Cellos
The CBB -> Anything Else
#1: Cellos Author: Kate, Location: Ireland PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 8:17 am

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about EBD's sudden obsession with cellos. Gay and Rescue both have plots that revolve around them, and then the obsession disappears almost as quickly as it appeared.

Does anyone else find this a bit weird? Or am I just reading too much too late at night?!

(Edited for typos. Smile)

Last edited by Kate on Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

 

#2:  Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 9:34 am

I think it's an obsession with string instruments. Don't all three triplets play one or another?

 

#3:  Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:14 pm

I seem to recall Len having a violin.

I'm not sure it started so late on though. I don't believe we encounter another instrument besides strings or piano until New House at least. And I seem to recall that the visiting teachers for music were listed as violin and harp teachers.

JackieJ

 

#4:  Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes. PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 7:24 pm

Not knowing anything, just hypothesizing randomly...I guess stringed instruments are cheaper than wind etc. so more girls might play them? Also more traditionally ladylike, which might have influenced especially the earlier books.

 

#5:  Author: Kate, Location: Ireland PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 7:41 pm

I don't know if cellos are ladylike - you have to sit with your legs qiute far apart! SmileSmile

It just seems weird to me - even if she did like stringed instruments - to dedicate two plots to cellos.

 

#6:  Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes. PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 7:48 pm

Well they are generally the best instrument in the world!! (Not in any way biased or anything...)

 

#7:  Author: Dreaming Marianne, Location: Devon PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 7:51 pm

Kate wrote:
I don't know if cellos are ladylike - you have to sit with your legs qiute far apart! SmileSmile.


LOL, I was so embarrased at school at having to get it into position in front of my male tutor, he used to have to remind me that I couldn't possibly play is side-saddle!

Even worse in the summer with our thin frocks...!

 

#8:  Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes. PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 7:57 pm

lol, I know what you mean, one good thing about the daft uniform I had to wear in 6th form was the safe calf-length skirt, as opposed to 'as many inches above the knee as one can get away with' belts at my last school Embarassed

 

#9:  Author: claire, Location: South Wales PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 8:14 pm

I'm sure I read somewhere that EBD played the cello - which probably explains it

 

#10:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 10:29 pm

Maybe it was something she'd recently read about, had an interest in at the time.

I can't help feeling that at one point she suddenly developed an interest in birds, which is why we get all that detailed stuff with Kester Bellever in Island, so maybe it was something similar with cellos.

I think Con was the triplet who played the cello.

Liz

 

#11:  Author: Alex, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 10:46 pm

I think Len plays the cello, rather than the violin (although she does play that too!), in one book, and in another it's Con who does.

 

#12:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:34 am

Well EBD wouldn't think much of me playing a, *pause for dramatic effect* Brass instrument!

 

#13:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:40 am

The only mention to a brass instrument I can think of off the top of my head, is Corney & her saxaphone in New House.

Obviously strings, woodwind and piano were considered much more ladylike.

Liz

 

#14:  Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:41 pm

Sorry Liz, A sax is a wind instrument. It's sound is produced in pretty much the same way as a clarinet.

What about percussion? Apart from the piano's I can't think of any mentions.

JackieJ

 

#15:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 9:35 pm

But you get sax in a brass band don't you?

Liz

 

#16:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 9:45 am

Not in the ones in England you don't!!!

Sax's would appear in windbands and the like, though they are made of brass they are played using keys not valves or slides and the mouthpieces are different. Here are some (really exciting) Wink pictures of flugel and horn (which I play) mouthpieces.

If you are interested brass bands are made up of:
Soprano cornet
cornets
flugel
tenor horns
baritones
trombones
euphoniums
Eb basses
Bb basses
And assorted percussion!

ok, I'll shut up now! Embarassed

 

#17:  Author: MissPrint, Location: Edinburgh PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:31 pm

I had a feeling that EBD played the cello. Must be in the biography by Helen McClelland, but then she plays the cello herself, so I wasn't sure who it was, or if it were both.

Somewhere EBD mentions someone playing the viola *happy sigh*

 

#18:  Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 4:42 pm

Isn't that in Triplets? When the three of them go home to look after their siblings while Jo is away, I thought there was a description of them picking up various instruments.

 

#19:  Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes. PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 6:35 pm

I have a feeling Len plays the violin, Con the cello and Margot the viola, but I think I was aware of that before I read Triplets, so I don't know where I've got it from...

 

#20:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 8:13 pm

Did anyone at all ever play anything woodwind? Actually, on second thoughts, didn't someone play the flute at some point...?

 

#21:  Author: Xanthe, Location: London/Cambridge PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 8:42 pm

Samaris learns to play the flute, as apparently Plato loves it Confused and there are problems the year Nina conducts at the Millies' panto as the girl playing the flute cadenza (possibly Stella Johnson but I may be imagining that is her name) starts it an octave too high...

