Translated from the original German, P.D.Q. Bach's tombstone reads: "Here lies a man with sundry flaws And numerous Sins upon his head; We buried him today because As far as we can tell, he's dead."
Very nice tribute. I'm not a musician, just a listener. What Professor Pete did while he was here on earth to promote classical music, whether serious or hilarious, will never be forgotten. If God needed a laugh, he sure picked the right person to come visit him although we would have considerably enjoyed having him around for a few more years. THANKS
I had the good fortune of seeing Peter Schickele conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra some years back, and the only time since then that I laughed so hard at a live performance was when Weird Al visited my city. To produce that kind of parody requires a thorough understanding of the original material, and a great deal of creativity.
‘The Short-Tempered Clavier’ is a work of pure genius, and extremely funny if you know and love JS Bach’s ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’. Thank you, Peter Schickele, and rest in pieces 🎶
I love PDQ Bach and Peter Schikele. Besides unearthing and spreading awareness about the lost pieces of PDQ Bach, he also had some pretty awesome credits I only learned of in the last years of his life. For instance, he wrote the orchestrations and arrangements for several of Joan Baez’s early albums in the 60’s. I lived all my life enjoying and appreciating the unique blend of mysticism, historically-informed character, and modern beauty his orchestrations brought to her Christmas album, Noël, without ever realizing it was him until a year or two ago. He will be dearly missed, and his and PDQ’s works will certainly be be beloved and performed for generations. RIP
A slight correction: "PDQ Bach" first appeared when the young Peter Schickele, his younger brother David, and their friend Ernie decided to have a little musical fun while still in high school and recorded the "Sanka Cantata". (The piece appears in the CD box collection.) 2:50 Have you heard the original Beethoven's fifth done as a sports event? "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" in "PDQ Bach on the Air". 3:25 Oh, dear. Rest in Peace, Peter Schickele.
My intro to P.D.Q. Bach came from high school choir -- "Come Live with Me and Be My Love" (which I found out later to be part of his Liebeslieder Polkas, adapted from a poem by Christopher Marlowe). My tastes in music certainly changed after singing part of that (bass part, to be exact). RIP, Prof. Schickele.
Thank you for this. It's sad that more people don't realize the true genius of Peter Schickele. Not just his PDQ Bach stuff, but the serious works he did as well.
There is a problem if you listen to PDQ Bach before knowing the original. When I hear Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, I expect Take Me Out The Ball Game to sneak in somewhere.
So many of Bach's progeny's works are unknown: 'Flying High' by KLM Bach, 'Thesaurus' by ABC Bach, 'Subversion' by KGB Bach, 'Three Letter Acronym' by TLA Bach, 'Aegean Sea' by GNC Bach, 'Pictures' by JPG Bach, 'Memories' by EMI Bach. Any others?
Ahoy, Thanks for this video. When I saw the title I knew who it had to be. I was in High School band in the late '70s and we had the immense honor (and great shame) of performing a PDQ Bach piece. I can't remember what it was called but at one point the brass section removed our mouthpieces and played the section in harmony using them like kazoos. It was great fun and the audience enjoyed the fun too. Thanks again. Cheers, daveyb
I had the chance to see Peter Schickele perform "The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach" at the Center For The Arts in Midland MI when I was studying music theory at Delta College in 1974. Our Professor suggested we go to the show. She didn't tell us anything about it so we didn't have any idea what to expect. The next class she asked what we thought about it. I told her my favorite part was "Calliope Four Hands." She agreed with me.
I had the good fortune to attend a New Year's Day PDQ Bach concert in 1971, with Zubin Mehta conducting the LA Philharmonic. (And, of course, Peter Schickele rappelling down out of the balcony of the concert hall!) What a blast!
Or the time the Violinist’s G String snapped during rehearsal, causing JS Bach to make an emergency repair from his wig and leading to the famous « Hair on the G String »
@@OiseauTriste “quod erat dixit” used as formal end to an argument considered proven ; in English “ thus it was said” literally, meaning “it’s proven “
Btw, it means "which was to be demonstrated". Basically you start off trying to prove proposition P so you say: this assumption implies this and this implies this and this implies this implies this implies this which implies P *which is what we were trying to prove in the first place.* That's basically what Q.E.D. means "which is what we wanted to prove". Proved, demonstrated, shown, etc. mean the same thing in this context.
There was in 1980s Westgerman TV a TV show , Der Prinz muß her', in which an unemployed arts expert worked as Private Investigator. In one episode an expensive small statue was stolen, and a for me unknown german composer was noted. Some years later, i heared, a composer of this name realy existed, but was not famous.
