "spreading gangrene from within," which I think that I'm helping to do.

Bonjour Paresse?

Yes.

It sounds like a very amusing book.

Here's a link to a Guardian article:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1270406,00.html

The original Times article is a premium article, but you can still get a free copy by typing "spreading gangrene from within" in Google. The link isn't working right now, though, so I'm not posting it.

Here's a longer, more informative one:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5698558/

I can't believe that she was a psychoanalyst who worked on Lacan....

"One day I said in the middle of a meeting that I could only be bothered to turn up in order to put food on the table: there was 15 seconds of absolute silence during which everyone looked agonized."

ttt for cmt?

The "a" of Paresse is the penultimate of 7 letters. Its antecedents didn't say "oui," the northwest wind's namesake was all for it, some old ones speak it, and it's usually celebrated with a lot of fun in July.

P.S. to 111op: I never would've gotten Bonjour Paresse if you hadn't posted that second clue, which was easily searchable.
P.P.S. Italian bias? Tsk tsk!

Yeah, I know. But the thread must continue obviously -- otherwise what fun is it?

Obviously I freely admit to the biases in my clues. I wish that I could give more clues that are related to Germany or Portugal, for example, or Scandinavia, but I just don't know that much about these countries -- not that I know that much about France or Italy, of course.

Is mistral a language?

By the way, Frederic Mistral was used as a clue, and mistral is the name of a wind in Provence. I missed that one, so I now know where to look.

I guess it must be Occitan.

Sorry.

Reference:

http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article?eu=355062&query=rhone%20river&ct=%22ebi%22

ttt for cmt

Yes, Occitan. Did you get all the clues--its antecedents didn't say "oui" (it was the langue d'oc instead of the langue d'oeil), Mistral was all for it (you got that one), and it's celebrated in the annual Félibrée.

Well, I sort of did. But your clue wasn't really clearly phrased -- I thought there was only one answer....

So I get the next clue anyway? Well, here's one. A friend sent me an e-mail mentioning his name today and I had to look him up.

Feel free to reject this clue if you don't like it and come with another one.

Clue: He is usually referred to as (2 words, first name = 7, last name = 8, 6th = "o"). His parents are of this nationality (8 letters, 1st = "a"). He became famous partly by association with this famous female singer (first name = 5, last name = 4, 3rd = "a") (who has a famous nickname that has something to do with a bird -- this should be an obvious hint).

Perhaps even more surprising, he had a hand in the soundtrack for a saccaharine Hollywood movie (2 words, 7, 4) starring a British chap and a female Hollywood superstar. (Another obvious hint.)

So, supply
1. name of this man.
2. parents' nationality
3. female singer who helped made him famous.
4. Hollywood movie.

There WAS only one answer (Occitan) and you got it. The other things were just clues or leads to get to the answer, which you did.

Omigod, this is my first time looking at one of these, and I do believe I know the answer. (It was the bird nickname that helped me out.)

1. Charles Aznavour
2. Armenian
3. Edith Piaf, the Little Sparrow
4. Notting Hill

I'll be back in a minute with a clue. Can't guarantee how good (or original) it will be, since it will be my first, but I'll give it a try.

Okay, sorry if this stinks.

Using the G in Notting Hill as the 4th letter, this is a 10-letter word.

A Ligurian Santa or a plain old pizza.

Margherita

Hey, welcome, KT!

I had no idea who Charles Aznavour is but I was surprised that he had something to do with "Notting Hill" (he wrote the song "She" played ad nauseam in that movie).

http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/07/15/aznavour/

By the way, yes, cmt, I knew it had something to do with langue d'oc (from the Latin hoc, I believe) -- modern French is more closely associated with langue d'oil (sp?), right? I did read about this at one point. Then of course, Frederic Mistral was used as a clue earlier. Some search turned up Felibree though (I had no idea that there was a festival by this name).

ttt, KT or cmt?

I already posted Margherita, but KT hasn't returned yet to say whether that's the answer she had in mind.

Why don't you just go? She didn't wait for my confirmation either.

I mean, it should be obvious if you got it or not. When I give a clue and another gets it, as far as I'm concerned, that person can just give the next clue.

Well, (s)he -- I don't know if KT is a man or a woman....

Sorry, I've been away from the computer. Yes, it's Margherita. And I'm a she.

I didn't wait for 111op's confirmation 'cause I couldn't imagine any other answer would fit all four of those criteria. But now I realize I should have built on Charles Aznavour, not Notting Hill. Thanks for having patience with a novice.

cmt, go to it!

Name this person's birthplace. He DIED on Sept. 11. It is said that in his youth, this miner's son worked as a shepherd, locksmith, and pipefitter, but those were not the occupations that made him famous. The name of his birthplace has 9 letters. Like "Margherita," it has two As, one in second place, and one last.

Name the birthplace. If you want to, name the person as well. His name is usually spelled with 6 letters in the first name, 10 in the last. The penultimate letter in the first name is a T, as in Margherita, and the penultimate letter of the last name is the E from Margherita.

