Peter Schickele/P.D.Q. Bach - Michael Lawrence Films Bach Project

[mbrsart]

You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to get a wire music stand and a bassoon bocal and make some music.

[pugay69]

I wish he were my long lost uncle.

[chappinger12]

I was crying listening to this. So awesome.

"It only had a range of about a minor third, but that was all PDQ Bach could handle."

[jujupans]

HAHAHAHA!!!!! Alcohol Dating!!!! LMAO!!!

[BarbaraPloyer333]

PDQ Bach.... ah, what a composer! Ha ha ha ha... makes it seem so serious, yet it's really hilarious!

"PDQ Bach has been called a pimple on the face of music." So funny a metaphor!

Excuse the ignorance, but does anyone know the name of the of the piece by Bach at 4:12? I know I've heard Glenn Gould play it before, but i can't seem to recall the name. Is it from the English Suite?

[calogria]

Almost! Well-tempered Clavier (not to be confused with PDQ's "Ill-tempered Clavier"), first book, fugue in D major.

[BarbaraPloyer333]

Oooooh- close one! LOL.

Thanks so much- you have no idea how much I appreciate it.

[zurzica51]

@BarbaraPloyer333 it's from well tempered klavier.. vol I prelude and fuge d minor

[ceb2633]

Sigh, the happy hours I spent in Baden Baden Baden absorbing PDQ Bach!  Actually I actually was treated to a whole evening of Peter S. many years agol My ribs are still sore from laughing. Wonderful!

[wardka]

I think P.D.Q Bach is an underrated composer way ahead of his time. His contributions to music are only rivaled by that of Spinal Tap centuries later. But really, he came first.

[cyberg00se]

@wardka I'd also dare to put The Folksmen in that category.

[Ekehart]

Well...Don't forget the Baden Baden Baden Baden-hoff

:D

[aboikov]

Hilarious! "The charming German town of Baden-Baden-Baden." Thanks!

[NapkinQueen]

I dont understand...

[MarkoKassenaar]

It is musical satire. Peter Schickele is a composer with an alter ego called "P.D.Q. Bach". Around this fictitious character he creates a world of musical parody, imitating all style and composers (music all written by Schickele himself). He goes as far as to make 'documentaries' like this one.

[thejugglenaut91]

my god this is utterly hilarious. I know that if i showed this to me, they would just stare at me! This is hysterical!

[anisometropie]

"The only piece ever written for violin and tuba" haha

[FruitMeate]

Pretty sure he did that on purpose; Vein am Rhein is definitely a made-up city, so I'd assume Baden Baden Baden is a joke name based on Baden Baden.

[ppgppgppgppg]

of course. he wrote the music, actually. PDQ stands for Pretty Damn Quiet. :)

[albedoshader]

"...which he spent in the charming Southern German Town of Baden Baden Baden..."

:)

It's Baden Baden, actually. But with such a name one can get confused counting, I guess ;)

[jannokas85]

I can't believe they never acknowledged P.D.Q Bach! His music was awesome! :D Good Job Peter for finally promoting him!!! :D

[strictlypiano]

Exquisite!

[Trebleguy471]

It only has a range of about a minor 3rd but that was about as much as PDQ could handle. Soooooo funny haha

[newportvtman]

do not forget the skin flute and the hand organ.

[blystyryng]

ha, the props you can give Shickele have no end :) such broad knowledge of performance on every level is necessary to parody it so well.

[alra1975]

Very interesting.

[alra1975]

It makes come to mind the XX Century reelaboration of Don Quijote de la Mancha made by J.L. Borges...

I wonder if playing the tuba makes you become a tuba-face like this Schickele...

[alra1975]

PDQ Bach according to my research, was a fagottish-tuba-pet-shop-curios­ity generated from a tuba-basson-ass-face like Schickele...

[pianopera]

One of my favourite compositions of PDQ Bach is "Tuba MitRum", but it causes a massive hangover again...

[sologuitardeath]

haha! Totally awesome!