P's and Q's

1. P's & Q's

2. Industry Revival

3. Drop That... - LMNO, Supernatural

4. G. O. D

5. Portion - 2Mex, LMNO

6. Step to the Side/Who Guessed It?

7. Disguises - LMNO, Locksmith

8. Crescent & The Cross

9. Deeper

10. Clutch

11. Better

12. Only God Knows

13. Hopeman

14. Forgive Us - KeyKool, LMNO

15. Aerosol Migrants

16. God Bless - Chali 2na, LMNO,

Tracks:

Allegro/Tema Con Variazione/Menuetto Con Panna E Zucchero
Aria/Recitative/Ground/Recitative/Aria
New Horizons In Music Appreciation Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Larghissimo-Allegro Boffo/Menuetto Con Brio Ma Senza Trio/Adagio Saccharino/Yehudi Menuetto/Presto Hey Nonny Nonnio
What's My Melodic Line?
Madrigal, 'My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth'

Tracks:

IV Andante-Allegro
I. Introduction/II. Overture/III. Recitative And Aria, 'Now Is the Season'/IV. Trio, I'm Sure I'd Be'/V. Opera Whiz/VI. Synopsis Of Plot/VII. Finale Of Opera
Fugue In C Minor (Fuga Vulgaris) For Calliope Four Hands
Oratorio, 'The Seasonings', S. 1/2 Tsp.

Customer Reviews:

This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys classical music ... .......2006-06-07

...BUT not if you take it SO seriously that you have lost your sense of humor.

Peter Schickele (with whom I am occasionally confused - we apparently look alike!) - has got to be one of my all-time favorite composers. When I was in graduate school, I took considerable abuse from my fellow music lovers for actually having MORE albums by P.D.Q Bach than by J. S. Bach (though I think it was barely a one-point margin, really...)

But the "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" approach to Beethoven's 5th symphony is not only a musical analysis of the piece as it is being played, but a slam on the constant "blah-blah-blah" that one hears during ANY sports event.

"My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" has got to be my all-time favorite spoof of the overly pompous "art song" oratorio. I've encouraged one of my colleagues (who directs the college chorale where I teach) to include it in a program, to no avail. One of these days, I'll put my money where my mouth is - and buy sheet music for the entire chorale.

This is one of only two albums that I have in (a) vinyl, (b) tape, and (c) CD format. That should be some indication of how very, very special I believe this to be. [The other, for those who are interested, is Joan Baez' "Diamonds and Rust."]

This has been around for years, and there's a good reason. Schickele is not only funny when he wants to be, but a supremely accomplished composer and musician, with dozens and dozens of serious musical scores to his credit as well.

PDQ Bach -- The Spike Jones of Classical Music.......2006-03-16

For the classical music lover, this is an amazing spoof. For those who do not know classical music well, this is still highly entertaining.

Recaptured (Twisted) Youth.......2003-03-31

My friend and I saw the good Prof. Schickele here in Pasadena last night (March 29th-- AND the conductor of the Pasadena Symphony is Jorge Meister!)-- and the last number on the program was the WONDERFUL "The Seasonings"-- I had a very hard time even after all these years of first hearing this on a REAL record of not singing along with every little tune!!! This piece last night, being sung by singers whom I do not doubt were not even born when I first heard a recording of it, were as good as the ones I remember from my decadent youth on the original recording. Buy this C.D. if only for this piece!

I store it in the CD changer in my car........2002-10-06

My favorite single line of music from this is from "The Unbegun Symphony". Who would think to combine "You are my sunshine", a
tune I have always thought of as sappy sweet, played on violins,
with a background of horns, (I don't know what piece, but it
makes me thing of something noble and civilized) making it a
definitive statement of a benevolent sense of life.
PDQ Bach's other works are delighfully absurd, as are Peter
Schickele's commentaries. (Well I have a new set of friends now)

New Horizons in Music Appreciation Indeed..........2002-08-08

It was while sitting in Music Appreciation in college that I was first introduced to the work of P.D.Q. Bach, specifically the track "New Horizons in Music Appreciation: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony," in which Professor Peter Schickele and Robert Dennis serve as the announcers for a spirited game involving the first movement of that particular work. Not only was it funny ("He's playing a cadenza! He's out of his mind! He thinks its an oboe concerto!") it was also more informative than the professor ("I get the feeling we are going to hear a lot of that four note motif, Bob").

