I play in a community concert band that's about 80% professional, with a few duffers like myself. Every year we have a 'one composer' concert. For years I've been suggesting that we do a P.D.Q. Bach / Peter Schickele concert. The typical response from the music directors is "We're not THAT good yet!"
They're right. It is incredibly difficult to play Schickele's music -- much less spell his name -- precisely because he zigs when you "should" zag and jumps when you should duck -- in fact I think he used a duck (call) in this piece. But his pieces are sure fun to listen to, even if the audience doesn't always get all the jokes.
I dated a girl in college who played in the band and took lessons/courses from a French Horn Player in the Buffalo Philharmonic. When Peter Schickele came to do a concert, the sheet music was sent to the orchestra only three days before the performance. Most certainly, only seasoned professionals could keep up with Peter.
My brother and I have each asked for "Pop Goes the Weasel" to be played during our funeral liturgies. Our sister Bridget, who has arranged music for the liturgies of Dad, Mom and sister Jane, has flatly refused. Go figure!
It is very refreshing to see that the efforts of Professor Schickele paid off and the music of PDQ Bach is becoming part of the classical repertoire. I remember thinking back when I came in to acquaintance with this piece that it would be great to see an actual performance of the overture but I thought that such day would never come. I am most grateful to know that I was wrong.
I agree. I have seen at least a half dozen versions of this piece from high schools to the Boston Pops & this is easily the best of them next to Schickele's own. But there's no ID. What orchestra is this?
The music is the joke, the musicians don't clown. Some of PDQs works are extremely difficult to play or sing. The physical jokes are carefully contrived. If you mess with his music he will come and haunt you.
This is even funnier if you read the liner notes for the album. For example, it is partly the story of two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel. Rudi founded and became the mayor of the town of Duseldorf, Germany, and became known as Der Deutscher Dudel, while Dieter moved to the New World and became known as the Yankee Dudel. This explains one of the themes in the piece!
I might very well have misspelled the town name but that is not relevant. The explanation I speak of refers to "Yankee Doodle" being used as a theme in this piece. There's no reason to be pedantic about it.
@@graeme011 Without the umlaut, it is spelled Dusseldorf in English. Being good linguistic imperialists, and considering this post is in English, I would ask, "who won the war, anyway?!"
I attended Norwich University, a military college, and each spring we performed the 1812 Overture, complete with Carillon and 75 mm Howitzers. around 1990 I had the chance to see and hear the 1712 Overture performed by the Buffalo Symphony. one of the most entertaining and memorable concerts I've ever seen. having played the 1812 the 1712 is even more hilarious especially the exaggerated glissando run and the whole orchestra on cue taking a deep breath. I was s horn player. I think his music is purd genius. it's also nice to know Rainer Hirsch has taken up when the professor left off.
THE LATE GREAT PETER SCHICKLE,THE CLOWN PRINCE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC! HIS LEGACY WILL LIVE ON,AS LONG AS MUSICIANS AND GOD HAS A SENSE OF THE REDICULOUS AND A HEARTY SENSE OF HUMOR! THANK YOU PETER! THANK YOU 😇 😊!
Splendid!! Had me laughing out loud, several times. 15 mins ago, I was innocently watching Dvorak's 'Requiem.' Then, on an impulse, I looked-up the meaning of 'Tuba Mirum' ... Too late - the damage was done and I was hooked!
Switch to Wellington's Victory, which the 1812 Overture replaced in the public epository of Really Obnoxiously Grand But Fun Pieces. Some of the best deserved parts of the 1812 Overture were parodied here.
@@BennyLlama39 Indeed, Monty Python did that to me with Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, with their Oliver Cromwell song, those bastards: th-cam.com/video/pwiztVCnjY0/w-d-xo.html
The guy with the pink tie and shorts is pretty well hidden. Didn't see him til a last close up. I love the parts where Shick doesn't think it came out quite silly enough, so he immediately repeats the brass line muted. The guy is a warped genius!
More years ago than I care to count I saw the Professor in Philadelphia where the performed the four seasonings oratorio. This was an unforgetable evening and living proof that life is too important to take seriously. :-)
This was more enjoyable to watch and listen to than when Peter Schickele conducted this overture with my local orchestra. This orchestra really go into of PDQ Bach's overture.
