@@Cypsky I dunno, some of those early FG episodes were from the late 90s, so pretty old. Maybe site sources before you talk about things you know nothing about.
He came of age in an interesting time in music for piano: Tin Pan Alley was in full swing, and so was swing for that matter, and there was an enormous influx of aspiring concert pianists juxtaposed to all the advents, but no one had bridged the gap between Vaudeville and high society quite like him before-or since for that matter.
My dad saw Victor play live in the early 70s when he lived in California. He saw him at DeAnza college, and he said Victor asked the Audience "If this is DeAnza, whats the question?"
His audience interaction was second to none! I can recall his recorded performance in Minneapolis, a couple came in late, asked them where they were from (both from the area) and he responded "I'm from Copenhagen, and I got here before you." 😂 Then later on, a woman was absolutely dying of laughter. He hears it, looks her direction and asks " Pardon me, madam, are you laying eggs?" 😂😂😂 Never will be another like him
Great pianist, but as a comedian he's one of the greatest of all time. His comic timing is second to none. Which, as a musician, makes sense I suppose.
He was a classical pianist of the highest caliber, and a performing comic of the highest caliber. It's so rare for someone to bridge two completely different performing arts like that, but Victor Borge was truly a master of both!
One of the greatest pianists ever. Not only a comical genius, but a brilliant performer with a golden touch, there's no one like him. May his memory be forever a blessing.
Bill Bailey too if you've not come across him before. Did a fantastic comedy/music show with the BBC orchestra - I especially like his Belgian jazz version of the Dr Who theme!
I remember hearing him on the radio about 40 years ago talking about Phonetic punctuation and Inflationary Language, and putting them together.. Comedy gold
As much as I loved the inverted William Tell Overture bit, seeing "fall of the stool" on the transcription and then watching him fall half a second later is perfect comedy to me.
Oh man. I kinda wish you had done the one where he plays this angular thing of all parallel 5ths and tritones and is like, ???, and then turns the music NINETY DEGREES and gets "Entry of the Gladiators", because that would've been a hell of a thing in a transcription. Victor Borge was such a great comedian, and we were all very, very lucky to have experienced him.
Thank God for the internet, we still all can! He died while I was still very young, but my dad somehow got a tape of his after that, and I continually watch everything of his I can find multiple times a year. He was such a creative, comedic, and musical genius, such a gift to the world.
Another great one with Victor Borge is when he and Anton Kontra play Czardas, except Victor Borge doesn't know the song, so he basically fakes it all the way through, and it's bloody brilliant!
My late father introduced me and my brother to Victor Borge when we were both really young and weren't really listening to music much or playing it (instruments that is). Still really funny some 50 years later (and so well executed, like his punctuation skit) and was why I love Frank Zappa so much is because, humour belongs in music :)
If you want to see good clean and clever humor, watch his "phonetic punctuation" and "inflationary language" routines. Yes, the man was a master pianist, as seen here or when he has an opera singer with him (check that out too), but he was a stunning straight man who is a master of telling jokes with a straight face.
I seem to remember watching him ages ago, maybe an HBO Special, where he comes out, gets up to the mic, and releases cigar smoke from his mouth. The audience was crying with laughter, and so was I.
Iirc he did this to gauge the audience composition - were they there for the music or for the gags. For a comedian, it's my impression that he took his craft very seriously
"This is what I had to offer: some laughs, some smiles, giggles... sneezes, snoozes... coughs, hiccups... and blowing noses. Every once in a while, a handkerchief comes out to wipe a tear away from laughter. That's my reward. The rest goes to the government." -*Victor Borge*
Always enjoyed watching Victor, but didn't really understand what a great treasure he was until I was older and he was gone. So happy some performances were preserved.
Victor Borge also has some mostly talking comedy routines in pure english. This Danish-American comedian moved to America at 31 y.o. in 1940., not speaking a word of english; only danish. But he has some very witty word plays and whole comedy bits in English. Look it up!
For those of you too young to have seen him play, this genius is Victor Borge. A true gem of a musical comic and a great classic pianist. The world became a less enjoyable place with his passing.
