Peter Schickele, composer and gleeful sire of P.D.Q. Bach, dies at 88 | Hacker News Reader

Peter Schickele, composer and gleeful sire of P.D.Q. Bach, dies at 88

nytimes.com

124 pointscipherboy23 comments

https://web.archive.org/web/20240118033237/https://www.nytim...

My dad was a piano professor and my mom a German professor, so throughout my childhood PDQ Bach was a big presence. Dad would joke that I was the only kid who knew the 1712 Overture but not the 1812 Overture. On a road trip to drop me off at summer camp, he and I made a big detour just to stop in Hoople, North Dakota, home of the fictional university at which Professor Pete did his research and of the fictional orchestra that performed PDQ Bach's works. (Unfortunately the city of Hoople doesn't seem to have embraced its provenance.)

My wife, who grew up in a normal family, thinks the fact that my family's idea of a good time is listening to a cassette of "classical music humor," is the nerdiest thing ever.

I was just listening to the 'WTWP' album yesterday. Thanks, Dr. Schickele, for being such a cherished part of our family!

> who grew up in a normal family

Aw, but only normal in disguise! The official definition of a dysfunctional family is “a family with more than one person”.

>My dad was a piano professor and my mom a German professor

I bet you are fun at parties, and I'm not even being sarcastic. What a wonderful childhood.

It seems appropriate to share the epitaph of P.D.Q. Bach, as given in Schickele's biography of his character.

Hier liegt ein Mann ganz ohnegleich;

Im Leibe dick, an Sünden reich.

Wir haben ihn ins Grab gesteckt,

Weil es uns dünkt, er sei verreckt.

Translated:

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.

Saw him live... the concert started without him, then he screamed from the bleachers to stop, and climbed down from a rope. I don't remember what was performed, because my memory probably confuses the concert with my favorite recordings: 1712 Overture, Bach Portrait, and the piece with the tromboon (double-reed mouthpiece hooked up to a trombone; one of the most obnoxious sounds I've ever heard).

Oh, and we can't forget "Coy hotsy-totsy." (Koyaanisqatsi)

RIP. One of my favs growing up. Still fondly remember "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" and "Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments". Hilarious send up of classical music tropes.

I have always liked the cantata, "Iphigenia in Brooklyn". Particularly Schickele's comment as he introduces the piece, "Exactly where he got his text we do not know; most Greek scholars that I've talked to seem unaware that Iphigenia ever was in Brooklyn." And later, "Now of course PDQ Bach was not the only composer to use double reeds, but as far as I know he is the only one ever to do so without the use of oboes and bassoons."

https://youtu.be/u2Hc5F4hJ60 has that quote and many others!

Thank you. I had no idea this existed and at only 10 minutes in I'm wetting myself laughing.

The play-by-play to Beethoven's 5th is tops in my book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0vHpeUO5mw

"He must be out of his mind! He thinks it's an oboe concerto!"

followed by Iphigenia in Brooklyn

"And in a vision, Iphigenia saw her brother

O-res-tes

Who was being chas-ed

By the Amenities!"

RIP Professor. You were a big part of my life.

Was just watching the live version of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXoVo16pTg

I was part of a church choir as a boy, and we'd hear "Schickele Mix" on WFYI 90.1 Indianapolis on the way to or from practice if we were lucky.

"A program dedicated to the proposition that all musics are created equal. Or as Duke Ellington put it, 'If it sounds good, it is good.'"

Hilarious and educational show.

"This is another installment of Schickele Mix's ongoing in-depth survey of every march ever written..."

Thank you, Peter Schickele!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Schickele

Oedipus Tex!

I saw his P.D.Q Back show many times at Carnegie Hall, with the New York Pickup Ensemble

Yes, I consider myself lucky to have seen it as well, though not at Carnegie Hall. A lot of very funny stuff but also some spectacular fiddling. If you ask me the best fiddlers are the ones who mostly play classical repertoire.

I do think WTWP: Classical Talkity Talk Radio is my favorite overall. Truly a vicious parody of both mediocre classical radio and morning drive style "banter".

Here is my favorite PDQ Bach performance, Beethoven's Fifth as no one else could do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXoVo16pTg

RIP, Professor.

This is a great loss, and we should perform or listen to PDQ Bach's loss-lieder to mourn.

Don't use the linked archive.ph, the page contains copyright infringements

PDQ Bach is funny to young people and musical neophytes, and even funnier the more erudite you are. Every time I read or hear another PDQ score, book, or record, I find jokes that I wouldn't have gotten even two weeks before.

I grew up listening to PDQ Bach. This man was brilliant and deeply appealed to my humor as a kiddo. I have many fond memories of sharing his work with others just to see them react.

:( rest in peace.

The classics I grew up with:

- The Seasonings S.1/2 tsp.

- Iphigenia in Brooklyn

- The Unbegun Symphony

- Quodlibet

Quoting Robert Schumann on PDQ Bach: "Hats back on, gentlemen: An idiot!"

Very sad day for Western classical music community. Peter Schickele is one of the bigs of the late 20th century WCM and demonstrated that sarcasm and parody can create profound statements in art music. He will be dearly missed by people who listened to his works, and laughed to his performances.

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