Say what you will of the impish humor of von Karajan or the nonchalant, laid back Furtwangler, this has to be the Reference Recording. RIP Peter Schickele
Very well played, it takes great musicianship to perform a parody well. Very nice composition and performance. Even a funny seating arrangement. Were the birds tuned to D#? ;-) Thank you all! Bravo!
DrBobcf Obviously, since PDQ's 1712 comes first. 1712 before 1812. Pyotr Ilyich has a lot to answer for. He still owes me for the pint I stood him for. So does PDQ. But I'll never see my money from PDQ, I know that.
Possibly two reasons: culture and amplification. Japanese audiences at concerts tend to be rather undemonstrative. And if the audience isn't mic'd you'd have a hard time hearing them laugh over the volume of the orchestra anyway.
Perform PDQ Bach without telling the audience beforehand that it's supposed to be funny and they have permission to laugh, and you risk a total flop. I know: I've been in that situation many times.
Oh, my gosh: I have not listened to PDQ Bach in dedades. This was great. I'd love to know which orchestra is performing, and the explanation for the smattering of costumes. Well done with loving respect for PDQ Bach and Peter Schickele. Thanks !
Yes, on one of his intro's he says something like: Prepare to hear things you've heard before. But then he warps them into complete hilarity. What scares me, is if you listen to enough of it, some of the warped parts start to sound GOOD???
That was a lot of fun. Can you add the name of the orchestra and conductor, and the location and date of this performance, to the video description above?
MathMachne', Then Schickle has succeeded!. PDQ Bach's video "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" renders Schickle's brand of musical humour more transparent.
It's July 5th, 2018. I had forgotten this least known overture by the least (talented) child of J.S. Bach. Then the mouse wandered to an obscure box/link and here I am. Uh, where am I?;)
I have two questions. 1. The musicians who were out of uniform. Are they card-carrying members of the musician's union? 2. If they were not, were they paid union scale?
This is proof: PDQ Bach's plagiarism is time-reversible. Is it my imagination, or do I hear vocals in spots echoing the music? Oh, and I like the extended organ cadenza.
I play in a community concert band that's about 80% professional, with a few duffers like myself. Every year we have a 'one composer' concert. For years I've been suggesting that we do a P.D.Q. Bach / Peter Schickele concert. The typical response from the music directors is "We're not THAT good yet!"
They're right. It is incredibly difficult to play Schickele's music -- much less spell his name -- precisely because he zigs when you "should" zag and jumps when you should duck -- in fact I think he used a duck (call) in this piece. But his pieces are sure fun to listen to, even if the audience doesn't always get all the jokes.
@@jmconnollyus That would be "Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion"
I dated a girl in college who played in the band and took lessons/courses from a French Horn Player in the Buffalo Philharmonic. When Peter Schickele came to do a concert, the sheet music was sent to the orchestra only three days before the performance. Most certainly, only seasoned professionals could keep up with Peter.
Well, now you can do a tribute to him.
Peter Schickele is to classical music what Weird Al is to pop music.
...Only better than W.A. 'cuz he mixes & matches!
The 1812 Overture meets Pop Goes The Weasel. Two venerable classics, no question. Priceless.
My brother and I have each asked for "Pop Goes the Weasel" to be played during our funeral liturgies. Our sister Bridget, who has arranged music for the liturgies of Dad, Mom and sister Jane, has flatly refused. Go figure!
It is very refreshing to see that the efforts of Professor Schickele paid off and the music of PDQ Bach is becoming part of the classical repertoire. I remember thinking back when I came in to acquaintance with this piece that it would be great to see an actual performance of the overture but I thought that such day would never come. I am most grateful to know that I was wrong.
The long forgotten son of Bach will not be forgotten anymore!
@@DreamlessSleepwalker His mother was very lucky: she didn't have to give birth to him, and after doing it 20 times, she needed a break!
6:36, someone is taking a selfie in a middle of a piece...
RIP Peter Schickele
I listened to a broadcast of this yesterday. Afterward, the radio host said, "Peter Schickele--we will never see the likes of him again."
Excellent! It takes great musicianship to play and clown at the same time.
