[Scribbled on a postcard with a hand-cancelled French stamp on it]
Cher Rufus,
Knowing you to be the drama queen you are, you must promise me to write for the contrabassoon. It tone is an exotic utterance that is unique in the dark, murky underworld of the orchestra’s bass. There is nothing like it when you want a bass melody to pop out. The tuba can be too fat sounding and the double bass can’t really give long sustained melodic lines the way that a contrabassoon can. But like most exotic instruments, don’t overuse them! Trust me. Je t’embrace,
Bz.
Why M. Berlioz, what a charming note to our mutual friend!
However, would you do us the honor of clearing up one, minor, point? It has become the subject of much discussion amongst my dear friends, and dare I say, of several wagers, whether or not the words “most exotic instruments” are indeed intended as a ‘double entendre’- as I myself have proposed – or merely a description of the musical instrument in question…
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