Seven quarters
It is said that in the Grand Theatre, one soloist, possessing from nature a large bass, but having serious problems with musical hearing, could not cope with the arias of Varlam in the opera of Musorgsky "Boris Godunov".
There between the lines of the text sounds orchestral music, literally like this:
“As in the city was in Kazan!” Two or three or four or five or six or seven. – is
He plays an orchestra.
“The terrible king had to have fun!” The orchestra again:
one two three four five six seven.) is
“He beat the Tatars unhappy...” – well, and so on.
Here in these seven quarters and could not get the unfortunate bass: then sooner will begin, then later.
The conductor threatened him: "You are lying again - and I'm snooping off the role!“”
Bas ran to a friend of the concertmaster.
“Help me,” he said, “think something.”
And he grumbled:
This place has been rehearsed hundreds of times. How wise you are!
Okay, let us do so. You have to sing something about yourself.
A phrase that would exactly fit into those seven quarters. Well here though.
He said, “I am a man!“”
I have tried:
“As in the city was in Kazan!” Kaka-Kai is Kaka-Kaka!) is
“The terrible king had to have fun!” Kaka-Kai is Kaka-Kaka!) is
“He is a Tatar...”
Greatly succeeded! Once ten propels, and bass, proud and all-armed, went to the show.
He came to the unlucky aria, sang the first line, sang about himself an inappropriate phrase, confidently began: "The Terrible King..." - the conductor with angry eyes points his finger: again, the parasite, entered a quarter earlier. The next line of Arias is the same. In a word, it was quite good: I finished singing - the orchestra is still playing.
Leaving the scene, shouting, “I will kill!” I went looking for a concertmaster. He put his hands apart:
I have been rehearsing ten times. Again, how did you sing?
- As in the city was in Kazan, - began to bend the fingers bas, -
Khao Khao Khao Khao!