I agree. I have seen at least a half dozen versions of this piece from high schools to the Boston Pops & this is easily the best of them next to Schickele's own. But there's no ID. What orchestra is this?
The music is the joke, the musicians don't clown. Some of PDQs works are extremely difficult to play or sing. The physical jokes are carefully contrived. If you mess with his music he will come and haunt you.
@@mrsenstitz Yep. It can actually be quite hard to purposely play out of key!
This is even funnier if you read the liner notes for the album. For example, it is partly the story of two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel. Rudi founded and became the mayor of the town of Duseldorf, Germany, and became known as Der Deutscher Dudel, while Dieter moved to the New World and became known as the Yankee Dudel. This explains one of the themes in the piece!
This explains nothing! I have never heard of Duseldorf, only Duesseldorf.
I might very well have misspelled the town name but that is not relevant. The explanation I speak of refers to "Yankee Doodle" being used as a theme in this piece. There's no reason to be pedantic about it.
There was also someone who didn't want a town of musicians. He was Wilhelm Wiesel, AKA Wiesel the Weasel.
@@graeme011 Without the umlaut, it is spelled Dusseldorf in English. Being good linguistic imperialists, and considering this post is in English, I would ask, "who won the war, anyway?!"
@@graeme011 But have you heard of Drusselstein?
I attended Norwich University, a military college, and each spring we performed the 1812 Overture, complete with Carillon and 75 mm Howitzers. around 1990 I had the chance to see and hear the 1712 Overture performed by the Buffalo Symphony. one of the most entertaining and memorable concerts I've ever seen. having played the 1812 the 1712 is even more hilarious especially the exaggerated glissando run and the whole orchestra on cue taking a deep breath. I was s horn player. I think his music is purd genius. it's also nice to know Rainer Hirsch has taken up when the professor left off.
Oh dear, the more you hear this, the more you think the 1812 Overture is wrong.
Well this clearly came first
@@counterfit5 100 years earlier, indeed
THE LATE GREAT PETER SCHICKLE,THE CLOWN PRINCE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC! HIS LEGACY WILL LIVE ON,AS LONG AS MUSICIANS AND GOD HAS A SENSE OF THE REDICULOUS AND A HEARTY SENSE OF HUMOR! THANK YOU PETER! THANK YOU 😇 😊!
Splendid!! Had me laughing out loud, several times. 15 mins ago, I was innocently watching Dvorak's 'Requiem.' Then, on an impulse, I looked-up the meaning of 'Tuba Mirum' ...
Too late - the damage was done and I was hooked!
Once I heard the 1712 Overture, I was never able to listen to the 1812 again without laughing!
I know of several classical pieces that fall into that category. 🙂
Switch to Wellington's Victory, which the 1812 Overture replaced in the public epository of Really Obnoxiously Grand But Fun Pieces. Some of the best deserved parts of the 1812 Overture were parodied here.
100years
@@BennyLlama39 Entire symphonies and operas are irrevocably linked to Bigs Bunny in my brain.
Why, oh why did Wagner kill the wabbit?
@@BennyLlama39 Indeed, Monty Python did that to me with Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, with their Oliver Cromwell song, those bastards: th-cam.com/video/pwiztVCnjY0/w-d-xo.html
I love the organist and the responses he gets from the conductor and other members of the orchestra!
That was a highlight!
The guy with the pink tie and shorts is pretty well hidden. Didn't see him til a last close up. I love the parts where Shick doesn't think it came out quite silly enough, so he immediately repeats the brass line muted. The guy is a warped genius!
The trumpet player in shorts and pink tie is also wearing green Crocs...
After Napoleon heard this, he just threw in the towel.
More years ago than I care to count I saw the Professor in Philadelphia where the performed the four seasonings oratorio. This was an unforgetable evening and living proof that life is too important to take seriously. :-)
Leonard Furst - If life is important, why should one NOT take it seriously?
Works both ways like many things in life, what is most important is finely tuned sense of humour. Did you enjoy the 1712 overture?
a few minutes in I thought..."uh oh...there are balloons in the percussion section..." Did not disappoint.
This piece highlights one of P.D.Q. Bach's greatest attributes, plagiarism.