One of the things about P.D.Q. Bach is that the more I learned about classical music the funnier I found it. Yes, I have enough memories of my mother insisting on playing the Texaco Opera quiz throughout the house on a Saturday afternoon to appreciate why "What's my Melodic Line?" and its exploration of the mysteries of the Baroque is funny, but it was not until I saw "Amadeus" and listened to "The Marriage of Figaro" that I understood why the recitatias in the Cantata "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" were hysterical (I was tempted to share this story of Iphigenia with my Classical Mythology class, but given their tentativeness to explore Euripides I did not think it wise to have them get neck deep in Schickele). Then again, the Madrigal "My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" really needs no explanation, so there is something for everybody here, no matter what you level of understanding of classical music.

In discussing the works of P.D.Q. Bach with others it becomes clear that you can no more put together an idea collection of his "best" work than you can for lesser composers like Mozart or Beethoven. But you are certainly going to find a few old favorites and maybe one or two pieces that you have hitherto managed to avoid.

Tracks:

Introduction
1712 Overature
Introduction
Bach Portrait
Introduction
Capriccio La Pucelle De New Orleans (The Maid Of New Orleans)
Introduction
Minuet Militaire
Introduction
Prelude To Einstein On The Fritz
Introduction
I. Prologue (Bottomless Sorrow; Topless Gaiety)
II. The Lamentations Of Jerry Maja
III. Finale: Special Deliverance

Customer Reviews:

The funniest Schickele piece ever!.......2006-05-23

My experience with the 1712 Overture is similar to Victoria's (in another review). I was listening to the car radio when I heard the dissonant pile-up halfway through, and almost drove off the Interstate.

It should be noted that the Amazon listing is incorrect. The 1712 Overture is in reality conducted by "Walter Bruno" who is actually David Zinman. It is most assuredly not conducted by Bruno Walter (can you imagine that?), who died in 1962.

Highly recommended.

P D Q on form again.......2005-07-20

P D Q has quite a cult following among the 'cognoscenti', and others may know some of his works without being aware of it or why. Much of this is fun listening if you have that kind of mind &/or background, and has the virtual ring of period authenticity.
Classical music, like any living corpus of cultural tradition (eg religion, sport & politics) should be well capable of laughing at itself. Others have done so successfully (Hoffnung, Spike Jones, the Comedy Harmonists et al.) and PDQ follows in a worthy & rollicking tradition!

beware of the organ cadenza!.......2005-05-18

This is my favourite PDQ Bach collection. The 1712 Overture alone is worth the price of admission. The use of the motif from 'I Ain't Got No Home' is inspired and the skewering of 'Day Tripper' reduces me to helpless giggles every time.

Einstein on the Fritz is a tonic to anyone sick of the pretentious meanderings of Philip Glass, Taverner et al. And Cappricio La Poucelle de New Orleans (engineered by Burt Bach, a living direct decendant of JS Bach) is frighteningly intense, as well as hysterical. These musicians are also terrific - the pieces wouldn't work at all otherwise. And who couldn't love the rapturous intro to The Preachers of Crimetheous - featuring the most incredible percussion playing since Ginger Baker's 'Toad'.

All in all, this is a completely ridiculous delight!

Another assault to your funny bone!.......2004-04-12

P Schickele does it yet again! He successfullly skewers the classics again. My personal fave is Einstein On The Fritz, where he does a wonderful job of spoofing Philip Glass.....Only the Prof. is so twisted as to be able to sneak in 'Three Blind Mice" in the middle of a Glassian composition!

PDQ Bach at his best (worst).......2001-11-13

Mr. Schickele is a genius, he's taken music history and disgraced it, apocryphally!
the 1712 overture pokes fun at just about every type of music out there, and what the 1712 doesn't defile, the rest of the tracks on this CD pick up the slack.

This incredibly irreverent album is a must for music lovers everywhere!

Tracks:

Introduction
I. Prologue: Tragedy
Recitative: Well
II. Aria: Howdy There
Recitative: And It Wasn't Long
III. Duet: My Heart
Recitative: But
IV. Aria: You Murdered Your Father
Recitative: When Billie Jo Heard
V. Aria: Goodbye
Recitative: When Oedipus Heard
VI. Chorale And Finale
Introduction
Classical Rap
Introduction
I. Recitative: Knock, Knock
II. Recitative: How Many Psychiatrists
III. Recitative: What Is The Question?
VI. Recitative: So This Guy
Introduction
Birthday Ode To 'Big Daddy Bach'

Customer Reviews:

One of the great Classics!.......2006-08-03

Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities is one of the must haves from PDQ Bach. This album has some of his best stuff on it including the title tracks and one of the funniest songs he has composed "classical rap" this is well worth one's time to check out.

hilarity in music.......2002-10-25

Virtually every CD that Peter Schickele has put out under the name of PDQ Bach has been absolutely hilarious. This is one of his best albums - it will have you in stitches in no time flat.