 

#22:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 9:06 pm

to get back to tyrol days, Frieda played the harp, and continued to do so for sometime, judging by her comments in Rescue. Herr Helfen (whom Joey meets again in Coming of age) was the harp master.

i think that at various stagees EBD learnt piano violin and chello (not neccesarily in that order), and that is why her musical characters tend to specialize in them. It would have made much more sense for her to write about what she knew.

 

#23:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2004 11:27 pm

Plato plays the flute.

I always loved Herr Laubach being so skilled on the glockenspeil.

Liz

 

#24:  Author: Mihiri, Location: surrey england PostPosted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:36 pm

It was definitely Stella Johnson in the Millie's pantoi who started an octave too high. Dont think there were ever any woodwind instruments apart from flute. No clarinets or oboes that I can recall.

 

#25:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:48 am

No I don't recall any woodwind either, would have made an interesting sounding orchestra unless they recruited from the local area.

 

#26:  Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 1:15 pm

I've got another wind for you. Corney's Sax (how has everyone forgotten this?)

Are we going to count the cow-bells as proper percussion instruments or not?

JackieJ

 

#27:  Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 4:58 pm

As an ex percussionist - triangle, occassionally promoted to tambourine, I would think that cow bells would do very nicely as percussion instruments.

 

#28:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:12 pm

JackieJ wrote:
I've got another wind for you. Corney's Sax (how has everyone forgotten this?)JackieJ


I think we were talking about 'playing' instruments - though I applauded Corney's sax, being heavily into Jazz! Wink

 

#29:  Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:30 pm

I've just finished reading a fascinating book about music censorship (Taboo Tunes by Peter Blecha) in which there's quite a long discussion of jazz music. I didn't realise, but at about the time of New House, jazz music was largely frowned upon in America. Corney and Evvy were being far more rebellious than I thought.

 

#30:  Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:12 pm

patmac wrote:
JackieJ wrote:
I've got another wind for you. Corney's Sax (how has everyone forgotten this?)JackieJ


I think we were talking about 'playing' instruments - though I applauded Corney's sax, being heavily into Jazz! Wink


I think I just presumed that she'd carried on playing it after New House, and that it was that group that the School Orchestra was started from. Mainly because of the thing in Exile about St Clares having the room for the orchestra.

That's always been my thought, anyhow. I dont know

JackieJ

 

#31:  Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:06 pm

I doubt it, or at least not for very long. In Reunion, there's a comment where she wonders what's happened to it and suggests it should be at home somewhere. If she'd kept playing, she'd be more likely to know where it was.

 

#32:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 7:27 pm

It could be that she carried on playing it at school until Exile. Since she didn't have much chance to pack before leaving over the mountains to Switzerland, someone else must have packed up her stuff, probably including the saxophone, and sent it home for her. It was probably around that time that she gave ot up. when the school restarted, there was the much more serious buisness of war going on, na dshe had probably grown out of the attitude that prompted her to take it up.

 

#33:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 9:23 pm

being excessively bored i have collated (as far as possible) the instruments mentioned in the books and it DOES seem that cello and violin are the preferred instruments of the russell/maynard/bettany clan. peggy and len both play violin or "fiddle" as it is so charmingly termed. Con plays the cello, margot the viola. strangely none of those illustrious personages play the piano, although felicity is supposed to learn at some point (but she IS about 2 when it's mentioned. i think that was joey talking to nina in Genius......

as far as flutes go - plato does play flute, and then there's the mention in the millie's pantomime....and then in 2 sams and i *recall* that flute is nina's second study after piano, obviously!

other instruments have been mentioned - harp, glockenspiel, cow bells (!), harpsichord, and of course saxophone! Singing was obligatory but a few girls indulged in private singing lessons - joey and verity carey being cases to note.

NB: the orchestra would simply have been a typical chamber orchestra of the baroque period plus flutes, which was quite common (see Bach: Brandenburg concertos if you really want to)

*vaguely recalls that viola teacher was also a fan of the CS books at royal academy and lengthy conversations on this very topic....wonders where she is now*

 

#34:  Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 10:31 am

claire wrote:
I'm sure I read somewhere that EBD played the cello - which probably explains it


Just read this in Newsletter 2:
I used to play the piano and 'cello, and sang too.


She also says in Newsletter 8:
I'm sorry, Susan, but I could not write with sincere understanding of "Pop" music as I dislike most of it.

 

#35: music censorship Author: Kirstie, Location: Ayrshire PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 2:52 pm

Does Jo not say in one of the early books that she hates Jazz music when they hear it at the hotel.I always thought this was because EBD disliked it. Does the cello thing not start even earlier in the books as in Rescue Phoebe's father is a famous cellist?