Hi KT, you could build on any of the answers -- I mean, this is only a game. We're not a police state.

I'll have to check the thread later. Not yet sufficiently addicted to pay 30c a minute at Kinko's to Google search random clues.

Nikita Khrushchev, born in Kalinovka

http://www.rusnet.nl/encyclo/k/khrushchev.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev

Since it's Sunday, I've some time on my hands. I'm going to assume that I got it and here's the next clue.

Clue: Important architect, whose real name is (3 words: 7, 7, 9, 3rd letter of last name is "a"), and whose reputation seems to have declined. A famous phrase said was that a house was a (word: 7 letters) for (word: 6 letters). An important building was this: (2 words: 5, 6). Designed own tomb and buried at the cemetery at (place: 10 letters).

So, need to provide:

1. architect
2. house as blah for blah
3. important building
4. cemetery where buried

Charles Édouard Jeanneret (aka Le Corbusier)
house as machine for living
Villa Savoye?
Roquebrune?

Yes!

Oh no, I don't want to play this game on a Sunday.

Villa Savoye sounds very interesting. I've to add this to my list of places to go. It's supposedly accessible by RER-A from Paris. Has anyone seen it?

I've seen it listed in a couple of guide books, and interestingly, the Fodor's new blog has an entry on this about a month ago.

While doing my research on Corbusier, I came across this Guardian article on Eileen Gray. It's pretty interesting:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,524083,00.html

"She was, for a brief moment in the 20s, in the vanguard of architectural modernism, feted for the 'little refuge' she built on France's southernmost tip. So why is Eileen Gray's contribution overlooked?"

This writer/poet had written plenty of plays & poems.
One of his poem (3 words, 2,3,6) was incooperated into a symphonic work.
Several of his plays have been the basis of operas, including:
2 words (3,6) by famous composer (last name 5)
and
4 words (3,8,3,7) by (last name 11)

The writer had a very long name, but the shorter version is (9,3,8). The "e" from Jeanneret is the 7th letter of last name.

A minor correction:
The second opera title should have been 2 words: 11,4 (in its original language)
The play by the writer in his language was 4 words (3,8,3,7)

Sounds like the sort of thing I should know, but I don't off the top of my head. Oh well.

You definitely know the answer (at least part of it).

Now that I look at the clue again, I guess I do know part of it.

The first opera is Don Carlos by Verdi. I searched and the author must be Schiller (Friedrich von Schiller). What's the long name?

I need to think about the second opera.

By the way, Don Carlos is sometimes spelled Don Carlo. One is a French version; the other is an Italian version. I can never remember which one has the "s." There're also multiple versions to this opera -- that much I know. I've never seen it or heard it though.

Obviously the other one is "Ode to Joy" ("An die Freude") -- the famous last movement of Beethoven's 9th.

I still need the second opera.

Ok, the second play must be

DIE JUNGFRAU VON ORLEANS, 1801 - The Maid of Orleans

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/schiller.htm

I did guess that the composer must have been Tchaikovsky (who else has such a long name? ).

It's called "Orleanskaia deva" in Russian.

I actually have never even heard of this opera.

Yes. You got it all.
Friedrich von Schiller's full name is
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

Apart from Don Carlos & Maid of Orleans, he also wrote Luisa Miller (Verdi), William Tell (Rossini) and Maria Stuarda (Donizetti). He also adapted Turandot.

I think that I need to stop playing this game this coming week.... I really, really need to get some stuff done.

So maybe this will be the last clue for now.

Theme: Relationships between musical personalities. Earlier, I had a clue involving Kogan, a violinist, who was a brother-in-law of Gilels, a pianist, and who made a cameo appearance in the Eric Rohmer movie "Ma Nuit chez Maud."

Now, figure out the identities of all the pairs given below. To make it more challenging, I'll sometimes not provide hints regarding what each member of the pair does/did. They are all musicians, dead or living. The two in each pair are related by blood or by marriage.

Pair 1. Person 1, 5 letters (2nd = "i"); Person 2, 6 letters (2nd = "a"). They're both composers.

Pair 2. Person 1, 8 letters (2nd = "o"); Person 2, 9 letters (2nd = "o"). Both extremely famous.

Pair 3. Person 1, 6 letters (2nd = "e"); Person 2, 5 letters. (To make this easier, Person 1 was a pianist, and Person 2 was a violinist.)

Pair 4. Person 1 (2 words, 2, 3); Person 2, 9 letters. (To make this easier, Person 1 was a woman, and a recent movie was made based on her story.)

Pair 5. Person 1 ("correct" spelling has 10 letters -- a hint here). More famous than Person 2 (10 letters, whose name involves a letter that is not frequently used -- another hint).

I hope this should be fun and keep people busily guessing for a while.

Actually, I guess they're all related by marriage -- no blood relations -- their last names are all different.

And to make this a little easier, everyone is dead except for Person 2 in Pair 4, who is a VIP in the music world.

Pair 1 is
Liszt & Wagner (whom Liszt's daughter married)

Will have to think about the rest. Maybe this clue should be a combined effort from all players in this game?