"Oedipus Tex," the title piece, is a stunning parody of (of course) Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" - from the line "the gods are ticked off and now someone must pay" to the ending chorus of "the eyes of Texas are upon you" (set to the tune of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"), the piece is one of the funniest things I have ever heard.

"Classical Rap" - this track alone is worth the whole cost of the album. This "Yuppie" rap combines the stereotypes of rap music with Vivaldi and Bach, and has as its setting the upper West side of Manhattan.

"Knock Knock Cantata" - some of the worst jokes you'll ever hear set to some of the worst music you'll ever hear. The combination of text and setting is really hilarious - talk about form meeting content.

"Birthday Ode for Big Daddy Bach" - the more you know about music, the funnier this piece is.

BUY THIS CD.

Irreverent hilarity.......2002-08-09

Oedipus Tex is both my favorite Country/Western ballad and one of my favorite oratorios!

Classical Rap is, IMHO, the only Rap piece worth listening to.

This is one of "The Bad Boy of Classical Music", Peter Schickele's best recordings.

I am a PDQ junkie!.......2002-08-08

This was my first PDQ recording and it has kept me coming back for more.My father who hates music even LOVES it!It does take a special musician or music lover to appreciate the genius of such a man as Peter Shickele. Being a musician, I have performed numerous PDQ works in the past and they are extremely difficult.Oedipus Tex is by far the most ingenious album created, in my belief, in as far as its contents and musical professionalism.

Brilliant parody.......1999-10-16

Oedipus Tex is a brilliant parody... I had a teacher listen to it once and then it circulated around the entire English department. "Classical Rap" is a wonderful piece as well.

Average customer rating:

Witty and Charming

Ill-Conceived PDQ Bach Anthology

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier
Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
P.D.Q. Bach in Houston - We Have a Problem!

ASIN: B00000FDBK
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

This Is Professor Pete
1712 Overture (S. 1712)
Introduction
II. Aria With Chorus: 'Howdy There'
Recitative: 'It Wasn't Long'
III. My Heart
Recitative: 'When Oedipus Heard'
VI. Chorale And Finale
Introduction
Love Me
WTWP Station ID
Oo-La-La Introduction
Oo-La-La: Cookin' French Like The French Cook French - Dana Krueger
Introduction: The Musical Sacrifice (S. 50% Off)
I. Fuga Meshuga - Susan Palma
Introduction
Classical Rap (S. 1-2-3) - Grandmaster Flab
Introduction
I. C Major - Christopher O'Riley
Introduction
II. Simply Grand Minuet
Introduction
Little Bunny Hop Hop Hop
Introduction
Minuet Militaire
Enough Already

Customer Reviews:

Witty and Charming.......2000-08-15

This CD is fun and action packed as much as you could hope for in a CD. He uses quotes from many famous folk and classical songs and implements them into his own compositions with a bit of a twist. For example, in Classical rap, where he raps about being the best rapper in the world with terrific brass interludes between the verses. The orchestra plays a clip from Vivaldi's "Spring" and then he twists it into a record "wicky-wicky" to the same tune. He introduces every peice before it is played in a hilarious manner in which he talks about the peice and something else that was going on in the composers mind as he wrote the peice. Starting at the begining-

This is Professor Pete- Peter Schickele introduces himself as well as P.D.Q.

1712 Overture- A takeoff of the 1812 overture of course, with snatches of some famous folktunes thrown in here and there.

Oedipus Tex- A parady of the Greek Myth Oedipus Rex where he murders his father who is the King. Oedipus Tex lives a life like his brother but in Texas style.

The next tracks are more comedy than exactly music like the WTWP station giving options over the phone about how you would like to hear a certain peice of music. Cooking French... is a woman cooking a French gourmet meal but flubbing up the entire time.

What I have already said pretty much sums it up. The rest of the tracks are equally hilarious and as witty as all the others. If you buy this CD you will not regret it no matter what type of music you listen to.

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier
Average customer rating:

Lousy - don't buy it!

Lackluster

Great music; forgettable setting

Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach

Some good tracks

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bach, P.D.Q. | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach

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Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities

ASIN: B000003D0T
Release Date: 1995-08-29

Tracks:

Opening And Introduction
I. C Major
II. C Minor
III. C-Sharp Major
IV. D Major
V. D Minor
VI. E-Flat Major
VII. F Major
VIII. G Minor
IX. G Major
X. A Major
XI. A minor
XII. B-Flat Major
Introduction
I. Toccata Et Fuga Obnoxia
II. Chorale Prelude (Ave Maria Et Agnus Dei)
III. Fantasia Sopra
IV. Lullaby And Goodnight
Introduction
I. Spiel Vorspiel
II. Entrada Grande
III. Smokski The Russian Bear
IV. Toccata Ecdysiastica
Calliope Frustration
Introduction
I. Chorale 'Orally'
II. Chorale Prelude On An American Hymn For The Last Sunday Before The Fourth Day Of The Seventh Month After New Year's Eve
III. Chorale Variations On 'In Der Nacht So Hell, Der Petrus Ist Mein Freund'
Epilogue

