Song of the Day 1/28: P.D.Q. Bach, “Missa Hilarious, S. N₂O”

I admit I don’t listen to as much classical music as I once did, and I think it might be because I heard so much of it as the score for cartoons. Or maybe it was early exposure to PDQ Bach, who made the solemn reverence surrounding the classical canon seem rather ridiculous.

PDQ Bach, billed as the 21st and least of J.S. Bach’s 21 children, expired earlier this month along with his creator, Peter Schickele, a serious musician best known for performing the parodic pieces he wrote as PDQ and performed with the flair of a circus ringmaster.

Schickele was prolific. He was first and foremost a composer in the classical tradition, his pieces performed by noted orchestras. He also wrote music for films and Broadway, but achieved a loyal following by engaging in mocking merriment.

Since it’s Sunday, PDQ’s symphonic Mass seems appropriate. Schickele does follow some conventions – the liturgy is in the proper order. Beyond that, well, the Kyrie Eliason is in Latin – pig Latin – and the rest of the lyrics are full of bad puns. The composition freely quotes popular music, show tunes and the classical repertoire – anything for a laugh.

Some of the flavor of Schickele’s concerts couldn’t be captured on LPs. He made a habit of showing up late for performances and making outrageous entrances – swinging on a rope from a balcony, running up the aisle pursued by a man in a gorilla suit – and the visual absurdity of a piece like “Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycle and Balloons” is lost. His “Unbegun Symphony” doesn’t suffer much, though. See if you can count how many familiar tunes he juxtaposes to comic effect.