Victor Borge, The History Of Piano

[becamarko]

The invention of cracks, civil rights, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!! Pure genius!

[mathiastheok]

My grandfather had a single key piano made by Herkimer.

[AllanokayPedersen]

"The first Piano came long after they had none" .. lowers eyebrows... 'what the hell did I just say'

[LeePrototype]

@AllanokayPedersen that was the joke

[AllanokayPedersen]

@LeePrototype I know...?

[castlevaniax3800]

FUCKING TRADUCTOR

[becamarko]

The and only, and this is his best routine! Love him to death!

[vinnyboonbots]

"... and then came civil rights." haha it took me a bit to get that, but i laughed hysterically when I got it lol

[EvanWaggerman]

This is funny stuff.

"4 Sonatas to a gallon of red wine"

[Laudan08]

G!

[Rebekah88keys]

"It's your language, I'm just trying to use it....." Love that line. :)

[Jaremaing14]

"It was not until someone invented the cracks..."

[cheeseman1116]

Then came civil rights hahahahahahahhahahahahahaha

[imperator332]

4 sonatas to a gallon of red wine.

[VogonMelchie]

I love this guy. The original Tim Minchin.

[ThePinkFloydPig]

"Some people can't even stand sitting". PRICELESS!!!

[mcgravybiscuit]

"...and then came Civil Rights. And that is what made it possible for us to produce some lovely music." Funny AND Philosophical!!!

[El140696]

8 dislikes? What's wrong with those people?

[farseer611]

where's the sex joke in this?

[newgeorge]

@farseer611 its at the very end. not exactly x rated though :)

[turgayturgayturgay]

some people cant even stand sitting )))

[TheBirchCreek]

brilliant word-play :) (for a piano player) :)

[AlmondRed]

civil rights... to put the black keys between the white? *is shot*

[newgeorge]

@AlmondRed ooooh NOW I get it! Couldnt understand that bit!

[AlmondRed]

@newgeorge *high five* I couldn't either, at first XD

[John19182004]

I loved when he used to say, if playing a Baldwin piano., just before sitting down to play something serious.. "The STEINWAY people have asked me to announce that this is a BALDWIN piano!"



[TrainTrackTrav]

"It was not until someone invented the cracks..." LOL! EPIC!!!!!

[Hitlo58]

its your language im just trying to use it.

[lynethyn]

"It was not until someone invented the cracks...That changed everything. And then came civil rights!"

I lol'd so hard, I think I just gained abs. You just don't see intelligent, witty comedy like his nowadays.

[LeGrande]

..... GEE!!!! :D

[dililoca]

...then came civil rights...hahahahhahahahahahaha­hhahahahaha, that man was the best ever!!!

[Challenger2060]

Oh look. Eight idiots accidentally hit the dislike button

[Jadebluek]

Genius.

[bchnut2]

I took my ex-wife to see him in Dallas a few months before he died. I'm so glad I did. He was so talented and funny.

[TeePetersen]

I grew up watching and loving Victor Borge. I think the silliness of his humor in juxtaposition to his dignified manner of dress and the solemnity of his comic delivery is a big part of what always amazed and enchanted me from the first time I saw him!

[BrocktheRock42]

" Some people can't even stand sitting." he is so funny!

[colombe96]

If there were only One dislike, I would still be shocked.

[defern64]

then civil rights kicked in...

[helmut4lyfe]

I feel like I'm the only person that doesn't think he's that funny. I get the occasional chuckle out of a joke, but for the most part, I really don't find him funny. I'm an avid piano and comedy fan, and every time I watch him, I expect myself to love it, but I never do.

[jmtucker167]

@helmut4lyfe Nothing wrong with that, everyone's sense of humor is different :)

[cameroncda]

STAN FREBERG, BILL COSBY, JONATHAN WINTERS & DON RICOLLS were all hilarious comedians buy VICTOR BORGE was the best. RIP Mom and Dad.