Customer Reviews:

Lousy - don't buy it!.......2007-05-04

My boyfriend listened to the whole disc, and hated every bit of it.
I heard a couple tracks, and wanted to turn it off after two songs.
Not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as his ILL-CONCEIVED album,
which is the first PDQ we've listened to.

Hello, hello hello howdy do,
my name is Zinging-able-nessedly,
but my frrrrrieeeeeeeeennnndddsss, just call me Zing!

Lackluster.......2003-03-07

I agree with most of the other individuals who have written comments. The first piece, "The Short Tempered Clavier" is, by far, the best piece on the CD. The other works seem oddly derivative of it. There isn't the usual variety in the pieces which Schickele includes (one or two instrumental, one or two vocal). My personal suspicion is that since, years ago, Schickele announced his intention to stop his P.D.Q. Bach work in order to focus on serious compositions, this CD may have been part of a contractual obligation, or, perhaps, just an effort to get the last of the P.D.Q. Bach pieces recorded.

While the "Short Temepered Clavier" is a good piece, its probably not worth the price of the CD. If you were looking for a good P.D.Q. Bach album, I'd buy "Oedipus Tex" or "1712 Overture" or even the lesser-known (but really funny) "Lieberslieder Polkas and Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs".

Great music; forgettable setting.......2003-02-14

I'll get the bad news out of the way first. The "setting" for this performance is allegedly a Senate committee hearing room, where they are debating some ridiculous amendment to the Constitution. All of the sections of the CD where the Professor is just talking to the Senators are rather dull -- I guess Schickele was trying to get in his verbal jokes, like he does in his (hilarious) live performances, but it just falls flat here.

On to the good stuff. The Short-Tempered Clavier is some of PDQ's most inventive writing yet. Of all the solo piano PDQ music that Schickele has put out, this is some of the most cerebral ... There are quotes from other works that you don't hear until you've listened 3 or 4 times -- they're deeply imbedded. The fugue subjects are all quite ridiculous -- Beethoven's 5th, "The Worms Crawl In...", etc. (except for the last), and they are given the full PDQ treatment. The last one (in B-flat) is notable in that the fugue subject is B-A-C-H (see J.S. Bach's "Art of the Fugue", Liszt's treatment, etc.), which PDQ also manages to *invert* (something that old J.S. did once in a while, to show off his stuff). But as soon as you think the fugue might be getting serious, there is an outburst of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Then back to the fugueing. Marvelous stuff.

PDQ does the same thing in the Toccata -- it starts out with the theme of Dad's warhorse Toccata & Fugue in D minor -- only the subject is inverted (it goes up instead of down). This is an example of the oft-mentioned principle that the more you know about music theory and history, the funnier PDQ's stuff is.

Not PDQ's best work, but some of it is close. Not Schickele's best CD, but not bad, either.

Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach.......2002-04-18

Others have written here of the slight difference between Peter Schickele's "early" and "late" PDQ Bach performances, hence it is slightly surperfluous to say that the more recent Telarc recordings (of which this is one) lack the sparkle and 'zany' character of the earlier ones from the 1970s.

They are certainly still as clever: "The Short-Tempered Clavier" is of course a spoof of J. S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Keyboard", laced with quotations from other areas of the pianists repertoire as well as having the odd snatch of a very familiar tune here and there.

The whole disc is set out as the document of a lecture given by Peter Schickele to a group of skeptical, 'unmusical' US senators, with the PDQ Bach keyboard works woven in as musical examples. Hence, as well as the title work (played on piano), the programme also features appearances by a theatre organ (on which is played the "Pochelbuchlein" - "The Little Pickle Book"), a calliope (used for the "Sonata da Circo" - "Circus Sonata" - the rendition of which is cut short by the explosion of the instrument!) and the organ of the King Congregational Church (get it?!) which is little more than two synthesisers stacked on top of each other.
Each piece is fun, although the impact of the musical jokes will vary depending upon how musically-minded the listener is. In other words, musicologists, pianists and organists are likely to get the most laughs out of the programme. The liner notes add an extra dimension to the fun by containing, as well as a "scholarly essay" on the history, discovery and publication of the music, various quips about those involved in the production of the recording, with in-jokes including a 'specification' of the King Congregational Church organ...