I have seen this sketch dozens of times but somehow it is even funnier with the sheet music AND annotations (Like "fall from bench"). I feel like Victor would approve Given his other bits like Phonetic punctuation.
My favorite part of this video is the first joke, you can hear an audience member laugh before the "punchline" paper flip. Hilarious that there is a person who understood where that joke was going after a few bars.
Fifty years ago, Mr. Borga was a guest with the orchestra in which I played as a college student. He performed the routine with the opera singer. I remember watching him from my seat on the stage behind him. I wanted to burst out laughing just like the audience but observed the other musicians and conductor remained as emotionless as wood (my appraisal -- actually, they all had pleasant expressions) and I concluded that was being professional in spite of his brilliant comedic performance.
Just yesterday, I was watching an older episode of Family Guy (back when that show wad good), and they did that exact same joke from the beginning of this video with the William Tell sheet music upside down.
I feel a bit pleased with myself for recognizing William Tell upside down. The second one as well, but don't remember the name. I know these were not too hard to identify, which is probably why he chose them, but still . . .it's something.
The second one is the Sabre Dance by Khachaturian, the third is the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss, and the piece he plays with the wrong part of the torn paper is the Wedding March from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
@@KingstonCzajkowski The last two were transposed for us, so I didn't think there was anything special about recognizing them. But yes, I should have remembered Sabre Dance. Thank you! I feel like that was used in at least one Star Trek episode. Am I right, or was it just something similar? Edit: I looked this up myself and learned a bunch of stuff. Here are some highlights: Sabre Dance was a major billboard hit in 1948 and a few times afterwards. It has been covered by a ton of people from the Andrews Sisters to the Pretenders and used in a ton of movies and TV shows, but apparently not Star Trek. I was starting to think I'd lost my mind, but finally found a musicology dissertation about Star Trek that specifically mentioned the influences of Khatchaturian, Ravel, and Stravinsky in music composed for Amok Time. So that was a relief!
One of my favorite bits is when he is conducting and orchestra and is fumbling endlessly with the conductor's score. He has one of those folding music stands that, when unfolded, sticks out in all directions (I hate those things) and skewers a couple of pages on the protruding arms.
It's called Dance of the Comedians (both the piece and Victor's bit). You can find it on youtube. My favourite part is when he hands out sheet music to a couple of audience members and, like this skit, one turns out to have the last note needed to finish the music.
He's also known for the quote: 'I'd like to thank my parents for making this night possible. And my children for making it necessary.'
I’ve never heard that but it’s quickly become one of my favorites
lmao
Lol
Can you explain it please? Children made this night necessary, how? To pay the bills or smth?
@@irinazaharova4598 exactly, to pay the bills
Moving the piano over at 1:16 to extend the high notes is brilliant
Between that and leaning so hard into the glissando that he fell over at 0:56, I'd say this man is a comedy genius.
Funny joke but he took it from an old Family Guy episode.
Victor Borge predates Family guy. 😉
@@Cypsky I dunno, some of those early FG episodes were from the late 90s, so pretty old. Maybe site sources before you talk about things you know nothing about.
@@DanielJamesEgan Victor Borge passed away in 2000 at age 91. Family guy started broadcasting in 1999.
He came of age in an interesting time in music for piano: Tin Pan Alley was in full swing, and so was swing for that matter, and there was an enormous influx of aspiring concert pianists juxtaposed to all the advents, but no one had bridged the gap between Vaudeville and high society quite like him before-or since for that matter.
Thanks for the insight. I enjoyed your linguistic prowess.
This is the kind of comment the internet should be full of 👍@@jasonshere
Agree with you. But check out Offenbach. You will love his music. Especially dance infernal (can can). You might like it. Cheers!
The upside down William Tell Overture is absolute amazing.
What's even cooler is that this is a valid way to provide variations on a melody!
In my theory there ist only one page for brass pieces, that ist being mirrored and flipped.
My dad saw Victor play live in the early 70s when he lived in California. He saw him at DeAnza college, and he said Victor asked the Audience "If this is DeAnza, whats the question?"
