Fiddles

[Antcliff]

Why would the title be interpreted as,'trivial?'

With James again....I think we may need to unite the clans here James. I'll meet you in a longboat of the coast of Islay, before we attack the Isle of Man with our fiddles.
Seth

[James Major]

.....better attack a bottle of Islay.....

I think Wilcken obsevations were astute, and summed up possible divisions, depending on the reader.

[Antcliff]

So, what if the tables were turned on the violin here, placing a higher value on the moment where (in this scenario) the fiddle expressed "extreme emotion?" On the one hand it felt to me like this would reduce that moment to a raw emotive state that only the common folk can really put on a good show of (savages); a mere loss of control rather than the beauty and poignancy demonstrated by the lovely and very composed violin.

Hi Wilcken..(and David)

Whilst the reversal might also prove objectionable to some, I am a bit puzzled....so it is often thought if a fiddler could do it then there would be less control, so the moment would be reduced? And it is often thought that a fiddler is a common person and thereby closer to a savage? I genuinely had no idea of the freight that the fiddle/violin distinction carried I suppose because of this the poem makes less sense to me...in either direction. How interesting.



Seth

[David]

Just quickly, because the last thing I need is to be under attack from fiddle-players - oh no, there's a fiddler on the roof! - I meant to say nothing pejorative about the folk or classical traditions, both of which I love.

This poem came out of last Friday night. One of the frequent fiddle-players at the session up the road also plays in the local orchestra. When most of the others have gone home - absurdly early, in my view - he often stays on to play sentimental tunes - more Scottish than Viennese, to be honest - in a pleasingly lachrymose manner. And that was it. Still, I thought the image was (appropriately) pleasingly resonant.

Now call off the fiddlers. And the violinists. For they are one and the same.

[Antcliff]

As Edward Lear had it...

The Compleat Virtuouso

There was an old man of the Isles,
Whose face was pervaded with smiles;
He sang "High dum diddle",
And played on the fiddle,
That amiable man of the Isles.

[Wilcken]

"Now call off the fiddlers. And the violinists. For they are one and the same."

* Like *

Did I get a wee bit hyperbolic there?

Thanks for the poem, David.

Will ken

[James Major]

Too late laddy-- The fiddling boys of Kilarney have your number, and while others might be fooled by your wholey plausible explanation, we'll be watching: we are legion.

[David]

I'll see how it goes tonight. I'll be keeping a wary eye out for rogue and renegade fiddlers ...

[Ron63]

I find this a great poem; concise, spacious and light on the page with smooth, free flowing words. My kind of poem.

[David]

Thankee kindly, Ron. That's very nice of you.

Cheers

David

[Oskar]

David

I never get to see the stitches in any of your poems. I read this and thought - (insert Alan Partridge voice ) Look at that! Liquid poetry.

This one is like looking through a keyhole and seeing something breathtakingly panoramic on the other side.

As for the violins, the The Big Country intro. does the same thing for me.

Regards

[twoleftfeet]

Let's get the old git's pedantic nits out of the way first, David.

IMHO "Fiddler" would be a better title.

Also "quits" scans better than "quitting".

"Emotion"? Hmmmm.. not sure about that, even though I can't think of anything better.

"Chaffing" works for the fiddler, but not the fiddle. "Whining" perhaps?

Apart from that - it really is a potent little piece. I hope Lake gets to see it.

I like Nash's analogy of connecting to the Tao - he might have said "being in the groove", tis all the same.

Geoff

[Lake]

Oh yeah, of course, Geoff I've read it a few times. But I got lost in the discussion of the distinction between fiddle and violin, and I am now trying to get out of it.

Hi David, my first impression of the poem is that though not your magnum opus, it certainly has its poetic charm that appeals to me. Then the comment from Nash and Geoff re Tao brings me back to the last stanza where the violinist seems in a state of oblivious of himself while playing.

Enjoyed the poem, enjoyed the discussion. And leave the identity of the player to others to identify.

Lake

[David]

Thank you, Osk. That's a lovely comment, much appreciated.

Let's get the old git's pedantic nits out of the way first, David.

But there doesn't seem to be much poem left once you've finished with your nits,Geoffster! I respect and appreciate your nits, particularly because this is a music-based poem, so (briefly): I like Fiddles as a title; blimey, does "quits" scan better than "quitting"?; damn, I thought emotion was okay; and "chaffing" works (for me) for the fiddle, in the sense of banter, good-natured repartee and all that. But you got me thinking about all those things.

Hi David, my first impression of the poem is that though not your magnum opus

Gosh, I hope not, although I suspect my magnum opus shares pretty much the same existential status as Bunter's postal order. ("He is allowed very little pocket money by his father, so is perpetually attempting to raise a loan on the strength of the legendary postal order he always claims to be expecting.") I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway. The identity of the player is not the point at all, though.

Cheers all

David

[BenJohnson]

I particularly like chaffing not only for it's original meaning but for it's closeness to chafing which describes the movement of the bow against the strings. A double win for me.

[Bloggsworth]

Hello old chap

Walked up my local hill this morning. In the lee of the cairn at 500 metres or so after chaffing through snow flurries, biting wind chill and some hefty gusts with my jaw so numb with cold i could hardly bite my apple, this poem came to me and I realised such moments are when this old fiddle becomes a violin.

Cheers

elph

At what point did the apple become a lollipop?