Bach Sunday (Solution No. 3,362)

The solution and annotation to puzzle No. 3,362 is below the fold.  Happy birthday, Raydoc!

If you like to solve cryptics, you probably also like to listen to Bach’s music.  I had plenty of opportunity to do both yesterday.  In the morning, the church choir (with Sabers augmenting the tenor section and The Other Doctor Mitchell steadying the sopranos) sang portions of two Bach masses.  I particularly liked the Kyrie from the Missa brevis in A.  There’s a simplicity in it, and it’s in a key you don’t hear often.

Right after that we had to leave for Germantown, where Sabers performed with the Philadelphia Sinfonia Players, the intermediate ensemble of Philadelphia’s top youth orchestra program.  They take a very professional approach to rehearsing and performing, and they play a lot of standard repertoire, all of which which is good preparation for the next level.  The added challenge helped with the school orchestra too, where Sabers was promoted to principal bass (or as we put it: first bassman) this year.

Along with the Bach Little Fugue, the PSP played Strauss’s Blue Danube and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.  That’s the piece with the famous theme that starts in the lowest registers of the orchestra.  The bassoonist did a great job with it, and Sabers and his standmate gave the bass line the ‘tiptoe’ feel of an approaching troll.

Between that and the high school concert Thursday (did I mention Sabers sang the entire school chorus concert tonight, too?--four performances in five days, plus a piano recital next Sunday), I was very impressed with the tone and solid projection of his instrument, which we bought last year and is now pretty well played-in.  So if you’re in the market for a new bass, give the folks at Gollihur’s a call.  If you’re looking for a half-size instrument for a junior high bassist, give me a call.

Solution to The Nation cryptic crossword #3,362

Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/206345/puzzle-no-3362

Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): easy

Agility factor: mild

Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “¶” letter bank, “‡” Spoonerism

Across

1a	ME TER M AID	ME (“the author”) + TERM (“word”) + AID (“help”)
6a	JA(CO)B	JAB (“poke”) containing (“around”) CO (“company”)
9a	N E E D Y	^N^i^E^c^E^s ^D^a^Y^ (alternate letters indicated by “every other element”)
10a	TA(RANTIN)O	RANTIN’ (“ragin’”) contained in (“in”) TAO (“the way”)
11a	RE-ACHING	Pun
12a	A THEN S	A (†) THEN (implied) S (†)
14a	~LEEK	~LEAK (“to reveal a secret,” homophone indicated by “on the radio”)
15a	BABY BOOMER	Pun
18a	BASK ET C*ASE	BASK (“to luxuriate”) + ETC (“and so forth”) + *SEA (anagram indicated by “stormy”)
19a	HUG E	HUG (“show of affection”) + squabbl^E^ (last letter indicated by “end of”)
22a	§ARM A DA	§ARM (“give weapons”) A (†) DA (“prosecutor”)
24a	A*COUST(I)C	A (†) + *STUCCO (anagram indicated by “mixed”) containing (“outside”) ^I^nstitute (first letter indicated by “façade”)
26a	REC TANGLE	w_REC_k (“accident,” omission of first and last letters indicated by “edges away”) + TANGLE (“snarl”)
27a	ENTER	_r_ENTER (“tenant,” omission of first letter indicated by “arrives late”) “Key” in this clue refers to a key on a keyboard.
28a	§NONET	§NO NET
29a	DISSON ANT	DI’S SON (“Prince William”) + ANT (“offspring of a queen [insect]”)

Down

1d	*MINERAL	*MANLIER (anagram indicated by “out of control”)
2d	*TEENAGERS	*GENRATES (anagram indicated by “chaos”)
3d	RH*YTHM	*MYTH (anagram indicated by “crazy”) following (“underlies”) RH (“factor in blood”)
4d	AT TEN DANCE	AT (†) + TEN (“Hamilton” [ten-dollar bill]) + DANCE (“cotillion”)
5d	*DARE	*READ (anagram indicated by “translation”) Definition refers to “Truth or Dare,” a game popular at teen girl sleepovers.
6d	J UNCTION	^J^ewish (first letter indicated by “initiation”) + UNCTION (“the act of anointing”)
7d	CR(IM)E_	IM (†) contained in (“involved in”) CRE_w_ (“gang,” omission of last letter indicated by “mostly”)
8d	B(ROWS)E R	BE (“to live”) + R (“right”) containing (“when having”) ROWS (“spats”)
13d	E(YE S*OCKE)TS	YES (“certainly”) + *COKE (anagram indicated by “is spilled”) contained in (“in”) ET’S (“space alien’s”)
16d	*MOUNT ETNA	*ONE MUTANT (anagram indicated by “to pieces”)
17d	HELD FAST	Double definition
18d	_BIAFRAN_	ali_BI A FRAN_tic (hidden word indicated by “cover”)
20d	EX*CERPT	EX (“former spouse”) + *CREPT (anagram indicated by “stealthily”)
21d	<TU(XED)O<	XED (“canceled”) contained in (“in”) <OUT< (reversal indicated by “back”)
23d	MA CON	MA (“Massachusetts”) followed by (“supported by”) CON (“swindle”)
25d	<_AGED<	<DEGA_s_< (painter, reversal indicated by “turned up,” omission of S indicated by “taking Sunday off”)