[NiceOldBoy]

Thank you for this treasure!

Please can anybody tell me what's the matter at 1:43? Who was Cybill Wright (or so?). Why do the people laugh?

★★★★★

Froehliche Gruesse aus Tirol

;-)

[WootWootWoot09]

@NiceOldBoy "Civil Rights". :o)

[TheFrightenersDeath]

@NiceOldBoy er sagt "then came the Civil Rights"

[John19182004]

@NiceOldBoy "and then came Civil Rights"

[ZhengStudios]

Civil rights hahahaha

[ksanasandrius]

brilliant !!! :)

[Dragonese1]

This is so Victor. Such a wonderful man. Have his books. Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of history.

Sandi Earth Angel in Wisconsin aka Dragonese1

[terramortim]

To think Hitler wanted to kill this guy. . .

[SatoTM2]

sit up at night and sit down in daytime

srsly x)?

[thebandgeek1315]

lol i saw this on tv last night.....

and then came civil rights!!!!

[siaokia1989]

geeeee

[unamifiore2]

I've made a quick deviation on this. Come and see h t t p ://unami-fiore. deviantart. com/#/d2qqq8l (post in your url without the spaces)

[holygroove2]

You don't need a heavy appreciation for classiclal music to appreciate this man IMO. Of course, the more you knew about it, the funnier he was. That's what made him special. He didn't take himself too seriously like many people do! OMG, "and then came civil rights"...holarious!! This man was not only a fabulous piano player but a briliant comedian. He had a "vibe" that was inviting.

[KayIce]

I love his smile.

[BammerD]

"It was not until someone invented the cracks..." LMAO!!!

[29275689]

"The first piano was built long after they didn´t have any at all" :-)

[ameroux]

I love this man. What a jewel!

[bunnytime]

"and then came civil right " LOL i cried

[jimcomccabe3]

he speaks as if he is drunk.i mean he does not speak clearly.

[siriusblack9999]

he's old? prolly doesn't have his own teeth anymore

[ghillies4life]

@jimcomccabe3 He has an accent. :-) Danish accent. Sounds just like my Danish relatives.

[JoshGotLength]

he has an accent

[MJMyrna]

@JoshGotLength He was from Denmark.

[MatthewMcIntyre321]

What happened to the rest of this clip?

[thedavecorp]

"Do you know the history of pianos? It's quite UNinteresting..."

[mulanovich]

Gee!!!

the guy is a genious!

[Sundisig]

What a performer. His dry humor brings tears to my eyes. Check out the muppet

show with the dog.

[DarkShroom]

4 sonatas to the gallon :)

[pianistysh]

I remember he said sth about piano history in one of his live performance, which can still bring out laughter.

"Piano has a long history........before Steinway has son, and Yama has ha"

[RoyalDecapitation]

Wow, that looks like Borge's Imperial Bösendorfer! :O

[kassemir]

"It's you're language, I'm just trying to use it", brilliant quote, LOVE HIM, so FUNNY!!!

[mariehairy]

can someone please remind me who Bernstein is??

[mourningleaves]

try wikipedia...

[gameguru007]

*plays and looks* geee!

[hundredandfour]

And then Civil Rights came....

Love that.

[BeJi74]

"It's your language! I'm just trying to use it" :D

[AndrewDeLong]

The only man I know of that can make a civil rights joke, a sex joke, and take a shot at both Beethoven AND Bernstein, and make it all ridiculously funny to watch! I defy ANYBODY to tell me he isn't simply one of the very best!

[wendy321]

what was the sex joke? was it "she hasn't laughed so heartily since her husband died"? i didnt get that one :/

[AndrewDeLong]

it went along with the Beethoven joke.

[ToastForBreakfast01]

It's a play on words. She meant that she hadn't been able to laugh since her husband died, but it sounds like she was laughing about her husband's death.