I grew up on that P.D.Q Bach biograpby book! I'd love to have a t shirt with a page of one of his compositions, maybe the entire piano sonata he tried to fit on one page to save money on manuscript paper 😆
Thank you very much for this piece of information! In return I could recommend Gentle Giant, a very different classic-inspired rock band, and many more...
PDQ Bach, the invention of Peter Schickele to poke fun at the Baroque era music. I'm not too sure where I first heard about the "least talented of Bach's many children," but it made me laugh out loud and wonder if these were high brow "Weird Al" parodies.
Indeed - but on the bright side, I was able to use Peter Schickele's other, more serious, works, thereby demonstrating his wide range of musical talent!
The clip is from a 1994 concert performed by the University of Kansas Band - the full video can be found here: archive.org/details/peter-schickele-kuconcert As for the background audio, refer to _A note on the background music_ in the description :)
When you start paying attention to classical music, you realize that a lot of what "PDQ Bach" does is simply taking acceptable things to an absurd extreme. Silly instruments? There's a "Toy" Symphony (written for toy instruments) from the 1700s that's been attributed to Leopold Mozart.... The "1812 Overture" references Russian folk tunes, so having the "1712 Overture" include "Yankee Doodle" and "Pop Goes the Weasel" is understandable and appropriate. And the "sportscast" of Beethoven actually is a fair commentary on the music....
Sorry man, have to give you a thumbs diwn for using the phrase "art music" for the classical super-genre. The phrase is useless as a descriptor (because "art" does _not_ say anything about what style the music is), and inexcusable in it's arrogance (because it implies that only classical-ish styles are art). The phrase should be uniformly rejected as unfit-for-purpose instead of being used.
Oh boy!
Small correction: P.D.Q. bach was *born* in 1807 and died in 1742 not the other way around!
makes sense.
This explains almost everything.
I wonder if he aged backwards like Benjamin Button.
Guy time travelled.
I was thinking the same thing.
Rest in peace, Peter Schickele. :(
I just found out thru this comment 😢
Really sad, I know.
@@hawkbirdtree3660 Me too.
Well, damn...
I used to listen to him on the radio every week, I think he was on wnyc 93.9.
"And now we come to the part that you've all be waiting for... The end"
A terrible loss. Thank you, Professor.
What makes Peter Schikele special is the quality of the compositions. The music, while funny makes sense
Professor Schickele gave us the "other" view of Bach. I have never given him credit for my love of classical music.
Translated from the original German, P.D.Q. Bach's tombstone reads:
"Here lies a man with sundry flaws
And numerous Sins upon his head;
We buried him today because
As far as we can tell, he's dead."
I tried to enroll in the University of Southern Notth Dakota at Hoople, but they wouldn't take me and I had to settle for Julliard.
Very nice tribute. I'm not a musician, just a listener. What Professor Pete did while he was here on earth to promote classical music, whether serious or hilarious, will never be forgotten. If God needed a laugh, he sure picked the right person to come visit him although we would have considerably enjoyed having him around for a few more years. THANKS
I had the good fortune of seeing Peter Schickele conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra some years back, and the only time since then that I laughed so hard at a live performance was when Weird Al visited my city. To produce that kind of parody requires a thorough understanding of the original material, and a great deal of creativity.
My first introduction to P.D.Q. was the Concerto for Horn and Hardart. RIP, Professor Schickele.
‘The Short-Tempered Clavier’ is a work of pure genius, and extremely funny if you know and love JS Bach’s ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’. Thank you, Peter Schickele, and rest in pieces 🎶
i wish you the best algorythm!
My favorite PDQ Bach title is "Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice, an Opera in one Unnatural Act"
I love PDQ Bach and Peter Schikele. Besides unearthing and spreading awareness about the lost pieces of PDQ Bach, he also had some pretty awesome credits I only learned of in the last years of his life. For instance, he wrote the orchestrations and arrangements for several of Joan Baez’s early albums in the 60’s. I lived all my life enjoying and appreciating the unique blend of mysticism, historically-informed character, and modern beauty his orchestrations brought to her Christmas album, Noël, without ever realizing it was him until a year or two ago. He will be dearly missed, and his and PDQ’s works will certainly be be beloved and performed for generations. RIP
He also composed the music to the film SILENT RUNNING starring Bruce Dern and Joan Baez did the title song. GREAT STUFF.
@@FREDGARRISON Ooo I didn’t know! I should check it out!!