His audience interaction was second to none! I can recall his recorded performance in Minneapolis, a couple came in late, asked them where they were from (both from the area) and he responded "I'm from Copenhagen, and I got here before you." 😂
Then later on, a woman was absolutely dying of laughter. He hears it, looks her direction and asks " Pardon me, madam, are you laying eggs?" 😂😂😂
Never will be another like him
@@lhsbandfreak11
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@lhsbandfreak11 "... but I'm afraid you will never know how I got this watch! And nobody tell them!"
Great pianist, but as a comedian he's one of the greatest of all time. His comic timing is second to none. Which, as a musician, makes sense I suppose.
Not "is;" Was---he died Dec. 23, 2000.
He was a classical pianist of the highest caliber, and a performing comic of the highest caliber. It's so rare for someone to bridge two completely different performing arts like that, but Victor Borge was truly a master of both!
The routine was so good Victor Borge did it with almost no changes for 50 years.
I first saw him perform it when he was probably in his 70s, and I feel like the old-man-appeal made it even better haha
One of the greatest pianists ever. Not only a comical genius, but a brilliant performer with a golden touch, there's no one like him. May his memory be forever a blessing.
One of the legends. Between Victor Borge and Bugs Bunny, anyone should be convinced that classical music can be fun.
as a child I understood this to be true and was rather disappointed when I actually played in orchestra, which was generally much less fun
"Leopold!"
*Ride of the Valkyries plays*
"Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit...!!"
Bill Bailey too if you've not come across him before. Did a fantastic comedy/music show with the BBC orchestra - I especially like his Belgian jazz version of the Dr Who theme!
@@Elriuhilu hansel? Hansel? HANSEL ?
0:05 this person who laughed knew what was up before everyone else
I am so thankful he survived the Haulocost to bring us his wonderful and hilarious talent.
May he rest in peace!
This is the nucleus and origin of all the "... but I got distracted" memes xD
What's an example?
@@dismaleclipse5587 ua-cam.com/video/77NVzPjI2Pk/v-deo.html
@@dismaleclipse5587 ua-cam.com/video/LowRCNglxbw/v-deo.html
my channel probably :/
that fall was perfect
i feel like i just watched a live action bugs bunny skit.
The man who forever ruins auto-fill searches for my name
lmao rip
Well, he changed his name to Victor Borge, you can change yours too :)
I love your music!!
The Bury The Light guy!!!
That’s not a bad thing
"The Steinway people would like me to announce, that this, is a BALDWIN piano."
I used to work with a guy who LOVED Victor Borge, and so I've seen this skit so many times, and I still laugh at it. It's timeless comedy.
I've watched all of his stuff i could find dozens of times since I was a kid and I still laugh every time!
I remember hearing him on the radio about 40 years ago talking about Phonetic punctuation and Inflationary Language, and putting them together.. Comedy gold
As much as I loved the inverted William Tell Overture bit, seeing "fall of the stool" on the transcription and then watching him fall half a second later is perfect comedy to me.
Oh man. I kinda wish you had done the one where he plays this angular thing of all parallel 5ths and tritones and is like, ???, and then turns the music NINETY DEGREES and gets "Entry of the Gladiators", because that would've been a hell of a thing in a transcription. Victor Borge was such a great comedian, and we were all very, very lucky to have experienced him.
Thank God for the internet, we still all can! He died while I was still very young, but my dad somehow got a tape of his after that, and I continually watch everything of his I can find multiple times a year. He was such a creative, comedic, and musical genius, such a gift to the world.
love u georgey colli :D. you got me into composing for my bass clarinet
In music, having a good sense of humour is key
Nice pun. 🤣
Specifically, you gotta be sharp.
Or all Your efforts will Fall flat.
Yes, it keeps you sustained. Otherwise your joy would be diminished.
Victor Borge mostly uses G-sharp major key. (major sharp genious)😉
Another great one with Victor Borge is when he and Anton Kontra play Czardas, except Victor Borge doesn't know the song, so he basically fakes it all the way through, and it's bloody brilliant!