Yes to Pair 1.

Collaboration is encouraged.

It shouldn't be hard if you pay attention to classical music trivia, I think.

Anyway, as I said, I really should not even look at this thread this coming week, so I guess it's ok to get a little carried away with this clue.

Sorry, I think that Person 2 of Pair #5 has 9 letters.

(Be creative in your sleuthing in case I miscounted. )

Good night all.

Pair 2:
Horowitz & Toscanini? (Horowitz married Toscanini's daughter)

Correct to Pair 2.

Hint to Pair 3: Person 1 has a son, who's also a pianist and currently pretty active and famous, but not as famous as his father. Both are/were associated with a famous conservatory in a city where one of the frequently players of this game lived.

Person 2's name was taken up by a musical group (no longer active, presumably, as all the members are probably dead).

Pair 3:
(Rudolf) Serkin & (Adolf) Busch?
Serkin married Busch's daughter. (The hint definitely helped )

That's correct. Of course, the conservatory in the hint is Curtis in Philadelphia.

By the way, a famous story about Rudolf Serkin is that he once played the entire "Goldberg Variations" as an encore -- if you could imagine this.... I wonder if he played the repeats. Supposedly there were just three (?) people left in the audience, one of whom was Busch.

Rudolf Serkin's son is Peter Serkin.

Pair 4 should not be too difficult. The movie is not very "recent" but appeared in the past couple of years.

Pair 4:
du Pré & Barenboim?

The movie was Hilary and Jackie.

Yes!

Jacqueline du Pre, British cellist, who basically made her name by playing Elgar's cello concerto (supposedly one of EMI's best-selling discs), died of multiple sclerosis.

Daniel Barenboim is the current musical director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but I believe I read somewhere that he's not renewing his contract.

Need a hint for Pair 5?

Interesting article by Norman Lebrecht on Barenboim -- well, whether you think Lebrecht is trustworthy is another story (I've not read anything by him really, but he seems controversial). I've an interesting story to tell regarding Lebrecht though. I recently conversed randomly with someone sitting next to me on an NYC subway train. It turns out that he was reading an article by Lebrecht, but in Hungarian (I guess the article was translated into Hungarian). Only in NYC?

http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/021106-NL-barenboim.html

"He once dreamed aloud of playing recitals in London, New York and Los Angeles on a single day, an artistically void feat achievable by Concord."

OK, I'll take a hint.

Hint to Pair 5:

Person 1 took music in a completely new direction (it should be pretty obvious as what I mean). He and two other composers are members of what's commonly referred to as the blah blah blah.

Person 2's name starts with a letter that's rarely used in English.

Schoenberg & Zemlinsky

Yes. Schoenberg is part of the Second Viennese School (along with Webern and Berg). His fame has obviously eclipsed that of Zemlinsky's.

Ok, you can take over now. I'll try not to play this game at all this week.

By the way, I could use a new job that involves trivia, if anyone knows of any.

< He and two other composers are members of what's commonly referred to as the blah blah blah. >

The second viennese school: Schoenberg, Berg & Webern

By the way, trivia about Webern -- he was shot mistakenly after the War was over. The irony.

Supposedly the most austere of the three, and his output lasts just three hours -- if you can bear to listen to it.

I usually avoid attending concerts that feature any of the above composers. Call me "old-fashioned".

Unbeknownst to be, turns out that my BF has a CD with The Moldau by Semtana. I listened to it this weekend and really enjoyed it.

I don't think that I've listened to the Moldau complete, but I've heard that most famous bit and can actually hum it.

I've been becoming more adventurous in my concert going. I think that I've heard the Berg Violin Concerto at least twice now -- people claim it's one of the most accessible works of the Second Viennese School. Give it a try. It takes some getting used to at first, but the finale quotes a Bach chorale and then transforms it.

Not all of Schoenberg's works are atonal. Actually a well-known piece is "Verklaerte Nacht" ("Transfigured Night"). It's actually quite nice -- it's late romantic. The original version is one for string sextet, I think, but there's an orchestral version.

This freed-slave (3 words: 6,7,4, "r" is 3rd letter of last name) invented this (9 letters) in order to record speeches of the senate. One of his invention was this symbol (one character) which we still use these days (the symbol has been used in this thread).

I found part of the answer already, but I really should not play.

Not sure what the symbol is though -- the ampersand?

This one is a fun clue.

You're on the right track. But I guess I shouldn't say anymore as you are not playing this thread this week...

Well, ok, I Googled the answer an hour ago --

Marcus Tullius Tiro for shorthand.

http://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/ms-course/course/abbrevtn.htm

But is the symbol an ampersand?

At first I thought "freed slave" "senate" -- isn't that the US instead of Europe? And then...inspiration! (Thanks to the ampersand clue.)

Marcus Tullius Tiro invented a form of shorthand to record the speeches of the Roman Senate. Right?

I yield to 111op.

Nah, you give us a clue, KT. I should be working.

I do want to know if it's the ampersand symbol though. I didn't want to respond initially, but I figured that I should be vain and tell everyone that I know it but am not playing.

