Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?

Subject: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Nov 08 - 06:14 PM

I would appreciate suggestions of pieces that are satires on classical music, things in the spirit of PDQ Bach.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,Gerry (channeling Allan Sherman)
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 12:10 AM

If you like Hungarian food
They make a goulash that is very good
Or if you wish a dish that's Chinese
Somewhere down in Column B is lobster Cantonese
***************************************************
This is
The symphony
That Shubert wrote
But never finished

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: JennieG
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 12:57 AM

One of the best is the late Anna Russell's version of Wagner's Ring Cycle - she explains the whole thing very succinctly.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: mrdux
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 01:26 AM

try some Victor Borge -- his takes on Chopin's Minute Waltz and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata are priceless.

PDQ Bach is, in his own way, Professor Schikele's chanelling of Gerad Hoffnung, a cartoonist and musician who put on three music festivals in the fifties, which included such titles as Concerto for Hosepipe and Strings, Concerto popolare (A Piano concerto to end all piano concertos), Waltz for Restricted Orchestra, and a duet from the comic opera The Barber of Darmstadt.

And JennieG is right: Anna Russell's Ring Cycle is not to be missed.

michael

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: treewind
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:01 AM

Belshazzar's Feast do a few...

Anahata

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Darowyn
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:11 AM

Flanders and Swan used to do a sung version of Mozart's Horn Concerto with lines like,
"I found a French horn and I wanted to play it,
In spite of the neighbours who begged me to stop."
If you are looking for things that could be performed, it would be easier than either Hoffnung or Victor Borgia.

Actually I'm a bit surprised that there is not a classical equivalent of Hayseed Dixie or Run C&W. It's an idea- a bluegrass version of "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" maybe...
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Snuffy
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 08:41 AM

Then there's Mudcat's own Lamarca's retelling of Wagner's Ring cycle to the tune of Barrett's Privateers

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 08:55 AM

Anybody mentioned the Portsmouth Sinfonia?

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: G-Force
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 09:08 AM

Darowyn, you would like De Danann's 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba in Galway'.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: TheSnail
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 09:11 AM

Anybody mentioned the Portsmouth Sinfonia?

I was just about to. Listen to them here and find out more about them here.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Darowyn
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 10:14 AM

Thank G-Force, I know it well and I do love it. I also like Mike Perlowin's version of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.
I would not propose them on this list though, because neither is a satire. I'd call them a respectful reinterpretations of a much loved and thoroughly studied work.
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 10:59 AM

The inimitable Miss Russell on youtube. There are other ones listed there, too. Singing Folk.

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Acorn4
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 11:02 AM

I seem to remember that ther was a man by the name of Hoffnung (Gerald/Gerrard) that did a lot of classical spoofs - "Concerto to end all Concertos", and "Concerto for vacuum cleaner" are the two I remember.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 01:06 PM

The late Spike Jones (and his City Slickers) performed a number of classical parodies. He even put out an album in the early 1950's called "Spike Jones is Murdering the Classics." Among the "victims" of his musical villainy were Liszt's "Liebestraum," Rossini's "William Tell Overture," Tchaikovsky's "None But The Lonely Heart," Bizet's "Carmen," along with "I Pagliacci" and "Dance of the Hours."

It is questionable if anyone performing anywhere today could approximate the level of wanton musical destruction visited on these pieces by the inimitable Mr. Jones. He was an absolute original in his time.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 02:27 PM

Good idea, TJ. There are lots of Spike Jones files on youtube: NUtcracker Suite- Part 1.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 02:32 PM

Also, if you don't mind going in drag, you could always emulate good ol' Bugs.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:00 PM

Tom Lehrer parodied various musical styles, including Mozart and G&S, using "Clementine" as the basis, and in other songs from his repertoire. As has been mentioned, there were two glorious Gerard Hoffnung albums which parodied a whole range of classical styles - a Bournevita ad, for example, in the style of Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire".

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:25 PM

From: katlaughing - PM
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 02:32 PM
"Also, if you don't mind going in drag, you could always emulate good ol' Bugs."

