William Tell

William Tell is a legendary hero of Switzerland and a universal symbol of resistance to oppression. He was supposedly a native of Burglen in the area of Uri, which was under the tyrannical control of the bailiffs of Austrian overlords.

In 1307, Tell is supposed to have refused to obey the commands of Bailiff Gessler. He was then forced to shoot an apple placed on the head of his son (a familiar folklore motif); he succeeded and went on to lead a victorious uprising. The German dramatist J. C. Friedrich von Schiller wrote William Tell (1804), a play that Gioacchino Rossini made into an opera.

("In addition, it is delicious to think of playing William Tell with "NO tongue!" - Quite. See Bass Trombonist's Orchestral Handbook, if you dare.)

appears in:

• "Extrovert" (on Rag And Bone Buffet)

further reading:

• The legend of William Tell
• MIDI file of Rossini's "William Tell Overture"
• A brief history of archery