There’s one thing everyone knows about Beethoven – he was deaf. And there’s one thing everyone knows about the harpsichord – it sounds like two skeletons copulating on a corrugated tin roof.
Exactly when Sir Thomas Beecham got to hear skeletons doing anything on a tin roof, I don’t know. Nowadays you’d be able to do some kind of CSI reconstruction: anatomically correct bones bouncing about on a suitable surface with groovy animated trajectories.
My science and my animation skills aren’t up to the task, but it doesn’t take much to imagination to realise that Sir Thomas got it completely wrong. Everyone knows that skeletons – on a tin roof – sound like this:
Postscript…
This post was inspired by a certain person’s effrontery in calling his blog “To Kill a Harpsichord”. Nonetheless, my best wishes go with him in what sounds like a really fabulous opportunity. If you’re feeling benevolent, head over and sign the petition.