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Something for you New Yorkers to read on the subway: > Near its conclusion, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony contains long passages > during > which the string section has no part to play. During a performance, > rather > than sit around looking stupid, some bassists decided to sneak offstage > and > go to the tavern next door for a quick drink. > > After slamming several beers in quick succession, one of them looked at > his watch and said, "Hey! We need to get back!" > > "No need to panic," said a fellow bassist. "I thought we might need some > extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together > with string. It'll take him a few minutes to get it untangled." > > A few moments later they staggered back to the concert hall and took their > places in the orchestra. About this time, a member of the audience noticed > the conductor seemed a bit nervous and said as much to her companion. > > "Well, of course," said her companion. "Don't you see? It's the bottom of > the Ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded." > >