 

#36:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 3:06 pm

The St Clares orchestra started with a very intesting mix!!

Quote:
They included jews’-harps, ukuleles, mouth-organs, whistles, a drum, a tambourine, castanets, cymbals, a bugle, and a zither


It also says Emmie Landers played the Cello, Kitty Burnett the violin and the rest, except Joyce and Stacie, the piano.

I've always been intrigued by a Jews Harp, and apparently they look like this

 

#37:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 3:20 pm

I've played one....very badly, they make your finger hurt!

 

#38:  Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 3:30 pm

Dawn wrote:

She also says in Newsletter 8:
I'm sorry, Susan, but I could not write with sincere understanding of "Pop" music as I dislike most of it.


That comment made me chuckle when I read it! Would have been amusing to see her write about the new trends of the fifties and sixties though!

 

#39: Re: music censorship Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 4:42 pm

Kirstie wrote:
Does Jo not say in one of the early books that she hates Jazz music when they hear it at the hotel.I always thought this was because EBD disliked it. Does the cello thing not start even earlier in the books as in Rescue Phoebe's father is a famous cellist?


Yes to both those points. Jo expressed her dislike of jazz in New CS.

 

#40:  Author: Sarah_G-G, Location: Sheffield (termtime), ? any other time! PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 6:54 pm

Mihiri wrote:
It was definitely Stella Johnson in the Millie's pantoi who started an octave too high.

How did she manage that?! It's the sort of thing you'd notice fairly quickly! And considering the high standard of music etc, I can't see them letting her play if she couldn't read the music or blew too hard on certain low notes so that it put them up the octave! Anyway... Wink

Maybe it was something about availability of instruments in the area? Or teachers, perhaps. Maybe the CS advertised string instruments more? It wouldn't have been cost, unless things have changed dramatically, as flutes at any rate are a *lot* cheaper than string instruments. Or maybe EBD was just used to orchestras with mainly string instruments. Or prefered them!

 

#41:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 11:24 pm

It's actually quite easy (when you're terrified) to overblow the flute on some notes and they shoot up the octave......it even happens when you're supposed to be quite good Embarassed

 

#42:  Author: Laura, Location: London (ish) PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 7:40 pm

So not an oboe or clarinet in sight! Dear oh dear.

 

#43:  Author: Ray, Location: Bristol, England PostPosted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 1:52 pm

Ray *makes mental notes for future drabbles*

 

#44:  Author: Ella, Location: Staffordshire PostPosted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:58 pm

I have the vague idea that Con Stewart played the Viola - but am not sure which book I got that from!

Following what Laura said, woodwind didn't seem to feature much - unless you were a flautist.

No sign of a Chalet School bassoonist..... Smile

 

#45:  Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:27 pm

bassoons were hardly ladylike!!!

they make a RUDE noise Laughing

 

#46:  Author: MissPrint, Location: Edinburgh PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:51 pm

I longed for the basoon in the school orchestra, but I wasn't allowed. I wasn't allowed the french horn either. I am asthmatic, so I guess it makes sense, but I felt very hard done by. My daughter's school has just saved up enough money for a euphonium. I wonder which lucky wind bag will get to play that. It can make a proper rude sound too.

 

#47:  Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes. PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 7:24 pm

So can cellos! Laughing

 

#48:  Author: Ray, Location: Bristol, England PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 7:39 pm

You know, I think *most* musical instruments can be persuaded to produce rude noises - you'd be amazed (or possibly not) what sort of noises you can make just assembling a well greased recorder!

Ray *not that I've tried or anything...*

 

#49:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:11 pm

MissPrint wrote:
I longed for the basoon in the school orchestra, but I wasn't allowed. I wasn't allowed the french horn either. I am asthmatic, so I guess it makes sense, but I felt very hard done by.


I thought playing wind instruments could be good for asthmatics, as it helps teach them to control their breathing (like singing).

Liz

 

#50:  Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:43 pm

The exertion of playing them can bring on an attack for some people (myself included).

 

#51:  Author: Katie, Location: London, but my heart belongs to Harrogate PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:48 pm

I'd just like to second francesn's view of the flute. I always used to refuse to play in orchestras 'cause I was so shy, but even in my grade 5 (as far as I got before A-levels) I managed to overblow in my warm-up (luckily not in my actual pieces)

I've got to start practicing again...

Katie

 

#52:  Author: BethC, Location: Worcester, UK PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:00 pm

The bit that makes me smile is in Two Sams where they're talking about the mouth organ not being a proper instrument and one of Samaris's form-mates says something about it being like the saxophone, "only" played in those jazz bands (the implication being that that's not real music!). She goes on to say that Beethoven and Brahms (I think) didn't use the saxophone so obviously it's not a real instrument! Although I think someone does point out doubtfully that it might not have been invented then...
No mention of the recorder, though! Evil or Very Mad

And following on from Ray's post, has anyone encountered "Tell-tale Ducks" (CD title track by Respectable Groove, a jazz-Irish-Baroque-anything else group comprising recorder, harpsichord, double bass and bodhran)?