[wendy321]

OH I GET IT!

thank you : )

[TheRyand123]

@AndrewDeLong he isnt simply one of the very best! lol

[omarofuae]

@AndrewDeLong He isn't simply one of the best.

[alisonsdragonfly]

@AndrewDeLong Well said my friend : )

[mortysand]

Apparently it's too early for Beethoven jokes.

[LetTheMusicFlow1]

haha lol apparently 200 years is too soon!

[experthowto]

You can't rate any video from Victor Borge under 5 stars...

3/5

lol actually 5/5

[liveforlife2494]

What does he say at 1:42??

[hattemaker]

"And then came civil rights."

[liveforlife2494]

Thanks a lot!!

[burobbi]

then came civil rights! :D (points to white and black keys) omg he is super funny!

[abunten01]

he says " then came "civil rights"!"

[TakeruSTakomi]

"It's not very long, that's why it's a happy waltz." <--I love that line.

[toughlilsoldieress]

"Some people cant even stand sitting" lol amazing

[wschmrdr]

wow, this is part of that Minneapolis concert, and wasn't on the videos or DVD!

[ElenoroftheShire]

i get about 4 sonatas per gallon of red wine on it. LOL

[boojum22]

"then came civil rights."

[agirlintears]

he's AMAZING!!!!

[robbradley07]

Then came Civil Rights! LMAO!!! That's hilarious!!!

[spike2133876]

could you explin that joke to me?

[bryanfunk]

which one?

[spike2133876]

about civil rights

[wschmrdr]

Look at the colors of the keys. And consider what the piano would have looked like before "civil rights", if you recall your history lessons.

[spike2133876]

thanks

[bryanfunk]

the black and white keys are no longer segregated, they are even working together on the same piano... civil rights lol

[LibbyDeters]

do you know the history of pianos? it's quite uninteresting!

lol!!!!!!!! gotta love victor borge! :)

[baptistic]

totally! the only dude ever to come close is ben zander, the amazing english conductor

[plouw09]

I had the honor of seeing Zander perdorm the Beethoven 9th. Truly breathtaking.

[2missbookworm]

the cracks!!!!

<3 piano

[neohfv]

GGGGGGGGG

xD

[tigercubgurlie]

yeah! *turns around* G!

[Anarchemitis]

"Do you find anything missing?"

[whosaidsoup13]

you just don't get comedy this brilliant anymore

[ange19defalco]

@whosaidsoup13 or as sophisticated!

[LuisMartin1989]

"and then came civil rights" lol!!

[amanda644]

yeah, that was hilarious!!! :)

[iwanabana]

actually what does that mean?

[2006brad]

I saw Victor in concert twice. Once in Cincinnati and once in Orlando. Both times he had me in tears falling out of my seat. What a great comedian he was. We need more like him!!!

[aireun]

lucky bastard

[NatashaNabokov]

"Its your language, I'm just trying to use it"

lol

[RooForce]

Yes, and "Some people can't stand sitting". Monty Python would be proud of that one.

[6782485]

His humor never gets old

[nanioushka]

well he's Danish but from Jewish roots:P!

all the great musicians are Jews (Heifetz, Oistrakh, Horowitz, Hambro...Borge of course:P!)

fin de la parenthèse (as said in French), the part where he talked about the oral paradox made me cry of laughter!!!!! he was a great man!

[proggoth]

All?

[nanioushka]

it's a generalized comment lol! (no not All...Mozart is part of those great musicians and as far as I know he was not a Jew lol)

[proggoth]

He did however collaborate with Lorenzo Da Ponte

[DavidSebastian]

porfavor que alguien lo traduzca al español .... porfavoooor !! :'(

[justacondom]

Don't seem to find such kind of humor nowadays

[enzyme1210]

"and then came civil rights"

oh god i lolled

[akkalove1]

i didnt get that

[boximusprime822]

black and white keys

[demosj]

akkalove1, black and white keys. :P

[filly07]

ME TOO!! LOLz~

[MyGoldenEyes53]

The Danish are amazing! I know because my Gramma is one! :D

[drnotes630]

classic

[gnuppe91]

a true danish comedian haha :),

[stormspinner1]

"Do you know the history of pianos? It's quite uninteresting!" LOL Too funny, thanks for bringing back memories. This was entertainment at its best.