A slight correction: "PDQ Bach" first appeared when the young Peter Schickele, his younger brother David, and their friend Ernie decided to have a little musical fun while still in high school and recorded the "Sanka Cantata". (The piece appears in the CD box collection.)
2:50 Have you heard the original Beethoven's fifth done as a sports event? "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" in "PDQ Bach on the Air".
3:25 Oh, dear. Rest in Peace, Peter Schickele.
My intro to P.D.Q. Bach came from high school choir -- "Come Live with Me and Be My Love" (which I found out later to be part of his Liebeslieder Polkas, adapted from a poem by Christopher Marlowe). My tastes in music certainly changed after singing part of that (bass part, to be exact). RIP, Prof. Schickele.
Thank you for this. It's sad that more people don't realize the true genius of Peter Schickele. Not just his PDQ Bach stuff, but the serious works he did as well.
That’s so unfair for him. Poor guy. I actually hate Bach now for neglecting him so young. Even if he didn’t exist I felt bad bro
That baseball game symphony is hilarious.
If you haven't heard it yet, it's highly recommended!
*I* highly recommend his "Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycle, and Balloons."
My favorite is Iphegenia in Brooklyn. All of the rest is my second favorite.
There is a problem if you listen to PDQ Bach before knowing the original. When I hear Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, I expect Take Me Out The Ball Game to sneak in somewhere.
Very true! When I was a kid, there was a beer commercial to the tune of "The Toreador Song". I still have to push it away every time I see Carmen.
Wouldn't that have been "Eine Kleine NICHTmusik??
I cant unhear that horn note in the Beethoven 5 recording
Ach, bei dem Bild dachte ich, es sei der bekannte Komponist Mr Traditional, von dem jeden Tag eine neue alte Komposition auftaucht...
Ha ha, das ist eine sehr gültige Interpretation des Bildes und des Titels!
Discovered Peter in 2000 in college, loved all his music ever since. RIP.
And we've heard a lot of old PDQ's work, through his chief interpreter.
Rest in power, Peter Schickele....
I can’t believe this video has so few views, it’s so high quality and informative!
I could already tell it would be pdq bach from the title alone
very well composed video!
So many of Bach's progeny's works are unknown: 'Flying High' by KLM Bach, 'Thesaurus' by ABC Bach, 'Subversion' by KGB Bach, 'Three Letter Acronym' by TLA Bach, 'Aegean Sea' by GNC Bach, 'Pictures' by JPG Bach, 'Memories' by EMI Bach. Any others?
‘Coronary March’ by ECG Bach; ‘Scan Lake’ by MRI Bach; and lots of music on Spotify by MMR Bach
Ahoy, Thanks for this video. When I saw the title I knew who it had to be. I was in High School band in the late '70s and we had the immense honor (and great shame) of performing a PDQ Bach piece. I can't remember what it was called but at one point the brass section removed our mouthpieces and played the section in harmony using them like kazoos. It was great fun and the audience enjoyed the fun too. Thanks again. Cheers, daveyb
I had the chance to see Peter Schickele perform "The Intimate P.D.Q. Bach" at the Center For The Arts in Midland MI when I was studying music theory at Delta College in 1974. Our Professor suggested we go to the show. She didn't tell us anything about it so we didn't have any idea what to expect. The next class she asked what we thought about it. I told her my favorite part was "Calliope Four Hands." She agreed with me.
This video both serves as a great, well edited story and a good tribute to Peter Schickele.
I had the good fortune to attend a New Year's Day PDQ Bach concert in 1971, with Zubin Mehta conducting the LA Philharmonic. (And, of course, Peter Schickele rappelling down out of the balcony of the concert hall!) What a blast!
Or the time the Violinist’s G String snapped during rehearsal, causing JS Bach to make an emergency repair from his wig and leading to the famous « Hair on the G String »
Saw two PDQ Bach Christmas concerts in NYC back in the early 70’s. They were great.
So if he never existed who wrote all that beautiful music? QED and PDQ Lives!
QED?
@@OiseauTriste “quod erat dixit” used as formal end to an argument considered proven ; in English “ thus it was said” literally, meaning “it’s proven “
@@waynesmith3767I see. That's pretty funny
_Quod erat demonstrandum_ actually, not dixit.
Btw, it means "which was to be demonstrated".
Basically you start off trying to prove proposition P so you say: this assumption implies this and this implies this and this implies this implies this implies this which implies P *which is what we were trying to prove in the first place.* That's basically what Q.E.D. means "which is what we wanted to prove". Proved, demonstrated, shown, etc. mean the same thing in this context.
