Hello again and welcome to autumn; well, that’s how it’s feeling just at the moment. By the time you read this, though, we might be into another heatwave.
Right! 5BY4 time. No glimpses into my vinyl collection this time but I’m still on a musical theme. As I sit typing this, we are approaching the Last Night of the Proms and my last prom of the season was last Sunday, so perhaps it’s not surprising that I have decided to match some well-known orchestral works with their composers. In case you are interested, I saw/heard nine of the ten pieces listed here across six of the eight concerts that I attended (as if you cared!). As you might suppose, I have selected pieces and composers to maximise the chances of you mixing up the composers.
1. Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome A. Joaquín Rodrigo
2. An American in Paris B. Ottorino Respighi
3. Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune C. Aaron Copland
4. The Three-Cornered Hat D. Benjamin Britten
5. Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastoral’ E. George Gershwin
6. Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’ F. Manuel de Falla
7. On the Town G. Claude Debussy
8. The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra H. Antonin Dvořák
9. Appalachian Spring I. Leonard Bernstein
10. Concierto de Aranjuez J. Ludwig van Beethoven
I was trying to think of something for the middle bit when it struck me that I have done brewery anagrams a lot over the years and occasionally done matching tube stations with various locations, lines etc. Then the idea of ‘Underground Anagrams’ (well, TFL actually, but they’re all on the tube map) crept into my mind. Let’s run these up the flagpole and see who says, ‘No clichés please!’.
In case it helps, I have added a line that each of the chosen stations is on, although not all of them because that might actually help.
1. BOG HOUR (Northern)
2. BLARE MARCH (Central)
3. STEWING ALE (Elizabeth)
4. MENTOR SCENTING CORN (Northern)
5. A RED DOWAGER (Circle)
6. LAD AND SINGERS (DLR)
7. RENEW RASTER (Victoria)
8. NEW SLOW SHOUT (Piccadilly)
9. LOSE DOUG CARTER (Piccadilly)
10. SNARE SPONGER (District)
This time I thought that perhaps I could source my general trivia questions from a book I bought some while ago called Secret London (an unusual guide), a compact but closely printed volume listing 230 places (it says on the cover) that are not on the main tourist maps, though quite a few might be known to you. BUT after an evening of dipping in and selecting a few, I realised that I couldn’t really distil the information given into questions that would fit into my space allocation in the Drinker. Oh well, back to the book called Dates to find anniversaries within the currency of this magazine in years ending in six:
1. On 1 October 1966, Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach were released from Spandau Prison in Berlin, leaving just one prisoner remaining in custody; who was that man?
2. On 4 October 1966 Lesotho became an independent kingdom. What was it called as a British Protectorate until this date?
3. The Independent newspaper was first published on 6 October, but in what year?
4. On 8 October in what year was the Dow-Jones Index instituted, based upon the average price of selected stocks on the New York Stock Exchange?
5. Who was the British statesman, later to become a Labour Prime Minister, who was born on 12 October 1866 in Lossiemouth, Morayshire?
6. Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit China when she arrived on 12 October; in what year?
7. Tennis player Martina Navratilova was born in Prague on 18 October; in what year?
8. London’s orbital motorway, the M25, was completed when the last section (between Junctions 22 and 23) was opened by Margaret Thatcher on 29 October; in what year?
9. As a double November entry, who was the trombonist and Big Band leader, born on 19 November 1905 and who died on 26 November 1956?
10. The Crystal Palace was destroyed in a catastrophic fire on 30 November of what year?
And here my inspiration ran out. I hope you have a good autumn. It’ll be the Christmas edition next time.
Andy Pirson
Here are the solutions to the puzzles set in the August/September column:
5BY4 (My Vinyl 3):
1. Albion Country Band – Battle of the Field (1975)
2. Martin Carthy – The Bonny Black Hare and Other Songs (1968)
3. The Copper Family – A Song for Every Season (1971)
4. Charlie Dore – Where To Now (1979)
5. Lesley Duncan – Sing Children Sing (1971)
6. Electric Light Orchestra – Discovery (1979)
7. Don McClean – Homeless Brother (1974)
8. Mike Oldfield – Incantations (1978)
9. The Seekers – Come the Day (1966)
10. June Tabor – Ashes & Diamonds (1977)
Henry VIII’s Wives:
1. Catherine of Aragon: 23 years, 11 months, 12 days
2. Anne Boleyn: 3 years, 6 months, 3 days
3. Jane Seymour: 1 year, 4 months, 24 days
4. Anne of Cleves: 6 months, 6 days
5. Catherine Howard: 1 year, 6 months, 16 days
6. Catherine Parr: 3 years, 6 months, 16 days
General Knowledge:
1. The 38th state of the USA, inaugurated as ‘The Centennial State’ on 1 August 1876, is COLORADO.
2. US film director John Houston and English actress Joan Hickson were both born on 5 August IN 1906.
3. The major group of museums, education and research centres in the USA, founded on 10 August 1846 (named after its founding donor, a British scientist) is THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
4. The first Astronomer Royal, born on 19 August 1646 and who laid the foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, was JOHN FLAMSTEED.
5. Rudolph Valentino, heartthrob of the silent movie era, who died in New York on 23 August 1926, was 31 YEARS OLD
6. King Edward III’s defeat of Philip VI of France, greatly aided by the first use of the English longbow in 1346, was at the BATTLE OF CRECY.
7. The first cricket test match to take place in England (against Australia), starting on 6 September 1880, was held at THE OVAL.
8. The birth of Elizabeth Tudor (later Queen Elizabeth) to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on 7 September 1533 took place at GREENWICH PALACE.
9. The much vaunted ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match, when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs, took place at the Astrodome, Houston, Texas, on 20 September IN 1973.
10. The former Crown Colony, British Honduras, which gained independence from the UK in 1981, is BELIZE