Crossword

Four copies of Bog Treasure poetry collection to be won

The prize in this issue’s crossword competition is four copies of Bog Treasure, a collection of poems which formed part of 'The Strange Case of the Irish Elk', in collaboration between prize-winning Irish poet Eileen Casey -- a Senior Times columnist for many years --and Canadian artist/academic/curator/anthropologist Jeanne Cannizzo. Bog Treasure focuses on climate change, bog discoveries and how the prairie like vastness of our bogs provide a canvas for creative imagination. The cover image is by acclaimed photographer Tina Claffey. Bog Treasure is supported by a Project Development Award from The Arts Council of Ireland.

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Phone: ................................................................................................................................................................................................ Senior Times would like to send you details of special offers, competitions, future features etc. Please tick this box if you do not wish to receive this information. Send your entry to: Crossword Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Deadline for recept of entries is 25th January 2022 . The first four correct entries drawn are the winners.

History Crossword Number 115 by Zoë DevlinCrossword

ACROSS

1 & 11 D. Seasonal tarts for niece’s imp? (5,4) 4 Period state of rest he lumbers through! (7) 8 Metal support for horse-rider’s foot (7) 12 Edible nut (5) 15 Fatigue or tiredness (9) 16 Eight taps gets you this type of pasta! (9) 17 Government order imposing a trade barrier (7) 18 ___ Tubridy AKA Tubs (4) 19 Tabular array of the days of a year (8) 21 Cure or put right (6) 22 Small piece of land surrounded by water (4) 23 Frozen water (3) 26 Address a deity, prophet or saint (4) 27 Female deity (7) 28 Ordered list of times for events to occur (8) 29 See 75 A. (3) 34 Spectacular or striking as in a play? (8) 36 Bent .. not straight (7) 38 China was home to this portable tree cutting device (8) 41 Pretender .. fraud .. fake (8) 42 She carves statues (10) 43 One such as Ryanair or Aer Lingus (7) 46 The late ___ Fitzgerald or room at top of house? (6) 48 Performer such as Nureyev or Fonteyn (6) 49 Round red sticky fruit in the 13D cake? (6) 50 Person older than yourself or ‘___ Times’ (6) 51 Luke Kelly sang of Paddy Kavanagh’s ‘___ Road’ (6) 53 Book published once a year (6) 55 He or she glides across the 23 A. (6) 56 & 83D. Traditional carol .. ‘____ ___‘ (6,5) 61 Stand up for this debris receptacle & brush (4-3) 62 Having strong emotions .. ardent .. lustful (10) 63 Exquisitely fine and dainty (8) 64 Humorous verse or Munster County? (8) 66 Unrestrained merrymaking (7) 67 Pretentious, high-flown or just full of air (8) 71 Concealed oneself (3) 72 Condition of abstaining from alcohol (8) 73 English actress & activist ___ Redgrave (7) 75 & 29A. There were 3 of them at the crib (4,3) 77 Young seal or dog (3) 79 ___ Eireann .. lower house of parliament (4) 80 Given to gentleness or make an offer (6) 81 Large arboreal boa (8) 82 Earth’s natural satellite, first stepped on in 1969 (4) 87 Nastier Greek wine flavoured with resin (7) 88 Eliminate or annihilate an acid eater (9) 89 Likeable or making an urgent request (9) 91 & 13D. Seasonal greeting (5,9) 92 Author of ‘The Satanic Verses’, Salman ___ (7) 93 Oscar Wilde wrote of the importance of being this! (7) 94 Happening or phenomenon (5) DOWN

1 Garden tool for cutting the lawn (5) 2 River and waterfall on Canadian/US border (7) 3 Way out (4) 4 Johnny Cash sang of a boy with this name (3) 5 Wobbly, tottering, of shaky gait (8) 6 In any case ... would Bess die for this? (7) 7 Labour Party leader 1997-2002, ___ Quinn (6) 8 Domain, area, orbit or round shape (6) 9 Closeness, familiarity or illicit relationship (8) 10 See 60D. 11 See 1A. 12 Watering holes or taverns (4) 13 See 91A. 14 Snare or loop to trap small mammals (5) 20 Dispenser that turns liquid into fine mist (8) 24 Member of race of nomadic hunters in Africa (7) 25 Line of descent .. or pier edge? (8) 26 Black or white, it belongs in the full Irish breakfast (7) 30 It begins on 1st January (3,4) 31 Young girl or Hollywood sheepdog? (6) 32 Hard, narrow brimmed hat or cricketer? (6) 33 Feverish or extremely busy (6) 35 Plant with young shoots that are eaten as vegetable (9) 37 Area such as Leopardstown or Punchestown (10) 39 Person who helps institutions financially (10) 40 One who illegally seizes place of another (7) 44 One who moves from place to place (9) 45 Forty winks or short sleeps for a feline (7) 47 Weight equivalent to 2240 lbs (3) 50 International distress signal ...---... (1,1,1) 51 He led Santa’s sleigh (7) 52 Remove as if by suction (8) 54 Lounge or hang around (6) 55 One such as Ronan Keating or Sinead O’Connor (6) 57 Pendent spear of frozen water (6) 58 Lever operated with the foot (7) 59 Metal device on front door to attract attention (7) 60 & 10D. 51D was the one we sing about (3-5,8) 65 Time period when 13D occurs (3-6) 68 Despairing, abject (8) 69 Margaret Attwood wrote of this person’s tale (8) 70 Restore to a better or previous condition (8) 74 One who pursues a study as a pastime (7) 76 Love unquestioningly (7) 77 Commend or express approval (6) 78 Part of mouth or tastebuds (6) 79 Wheat used in pasta (5) 83 See 56A. 84 Lean and sinewy (4) 85 Travelling show or reasonable (4) 86 Birthday, Simnel or Christmas ___ (4) 90 Domesticated animal kept for companionship (3)