Michael Neville but he was around before Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky was the ripoff.
The audience applause at the end felt a lot like "what just happened?"
My brothers and I first heard "PDQ Bach" in the 1970's. It is wonderful to see the genius of Peter Schickele appreciated.
Awesome!! Especially love the mixture of the French National Anthem (part of The 1812), Pop Goes the Weasel, and Rodeo.
I found this by misspelling 1812 Overture.
This is different
+Kyle Grese Vastly!
I have found many interesting things on the internet doing that. Says somtheing aboot me typeng I goose. ;-)
How many different ways are there to misspell "1812 Overture"?
So did the composer. LOL.
This was more enjoyable to watch and listen to than when Peter Schickele conducted this overture with my local orchestra. This orchestra really go into of PDQ Bach's overture.
I expected the keyboard player to put on some dark shades and do some Ray Charles.
Peter Schickele est l'un des plus grands génie de l'histoire de la Musique pour nous faire rire.
So manny poor weasels that went Pop for this piece….
That deserved tumultuous applause! Thanks! XXX
This performance is an absolute hoot! Hilarity aside, there are a few passages in this piece that I think are genuinely beautiful musical brilliance
Aw man I love the Bach Toccata and Fugue part at the end so much!!
4:18: "Pop goes the Marseillaise"
La Weasellaise~ ?
クソ真面目にこの曲を演奏するっていうのが最大の笑いどころであり、変な要素もいっぱいちりばめられていて聞いてて飽きない奥深い曲でもあると思う。
a great performance, hilarious.
Say what you will of the impish humor of von Karajan or the nonchalant, laid back Furtwangler, this has to be the Reference Recording.
RIP Peter Schickele
If I could have liked this more than once, I would have done so at least 12 times! 😂
Very well played, it takes great musicianship to perform a parody well. Very nice composition and performance. Even a funny seating arrangement. Were the birds tuned to D#? ;-) Thank you all! Bravo!
This is fantastic. I can't stop cracking up about it.
JimmytheTrumpet
no.
May be the most amusing 12 minutes of my life.
It must be really hard to play this without dropping into the 1812 Overture. ;-D
+Jim Steele in fact.... it's now more difficult to play 1812 without dropping into the 1712 Orz....
lol
Sounds like they did drop into 1812 or at least 1912.
Tchaikovsky stole his 1812 from PDQ Bach!
DrBobcf Obviously, since PDQ's 1712 comes first. 1712 before 1812. Pyotr Ilyich has a lot to answer for. He still owes me for the pint I stood him for. So does PDQ. But I'll never see my money from PDQ, I know that.
I was SO hoping for an Inna Gadda davida riff......oh well
Kazooed on classics by the temple city kazoo orchestra has it
Me too...
@Marcus Pun That didn't appear until his very late period compositions.
Perhaps the Professor or one of his students will turn up that work someday.
No solo Bravo ni Bravísimo ... Definitivamente lis chinos nos llevan mucha ventaja ... No había visto versión del gran pDq beach tan buena
Truly keeping in the spirit of PDQ Bach!
I'm still very... very... confused.
How has the audience not bursted out laughing?
it wasn't that funny
but that's just my opinion
They aren't smart enough
Possibly two reasons: culture and amplification. Japanese audiences at concerts tend to be rather undemonstrative. And if the audience isn't mic'd you'd have a hard time hearing them laugh over the volume of the orchestra anyway.
fun with music!
ps the audience was speechless ; p
This is really outstanding!
Perform PDQ Bach without telling the audience beforehand that it's supposed to be funny and they have permission to laugh, and you risk a total flop. I know: I've been in that situation many times.
Oh, my gosh: I have not listened to PDQ Bach in dedades. This was great. I'd love to know which orchestra is performing, and the explanation for the smattering of costumes. Well done with loving respect for PDQ Bach and Peter Schickele. Thanks !
The synth player had a very nice smile!
PDQ Bach..Master of Classical Plagarism !!
Classical satire I rather like to think
supyoist True that . I meant no insult . I love him !!
Yes, on one of his intro's he says something like: Prepare to hear things you've heard before. But then he warps them into complete hilarity. What scares me, is if you listen to enough of it, some of the warped parts start to sound GOOD???
