Another disorderly rehearsal. Viola tries to get the musicians to focus on one section at a time. She tells them that she has been told by her professor to "watch the opera and the orchestra whenever possible" on her day off. She says that she used to be a bassoon player, so she understands the importance of having a conductor as a husband. She also says that it's good to have a husband as a conductor, since you can "watch for free" . Viola says she doesn't understand why a Frenchman would convert to a fagott, since he can't afford to support his family. The musicians cheer her on, and she says that the conductor ticked him off for not having sleeves on his shirt. She thinks he's talking about the universe, which she thinks is about 1500 years old. She explains that music was thought of as geometry, geometry, arithmetic, originally and music. In the middle ages, people who understood music theory by using reason were called "musicus" , and those who could "clearly determine music by reason" were called musicus.