In advance of the soonto-be-released podcast The Spirit of Schubert in the Senior Times Classical Collection John Low sketches key events and works in the short life of Franz Schubert

The spirit of Schubert

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) has much in common with Mozart: like Mozart, he was Austrian, a precocious talent and died tragically young, aged only 31. (Mozart was at least spared until he was nearly 36).

He was born in the suburbs of Vienna, one of 12 children. By the time he was eight his talent was obvious and he became a proficient viola player. He was composing at 11 and won a scholarship to the celebrated Imperial College. He composed his first symphony in 1813 when he was just 16. One of his teachers was Antonio Salieri, a contemporary of Mozart. Indeed at one stage there was a rumour that Salieri had murdered Mozart by poisoning him. This fanciful theory has long since been disproved.

In the same year Schubert’s studies were interrupted when he returned to the family home to assist in his father’s school as well as give music lessons. But he also found time to compose and by the age of 20 he had completed five symphonies, three string quarters and numerous piano works. He was also writing songs by the 100 and it is estimated that when he died he had completed more than 600.

Like Beethoven before him he was drawn to the works of Goethe, a literary giant of the period and he set to music a substantial amount of the romantic poet’s outpourings. It is thought that at this time he had his first serious romantic affair with a singer but the liaison was discouraged by her family who saw he was not a man of means. centre of the city around 1816 and was soon composing what have become his most famous works, including The Trout Quintet and many of his best- known quartets and songs.

In his early works the classical influence of Mozart is obvious but he then became inspired by the dramatic romanticism of Beethoven, particularly in his later symphonies, notably his last, the so-called C Great C Major Number 9 as well as his sixth. He met Beethoven in the early 1820’s and revered the great composer. He was a pallbearer at Beethoven’s funeral in 1827, less than two years before his own untimely death.

Schubert had a large circle of friends and took part in regular musical gatherings of the great and the good, often premiering his own piano and chamber works. He liked a drink or three and was known to regularly frequent low-life taverns as well as brothels. Unsurprisingly he contracted syphilis about five years before his death although there is no convincing evidence that it actually contributed to his early demise.

He suffered from depression through most of his life, and he was certainly sick a number of times in the few years preceding his death, at a time when his reputation was growing and some of his songs had finally been published. But his income, from commissions and some teaching, remained meagre.Tragically much of his output was unpublished when he died and we have the likes of Mendelssohn and Schumann to thank for reviving his reputation.

Apart from the songs, he wrote seven completed symphonies, plus the famous Unfinished, chamber music, masses and a huge amount of piano works. I find that Schubert’s music has a haunting, spiritual quality that gets into your bones and moves you as few other composers can.

Indeed Liszt described him as the most poetic musician who ever lived – ‘in his short life he used his astonishing gift for melodic and harmonic invention to create many enduring masterpieces’.

Recommended works If you are not that familiar with Schubert you will find most of his works are very accessible and full of good tunes, although there are some deeply introspective compositions no doubt written during his many depressive periods. You can Google these works, or go to Youtube to listen to them complete or in part. Here are some recommended works from a vast amount of compositions waiting for you to explore:

Symphonies 5, 6, 8 and 9. The Trout Quintet Notturno for piano trio in E Flat Incidental music to the play Rosamunde Piano Impromptus Arpeggioni for cello and piano Octet in B Flat Piano sonata No 21 in B Flat Major Arpeggione in A Minor for piano and cello Numerous song cycles such as Winterreise, and songs which would include Ave Maria, An Der Musik

The Spirit of Schubert podcast. Look out for the latest Senior Times Classical Collection podcast which will embrace the life and works of Schubert. This will be launched in early January and you can access it on seniortimes.ie