Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-04-18
The ClariOnet.

peut ana trombone, tue OUoe anu
ophclide sink into mere nothingness.
1t is small but like the sting of the
yellow-jacket - Oh my! And its
modest dimensions render it very
deceptive, as many a poor fellow
has learned who has tackled it, as
Alexander did whole nations. It is
no larger than round stick of wood,
and still it has taken very stout men
to properly fill it, and its keys, dur
ing an aliegretto passage tremble like
the leaves of Autumn, and each is
as difficult to manage as pivot
sixty-four FOUNDER in action and
quite as effective at long range.
One of the minstrels the other
evening performed on this instru-
ment, or rather series OF them. No
less than four laid in his lap, while
one was used for the acrobatic dis
play. Like Grant, that colored gen.
tleman showed himself master of
the situation, and like Moses, carried
those instruments like scalps, dang
ling from his belt. We were told by
q musical expert that the whole.as-
sortment were pitched at different
tones, which probably accounts for
SO many notes being SO ruthlessly
torn from the gamut. As variety,
a pitch out of the window would have
been relished by some.
The demoralizing effect of the
clarionet extended beyond the hall
and did not cease with the evenings
performance. Its echoes still linger
and its fantastic gambols from high
G to low F still cling to the memory.
No less than three poor erring VIC
Tins are now gradually blowing their
brains out through the reeds of this
identical instrument. One of them
reports progress nightly from the
shades of the forest, whittier he has
been driven by an indignant popu-
lace. He sits upon an upturned root
for hours, while his instrument walls
forth the most discordant notes.
He essays "The Last Rose of Sum-
mer" with about this result:
Taw-tle, taw~tle, taw.tle, taw.tle,
Taw-tle, to-tle, te-tle ia ---
The last note starts right, but ends
in prolonged "ahl" in the upper
register.
Another victim has given up in
despair. He says he never plays but
that it makes him sick. The third,
whose name slightly modified is the
title of famous Italian opera, is
more fortunate. Although his in
strument is the old French style,
and consequently not au fat on Eng
lish notes, he makes rapid progress
and has mastered the lower keys
quite effectively. This progress,
has been SO highly complimented by
his friends that he has become OBJ
livious of defects and rash as to con-
sequences. A few evenings ago he
visited his dulcena, and took his
instrument with him. She was
charmed with the prospect of clar-
ionet obligato to her songs. So Err
mani uncased his favorite, screwed
the parts together, moistened the
mouth-piece, and after a few taw-tles
requested her to sing that gentle
song to memory dear. This is about
the result.
"way caw-tle) down oaw) upon the Gle) swanee
river tawtic-te-teetle-te-taw)
Far, (taw) far, (taw) away, (le-te-taw)
There's Cawte) where (to-te) my heart (taw-le) ia
turning ever,
(Rapid and difficult passage ending in an inin-
table shakeJ
There's tawte) where (o-tle) the old uotle) folks
stay ltaw-tle-te--tu-t le-te-taw)
The effect produced by this bril-
liant combination was not Just what
was anticipated. The girls little
sister cried frantically, a dog under
the window howled dismally, the
cats on the roof mewed frightfully,
and the mother passed through the
room with freezing dignity remark
ing "Them cats must be killed or
I'll not live in the house another
day." IT'S ever thus. The first
buds of blooming genius are nipped
by the frosts of distrust, sending a
dagger to the heart of Ambition.