Yes, both correct.
The symbol I have in mind is &. It was ET in Latin, which Tiro shorthanded it into &.
However, the term "ampersand" did not come into history until much later. & was supposed to be the 27th letter of the alphabet. When the alphabet was recited, it ended with "and per se and" which became "ampersand".

111op & KT you two and fight over who gives the next clue!

KT can take it.

I'm researching another clue though in case I need to use it in the future.

OK, give me a couple of minutes. I don't promise it will be nearly as elaborate as the ones you experts write, though.

Oh, I do that only to show off and because I've too much time on my hands.

It won't take much to stump me.

A famous painting cycle in a city of masks and glass.

The exact location of the cycle, kind of a predecessor to a frat house, is 5 words (6, 6, 2, 3, 5).

The first word starts with the S in Marcus. The penultimate word starts with the S in Tullius. The last word begins with the R in Tiro.

And the artist is 10 letters, 8th letter T as in Tullius.

I know the answer already, but I'll let someone else take a crack.

Nice clue.

P.S. Clues are available on request (and if I can think of any good clues!)

Jeeze, 111op, you're speedy. And I meant hints, not clues, are available, but you obviously don't need them.

Now let's just wait a little....

You know, the funny thing is that over the weekend, I was cleaning house and looking at travel paraphenalia. I still have a leaflet from my visit there. Interestingly, I had absolutely forgotten that I had visited another attraction nearby (but I've a ticket stub from there, so I must have seen it too ).

111op- I guess you'll let me win
Tintoretto
Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Yes.

In a separate thread, I mentioned that this was featured in the Woody Allen musical "Everyone Says I Love You." Did you guys see it?

But I was really surprised to see a ticket stub for the Frari church. I've no recollection whatsoever regarding the Titian and the Bellini pieces in that church.

Indeed. Your turn.

I think I'll go do some work for awhile. Bleah.

Oh no, don't leave us, KT.

But yk gets the next clue.

No, 111op, I'm more of a Tintoretto fan than a Woody Allen fan these days. Titian's Frari Altarpiece is a masterpiece of rolling eyes and puffy clouds. You'll have to check it out next time.

I'll have to pay more careful attention next time. I've only been to Venice once, in 1999. I actually prefer Titian to Tintoretto.

The Woody Allen movie is not universally praised but has some nice scenes of Paris and Venice. Rent it if you feel nostalgic. A pretty funny scene is set in San Rocco.

This (8 letters, nationality) artist's life (artist name: 4,7, last letter of first name was "n" from Tintoretto) was cut short as a victim of an epidemic. He spent some time living in this town/city (2 words, 5,7) which was the hometown of his mother. An art gallery in this town/city is named after him.

I figured this one out already. Have you visited the hometown? I've not. Another interesting clue.

There're plenty of places that I have not been to *yet*
Got the idea of this clue from the Delta magazine, which had a feature on this town (and also gave me idea for a clue I posted earlier).

Unfortunately, now stuck in the middle of the country, Europe seems so much farther away...

Are you still planning on going to the Rhine are next month?

I might go to Hong Kong in November if I can get a little time off, but will see...

I think so. I've not yet bought tickets or done anything (!). I just can't decide what to do afterwards. And I'm supposed to be leaving in three weeks....

Right now I'm thinking of going to Nice and Lisbon afterwards -- and forget about the Bernina Express and Venice. I don't know much about Lisbon, so that could be more interesting. A couple of friends have suggested Andalusia, but I don't find that exciting for some reason. Maybe Lisbon will be a good compromise.

HK will be nice. I was there only once for a couple of days and I enjoyed it. The food was really excellent.

Anyway, there must be direct flights to Europe from Dallas, no? It's just a matter of getting on a plane.

The only direct flights from DFW are
AA- London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich
LH- Frankfurt
BA- London

Not very exciting nor much price competition.

BTW, is your October vacation just 1 week (to cover Rhine, Nice & Lisbon?!), or you have more time off?

That's not that bad at all, I think. Italy and Spain are missing, but at least you get London and Paris.

Yes, it'll just be one week. And I probably have to leave on a Saturday because I may go take the LSAT before I go. It's ridiculous -- I don't think that I want to be a lawyer either. Anyway, I'm wait-listed since the test centers are full.

Too bad the LSAT questions are not European trivia related.

NO! LSAT!

If you do become a lawyer, you won't have time to play this game or go to Europe as often as you do now!

I know. I don't think that I want to be a lawyer. But maybe I should take the test and apply to a couple of places anyway, just in case.

Your job seems to give you lots of time to play the game.

So no one has figured out the clue?

< Your job seems to give you lots of time to play the game. >

Nah. I worked 12 days in a row the last 2 weeks. I'm actually working night shift tonight, that's why I have time to play today.

In fact, I need to go take a nap now. If anyone else gets the answer, 111op you can be the moderator.

I'll just repost yk's clue in the interest of clarity. I'm planning to leave soon and I'll check back tomorrow.