He does the same with Michala Petri and breaks her
I love Victor Borge
My late father introduced me and my brother to Victor Borge when we were both really young and weren't really listening to music much or playing it (instruments that is). Still really funny some 50 years later (and so well executed, like his punctuation skit) and was why I love Frank Zappa so much is because, humour belongs in music :)
victor borge was the goat :]
If you want to see good clean and clever humor, watch his "phonetic punctuation" and "inflationary language" routines. Yes, the man was a master pianist, as seen here or when he has an opera singer with him (check that out too), but he was a stunning straight man who is a master of telling jokes with a straight face.
Those are his two best masterpieces!
his "phonetic punctuation" is what I think of whenever I see an interrobang (?!)
There will never be another two like him.
In this day and age, many sheet music memes are on youtube, some of the better ones are channelling the grandfather of piano comedy, Victor Borge.
The upside down William Tell, moving the piano, falling off the chair and slamming the lid on time… Victor Borge had everything!
I saw him once in Sydney, a long time ago. One of the best.
🇦🇺 👍 🐨
Victor Borge was the KING of musical comedy. I wish that I could have seen him live.
YES VICTOR BORGE MY FAVE
he has a whole full-length special on UA-cam :)
Always watched him on tv / talk shows. He was super. So missed nowadays.
The ability to purposefully play off time is immaculate. I can't imagine practicing so much to reach that level.
Well they do say you have to know all the rules before you can break them.
Very talented
Man, your transcriptions are pure genius. Thank you for your extraordinary work!
I seem to remember watching him ages ago, maybe an HBO Special, where he comes out, gets up to the mic, and releases cigar smoke from his mouth. The audience was crying with laughter, and so was I.
Iirc he did this to gauge the audience composition - were they there for the music or for the gags. For a comedian, it's my impression that he took his craft very seriously
Long time fan of the legendary Victor Borge. Love his inflationary language joke
Victor Borge is a legend. I remember watching his stuff over and over.
"This is what I had to offer: some laughs, some smiles, giggles... sneezes, snoozes... coughs, hiccups... and blowing noses. Every once in a while, a handkerchief comes out to wipe a tear away from laughter.
That's my reward. The rest goes to the government."
-*Victor Borge*
Victor Borge was a genius!
Always enjoyed watching Victor, but didn't really understand what a great treasure he was until I was older and he was gone. So happy some performances were preserved.
Victor Borge and Chico Marx were two of my top favorite pianists when I was growing up. I could watch both of them all day long and never be bored.
Yes! Victor Borge is one of the greates comedians of the 20th century, maybe of all time!
glad for anyone who discovers Borge.. He was a staple growing up: original, brilliant, and uproariously funny..
Twoderful
I love the captions in the bottom 1/3 of the screen!
I have loved this man for as long as I can remember, and thank my father for the introduction to classical music and Victor.
1:41 when you forget a part so you repeat the part that you played until you remember it and you have no score
My brain during the exam:
Such a master of comedy, piano and a joy!
Victor Borge also has some mostly talking comedy routines in pure english.
This Danish-American comedian moved to America at 31 y.o. in 1940., not speaking a word of english; only danish. But he has some very witty word plays and whole comedy bits in English. Look it up!
I used to listen to his inflationary language performance all the time as a kid. Anytwo up for elevennis?
You three-faced triple-crosser! loool
Phonetic punctuation! Thumpf.
I LOVE Victor Borge!!! Luckily I got to see him twice in person. He was a lovely and FUNNY man!
I love it. Especially when he slides down from his piano stool.
For those of you too young to have seen him play, this genius is Victor Borge. A true gem of a musical comic and a great classic pianist. The world became a less enjoyable place with his passing.
He was the master! I grew up with his routines. Wish i could have seen him live.
I have seen this sketch dozens of times but somehow it is even funnier with the sheet music AND annotations (Like "fall from bench"). I feel like Victor would approve Given his other bits like Phonetic punctuation.
I've always adored him.
Hilarious! This brings me back to my 80s childhood.
i can’t imagine being so talented at piano…and funny enough to make this.
Absolute genius
This guy's is a mad genius. I love it.
This was overdue
He’s a genius entertainer and musician. Thanks for reminding me of Victoria Borge.