I haven't followed the link, but I'm assuming it's "What's Opera, Doc?" directed by Chuck Jones. He loved classical music (in the wider sense) and did a couple of films other parodies. There's a great one (which also parodies Disney's "Three Little Pigs") using Brahm's "Hungarian Rhapsodies" and another involving (funny animal) construction workers building a building to another popular piece of "classical" (actually Romantic) music, the name of which I don't know.

He also made a cartoon using the song "Little Brown Jug" where the characters were the notes (eighth notes, quarter notes, etc.).

Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising also used so-called "classical" music in some of their cartoons (at Disney, Warner Bros. and MGM), but they weren't parodies. I remember one with Johann Strauss' "Tales from the Vienna Woods" (Senior or Junior I don't know).

Of course, most cartoons used popular music, which mostly meant swing.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 13 Nov 08 - 03:31 PM

This may be something somewhat obscure for English-speakers:

The great Munich cabaret artiste (and folksinger!) Karl Valentin (with his partner, the equally great Liesl Karlstadt) made a short film called "Die Orchesterprobe" ("The Orchestra Rehearsal"), if I recall correctly. And one of his numbers was a song called "Der Fruehling" ("The Spring"),

Wie schoen ist es im Frrrrrrrrrrühling,
Im Frrrrrrrrrrühling, da ist mir so wohl ...

It really needs to be heard.

They might have done more parodies of classical music; quite a few of their sketches were musical. He had built an orchestrion (he was a trained cabinet-maker) and toured with it (not very successfully). I think it may be preserved in the Karl Valentin museum in Munich, but perhaps not.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,giles earle
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 08:46 AM

The Classic Buskers?

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: CupOfTea
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 10:49 AM

There was a band from, I THINK, Indiana or Illinois back in the 80s called Ecclectricity who did a charmingly witty dismissal of country music called "Back to Beethoven" that used well known bits of classical music as the breaks between verses. I don't think the band exists anymore, and anything left would likely be on cassette or vinyl.

The chourus ran something like:

Country Music gives me heartburn
Charley Daniels turns my spleen
And Crystal Gale makes my face pale
As any satin sheets you've seen.
I'm tired of singing about cheaters
Margaritas and driving trucks
I'm going back to Beethoven
cause country music sucks

Then some orchestral level classic bit.

As someone who really does NOT care for Wagner, (or, because of?) I find Anna Russel's explaination of the Ring Cycle one of the funniest riffs on classical music ever. Most of the previous suggestions were things you'd hear here one time or another on the "WCLV Saturday Night" show on the classics station (Kin to WFMT's Midnight Special).

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 10:53 AM

Who was the singer asking the question, "What do you get when you play a country song backward? You get you truck back, your mama back, your dog back......."

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 11:04 AM

What do you get when you play New Age Music backwards?
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New Age Music!

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 11:13 AM

Then there's always the Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz

Always wanted to see that one performed, myself.

And -

String Quartet No. 556(b) for Strings in A Minor (Motoring Accident)

Lament of the Introspective Turnbuckle

Prelude and the Last Hope in C and C# Minor

Atushi Ojisama and Ijigen Waltz


Found this in a related search. It's probably not satire, but it's a lot of fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJ4ZK3TPt4

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 12:53 PM

Stanley Accrington used to do the 'Penalty Aria'. Can't remember much apart from, to 'the March of the Toreadors' tune (I think)

'Italia has wonna the worlda cup
For the books, what a turnup...'

Bob Ashworth used to do one about a drunken driver which, to the same tune, had the policeman arrive with

'Ello, 'ello, 'ello then, what 'ave we ere?
Good evenin' all, mind 'ow you go...'

Not exactly satire but decent enough parodies.

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 01:25 PM

Always like this myself


Pachelbel Rant by Rob Paravonian.

Frank

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 10:23 PM

Homer & Jethro teamed up with Spike Jones to record PAL-YAT-CHEE, a parody of the opera I PAGLIACCI.

Flanders & Swann wrote and performed a comical song called ILL WIND, using the tune of a Mozart horn concerto.

