Žižek, though, regards the idea of a central thesis in much the same way that the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane regarded a melody – as something to riff off, extemporise on, and return to only when all associated sub-themes have been exhausted. ❋ Unknown (2010)
As so often in our institutional history, the right answer was to extemporise judiciously. ❋ Unknown (2009)
Now when I heard this, O Commander of the Faithful, great concern get hold of me and I was beyond measure troubled, and behold, I heard a Voice from behind me extemporise these couplets, ❋ Unknown (2006)
In a word, Themistocles, by natural power of mind and with the least preparation, was of all men the best able to extemporise the right thing to be done. ❋ Thucydides (2007)
I am sure you will have a personal acqaintance who will give you the bare bones of the joke, and you can extemporise from there. ❋ Unknown (2007)
Was she an helpmeet for a black-letter man, who talked with the Fathers in his daily walks, could extemporise Latin hexameters, and dream in Greek. ❋ Unknown (2003)
Hornblower forced himself to extemporise some casual sentence which may or may not have been relevant. ❋ Forester, C. S. (1958)
In the early hours of the morning the young officer awoke, and running through his head was a melody which, in his semi-drunken state the evening before, he had been attempting to extemporise. ❋ Harold Harvey (N/A)
She could repeat prayers and extemporise them as of old, but there was no more satisfaction in the effort than in asking a favour of an empty room. ❋ Sarah Grand (N/A)
Dismayed by this reflection, he took his hands from the keyboard and, turning to Mozart, said, 'Will you give me a theme on which to extemporise?' ❋ Francis Jameson Rowbotham (N/A)
In the meantime he seated himself at another piano of ancient aspect, and beginning to extemporise soon became lost in reverie. ❋ Francis Jameson Rowbotham (N/A)
The musicians accompanied the king and Bach from one room to another; and after the latter had tried all the pianos, he begged the king to give him a fugue subject, that he could at once extemporise upon. ❋ Walter Rowlands (N/A)
Once at the pianoforte, and in a genial mood with his surroundings, he would extemporise for one and two hours at a stretch, amid the solemn silence of his listeners. ❋ Walter Rowlands (N/A)
Mr. MacLeod had therefore to extemporise literally on the spur of the moment. ❋ Unknown (1942)
The readiest thing, replied Laertes, were for us to extemporise a play. ❋ Unknown (1917)
By-and-by he would break off, and with quite another air extemporise the liveliest interpolations, describing his diagrams or specimens, restating his arguments, re-enforcing his appeal. ❋ Collingwood, W G (1911)
He could not extemporise as Handel, and Bach in more restricted circles, had done, nor as Mozart and Beethoven were soon to do. ❋ Runciman, John F (1908)
The audience saw the meaning at once and shouted in its enthusiasm, until Mendelssohn was forced to seat himself at the piano and extemporise upon the theme. ❋ Hughes, Rupert, 1872-1956 (1903)
A singer who is so little capable of singing that he can give a prose analysis of his own song while it is coming to him and before he sings it, can hardly be expected to extemporise an inspired analysis of another man's song after reading it. ❋ Gerald Stanley Lee (1903)