Author: yk
Date: 09/13/2004, 02:42 pm
Message: This (8 letters, nationality) artist's life (artist name: 4,7, last letter of first name was "n" from Tintoretto) was cut short as a victim of an epidemic. He spent some time living in this town/city (2 words, 5,7) which was the hometown of his mother. An art gallery in this town/city is named after him.

And obviously, just continue without us if you've got it.

I'll give a hint on behalf of yk.

Hint: A(n) (in)famous frequent contributor recently visited the country where the mother's hometown is located. The hometown is a tourist attraction in its own regard.

Ok, I'll give a clue. The answers to yk's clue are

Austrian, Egon Schiele, Cesky Krumlov.

Clue: It's well known that this (famous, revolutionary) ballet (ballet 1: 4 words, 2, 5, 2, 9) by (composer 1: 9) incited a riot during its premiere at (location: 7, 3, 6-7 (typically hyphenated)).

However, it's perhaps less well known that this (much less known?) ballet (ballet 2: 6) by (composer 2: 5) also incited a riot during its premiere. The famous artist (7 letters) apparently collaborated with the composer on this ballet.

Provide
1. Ballet 1
2. Composer 1
3. Location of premiere of ballet 1
4. Ballet 2
5. Composer 2
6. Artist/collaborator of Ballet 2

Letter hint: 2nd letter of Composer 2 is "a."

Sorry, composer 1 has 10 letters. But this part of the clue is so easily Googled anyway.

The first part is:
La Sacre du primtemps (The rite of Spring) - the fact that you're looking for the French title stumped me for a while.
Stravinsky
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

The second part I'm not as sure. This comes to mind:
Ravel
Bolero
Not sure who the artist was.

Part 1 is correct, of course -- just a minor thing: I think it's "Le sacre" rather than "La sacre."

Is "Bolero" a ballet?

Actually I've never ballet 2 before and I was quite surprised when I read about it.

I'll give you a hint. Composer 2's works are frequently full of instructions regarding how they should be performed, and some of them have very funny names. One of his works is so frequently played that even if you don't listen to classical music, you've probably heard it many, many times. His reputation has probably declined since his death. You'd know his name, for sure, but you might not think of him as a great composer.

And to be a little clearer, that piece you must have heard countless times is a piano piece.

Well, I'm not sure if I really have heard of him (vaguely familiar), and I don't know which piano music you have in mind (the only piece of music that came to my mind was Pachelbel's Canon).
Anyhow, I think this is what you're looking for:

Satie
Parade
Picasso

BTW, sorry about the "le". I know that's an insult to someone who knows french, but I only slept for 4.5hrs and my brain doesn't work well without enough sleep!

Maybe his Gymnopédies No. 1?

My French is pretty bad, but accuracy is important.

You can't be so addicted that you're playing even with lack of sleep?!

But yes to the rest! And I'm sure that you've heard Satie's Gymnopedie before. Just download it somewhere and you'll know what I mean. It's very famous.

So next clue?

By the way, Satie seems to be enjoying some sort of renaissance. The French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet (he made a cameo appearance in a Met opera, I believe, and likes to wear red socks) recently released a set of Satie's piano music.

My neighbor is renovating their house, so it's impossible to sleep much with all the construction noise. I don't have to work for the rest of the day, so it's ok.

Next clue. Staying on the music thread, though quite a change of direction from classical music:

This eccentric (at least to me) singer (name: 5,14, but s/he only goes by the first name, in which "r" is the 4th letter taken from "Parade" ) from (city: 9 & country: 7) recently released a new album (title: 7). The album is unusual as it has no instruments in any of the songs, only vocalists.

I'm shocked at myself that I probably actually know this.

Did you miscount?

It's 5,15, yes, for the name?

Ok, nevermind.

I may as well answer this one:

Bjork
Gudmundsdottir

Rekjavik, Iceland

Medúlla

Did you know that Matthew Barney fathered her child?

G u d m u n d s d o t t i r
I'm pretty sure that's 14.
I guess I missed her performance at the Olympics. I still cannot get over her "swan" dress couple of years back...

Yeah, initially a Google search said she was someone else's daughter. Sorry about that.

Needless to say, I've no concept whatsoever of what her music is like, but I guess some of it was used in "Dancer in the Dark."

Clue: You may think this artist (7 letters, 2nd = "o") is American of some famous paintings on (objects: 2 words, 8, 5), but he is actually of this nationality (7 letters).

Hint: Proposed a controversial theory a couple of years ago that has since been largely discredited.

Sorry, you may think the artist is American *because* of....

David Hockney?
Swimming pools?
British

Yes, very good.

He proposed the theory that artists used lenses to construct remarkably accurate paintings, but there have since been a few rebuttals.

This person (7,7), though American (I believe), is a/an (job title/profession: 11 letters, 2nd letter is "c" from Hockney). His job has something to do with new concert halls.

My guess would be Russell Johnson, acoustician:

http://www.kimmelcenter.org/building/rjqa.php

Of course, to make it European-related, some of the concert halls are located in Europe - one of them is in this city (7 letters) in this country (11 letters).

Ok, you mean Lucerne in Switzerland?