 

#53:  Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:37 pm

BethC wrote:
And following on from Ray's post, has anyone encountered "Tell-tale Ducks" (CD title track by Respectable Groove, a jazz-Irish-Baroque-anything else group comprising recorder, harpsichord, double bass and bodhran)?


*Waves hand madly in the air*

I'm a Jazz fan and they were recommended by a friend. It's on my favourites selection on the PC together with such a variety as you'd never believe!

 

#54:  Author: MissPrint, Location: Edinburgh PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:42 am

LizB wrote:
[I thought playing wind instruments could be good for asthmatics, as it helps teach them to control their breathing (like singing).

Liz


I really didn't have enough puff, though I did feel mightily aggrieved about it. I did a lot of singing and swimming, both of which have done wonders for my peak flow. But I never could belt it out enough for solos. *miffed*

And everyone expected me too, as Mother had won the singing prize when she had been at school, and I had an auntie who was an opera singer. Don't know why they expected these things to be passed on, my brother sings like a crow.

 

#55:  Author: Emma, Location: Lichfield PostPosted: Wed Dec 15, 2004 9:41 pm

Oboes can make very 'unusual' noises trust me!! Smile I've had to stop playing my oboe because I had fixed braces put on my teeth last Thursday and I've discovered braces and reeds don't go well together!! I'm still playing my violin though whenever I get a monent so maybe I would have been OK at the Chalet School! I'm also excited because I start cello lessons in the New Year!!

 

#56:  Author: pim, Location: St Andrews (right next to the beach) PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:08 am

According to my cello playing flatmate, if you learn a string instrument you can't blow up balloons... or so she informed me this evening when we were blowing balloons up for the Frog Soc Christmas dinner and she ran off with the pump... Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes

 

#57:  Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 8:28 am

Pim, I am in a position to assure you that that's not true!! Laughing

Liz

 

#58:  Author: pim, Location: St Andrews (right next to the beach) PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:29 am

Blowing up balloons has always been a bone of contention chez moi... Cello playing flatmate declared in our first year that she couldn't blow up balloons because she played a string instrument whereas tuba playing flatmate could because she played brass. As I have since pointed out I'm not sure where I fit in since I only ever played the recorder yet can blow up balloons, only round ones not the long ones. I wonder if there's a theory there, or if we are all just mad?

 

#59:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:33 am

You're are all just mad!!! Laughing

 

#60:  Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!! PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:38 am

Well technically all brass players should be able to blow up balloons in one go (well according out MD anyway) but alas it seems not.

 

#61:  Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:08 pm

I would count myself as a string player, having played the violin for a few years. However I have no problem blowing up balloons, although whether this is because of my singing and recorder playing I don't know?

JackieJ

 

#62:  Author: Nell, Location: London, England PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:17 pm

Well I can't either sing or play an instrument of any kind and can blow balloons with marvellous efficiency!

 

#63:  Author: Katie, Location: London, but my heart belongs to Harrogate PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 4:11 pm

I can *not* sing (notice the big emphasis on not, there) but I can play the flute and used to play the piano. I can blow up round balloons easily but have trouble with the long ones. Does this tell us anything? Who knows? Confused

 

#64:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:17 pm

I think it tells us that long baloons are harder than round ones to blow up, regardless of ant musical/instrumental abilities! Laughing

 

#65:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:29 pm

Samaris played the flute. Nina Rutherford got it for her in Two Sams at the Chalet School. Actually, it's odd that you don't get many ordianry girls playing the piano. Can only think of Grizel, Margia & Nina. (but then I only have paperbacks.)

 

#66:  Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:44 pm

THere are a lot of girls who have a line here and there about their music lessons or piano practice, but there is no real detail given to it. I suppose it was just another lesson, bit of no real significance to them, so it does not merit much attention in the books.

The girls to whom it was a significant part of ther education, and potential careers had it mentioned far more.

 

#67:  Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2004 10:48 pm

Almost every girl, it seems, had piano lessons, particularly in the early days.

I was thinking about practice for "Peace" and wondered why girls who learned musical instruments or had curvature of the spine were always denied that extra time for prep.

 

#68:  Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:05 am

Some of them had early morning practice, there's a bit (i think in Mary-Lou) about Verity-Anne not doing morning practice anymore. And what you had remedial exercise and music practice. I used to have to miss PE for my violin lessons, then do my exercises at night when I'd practices. But I lived at home, so you can adjust your routine to allow for it all.

 

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