Chapter 35

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Daleko m’ê moj Split
Croatian: Split, my home, is far away. An aria from the operetta Mala Floramye by Ivo Tijardović.

a black Moor’s head in a fancy white turban
The Morčić, a talisman associated with the city of Rijeka, perhaps originating during the wars against the Ottomans. Earrings depicting the Morčić were worn, particularly fishermen, for good luck and protection.

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"They’ll [musicians] excuse your [vocalist’s] accent, but miss a double-dot on the beat and they’ll never let you forget it."
The duration of a note is increased by half (with a single dot). But with a "double-dot" the note is increased by half of the new value (i.e., a quarter with a double-dot = 1 + 1/2 + ¼). Very rare and very complex. A cardinal sin in live playing is to enter early or late instead of "on the beat."

"... a smile at the band for going easy with practical jokes such as unannounced key changes"
Savvy vocalists prefer a specific key signature in which to sing a tune. Changing a key (especially suddenly) can result in a "train wreck."

"Hop Wingdale ... salaciously wiggling his licorice stick in her [Daphne’s] direction"
"licorice stick" is slang for clarinet," the suggestion of a penis.

"Caught me [Hop] right in the middle [of the tune, probably the "bridge" or "release"] ... had to stop and go back to the tonic"
the "tonic" is the tonal center of a tune, the key the tune is in

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"a continuous wind outside ... a theremin of uneasiness, sliding around a narrow band of notes"
The theremin is an electronic instrument controlled by waving the hands. Invented by Leon Theremin in the 1920s. Instrument associated with "eerie" or "sci-fi" sounds. Popularized in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), music by Bernard Hermann, and in the 1960s by the Beach Boys' hit Good Vibrations. Pynchon refers to the theremin in his writing as early as the short story "Entropy.'