RE: [Hornlist] NHR - A musical metaphor
Well there is this from one our talking heads on local TV news (I think the
Brits are much more honest, they call these folks "news readers.") Talking
of an exhibit of fine jewelry she said "and you can see these Infamous
Faberge Eggs at. . ."
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Subject: [Hornlist] NHR - A musical metaphor
> The headline in today's local newspaper sez: "Campaigns reach crescendo
> for Iraqis"
> What do you think of the notion of 'reach'ing a 'crescendo' in this
> context?
It's really great when editorial dumk*pfs foul-up the language they
are paid to use. Phrases like "comprised of" really get me going. A
horn is not "comprised of" a bunch of parts; a horn "comprises" a
bunch of parts. Even the big boys like Time, Newsweek, etc., screw it
up.
Then, a hundred people audtion for a big horn gig, and ten make it to
the last round. So, a blurb on one of these ten says he is "one of the
only applicants to make it to the finals." What? "one of the only"? I
don't think you can be one of the "only." I think you're "one of the
few." But what do I know?
And on the aural end of things, "nuclear" has become "new-kyuh-luhr,"
"jewelry" is often, "joolery," and 'realtor" has morphed into
"real-ah-tuhr." And for another music one...
Edwin Newman tells me that the word "forte" is pronounced "four-tay"
when it's a musical term for "loud" or "strong," but when it's used to
describe a person's strong point ("sight-reading is his forte"), it's
pronounced "fort," just like the "fort" in "Fort Knox."
But beware; if you correct someone who uses "four-tay" in describing a
person's strong point, you'll get a lecture on how stoopid you are.
Oh well, Merry Christmas!
~GPF~
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[Hornlist] NHR - A musical metaphor
> The headline in today's local newspaper sez: "Campaigns reach crescendo
> for Iraqis"
> What do you think of the notion of 'reach'ing a 'crescendo' in this
> context?
It's really great when editorial dumk*pfs foul-up the language they
are paid to use. Phrases like "comprised of" really get me going. A
horn is not "comprised of" a bunch of parts; a horn "comprises" a
bunch of parts. Even the big boys like Time, Newsweek, etc., screw it
up.
Then, a hundred people audtion for a big horn gig, and ten make it to
the last round. So, a blurb on one of these ten says he is "one of the
only applicants to make it to the finals." What? "one of the only"? I
don't think you can be one of the "only." I think you're "one of the
few." But what do I know?
And on the aural end of things, "nuclear" has become "new-kyuh-luhr,"
"jewelry" is often, "joolery," and 'realtor" has morphed into
"real-ah-tuhr." And for another music one...
Edwin Newman tells me that the word "forte" is pronounced "four-tay"
when it's a musical term for "loud" or "strong," but when it's used to
describe a person's strong point ("sight-reading is his forte"), it's
pronounced "fort," just like the "fort" in "Fort Knox."
But beware; if you correct someone who uses "four-tay" in describing a
person's strong point, you'll get a lecture on how stoopid you are.
Oh well, Merry Christmas!
~GPF~
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Re: [Hornlist] NHR - A musical metaphor
Lots of folks think crescendo means loud. I don't think we'll ever get the
newsies to understand that crescendo means soft but growing loud.
What really gripes me is when the professional talkers (& even worse, the
professional writers) say & write dumb stuff like, "The crisis centers
around disaster preparedness." There is no "center around." Center in,
center on, center at, center somwhere around (i.e., center somewhere near)
-- all OK. The center is smack in the middle. The center cannot be
around. To prove this right before your own eyes, draw a circle & put a
dot in the center. The circle centers on that dot. The circle itself is
around that dot (i.e., around the center). The center is not around the
dot. The center is the dot. Sometimes the newsies say, "The crisis
revolves around disaster preparedness." Good for them. But too often they
don't think & just let out with "centers around." Regular walking around
people need not be faulted for that, nor for saying crescendo when they
mean fortissimo. But the professional talkers & professional writers
should be gigged good & hard.
You can start worrying about me when I start talking back to the TV set.
-- Alan Cole, rank amateur
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
~~~
At 01:40 AM 12/15/2005, you wrote:
The headline in today's local newspaper sez: "Campaigns reach crescendo
for Iraqis"
What do you think of the notion of 'reach'ing a 'crescendo' in this context?
Very impressive - the metaphor is both musical and Italian - but in this
context, can you 'reach' a crescendo? In a musical reading the conductor
might cry out, "Will the horns please remain pianissimo until we reach the
crescendo?", but in real life daily news, history hasn't happened yet -
there's no there there, no moment. Your life could reach a sforzando or a
caesura, or even a hemiola; but if you are experiencing a crescendo, what
have you reached?
Don't let this intrude on your practice time.
{ David Goldberg: [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
{ Math Dept, Washtenaw Community College }
{ Ann Arbor Michigan }
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[Hornlist] NHR - A musical metaphor
The headline in today's local newspaper sez: "Campaigns reach crescendo
for Iraqis"
What do you think of the notion of 'reach'ing a 'crescendo' in this
context?
Very impressive - the metaphor is both musical and Italian - but in this
context, can you 'reach' a crescendo? In a musical reading the conductor
might cry out, "Will the horns please remain pianissimo until we reach the
crescendo?", but in real life daily news, history hasn't happened yet -
there's no there there, no moment. Your life could reach a sforzando or a
caesura, or even a hemiola; but if you are experiencing a crescendo, what
have you reached?
Don't let this intrude on your practice time.
{ David Goldberg: [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
{ Math Dept, Washtenaw Community College }
{ Ann Arbor Michigan }
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