The legend Victor Borge one of my favorite comedians
That first one got me 😂😂😂😂🤣
Genius - comedy AND music!
"Oh that's quite alright, sing whatever you like... because I'm going to play whatever I like."
My favorite part of this video is the first joke, you can hear an audience member laugh before the "punchline" paper flip. Hilarious that there is a person who understood where that joke was going after a few bars.
Victor Borge is my favorite piano comedian
Victor Borge was both a genius in comedy and piano. His greatest talent, however, was combining the two
Victor Borge is the GOAT pianist.
I love Victor Borge! Absolute legend!
I work at the museum that has his first piano, Victor Borge is a true treasure
He was an absolute genius of both comedy and piano. 😂
I saw him perform live …it was musically memorable and hilarious.
Fifty years ago, Mr. Borga was a guest with the orchestra in which I played as a college student. He performed the routine with the opera singer. I remember watching him from my seat on the stage behind him. I wanted to burst out laughing just like the audience but observed the other musicians and conductor remained as emotionless as wood (my appraisal -- actually, they all had pleasant expressions) and I concluded that was being professional in spite of his brilliant comedic performance.
The Wedding March jumpscare was amazing. 😂
Are we not gonna talk about the insane tremolo technique in the Tell Overture? Wow!
I had a VHS tape of one of his performances and I wore it out.
Sad that comedy is not like this anymore.
What a fantastic entertainer ❤
WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL,
VUNDABAR !!!!
🎹
Live action Bugs Bunny right here
Just yesterday, I was watching an older episode of Family Guy (back when that show wad good), and they did that exact same joke from the beginning of this video with the William Tell sheet music upside down.
The way he fall at 0:57 at x2 speed got me Rolling down the floor
I feel a bit pleased with myself for recognizing William Tell upside down. The second one as well, but don't remember the name. I know these were not too hard to identify, which is probably why he chose them, but still . . .it's something.
The second one is the Sabre Dance by Khachaturian, the third is the Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss, and the piece he plays with the wrong part of the torn paper is the Wedding March from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
@@KingstonCzajkowski The last two were transposed for us, so I didn't think there was anything special about recognizing them. But yes, I should have remembered Sabre Dance. Thank you! I feel like that was used in at least one Star Trek episode. Am I right, or was it just something similar? Edit: I looked this up myself and learned a bunch of stuff. Here are some highlights: Sabre Dance was a major billboard hit in 1948 and a few times afterwards. It has been covered by a ton of people from the Andrews Sisters to the Pretenders and used in a ton of movies and TV shows, but apparently not Star Trek. I was starting to think I'd lost my mind, but finally found a musicology dissertation about Star Trek that specifically mentioned the influences of Khatchaturian, Ravel, and Stravinsky in music composed for Amok Time. So that was a relief!
@@snowmonster42 It's also played at Buffalo Sabres hockey games by the organist. Didn't know about the Star Trek stuff, that's interesting!
Hans Liberg does the same thing. He also does shows in English.
and German
@@cartridgemusic even in French.
@@DJWezzyK and Dutch, 😁
@@cartridgemusic Yeah, because that is his main language. I Have been to his Dutch shows. He improvises a lot on stage.
@@DJWezzyK I like Hans Liberg, because I like comedy and I like classical music, so I think I know what he means each time-when he speaks German 😉
What a genius!
Victor Borge is so good
One of my favorite bits is when he is conducting and orchestra and is fumbling endlessly with the conductor's score. He has one of those folding music stands that, when unfolded, sticks out in all directions (I hate those things) and skewers a couple of pages on the protruding arms.
It's called Dance of the Comedians (both the piece and Victor's bit). You can find it on youtube. My favourite part is when he hands out sheet music to a couple of audience members and, like this skit, one turns out to have the last note needed to finish the music.
1:45 when you have a record player that keeps skipping.
What a legend!
Victor Borge was a hilarious dude.
When you didn’t practice but the show has to go on😂
Spot on!
Now THIS is a comedian for players :D
Victor Borge is the best!!! 😂😂😂
He is brilliant