So here we are on St Thomas's Day, the shortest day and the longest night and this was the sunset on this day a year ago when suddenly that copse of trees we see from our window, looking towards Cornwall in the distance, took on a new significance.
Tradition has it that on St Thomas's day the poor women of the village went begging or a-thomasing from door to door for the ingredients they needed for Christmas. So as we reach into the kitchener grafted toe at the foot of the
dovegreyreader Christmas stocking-filler extravaganza and our final
prize draw, a very big thank you to all the publishers who have responded so kindly
to all my 'thomasing' on your behalf. There have been a staggering
seventy-nine prizes and I don't know about you but we've loved every glorious give-away moment, especially as I've been able to sit back here at Mission Control while the publishers do all the hard work and post out the books Rocky has schlepped around the world harnessed up to the dove-sleigh.
But an even bigger thank you to all of you for joining in the Christmas-flavoured dovegrey mirth and merriment and for entering into the spirit of fun (English- eccentric our speciality) with which it was intended.
So one last book and it seems a fitting finale, and also the only one of all those on offer that I haven't read yet but I've made a start, and I promise it's a great big cracker to end all crackers. A mammoth book which is gathering in accolades and prizes already, The Rest Is Noise Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross and published by Fourth Estate has won both the Guardian First Book Award. and The Samuel Johnson Prize.
I make no pretence to legendary music aficianado-ism, I like plenty of classical music, folk and everything else, done my time in choirs, self-taught a couple of instruments (badly) but there are some aspects of music I loath with all the qualities of a philistine, a veritable assault on my ears...opera buffs you may want to look away now.
It just grates like fingernails on the blackboard of my soul; forced to listen to an opera I'd turn it to 78rpm, 150 rpm if there was a setting, just to get it over with sooner, but Alex Ross may be about to hold my hand and explain things I don't understand with this book which has been highly praised for its inclusivity. It's so easy to feel on the outside looking in when it all gets technical, and if like me you have never known your basso buffo from your cabaletta (is that bread?) and think coloratura might be a multi-coloured symptom of renal malfunction then perhaps this might be the book to comfort and encourage us. Music to the backdrop of history might help me make more sense of it all.
Metro gave it 5 stars and said,
'This is a long book and a slow read: slow not because it is especially difficult, but because it is full of material you really need to savour. It is the superb selection of image and anecdote that makes this book work so well. Best of all are the moments when Ross really strikes you dumb with wonder, moments when the author's passion for the supreme significance of music raises his erudition to a new level. Warm, joyful and unfailingly adroit in his evocation of music in words -- Ross, with this book, establishes himself as the supreme champion of modern music. Read this and listen.'
So names in comments as long as for our stocking-filler grand finale you join in with some global polyphony and sing White Christmas until your knitted socks come off, and I can't tell you how delighted I am that Bryn and Katherine have agreed to join us.
Il Divo just begged to come along so I said OK.
Australia will you do the bass and keep your basso buffos in order, Bryn will take a lead role there. New Zealand can you take the top line but hold back on the fioritura and could you both try to keep in time ?
Can the Americas manage to invent a descant, Katherine will bolster but perhaps sit on the prima donnas a bit and Canada take the hauptstimme but temper the divas slightly ?
Now Asia and all points East I think the tessitura should suit you and why not go mad with the embellishments, give us sleigh bells.
Right Europe, listen carefully, we are all just going to go for imbroglio, keep your eyes fixed on Il Divo (difficult by try) and sing it all with gusto reverie (new term) and let's just hope the lads can keep in tune with us.
If there's anyone in Antarctica perhaps you could stand on a chair and conduct and shall we have a bit of a ritornello to start ?
I think we'll manage without a prova generale and just go for it.
Right, everyone ready...now Bryn comes very expensive and I could only afford him for five seconds so listen very carefully.
Bryn can we have a note please?
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ....heck these basso profundos, not a second over the five, honestly, off you go Bryn, we'll make do with Bing instead.
Bravo, brava, how lovely that sounded, yes indeed, the rest is noise, do carry on, names in comments and sorry it's back to boring old book thoughts tomorrow.
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