Take it or leave it ... as a Christmas or birthday gift for a musical friend or family-member, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

Some good tracks.......2002-03-01

I enjoyed the Short-Tempered Clavier pieces tremendously. Played masterfully by Christopher O'Reilley, they are witty and delightful. A new suprise is always around the corner, and upon my first listen I found myself grinning and sometimes laughing out loud.

Then comes the rest of the album.

In the succeeding pieces, Schickele uses the same jokes, the same tunes, and crummy synthesized instruments that become so annoying that I just want to turn the thing off.

Tracks:

Oratorio: The Seasonings, S. 1/2 Tsp.: Chor: 'Tarragon Of Viture Is Full/Recitative: 'And... - Lorna Haywood/John Gerrante/Marlena Kleinman/William Woolf/the Okay Chorale/John Nelson
'Unbegun' Sym: III. Minuet/IV. Andante-Allegro - Professor Peter Shickele
Pervertimento For Bagpipes, Bicycle And Balloons, S. 66: Allegro Moulto-Romanze II... - Maurice Eisenstadt/Robert Lewis/Peter Schickele

Customer Reviews:

hysterically funny.......2005-08-11

This was the second PDQ Bach album I ever heard (after The Intimate PDQ Bach), and I can never decide which is best. At times I can't get The Seasonings or The Unbegun Symphony out of my head. The live audience makes it even better---hearing other people get the jokes makes you feel you're at the show.

Bruce.......2005-08-02

I must differ with the others only to the extent of mentioning my favorite part of "The Seasonings": the aria, "If You've Got the Money, Honey, I've Got the Thyme!" :-)

The Apotheosis of the Dunce.......2004-11-16

Complaint #1: Schickele made the self-congratulatory mistake of recording it with an audience. And thus drowning out his genius with unwanted noise. Complaint #2: Schickele's weakness for puns led to the dull self-congratulatory title. Which is a parody of Vladimir Horowitz's HISTORIC RETURN.

I'm flabbergasted by the crack musicianship that executed THE SEASONINGS. For instance, the unison trumpet & timpani at the start of OPEN SESAME SEED. And for some reason, that single bit of Beethovenian shtick means more to me that the entire banal oeuvre of Herr Ludwig himself. Have you ever noticed that the word "banal" consists of the letter "b" combined with the word "anal"? That's what the "b" in "banal" stands for, as a matter of fact: Beethoven. Anthony Burgess once confessed to being bored to tears by Beethoven's simplistic and painfully predicable harmonies. And I know for a fact that Schickele is just as bored-by-Beethoven as Burgess is. Schickele indicated this via the great wracked sobs of boredom in the BABYLON parody of OLD MCDONALD. Wherein Babylon is a code word for Beethoven. (Trust me on this one.)

A wonderful way to spend your thyme, er, time.......2004-10-11

All the bases have been covered, but I can't resist adding my voice to the chorus of approval. I have loved this music ever since I was very young, and find it still funnier, wittier,
and musically fine after being on the other side of a few college courses in musical theory. THE SEASONINGS is perhaps Shickele's most brilliant parody - the orchestra and soloists are superb. And how can we forget the brilliant contributions of the O.K. Chorale, particularly in the boisterous Handelian closing chorus, "To curry favor, favor curry"?

"Vintage" P.D.Q. Bach.......2003-07-04

I was first introduced to the "artistry" of P.D.Q. Bach in the late '70s via "The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach" compilation. That album is long gone, so, now that I'm going through my mid-life "transition", I'm rediscovering good ol' P.D.Q. via the original Vanguard recordings. This is, to my knowledge, the second of the P.D.Q. Bach recordings, and it is truly a side-splitting classic. If you have "The Wurst", you may still want this recording, too, as it contains the complete "The Seasonings" as well as the full introduction and third movement of the "Unbegun" Symphony. WARNING: if you listen to this while driving, make sure you're on a road with a good, wide paved shoulder. You will likely need it so you can pull off to recover from a fit of hysterical laughter.

Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion

Average customer rating:

The consummate Schicekle
Hysterical and not at all Esoterical
Not to be taken seriously...
Great Music
Music at its best!

Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003CYJ
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

Introduction
I. Grand Entrance
II. Simply Grand Minuet
III. Romance In The Grand Manner
IV. Rondo Mucho Grando
Introduction
I. Mr. Minuit's Minuet - David McGill
II. Panther Dance - David McGill
III. Dance Of The Grand Dams - David McGill
IV. The Lowland Fling - David McGill
Introduction
I. Maestoso Animoso
II. Daintissimo
III. Allegro, But Not Too Mucho
IV. Molto Moderato
V. Vivace Cucarace
VI. Moving Right Alongo
Introduction
Lip My Reeds
Door Prize Scene
Introduction
March Of The Cute Little Wood Sprites
Introduction
Last Tango In Beyreuth
Closing

Customer Reviews:

The consummate Schicekle.......2004-01-07

This isn't the old PDQ Bach, e.g., Concerto for Horn and Hardart--which was also good. It's "evolved," insofar as PDQ Bach is capable of evolution...

