Word: basses
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Vice Admiral Ross T. Mclntyre, the President's personal physician, hovered close; he would not leave, he said, unless or until the returns moved substantially in F.D.R.'s favor. (He left just before 11 p.m.) At 11:15 came the dull thump of a bass drum and the shrill tootle of fifes, and the usual torchlight parade of neighbors milled up the circular driveway...
...concertgoers would know a contrabassoon if they saw one. But they might recognize a bassoon. Known in German as the Fagott, because of its resemblance to a slim bundle of sticks, the bassoon is the standard bass instrument of the "double reed" or oboe family. It has been known, in facetious circles, as an "ill woodwind that nobody blows good." The contrabassoon is a giant bassoon built to sound an octave lower than the standard bassoon...
...bassoon what a double bass (bass viol) is to the cello. In its long evolution since Handel wrote for it, it has changed from a vague resemblance to a child's coffin to a strong resemblance to an overcomplicated vacuum cleaner. Its 20-odd feet of wooden tubing are capable of emitting the lowest-sounds known to orchestral music-lower than any at the left end of a piano keyboard. To everybody but a contrabassoonist, its Stygian burps sound like abysmal Bronx cheers...
There were two vocalists, male and female. The male was a very good bass player. The female was a blushing violet who belonged to one of the Middies. After begging all night for the band leader to let her sing, she finally "condescended to come up and sing a few numbers" while her partner beamed in ecstasy. It finally took three sax players, the janitor and Charlie Sigety to pull her away from the "mike." Realy, though, she wasn...
Dominating figure on the stage is Paul Robeson, taking the lead part of Othello. The rolling bass of Robeson's voice, become famous by his years as a concert singer, draws the attention of the theatre like a magnet whenever the Moor speaks forth in his deep and melancholy tones. The giant Negro acts the part of the brave but not too intelligent warrior with exceptional understanding, giving it a depth which several of the lesser but more sparkling parts lack...