--

http://mypage.bluewin.ch/japinch/wsnh/ch_news9808.htm

From August, 19 - September 16, 1998, the International Music Festival Weeks Lucerne will take place for the first time in the newly built concert hall at the new Culture and Congress-Center of Lucerne. The Center was designed by the architects Jean Nouvel and Russell Johnson.

That is correct!
Of course I had no idea of who he was until recently (even though I've been to Kimmel Center many times). When I went to Meyerson Hall in Dallas, I was struck by how similar it looks inside compared to Kimmel Center - then came the obvious - both designed by Russell Johnson.

I was in Lucerne for 1 day last year and walked right past the Culture & Congress Center. Had no idea whatsoever...

Another reason to play this thread! Learn so much *useless* info... Though I would think it would be a great way to impress a first date!

I think that all concert halls have a very similar design -- the Kimmel has some adjustable panels, doesn't it? The reviews seem mixed about the acoustics there -- I haven't been. Of the recent concert halls, the Walt Disney in LA seems to be universally praised (both for the Gehry design -- though Gehry, I think, was upset that his wishes weren't really followed -- and the acoustics).

I've yet to meet someone who's impressed by my knowledge of trivia. Must not be dating the right people.

Clue: This well-known name (6 letters, 5th = "r") has already made an appearance in this game, but you may not know that he founded a newspaper called (10 letters).

This person is, shall we say, an intellectual?

Yes, the Kimmel has adjustable acoustic panels. At least as of end of last season, the critics were still saying that they couldn't find a happy "medium" for the panels. The same concert played on 2 separate nights could sound completely different based on the panel configurations. Unfortunately, my ears aren't that sharp, so it doesn't bother me much.

Gotta run out to do some errands. Hope someone comes up with an answer to your clue. (Seems like you & I are the only ones playing these days.)

I think that it all sounds the same to me anyway, but I'm always surprised by how good the acoustics are in the nosebleed section in the Met Opera house in NYC.

I waited a day for the Egon Schiele clue, but no one answered. Oh well, I guess I can let this one sit for a while. Maybe I can get some work done.

Ok, this is the current clue:

Clue: This well-known name (6 letters, 5th = "r") has already made an appearance in this game, but you may not know that he founded a newspaper called (10 letters).

Hint: This is a French newspaper. Should be obvious now.

I guess it's Sartre and Libération

Yes.

Nasty work day today. I need to go right away, but I'll check the clue tomorrow.

This famous person (last name: 4 letters) was often credited for providing the cure to this disease (6 letters), which affected many seafaring individuals. However, the cure was originally described by 2 other individuals (who lived 100 years apart).

Person #1: 4,7 ("n" last letter of first name)
Person #2: 5,4 ("n" 3rd letter of last name)

"n" taken from Libération.

James Cook; scurvy; John Woodall; James Lind

How's that?

Harzer, who tries hard but can't do them as a rule.

Well, you'll have to write one now, harzer!

Correct, harzer!
Give us a good clue!

BTW, we hardly hear (or think) about scurvy in this modern world due to our diet. However, back in the days before people figured out what its cause was, many people on long voyages died from it. From what I've read, 2/3 of Vasco da Gama's crew died, as well as 80% of Magellen's crew died from it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/discovery/exploration/captaincook_scurvy_01.shtml

ttt for harzer?

111op- BTW, which clue was Jean-Paul Sartre in? I don't think I have the time to review all the previous crossword puzzle clues.

Sorry about the delay - there is a 17-hour time shift between North American Fodorites and me.

Clue: he was a famous German pianist from the early 1920's to the mid-1950's. A concert of his was once cancelled in New York City after violent public protest, and a subsequent concert could only be held when attended by body-guards. He was born in France, and never went to school due to the unusual occupation of his father. He initially taught himself the piano but later studied under a great German master teacher. He was a fervent exponent of the works of many contemporary composers of that period.

Harzer

Give his full name: six - seven - nine letters. The second-last letter of his surname intersects with the n of Lind.

I refuse to Google a clue on pianists as I should know this, but surprisingly nothing comes to mind.

yk, DT asked a clue that involved Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Schweitzer. I had to Google Schweitzer (I think that these are related via marriage, or something). I forget which specific thread it was in though.

I was too curious, so I'm really ashamed to admit that I had to Google Walter Wilhelm (really?) Gieseking and that this possibility didn't suggest itself (I was thinking Schnabel, Kempff, Ney, and even Backhaus, etc.).

I guess I didn't know about his storied past. Is this really him? Why was there a riot?

I've heard a lot about his remarkable memory. His Debussy recordings are, of course, rather legendary.

Pretty interesting link here:

http://home.t-online.de/home/RWKrause/Gieseking.htm

I should listen to more Gieseking, I think. For some reason, I'm starting to detest Lipatti's "Chopin's Sonata #3," which I've always liked. Maybe a change of CDs in the CD player is necessary.

Thanks for the link. Interesting person indeed.

Ready to give the next clue?

I'll give a *really* easy one because I've given you the answer already.