When my wife gave this to me for Christmas, I turned it on and thought it was a live performance, like the first albums--and like the Schickele performances we've happily attended. It took a few seconds to realize that it was a mock performance, of the Turtle Mountain Naval Base Tactical Wind Ensemble (who are also, as announced by Professor Schickele, busy protecting North Dakota from naval attack, a clever comment making the CD all the more worth it!) at a convenient North Dakota location.

As a Wagnerian, I was attracted to "Last Tango in Beyreuth," the last musical number on the CD. If I may paraphrase Schickele's statement of a long time ago, when you listen to it, be prepared to hear things you've heard before (PDQ's real talent having been in plagiarism, after all.)

And, since Schickele was a bassoon major, it's amusing that he picks on that instrument--for perhaps the best piece ever composed for bassoon and tuba. Then there are the pieces by the Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, an ensemble for which there are surely limited venues...

I heard one of PDQ's other numbers, Concerto for Two Piano's vs. Orchestra a few years ago. Schickele gave an hysterical historical presentation on that piece. I talked with him about it afterwards and suggested that too be put onto a CD. He said in essence that the market may not have room for it these days; renouned violinists and pianists are not sellable these days. That's distressing as Schickele's comedy form is beyond genius, and unique. So, while you can, listen to what's available. This is a gem!

Hysterical and not at all Esoterical.......2001-01-06

P.D.Q. Bach brings a funny irreverance to his subject material that is charming. He is at times on NPR (National Public Radio) and if you've ever heard him, you know what I mean. He obviously is an expert in his field, but he is outrageously funny in his parodies of famous music. Who would have thought one could bring a sense of humour to Wagner? Get this cd - or anything by PDQ - and I guarantee you're in for some laughs. You may even learn something!

Not to be taken seriously..........2000-10-08

"P. D. Q. Bach. The last and least of J. S. Bach's twenty-odd children (and by far the oddest), this composer would have passed into the mists of oblivion were it not for the determined efforts of the Music Department at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, directed by Professor Peter Schickele.

This disc, played by the Turtle Mountain Naval Base Tactical Wind Ensemble with some help from the astounding Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, was made during a concert at the University and is introduced by Professor Schickele. The event was clearly organised as an attempt at making the music of P. D. Q. Bach accessible to regular concert goers. It did not succeed: as the intermittent speech between items shows, the programme of P. D. Q. Bach's various works for wind orchestra and percussion managed to drive away not only most of the audience but even the orchestra. Furthermore, the music itself is shambolic: a complete waste of time that makes one wonder how Professor Schickele ever managed to get it published."

Actually, I only half-meant what I said above. This really is the ultimate in what is known as the letting down of hair amongst musicians: every so often, even the most serious of concert performers love to play something that is light-hearted and to be taken simply at face-value, without stuffy programme notes or flambuoyant virtuosity. And P. D. Q. Bach's music, faithfully "edited" by Peter Schickele, is not just light-hearted: it's downright flippant! This disc is a superb pick-me-up in cheerless moments, an entertaining fifty-odd minutes of musical mayhem pushed to interesting and comical limits, and an excellent gift for any musical members of the family who want to add a bit of zest to any classical music collection. Purists may scoff at the fact that this whole thing pokes fun at the music of Bach and other great composers, but it's good clean fun that still retains an element of musicality. Bravo! I just hope they invent a cure for split sides soon....

Great Music.......2000-06-18

This is a very intertaining album. From the Grand Serenade to Mr. Minute's Minuet to the cute little Wood Sprites. It's all very funny--even the booklet is funny. All in all it's very good.

Music at its best!.......2000-06-03

As a high school musician, I have played the piece Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion. Playing it was so much fun and listening to it was too. I'm sure everyone else who listens to this music will enjoy it just as I have. Just imagine a large wind ensemble, serious as can be, playing Grand Serenade!

