deepundergroundpoetry.com
Oxymoronic
One dark night on a bright, sunny day,
just before Christmas in the month of May,
I decided to plan a spontaneous trip
and crossed through the desert on a sailing ship.
As we sailed along, the waves grew small;
it seemed we had entered a peaceful squall.
The view from the ship was awfully good
but I didn't enjoy the inedible food.
Soon, I came to a rural city;
its many buildings were terribly pretty.
My ship was greeted by a very small crowd;
They waved politely as I stood tall and bowed.
Although I'd had so much serious fun,
it was time to return, by the midnight sun.
For my next evening in, I might swim to the moon,
or even drive there in my lead balloon.
just before Christmas in the month of May,
I decided to plan a spontaneous trip
and crossed through the desert on a sailing ship.
As we sailed along, the waves grew small;
it seemed we had entered a peaceful squall.
The view from the ship was awfully good
but I didn't enjoy the inedible food.
Soon, I came to a rural city;
its many buildings were terribly pretty.
My ship was greeted by a very small crowd;
They waved politely as I stood tall and bowed.
Although I'd had so much serious fun,
it was time to return, by the midnight sun.
For my next evening in, I might swim to the moon,
or even drive there in my lead balloon.
Published 12th Apr 2024
Author's Note
12/4 answers:
Musicians
string quartet = 4
doubled = 4
wind octet = 8
trumpeters = 2
cor anglais = 1
bass clarinet = 1
double bass = 1
trombone = 1
timpani = 1
xylophone = 1
French horns = 5
harp = 1
piano trio = 3
I think it's reasonably clear that the guy that broke his string was one of the existing players, so the total number of musicians is 33.
Strings
String quartet = 16
doubled = another 16
double bass = 4 (although occasionally they have 5, so that would be acceptable)
harp = 47 (standard)
piano trio = 230 (piano), 4 (violin), 4 (cello) NOT 3 pianos
MINUS 1 broken string
= 320
A snapped string does NOT make two strings! They are never going to be strung again!
Caveat: Spare strings not included!
Musicians
string quartet = 4
doubled = 4
wind octet = 8
trumpeters = 2
cor anglais = 1
bass clarinet = 1
double bass = 1
trombone = 1
timpani = 1
xylophone = 1
French horns = 5
harp = 1
piano trio = 3
I think it's reasonably clear that the guy that broke his string was one of the existing players, so the total number of musicians is 33.
Strings
String quartet = 16
doubled = another 16
double bass = 4 (although occasionally they have 5, so that would be acceptable)
harp = 47 (standard)
piano trio = 230 (piano), 4 (violin), 4 (cello) NOT 3 pianos
MINUS 1 broken string
= 320
A snapped string does NOT make two strings! They are never going to be strung again!
Caveat: Spare strings not included!
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12th Apr 2024 9:25pm
this is a comment for yesterday's poem: as a percussionist who has had a few string emergencies in my day, I am highly offended that you did not count two strings for the xylophone. ha! No strings on the xylo, no sound quality or projection at all. ;o)
12th Apr 2024 9:29pm
I did Grade 4 Xylophone for charity a while back, and I can't for the life of me think where the strings are!! Point taken. I loved your thoughtful attempt at the puzzle. :D I still have some friends scratching their heads over it!
12th Apr 2024 9:34pm
they go through the bar so that the bar suspends over the resonators. it's what allows them to vibrate. one string in the sharps and flats and one in the naturals. I'm kicking myself over missing the trombone when I first did it! ha!
also, does a string cease to be a string if it's broken? just because it can't be reused does not mean it's not a string. so, i still say that if that string broke all the way in two, it's two strings. hahahaha! :)
also, does a string cease to be a string if it's broken? just because it can't be reused does not mean it's not a string. so, i still say that if that string broke all the way in two, it's two strings. hahahaha! :)