I love this video so much! Thank you for showing us Professor Peter
Very underrated channel, and i'm excited to see what comes from it in the future. I'm glad to be your hundredth subscriber!
Rest In Peace
If Peter Schickele's tombstone says anything, it probably reads "Here Lies Peter Schickele: 2024-1935(?)" Rest in peace you childhood legend of music!
great video! commenting for engagement so more people see this video :D
Thank you for this, MiiYoo! I have great memories of Mr. Peter Schickele and P.D.Q. Bach!
I can’t believe how much info is packed into this video. Keep up the amazing work!
We're not trying to make you into a rock star. We're trying to make you into a has-been. That's much easier.
extremely underrated channel! keep up the good work!
There was in 1980s Westgerman TV a TV show , Der Prinz muß her', in which an unemployed arts expert worked as Private Investigator. In one episode an expensive small statue was stolen, and a for me unknown german composer was noted. Some years later, i heared, a composer of this name realy existed, but was not famous.
Very nice tribute.
The music at the end is amazing
I would even call him "the Jára Cimrman of music"
Great video, keep it up ❤
Another good video. May the algorithm be ever in your favor :)
WF was actually an alcoholic and kind of a hack. I've never actually heard of him in any other light. It seems like he was kind of a real life PDQ.
*The Abduction of Figaro* (at least the title) parodies *two* Mozart operas at once: The Marriage of *Figaro* and The *Abduction* From the Seraglio. 😁
I still have some CDs by P. D. Q. Bach!
I grew up on that P.D.Q Bach biograpby book! I'd love to have a t shirt with a page of one of his compositions, maybe the entire piano sonata he tried to fit on one page to save money on manuscript paper 😆
I’d send you s copy of The Sanka Cantata but I accidentally used it to filter my coffee this morning
Thank you very much for this piece of information! In return I could recommend Gentle Giant, a very different classic-inspired rock band, and many more...
His masterwork were Iphigenia in Brooklyn, The Seasonings, and everything my Archangelo Spumoni
Here before 100 subs, this is so well done
Subscriber 200 here :)
What about Johann Sebastian Mastropiero?
Haha I've actually never heard of him before! Though I must admit, based on his biography, some of his escapades could put even P.D.Q. to shame...
PDQ Bach, the invention of Peter Schickele to poke fun at the Baroque era music. I'm not too sure where I first heard about the "least talented of Bach's many children," but it made me laugh out loud and wonder if these were high brow "Weird Al" parodies.
P.D.Q. Bach -> R.I.P. Bach
This man is the Mel Brooks of classical music.
Why can't we have that "dangerous musician" label back nowadays? Could really use it.
I know it's a project for the funzies, but man isn't that a good idea.
I need to check him out, hearing about his compositions made me laugh
Subbed 😊
Mozart wrote an entire serenade that was "A Musical Joke." This is nothing new under the sun.
This has gone down the drain. (drain for "Bach")
Too bad the music being new means you couldn't really included it in the video.
Indeed - but on the bright side, I was able to use Peter Schickele's other, more serious, works, thereby demonstrating his wide range of musical talent!
Is there a full video for the piece at 3:00 ?
Are you referring to the video clip of Peter Schickele conducting an orchestra or the background audio that starts at that timestamp?
@@MiiYooOfficial Yes.
The clip is from a 1994 concert performed by the University of Kansas Band - the full video can be found here: archive.org/details/peter-schickele-kuconcert
As for the background audio, refer to _A note on the background music_ in the description :)
rip pdq
SUB-se-quent.
When you start paying attention to classical music, you realize that a lot of what "PDQ Bach" does is simply taking acceptable things to an absurd extreme. Silly instruments? There's a "Toy" Symphony (written for toy instruments) from the 1700s that's been attributed to Leopold Mozart.... The "1812 Overture" references Russian folk tunes, so having the "1712 Overture" include "Yankee Doodle" and "Pop Goes the Weasel" is understandable and appropriate. And the "sportscast" of Beethoven actually is a fair commentary on the music....
considering he was "born" april 1st i say april fool
236th subscription
based
Sorry man, have to give you a thumbs diwn for using the phrase "art music" for the classical super-genre. The phrase is useless as a descriptor (because "art" does _not_ say anything about what style the music is), and inexcusable in it's arrogance (because it implies that only classical-ish styles are art). The phrase should be uniformly rejected as unfit-for-purpose instead of being used.
Appreciate the candor!
So like a Gringo version of J.S. Mastropiero.
real()
Is this a robot announcer or just somebody with a very limited grasp of English pronunciation? Examples : inebriation, zealous, subsequently.
You need to learn to pronounce English words correctly.