The violinists going for a swim
Think nothing of the undertow’s ottava bassa;
The contrabass will counteract their whim,
Buoyed, embraced, transfigured by thalassa.
It’s sightreading that brings a constant danger
To those who make their living swept away from facts;
Shapes, pitch, and eighths accelerate attacks
Not forecast by composer or arranger.
Bold as brass, the winds are easy offshore,
And even the solid tuba dips his toe in
This air of innocence, this treachery of the score
Where Gabriel’s trumpet sounds a gentle lowing.
Musicians’ Holiday – Perhaps an echo of the British phrase “Busman’s Holiday” which means a vacation spent doing the same thing that one does at work; from the late 19th century when bus excursions were popular.
Ottava bassa – (Pronounced ō-TA-va BAS-sa, “a” pronounced as in “calm”) Italian for “an octave lower”; directions for instrumentalists to play the notes indicated an octave lower than written.
Contrabass – (Pronounced KON-trǝ-bās) Another name for the double bass, the largest and lowest pitched member of the violin family.
Thalassa – (Pronounced tha-LA-sa, “th” as in “thought,” “a” as in “calm”) Greek for “the sea”; this word is found as a root in several English words such as “thalássic”‑ relating to inland seas, and “thalassócracy”‑ maritime supremacy.
Sightreading – The ability to perform a piece of music at first sight, without studying or practicing it beforehand. “Sightreading requires an instant understanding of the meaning of the notes as well as the ability to produce them more or less correctly, that is, it calls for shaping the musical phrases so that they make sense. There is less emphasis on playing or singing every single note with complete accuracy, and more on understanding the overall idea of a piece.”
(Christine Ammer, Harpers Dictionary of Music, 1972)
Pitch – A play on two meanings: 1) degree of slope, as of a wave face or hillside; and 2) the highness or lowness of a tone, its vibrational frequency.
Eighth – An eighth note.
Winds – A play on two meanings: 1) breezes; and 2) the woodwinds and brass instruments of an orchestra.
Treachery – Used here to mean treacherousness or unreliability, rather than the more common meaning of treason.
Gabriel’s trumpet – A reference to the archangel Gabriel who according to Christian tradition will blow his trumpet at the end of the world on Judgment Day.