Average customer rating:

One of the best
"Vintage" P.D.Q. Bach
The best from the Hoople Scoop
Your morning drive time introduction to classical music
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.D.Q. Bach on the Air

Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Comedy & Spoken Word | Miscellaneous | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach
1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
An Evening with PDQ Bach
P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier
The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach

ASIN: B000000EJT
Release Date: 1991-11-26

Tracks:

Bright And Early Show: Signature Theme/Intro/Echo Son For Two Unfriendly Groups Of Instruments...
Bright And Early Show: New Horizons In Music Appreciation: Beethoven's Fifth Sym/Time/Weather...
Bright And Early Show: Intro/Traumarai For Unaccompanied Pno/Station Break/Tag/Signature Theme
Dull And Late Show: Signature Theme/Intro/Schleptet in E flat: Larghissimo - Allegro Boffo...
Dull And Late Show: What's My Melodic Line?/Time/News
Dull And Late Show: Intro/Fugue in c (From The Toot Ste For Calliope For Hands)/Tag/Station Break...

Customer Reviews:

One of the best.......2006-06-30

A hilarious album, filled with inspired parodies of small-town radio, original instrument recordings (the Träumerei), weather forecasts, "Anchors Aweigh", you name it. By the way, just as The Stoned Guest is a parody of Mozart, this album constantly rags on Beethoven: the Schleptet is compared favorably to Beethoven's septet, he is accused of "awkward contrapuntal exercises", and so on. Toward the end of the Dull and Late Show, Beethoven finally gets his revenge.

"Vintage" P.D.Q. Bach.......2003-07-04

I was first introduced to the "artistry" of P.D.Q. Bach in the late '70s via "The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach" compilation. That album is long gone, so, now that I'm going through my mid-life "transition", I'm rediscovering good ol' P.D.Q. via the original Vanguard recordings. This is, to my knowledge, the third of the P.D.Q. Bach recordings, and it is truly a side-splitting classic. Even if you have "The Wurst", get this recording if you are at all a radio fan. It's especially funny if you have ever worked in radio and have any experience with on-air "adventures". WARNING: if you listen to this while driving, make sure you're on a road with a good, wide paved shoulder. You will likely need it so you can pull off to recover from a fit of hysterical laughter.

The best from the Hoople Scoop.......2002-10-08

This is my favorite PDQ Bach because it seems to be closest to their roots at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople. It's the smallest things that make it best (from What's My Melodic Line): "The first prize is the entire recorded works of Vivaldi (or is it Scarlatti?) on convenient 45 RPM records sent to you once a month for the next 38 years". These guys are definite Baroque snobs, but loveable at every point. I like everything about this CD - especially the "commercials". The high school sports reports are priceless.

Buy this CD and you will never regret it.

Your morning drive time introduction to classical music.......2002-08-13

"P.D.Q. Bach: On The Air" is probably the most thematic of the P.D.Q. Bach albums since its sets its musical schtick in the context of an early morning radio show (to wit, "The Bright and Early Show"), not to be confused with programming from the other end of the broadcast day (wit to, "The Dull and Late Show").
One of the things about P.D.Q. Bach is that the more I learned about classical music the funnier I found it. Yes, I have enough memories of my mother insisting on playing the Texaco Opera quiz loudly throughout the house on a Saturday afternoon to appreciate why "What's my Melodic Line?" and its exploration of the mysteries of the Baroque is funny, but it was not until I watched "Amaedus" that I started to understand the humor on a more musical level. I probably should have paid more attention to that Music Appreciation class long ago and far away, but all I remember is my first exposure to P.D.Q. Bach. However, I am guessing the rest of the stuff in that class might have been interesting as well. Ah, youth.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-07-29

What a hilarious CD! I received this as a present from from my parents. The first time I heard this cd I laughed to the point where your stomach hurts! I don't have a favorite part, but with this many laughs its hard to pick n' choose.

Average customer rating:

A great, fun collection

Two Pianos Are Better Than One

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Comedy & Spoken Word | Miscellaneous | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion
P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier
Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities
P.D. Q. Bach: A Little Nightmare Music

ASIN: B000003D0F
Release Date: 1994-09-27

Tracks:

Introduction
I. Shake Allegro
II. Andante Alighieri
III. Presto Changio
Introduction
I. Antemezzo
II. Mezzo
III. Intermezzo
IV. L'Altro Mezzo
Introduction
Chaconne A Son Gout
Introduction
I. Fuga Meshuga
II. Sort Of Little Trio Sonata: Andante; Allegro Molto; Lento...
III. Three Canons
IV. Chorale Prelude: 'Da Kommt Ja Der Schurke'
V. Four More Canons
VI. The Grossest Fugue
Closing

Customer Reviews:

A great, fun collection.......1999-11-25

This CD is great music and pure fun from beginning to end. I would never claim to be an afficianado of classical music but I can listen to this disc over and over again, great music tempered with a great sense of humor. A must for anybody who enjoys classical music but doesn't have to take it too seriously.

