austin (05/15/82)
Anyone at all who listens to baroque music (Bach, et al) *must* hear anything they can by P.D.Q. Bach. P.D.Q. was the last of J.S. Bach's children, and his music has recently been unearthed by Peter Schickele and presented on several albums. Seriously, this stuff is *incredibly* funny satire of baroque styles executed with a surprising degree of sophitication. Check it out. Malcolm Austin
jcwinterton (05/17/82)
WRT Maclome Austin's article on Peter Schickele, I too am a P.D.Q. Bach fan. Most of the stuff is really quite plausible, but I should be most interested in knowing whether anyone has attended a live performace by the good doctor? Does he tour? Anyone know the schedule for the next while? A live perform- ance of the No No Nonette would be really something. John Winterton
thomas (05/18/82)
There is a publication called The Peter Schickel Rag, which lists the entire season's concert schedule. Write to the P.S. Rag, Woodstock, NY Sorry, I don't have the complete address on me, but that should do it.
cjh (05/18/82)
Schickele does indeed tour; he's been in Boston at least 4 times in the past six years (once with the Pops, doing the Schleptet; once with the Harvard band, doing a specially-discovered piece (the Serenoodle for Northerly Winds and Percussion) and twice at MIT (once in the chamber version (w/ just Ferrante and David Oue(?sp?), doing the Abassoonata, the Erotica variations, and "Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice"; once with the MIT Symphony, doing a number of new pieces and "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" (where his choice of a name for the penalized hornist, some twelve years back, turned out to be fortuitous; the MIT first horn is a woman and something less ambiguous than "Bobby Corno" would have required a script change))). He is even better live than on the records---for one thing, he always makes a spectacular entrance. Unfortunately, I don't know anything of his schedule (he was last in Boston quite recently, so I expect he won't be \here/ for a while); I believe he's booked through a New York City agency that you should be able to call or write (they may even have branch offices).
glenn (05/18/82)
Schickele (?) always appears in the NYC area right around Xmas. I've seen him at Town Hall, Avery Fisher, City Center and Carnegie. Really worth the time/money if you've never seen him. His musicians are top rate people (usually including many Julliard students) and his material is hilariously irreverent. My favorites are the "O.K. Chorale" and "Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice." The fractured Gregorian chants leave me in a heap on the floor every time. On another subject entirely... Any of you organ buffs know if the instrument at St. John the Divine is the largest/oldest/something-est in the world? It seems to me that I had heard that it was in some way unique, but can't remember WHAT...? - Glenn Golden (BTL Holmdel) (...vax135!lime!glenn OR ...houxg!glenn)
smb (05/18/82)
Schickele also does a public service commercial asking for money and support for music education -- he warns parents that without it, their kids may turn out like P.D.Q. Bach.
geoff (05/19/82)
Peter Schickele of P. D. Q. Bach fame does tour. I attended a live performance in London, Ontario several years ago but have forgotten most of what I heard. Geoff Collyer