I can no longer listen to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik without expecting to hear the Mexican Hat Dance.
Nah, just variations on a theme.
It's a thing of beauty! :'( :D
Any chance of finding out who the orchestra is, so they can get the blame oops, mean credit.
Obviously east Asian.
It's in Hong Kong
Blame for what? They didn't write it, they're just performing it. 🙂
@@BennyLlama39 Exactly
Did the ref just give the keyboard player a red card?
Yep!
Love the selfies.
Very, very funny. I'd been laughing out loud!!!!!
These guys are good!!!!!!
PDQ Bach is the best! We like the smattering of applause at the end. Apparently a lot of ppl don't get it.
J.R. Baboon big star of cartoon!
Peter Schickele was a DJ in Detoit for a while on a station that was split between jazz and classical - somehow it seemed appropriate.
Before he passes we need him to do a parody of Pines of Rome. Please! Oaks of Los Angeles or something like that
the totoro phone case!! *_*
That sounded eerily familiar.
P.D.Q. Bach (the composer of this piece) was the last and least of J.S. Bach’s many offspring.
J.S. had 20 odd children, of whom P.D.Q was the oddest.
narinig ko yan sa banda lumanug ng pampanga way back 2009 at robinson pampanga
Wonderful!
Hilarious. And beautiful.
That was magic.
JimmytheTrumpet What? They forgot a note?
JimmytheTrumpet Intonation on a PDQ Bach piece? LOL ;-)
JimmytheTrumpet I'll pass your sage advice on to Spike Jones when I see him again.
I remember my friend taking me to see Schickele at Carnegie Hall in the early 80s.
May I know the name of orchestra performing? It looks like one of the many symphonies orchestras in Singapore.
のっけからいきなり「アルプス一万尺」だもんなぁｗ
Napoleon would have done much, much better to have stayed home and listened to this, curled up with Josephine, or whoever.
That was a lot of fun. Can you add the name of the orchestra and conductor, and the location and date of this performance, to the video description above?
Bach was Genius
I think 5:26 is my favorite part.
MathMachne', Then Schickle has succeeded!.
PDQ Bach's video "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" renders Schickle's brand of musical humour more transparent.
Great parody on serious music.
SUPER!
Of all the concerts I have ever heard, that was one of them...duh\
Bravísimo
100 ahead of it's time!!!
Found this masterpiece thanks to wsmc chattanooga clsssic
great!!!, where are you all from ? I have this album for a long time, but it's my first time to see someone perform...
I've never heard of this before to day! But I'm loving every second of it!
pdq bach strikes again
It's July 5th, 2018. I had forgotten this least known overture by the least (talented) child of J.S. Bach. Then the mouse wandered to an obscure box/link and here I am. Uh, where am I?;)
Why can't anyone simply enjoy (or hate) this (or anything) without the clever comments.
I'm just here for the clever comments (not really) ;-).
Because it's all part of the fun.
I almost did... Then I saw your comment, and a golden opportunity!
Because we all left the dumb comment for you.
Given the lack of laughter and the polite applause at the end, I don't think the audience got the humor of P.D.Q. Bach.
💜💜
Obviamente es una parodia del 1812 de thaikovsky
Sí. Pero es mucho más que solamente un parodia, es también un grand chiste de música y musicología. :-)
Would this be considered pop music? RIP PDQ
selfies just add to the humor
I see one of the bone players didn't get the dress code memo....
I have two questions.
1. The musicians who were out of uniform. Are they card-carrying members of the musician's union?
2. If they were not, were they paid union scale?
Anybody: Who is this orchestra?
My god! What is this?😂
Yankee Doodle Redux
Such a nice hall and no real organ?
Duck calls?
They are in the score.
This is proof: PDQ Bach's plagiarism is time-reversible.
Is it my imagination, or do I hear vocals in spots echoing the music? Oh, and I like the extended organ cadenza.
Ahhh....plaigirism (sp?) as an art form. PDQ Back at his best.
Timothy Scanlon but Tchaikovsky’s was the plagiarism. PDQ was around first.
when was this composed?
Hi, do you know who arranged this piece?
PDQ Bach aka Peter Schickele