*StormSpinner1* in Texas

[squeekie111]

"I get about 4 sonatas to a gallon of red wine on this." :D

[thisiswolfmoon]

civil rights, lol

[16miles]

he just composed his 9th symphony for leonard bernstein. bahahahah

[freemovies411]

XD I wish I got that joke. Do you mind explaining it to a simple pianist, please?

[alfonso1clarinet]

Leonard Bernstein was a famous conductor, i believe a bit younger than Borge himself. Anyway, the point is that he conducted the Ninth very beautifully and often went crazy with it to the point of jumping and "dancing" along with it while conducting it.

[nicement]

i'm french and discovered borge thanks to you a couple of months ago!...

i just wanna say than you..

merci beaucoup, ca tue!!

[carolynkkh]

You´re welcome, lol i uploaded them coz i wanted to share and it´s a waste if ppl who like classical music dont know bout Mr Borge.

[Jessieboo1991]

I totally agree. lolz

[stormc1nd3r]

This is awesome!

[firestartertwistedfi]

"the first piano was built long after they didn't have any at all"

[IDoog]

that thing is large

[GeorgeThePirateKing]

When was this taped?

[carolynkkh]

Ah sorry bout that, i really dont know, it's an old vid and i got it from my friend and just wanna share it here.

[oldladyplayspiano]

How I love this man! I've got so many CD's and DVD's - had to order some of them from the UK because I couldn't get them in the States. I guess you gotta be 'old' to really understand some of his humor. Diane

[carolynkkh]

He's really great wasnt he?? I dont have his CDs or DVDs, i got them from my friend. HOpe to buy some to collect after i graduate and earn my own money!!

[Kejserpingvin]

he was danish

[sexypiano]

"Then came civil rights."

That cracked me up. :)

[robbiethemann]

he looks green :p

[bassc2ba]

"It's your language, I'm just trying to use it".

[wildhoney83]

I don't think there was anything derogatory in that statement... Perhaps you should listen to the point of that statment a few seconds after "Then along came civil rights."

[erikfofo]

Well, he was from a different time, from before vulgarity mixed with insane political correctness destroyed humor. Peopel like YOU are irritating.

[chrisman737]

Well said, erikfofo. I agree totally. So much of comedy does seem to be affected, like you said, by vulgarity mixed with insane political correctness.

[erikfofo]

Yeah, the paradox is that on the one hand there seem to be no limit for what and who you can drag through the mud these days - but at the same time, there are also some new "no go zones" due to political correctness... bizarre

[47f0]

xiec - but you're probably just fine with Stevie Wonder playing 'Ebony and Ivory', aren't you? You're really not worth giving a clue too, but I'll waste the time on you anyway - Victor Borge was a minority. His name was Rosenbaum, and at the time he started performing, many American clubs would not have let him perform. He had to go undercover to visit his dying mother. He understood civil rights (and humor) better than you ever will. And you, dear xiec, are a twat.

[47f0]

And it's still a good point. And you're still a twat. You made a jerk-off assumption with absolutely no knowledge or background.

[Ashurasonic2Jesterex]

That's like me saying since when does a black guy get to rap about partying like a rockstar? Borge is a genious... and this shows it probably the most out of his skits.

[sirstrongbad]

funny how someone can take one thing out of context and blow it completely out of proportion.

[sparkleplenty101]

Where have they gone?

[EBursey]

"And then came Civil Rights"

i love this man...

[carolynkkh]

Glad you like it

[EBursey]

I like it so much I've just gone to amazon and bought a three DVD boxset of his old shows.

Thanks for reminding me how cool he was.

[carolynkkh]

cool!! my dad wont let me buy haha.