DEBUSSY'S "FAUN"
Sir-In your footnote ‘to a recent letter of mine you state: "We might employ Mr. Austin (i.e., as proof-reader) if we did not remember a paragraph he once wrote for us in which Debussy’s faun had four legs." To have a finger in the pie is a common expression, but this is the first time I have heard of.a faun having four legs in a paragraph. However, ambiguity apart, I cannot recall having written the paragraph in question, though, even if I did write it, there does not seem to be any good reason why a faun-mythologically already endowed with horns and tailshould not be four-legged. It is notorious that during the course of centuries legends tend to accumulate-a fact which cannot escape the notice of the satyr-ist. Apropos of this subject, perhaps you will allow me, Sir, to quote a paragraph that I wrote for another publication. It ran as follows: "Debussy used to show an almost child-like delight in new inventions. The story goes that when the telephone was first installed in his house he spent an entire afternoon ringing up all _ his friends. Quite possibly this inspired him to compose ‘L’apres-midi d’un phone.’ " With the compliments of the season.
L. D.
AUSTIN
(Wellington).
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19451221.2.12.1
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 339, 21 December 1945, Page 5
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208DEBUSSY'S "FAUN" New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 339, 21 December 1945, Page 5
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