Saturday, April 6, 2013 — Classical Trio

Introduction

In solving today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, you will unveil a threesome of classical composers. There are even a guest appearances by a couple of additional composers in the puzzle. But what is George Bush doing among this number — not to mention Yogi Berra?

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

7a   {ROBERT SCHUMANN}* — anagram (arranged) of BRAHMS NOCTURNE

Robert Schumann^[5] (1810 – 1856) was a German composer. He was a leading romantic composer, particularly noted for his songs (including settings of poems by Heinrich Heine and Robert Burns) and piano music. His other works include four symphonies and much chamber music.

Johannes Brahms^[5] (1833 – 1897) was a German composer and pianist. He eschewed programme music and opera and concentrated on traditional forms. He composed four symphonies, four concertos, chamber and piano music, choral works including the German Requiem (1857–68), and nearly 200 songs.

From what I was able to discover, the piano nocturne — a form originated by John Field^[7] and made famous by Frédéric Chopin^[7] — does not appear to be a musical form that is particularly associated with Brahms. But then, this is Crosswordland, not the real world.

9a   L(EON)ID — EON (age) contained in (inside) LID (cover)

Leonid^[4] refers to any member of a meteor shower that is usually insignificant, but more spectacular every 33 years, and occurs annually in mid-November, appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo.

10a   SLEIGHED~ — sounds like (audibly) SLAYED (dispatched; by a Mafia hit man, perhaps)

11a   FL(Y)ING — FLING (chuck) containing (grabs) Y (fork; in the road, for instance)

13a   M(EDIT)ATE — MATE (spouse) containing (taking) EDIT (work at a newspaper)

14a   {RICHARD WAGNER}* — anagram (wrongly) of REWARDING ARCH

Richard Wagner^[5] (1813 – 1883) was a German composer. He developed an operatic genre which he called music drama, synthesizing music, drama, verse, legend, and spectacle. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman (opera, 1841), Der Ring des Nibelungen (a cycle of four operas, 1847–74), Tristan and Isolde (music drama, 1859), and the Siegfried Idyll (1870).

17a   HEAR T|ELL — HEART (core) + ELL (extension)

19a   EN D|ASH — END (finish) + ASH (wood)

21a   IN SEC(RE_)T — INSECT (bug) containing (about) RE (half [first two letters] of REeds)

23a   GRO(W) UP — GROUP (bunch) containing (including) W ([nickname of former US President] George W. Bush^[7])

24a   {ANTONIO VIVALDI}* — anagram (confused) of INVALID OVATION

Antonio Vivaldi^[5] (1678 – 1741) was an Italian composer and violinist, and one of the most important baroque composers. His feeling for texture and melody is evident in his numerous compositions such as The Four Seasons (concerto, 1725).

Down

1d   CRU(E)LLER — CRULLER (pastry) containing (†) E (bit [first letter] of Egg)

A cruller^[3,4,11] is a North American fried pastry. Not only is the use of this term primarily restricted to certain regions of North America, but the precise meaning seems to vary from region to region. We see from definitions in various dictionaries that it can be made from raised or unraised dough; it can be ring-shaped, twisted, or oblong; and it can be covered with various toppings.

According to Wikipedia, "A traditional cruller^[7] (or twister) is a fried pastry often made from a rectangle of dough, with a cut made in the middle that allows it to be pulled over and through itself producing twists in the sides of the donut. Crullers have been described as resembling "a small, braided torpedo" and having been "a staple of the New England diet since the Pilgrims' day". Some other cruller styles are made of a denser dough somewhat like that of a cake doughnut formed in a small loaf or stick shape, but not always twisted. Crullers may be topped with plain powdered sugar; powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon; or icing. However, a "French cruller" is a fluted, ring-shaped doughnut made from choux pastry with a light airy texture."

2d   U|BANG|I — I (†) following (after) {U ([symbol for the chemical element] uranium) + BANG (explosion)}

In Crosswordland, reality sometimes takes a back seat to cryptic convenience  — and this clue is no exception. The Ubangi are a fictional African tribe.

The Ubangi^[3] is a river of central Africa flowing about 1,126 km (700 mi) along the northwest border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Congo River.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, African women wearing lip plates were brought to Europe and North America for exhibit in circuses and sideshows. Around 1930, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey promoted them as members of the Ubangi tribe^[7], but the Ringling press agent admitted he picked that name from a map for its exotic sound. Nevertheless, the word Ubangi is still given this definition in English language dictionaries [although it seems to have been expunged from all the ones that I regularly consult].

3d   A|RID — A (†) + RID (free)

4d   IS|IS — IS (live [once]) + IS (live [twice])

In Egyptian mythology, Isis^[5] is a goddess of fertility, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Her worship spread to western Asia, Greece, and Rome, where she was identified with various local goddesses. Isis is often depicted wearing a headdress consisting of the horns of a cow with the solar disk between them.

5d   THREADBARE* — anagram (exercising) of BERRA HATED

Yogi Berra^[7] is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–1965) for the New York Yankees.

6d   IN|TENT — IN (chic) + TENT (camping gear)

8d   {MEG|A|TON}< — reversal (turned) of {NOT (†) + A (†) + GEM (stone)}

12d   GRAPEFRUIT* — anagram (ruined) of FIGURE TRAP

13d   M(ODE)L — ODE (poem) contained in (in) ML ([Roman numeral for] 1050)

15d   C(ORDER)O — CO (company) containing (accepts) ORDER (request for goods)

Angel Cordero^[7] is one of the leading thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of all time and the only Puerto Rican to date to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame.

Jockey International, Inc.^[7] is a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of underwear and sleepwear for men, women, and children. The company is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jockey is known for having invented the first men's Y-Front brief in 1934. Jockey is a recognized trademark in 120 countries.

16d   R|AS|PUTIN — R (red) + AS (like) + PUTIN (a former Russian leader)

I would say that Russian politician Vladimir Putin^[7] is far from being a "former Russian leader". He has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012. Putin previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. Putin was also previously the Chairman of United Russia (the ruling centrist party in Russia).

Grigori Rasputin (1869 – 1916) was a Russian mystic and advisor to the Romanovs, the Russian Imperial family. He was never officially connected to the Orthodox Church but considered a "strannik" (or pilgrim) wandering from cloister to cloister. He is even regarded as a starets ("elder", a title usually reserved for monk-confessors), believing him to be a psychic and faith healer. He impressed many people with his knowledge and ability to explain the Bible in an uncomplicated way.

In 1907 Rasputin was invited for the first time by Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra as a healer for their only son, Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. It is supposed he became an influential figure in the later years of the Tsar's reign, especially after September 1915. It has been argued that Rasputin helped to discredit the tsarist family, leading to the fall of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917. The Tsarina and her family saw Rasputin variously as a saintly mystic, visionary, healer and prophet but his enemies, as a debauched religious charlatan, heavily interested in sexual relations with his followers. There has been much uncertainty over Rasputin's life and influence, as accounts have often been based on dubious memoirs, hearsay and legend. In Russia he is nowadays seen by many people and clerics as a righteous man.

18d   _ERN|ANI_ — hidden in (involving some) modERN ANImation

Giuseppe Verdi^[7] (1813 – 1901) was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera.

Ernani^[7] is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place in Venice in 1844. In 1904 it became the first opera to be recorded complete.

20d   D(R)OLLY — DOLLY (furniture-mover) containing (holds) R (back [final letter] of chaiR)

22d   _T|IVO_ — hidden in (in) lighT IVOry

TiVo^[7] is a digital video recorder (DVR) developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc.

23d   G|IVE — G (one thousand dollars) + IVE (I have; I've)

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon