P.D.Q. Bach- Are You One of the Fortunate Who Know His Work?

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I have been working on the A2K Portal, and wanted to include some lyrics from my favorite composer, P.D.Q. Bach. Unfortunately, although there are lots of recordings of his works, there is little in the way of lyrics on the net to his more exalted compositions.

I have found that P.D.Q., the black sheep son of J.S. Bach, has provided the world with works of such mastery and exquisiteness, that my goal is to share the beauty with not only the members of A2K, but the rest of the world.

As intelligent, educated people, how much do YOU know about this musical giant? If you are familiar with his work, how has it changed your sense of life? What would you like to say to people who have had the misfortune of never having been exposed to this wonder of a composer?

Does anyone have a link to his lyrics, so we may share the beauty of it all?

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hehehehe

I'm a bit of a fan. Setanta even more so.

<wondering what radio program might have good links>

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ehBeth- I am going to keep looking. All I can find are small clips of PDQ's work!

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http://www.schickele.com/

That wasn't too hard, now was it?

My bonnie lass she smelleth,
Making the flowers Jealouth.
Fa la la (etc.)
My bonnie lass dismayeth
Me; all that she doth say ith:
Fa la la (etc.)

My bonnie lass she looketh like a jewel
And soundeth like a mule.
My bonnie lass she walketh like a doe
And talketh like a crow.
Fa la la (etc.)

My bonnie lass liketh to dance a lot;
She's Guinevere and I'm Sir Lancelot.1
Fa la la (etc.)

My bonnie lass I need not flatter;
What she doth not have doth not matter.
Oo la la (etc.)

My bonnie lass would be nice,
Yea, even at twice the price.
Fa la la (etc.)

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Looks to me like he's giving Tom Lehrer a run for his money (to the bottom?).

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as performed by E. Power Biggs on the pedal harpsichord.

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Is it possible that I first heard a PDQ Bach album in 1967? Or was it too much ganja?

I do listen to Shickele's Mix every Sunday morning on WNYC so clearly I have been bent.

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Joe- Found this little tidbit:

Quote:

Schickele underscores Mester's key role in P.D.Q. Bach history by saying, "When I decided to take a break from touring with P.D.Q. Bach in the early 1990s, I went out of my way to make my final concert appearance with Jorge Mester and The Pasadena Symphony. Jorge had been the very first conductor of P.D.Q. Bach at an in-house student concert at the Juilliard School of Music in May of 1959, and he was also the conductor of the first public concert in New York City's Town Hall in April of 1965."

http://www.rossanthony.com/P/pdqbach.shtml

So it probably was NOT the happy weed that made you remember that fateful day in the 1960's when you first heard PDQ(although it probably helped)

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SealPoet- Thanks for the link- What I really wanted were the words to "Concerto for Horn and Hardart", so I might sing it in the shower. Aw, shucks!

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Wasn't the music for Sesame Street by Peter Schickele?

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I know Tom Lehrer wrote for Sesame Street, Im not certain Schickele did.

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His humor is sophomoric, dorky even, but given that, he's fairly amusing.

I like the way he points out the basis of many popular tunes is from the Classical.

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Acquiunk wrote:

I know Tom Lehrer wrote for Sesame Street, Im not certain Schickele did.

Tom Lehrer wrote for Electric Company, not Sesame Street.

Damn close, though.

This one from memory... P.D.Q. Bach, One of the Ground Rounds.

Please kind sir
That portrait I see
If that's your daughter
Present her to me.
Look. Her. face
Could launch a thousand ships
Look. Her. face
Could launch a thousand ships
Thousand ships thousand ship

Very well
It can be arranged
Sit you down
Make yourself at home, She's
Up. Dressing
She'll be down in a jiffy, She's
Up. Dressing
She'll be down in a jiffy,
Jiffy Jiffy Jiffy
- - - - - - - -
When sung as a round the verse clearly ends
Look Up Her Dress

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Quote:

His humor is sophomoric, dorky even, but given that, he's fairly amusing.

Maybe so. I always thought though, that a person really needed to be conversant with the classics in order to appreciate him completely. Dork or not, I think that he is a hoot!

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P.D.Q. Bach- Are You One of the Fortunate Who Know His Work?

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