Garrison Keillor wrote and sang LAKE WOBEGON HYMN to the tune of Dvorak's GOING HOME. There is a link to an MP3 file at the Prairie Home Companion web site.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Tangledwood
Date: 16 Nov 08 - 10:46 PM

Unfortunately this CD released by Australian Broadcasting Corporation is out of production, but -

Wagner's Rinse Cycle

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Helen
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 01:02 AM

Mary Schneider: Yodelling the Classics

Amazon.com
"Classical crossover" albums are big business these days; discs that combine elements of folk or pop vocals with classical music. But here's one for the record books: "Australia's Queen of Yodelling," Mary Schneider, transforming some best-loved arias into something entirely her own. You get a little Rossini, a taste of Strauss, a hint of Brahms, and some Beethoven, but--more than anyone else--you get a lot of Schneider. She sings, she jokes, she yodels, and--throughout the whole mess--she's hilarious. The Sydney International Orchestra is led by the conducting prowess of Maestro Tommy Tycho. Classical lovers with a sense of humor--make that anyone with a sense of humor--need to hear this. Schneider is a jewel, and this, without a doubt, is the best yodelling CD you'll hear all year. --Jason Verlinde

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Bert
Date: 17 Nov 08 - 02:46 AM

Anna Russell also did a "Write your own Gilbert and Sullivan" skit but I can't find a workable version.

Also Who did the Gregorian Chants in pig latin?

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,David T.
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 05:54 PM

I'm looking for "The Dreaded PDQ Bach Collection." Does anyone have this??? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Padre
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 10:04 PM

Dwayne Thorpe and I both like 'The Daffy Duck Song,' sung to the tune of Lizst's Second Hungarian Rhapsody.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 11:29 PM

Guest, David T., do you mean Peter Schickele's PDQ Bach?

Hope that helps and welcome to the Mudcat.

kat

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: mousethief
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 11:49 PM

Also Who did the Gregorian Chants in pig latin?

That would be Sandra Boynton, of children's board book fame. CD name is "Grunt". Great CD, although it gets old fast. A few listens tide me for years.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 10:33 AM

Don't know if mentioned - can't find it if it has.
Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd's 'Kill The Wabbit' (Wagners Valkerie bit)
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 11:47 PM

Let us not forget Alan Sherman's "The Ending of a Symphony", "Peter and the Commisar", and "Variations on 'How Dry I Am' ". He recorded all three with Aurthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops in the late 1960's.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,FloFo
Date: 30 Jun 13 - 12:03 AM

If unintentional self-parody and parody of the genre falls under the "satires on classical music" umbrella, one can't forget Florence Foster Jenkins, whose best-known (and posthumously released) album is "The Glory(????) of the Human Voice"; I may have used the wrong number of question marks there...

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: michaelr
Date: 30 Jun 13 - 12:45 PM

German composer Peter Heidrich wrote Variations on the Happy Birthday Song in the style of various classical composers.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST, Paul Slade
Date: 30 Jun 13 - 02:43 PM

Dudley Moore does Beethoven

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 30 Jun 13 - 05:12 PM

Who could forget "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" by Allan Sherman, the music being from Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours".

And the whole of "Carmen Jones" is really parodying or re-using Bizet's original.

And although not strictly of the "classical" period, there's ELP's different version of Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man", over 30 years after Copland wrote it. They did their own versions of several other classical compositions

And Dvorak did not write "Going Home"! He called it Symphony no 9 (or 5) - From the New World. The Largo from that symphony later got used for that song, nearly 30 years later, the lyrics being written by one of his pupils.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,John Foxen
Date: 01 Jul 13 - 11:20 AM

The operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan are all satires - both lyrically and musically -- of "serious" operas.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Jul 13 - 01:00 PM

And there other parallels, Ruddigore and Me and My Girl, and Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon.

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 01 Jul 13 - 05:11 PM

There's the late lamented institution "Portsmouth Sinfonia". All members either had to be non-musicians or to play an instrument they were entirely unfamiliar with:

Also Sprach Zarathustra


Hall Of The Mountain King

They had to disband in 1979 as the members were becoming too accomplished on their instruments, and were actually starting to sound tolerable!

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: GUEST,eldergirl
Date: 01 Jul 13 - 07:14 PM

Wagner's Lohengrin overture played by the Chuckerbutty Ocarina Quartet.. I think.. I have it on cassette somewhere, late 80's maybe?

Subject: RE: Satires on Classical Music: Suggestions?
From: Tootler
Date: 02 Jul 13 - 06:02 PM

There's always the late Les Dawson. Not always classical but always good:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SreTnqETM6g