Average customer rating:

Multiple-personality opera
5 stars not enough!
Hilarious
Ferrante's fruity-tooty duty is his dooby dooby doo
A must have for PDQ Bach fans

The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach

Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Comedy & Spoken Word | Miscellaneous | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach
An Evening with PDQ Bach
P.D.Q. Bach on the Air
Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities
Portrait of P.D.Q. Bach

ASIN: B000000EL0
Release Date: 1990-01-25

Tracks:

Hansel And Gretel And Ted And Alice - John Ferrante/Professor Peter Schickele/David Oei
Toot Ste: The O.K. Chorale - David Oei/Professor Peter Schickele
Spoken Intro: 'Erotica' Vars - The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach
Spoken Intro: The Art Of The Ground Round - John Ferrante/John Ferrante/John Nelson/Professor Schickele/Peter Rosenfeld/Arthur Weisburg

Customer Reviews:

Multiple-personality opera.......2007-01-20

If you've never experienced the music of P.D.Q. Bach, the album THE INTIMATE P.D.Q. BACH is a great place to start. Professor Peter Schickele (of the University of Southern North Dakota, at Hoople) is a master of the comic lyric. His verse is easily as complex and witty as Tom Lehrer's best. Additionally, Schickele is so deeply steeped in the classical genre he can facilely twist, combine and parody music from any era, and with remarkable results.

"Bargain-counter" tenor John Ferrante had a voice and talent like no other. The initial success of Schickele's efforts are due in large part to Ferrante's unique vocal contributions.

"Hansel And Gretel And Ted And Alice" is a superlative work-- a one act comic opera with seven characters, performed by Ferrante and Schickele, along with a solo piano. The play is by turns jolly, convoluted, silly, "shocking," but always melodious. In the opera's finale, the two performers are required to sing FOUR parts almost simultaneously, a feat complicated by Schickele's deftly donning and removing a wolf's head to play his two characters. Visually, this piece was an hysterical sight.

What can be said about the "O.K. Chorale"? The calliope-four-hands has never sounded as sweet.

The intro to the "Erotica Variations" is nearly as hilarious as the music itself. That the instruments involved were "banned" is a gift to us all!

"The Art Of The Ground Round" is the one selection from this album that everyone seems to remember. This is due in large part to punnish and impudent lyrics-- and our natural love of Row, Row, Row your boat-type group sings.

THE INTIMATE P.D.Q. BACH is highly recommended for all classical music lovers, fans of madcap comedy, and anyone who happens to live in Hoople, North Dakota.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 50:14

5 stars not enough!.......2005-08-11

My brother brought this home from college 25+ years ago. I know most of the songs by heart, especially the Ground Round. No matter how many times I hear it I find myself laughing and groaning along with the audience. The studio albums, while good, just don't have the zing of the live ones.

Hilarious.......2005-07-09

Peter Shickele has made a career out of lampooning classical music. On numerous albums, he has "performed" the works of P.D.Q. Bach, the mythical lost son of J.S. Bach. What all of his pieces have in common is that they take a perfectly good piece of classical music and make a complete mockery out of it, usually with hilarious results. This album is no exception

"Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice" is billed as an opera in one unnatural act. It is silly and irreverent. It is also fun.

"The O.K. Chorale" is a lampoon of "The Sheep May Safely Graze" with "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and others thrown in for comic effect. It is played on "calliope".

"Erotica Variations" is lifted from Beethoven's "Heroica". It features some rather obscure instruments that, hopefully, will not have anything else written for them.

"The Art of the Ground Round" is one of my all time favorites. It is a series of rounds or canons. As the voices start to overlap, a completely new set of lyrics appears.

These "compositions" may offend serious music lovers. For any one with a sense of humor about pretentious music it is a must.

Ferrante's fruity-tooty duty is his dooby dooby doo.......2004-11-16

The GROUND ROUND tunes are obviously the stand-out items. But I regret that they were done with minimalist arrangements. These mini-masterpieces should've been done with lavish orchestrations. And without a live audience. (Schickele didn't have the common sense to eschew live audiences until MISSA HILARIOUS.)

GROUND ROUND's 3 tenors are John Ferrante, John Nelson, & The Schick. And every time I hear it, I come to it with an automatic prejudice that favors Ferrante's singing. But then I get subjected to John Nelson's luscious voice and it causes me to reconsider my favoritism. (Schickele's voice is 2000 light-years from contention.)

A must have for PDQ Bach fans.......2000-03-01

This is definately my favorite of all the PDQ Bach recordings. A classic (pardon the pun) that will have even those of you who are not particularly fond of classical music, wanting more. The "Art of the Ground Round" is brilliant as well as the opereta "Hansel and Gretal and Ted and Alice"

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