Clue: Romanian pianist whose pianist was cut short by leukemia. (4, 7, 2nd letter of last name is "i")

Ok, to make it a tad more challenging -- studied with famous French pianist (6, 6).

Oops -- it was his *career* that was cut short by leukemia....

That is easy for sure.
Dinu Lipatti
Alfred Cortot

Yes, so you get the clue now.

(I can't believe that I forgot about Gieseking.... Oh well.)

This composer (#1) was probably most famous for conducting the premiere of a very well known symphony. The composer (#2) who wrote that symphony was present at the premiere, who also was conducting - but required the assistance of composer #1 due to composer #2's disability.

Composer #1 (7,6; with "L" from Lipatti as the last letter of first name, and the 3rd letter of last name)
Composer #2 (9)

I have to get to work, so carry on without my confirmation.

I was thinking that it had to Beethoven's 9th, but it seems like he conducted the premiere himself. Will have to look more later.

Oh, ok -- I guess I was right after all:

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Symphony-No.-9-(Beethoven)

The story about Beethoven's need to be turned around is well known, but I had no idea that someone else was also doing the conducting (that makes sense, I suppose).

I'll try to post a clue later. If someone wants to jump in, feel free.

"The conductor was Michael Umlauf, the musical director of the theater, who was assisted by the composer standing at his side. The assistance must have been largely at the level of the overall conception, since Beethoven was quite deaf by this point in his life, and at one point in the performance he had to be turned around to acknowledge the audience's cheers."

This clue is not as difficult as it seems.

Clue: A (lesser?) museum in (city: 5 letters) currently has an exhibition on this character, whose (shortened) real name is (6, 5). This character is in turn linked to the composer (6 letters) buried in the (4, 8) cemetery. The painter (9 letters) painted a portrait of the composer, which can be found at this museum (6 letters).

1. City
2. Character (2nd letter of first name, 6 letters, = "u")
3. Composer
4. Cemetery
5. Painter
6. Museum where portrait is located.

Will see if I got it right.

1. Paris (of course, where else could it be with a clue by 111op? )
2. Lucile Dupin (pen name George Sand)
3. Chopin
4. Père Lachaise
5. Delacroix
6. Louvre

I have the dubious honour of having, while standing at Chopin's grave in 1970, picked up one of the cement wreaths that were placed around the statue and accidentally dropped it, whereupon it smashed on the stone beneath. I managed to stash the remnants in the shrubbery and escape, as I thought, unseen.

I believe my name was finally removed from Interpol alerts in 1995 after the mandatory 25 years had expired, and I finally felt able to safely visit Paris again.

Harzer

harzer- I've always wondered if THAT was you!

Without waiting answer confirmation from 111op, I'll carry on with providing the next clue:

This (nationality: 8, *not in Europe*) architect (last name 5) recently attended the opening ceremony of a building at an American institution.
To make this clue European-oriented, the architect's most famous European building is a museum in this city (6 letters, last letter "o" from Chopin).
Hint: the museum has a total of 5 branches, 2 in US, 3 in Europe.

Just checking in from an E. Village coffee shop.

That's funny, harzer.

I've not been to Pere Lachaise. Visiting cemeteries isn't really high on the list for me, honestly.

Just a little thing -- I was looking for Aurore, but Lucile must have been one of the names too (she had a couple of names), but usually I think that her name is shortened as Aurore Dupin.

The exhibition is currently being held at the Musee de la Vie Romantique.

Anyway, the answers to your clue, yk, are obviously American, Gehry and Bilbao (and the Guggenheim Museum).

It's late. This clue is not exactly a a very fair one, but it will have to do.

Clue: I was surprised to find out that this Belgian chocolatier (I'm making it easier by giving away the nationality) (2 words: 6, 9, 4th and 5th positions of the first name = "r") has a shop in (town: 5 letters, 1st = "m") in (country: 6 letters, 3rd = "e").

You may have to look at a European map to figure this one out. I looked on the chocolatier's website, but this shop is not listed. On the other hand, the card I received with my chocolates lists this location. I was surprised as this town/city is definitely not on the same scale as London, Paris, etc.

Yes, yk I am the wreath-wraith who incurred the wrath of Ruth - don't ask me who Ruth is though, babe.

harzer

How about Malmö in Sweden? I am still looking for the name of the choc maker.

Yes, that's correct, harzer.

I don't want to subject you to my trip report for Paris, but the name of the chocolatier is mentioned in it. In any case, just take the next clue. I just find it surprising that he would bother to open a shop in Malmo of all places (not even Stockholm).

By the way, I think that Gehry is Canadian -- sorry about the lapse, yk.

111op- BTW, I was looking for Canadian, rather than American. But I guess you're right. He was born in Canada, but he naturalized and became an American citizen.

To others reading the clue, the building I was mentioning is the Stata Center at MIT, opened in May 2004.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/stata-main-0512.html

Quite an interesting building. Would like to go see it myself when I find myself in Boston.

I assume you are looking for Pierre Marcolini. But on his website, I don't see a store location in Malmo?

Anyhow, gotta go out and enjoy the day. Harzer you can give the next clue.

Oh, nevermind. I didn't read your post completely. Wonder why the Malmo shop is not on the website???

I'm not sure. I found it rather curious. Perhaps the website hasn't been updated. Or maybe the card is wrong. I hope that the card is right, of course.

It's a really dreary day out here. Since I don't have a home connection I came to work to plan for my trip in two weeks. I still can't decide where to go. Gosh. I should at least take a look at where flight prices are now.

You have a good day.

ttt for harzer

This seven-letter city (4th letter -L-)in an 7-letter country (6th letter -was first recorded on his map of the world by an Arabian cartographer in 1154.

What is the derivation of the name of this city and why did it get this name?

harzer

Talinn, Estonia, which was placed on the map by Al Idrisi

It later got the name Taani linn because it was conquered by Danes. Talinn is derived from that.

Very good, cmt. I see that you were able to bring up the site where I found this information; and that despite one of my clues having undergone some sort of transfiguration.

Harzer

Well, harzer, you should realize that cmt is a very clever woman.

cmt, clue?

Sorry. I'm off to work now. I'll post when I get home, unless I get a brainstorm at work that doesn't require any research (by me).

I'm home. You may have heard about the severe and sudden flooding yesterday in the Delaware Valley area, around Trenton and Bucks County, PA. The flooding affected many state government parking lots and some buildings and many roads in the area, including, I think, all the bridges between NJ and PA in the area. I knew that, but the last time that happened about 8 years ago, it had all subsided by Monday and had no effect on work or parking or traffic in Trenton, where I work. So I headed to work (late) without listening to the radio). Surprise! The parking garage was almost empty; other lots were totally empty; there were hardly any people walking around. The NJ state government offices are closed for the day. I have a free day off! It is intensely sunny and the sky's so blue it tingles, so I will not be hanging around indoors and playing on the computer today. This is a day to be outside.

But, for now, here's a new clue.



Because of the island's shape, consisting of three promontories, this ancient name had been given to a certain island, and the name is still sometimes used in literature, music, folklore. 9 letters, ending with the "a" from Talinn.

This king of this island (under a different name at this time) asked Al-Idrisi to do a geographic survey of the island. 4 letters, the second of which is the "o" of Estonia, followed by a numeral.

Al-Idrisi was born near this famous rock. 9 letters; the 6th is an "n" from Talinn.

Wow, good for you, cmt!

I read the clue and it's obviously not something I know, so I'll need to check later.

Pretty sure that the first one is Trincaria (for Sicily).

The second one looks like Roger 2, but this has 5 letters, not four.

As for the third one, the obvious choice is Gibraltar, but the 6th letter is not an "n."

This is great timing. I'm just now checking in. You're really good to get this even when my clues are all wrong. Yes, I can't count. R-o-g-e-r has 5 letters. 5, not 4. And I meant to say that the 6th letter in Gibraltar is the "L" from Talinn, not the "N" from Talinn. So you followed the clues that I meant, not the wrong ones that I wrote. All three answers are correct, all from clues that sprang from the Al-Idrisi clue in the previous puzzle.

I'm so glad to win again.

Hope you're enjoying the day off.

I'll be posting a clue shortly.

This is another one of these unfair music clues. But I just found this out last night when I had a conversation with a violinist. I found it pretty interesting.

(Unfair) clue: The first (type of music: 6 letters) piece can be attributed to this Schoenberg piece. In one of the movements of this (classical music genre: 2 words, 6, 7), the break with tradition occurs and starts with soprano voice, in which she sings that she feels the (phrase: 4 words in German, 4, 3, 7, 8).

So provide:

1. type of music, 1st letter = "a"
2. classical music genre
3. German phrase

Quite sure the first word should be
atonal

Don't have time to research the rest as I have to go to work, but maybe this will get others to figure out the rest of the clue.

Atonal is correct.

Don't forget to research the clue from work.

What the soprano sings truly fits the nature of the piece. I've to hear this piece to see what it sounds like.

Hint on classical music genre: Although the piece calls for a soprano, it's officially called a (6,7), which involves four string players.

The piece actually has a key, so I guess it may not be the first completely atonal piece -- but the movement with the soprano is supposedly atonal, and what the soprano sings fits very nicely with the radical break with tradition.

The genre is string quartet.

Still don't know what the phrase is, but I believe it's related to Sprechstimme.

It could be -- I think "Sprechstimme" is a mixture of speech and singing. I've only seen this used in the context of "Pierrot Lunaire."

How funny.

If you type "schoenberg string quartet atonal salon.com" into Google, the first link that comes up is this game thread.

Ok, yk, you can take the next clue, as I can't figure out how to get Google to come up with some links.

The soparano sings that she feels "luft von anderen planeten." (Not sure this is singular or plural in German -- but she feels the air from other planets, and the movement goes completely atonal.)

It sounds like a fun piece. I've to listen to it.

I'll create a new thread.

yk can give us the next clue there.

The next thread (#9) is here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=34530354

how did you come up with
"salon.com" to add that to the atonal clue?