In the guise of a nutty, unkempt musicologist from the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, Professor Peter Schickele brought delight to audiences around the world by deflating the stereotypes of “serious music.” He achieved this through a shrewdly-calibrated balancing act of sly wit, broad slapstick, and genuine musical know-how.
A master of freewheeling free-association, Schickele churned out musical dad jokes with titles such as “Fanfare for the Common Cold,” “The Short-Tempered Clavier,” and “Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice – An Opera in One Unnatural Act.” He introduced us to arcane instruments like the lasso d’amore, the dill piccolo, the pastaphone, and the tromboon. He made his entrance by bursting through the fire doors at a trot in his evening wear (tuxedo and work boots), or swinging to the stage on a rope from a balcony, or escorted by orderlies in a straightjacket.
Schickele’s manic tenure as the kapellmeister of classical music mayhem ended this past Tuesday with his death at the age of 88.
This morning on “Sweetness and Light,” I’ll do my best to honor his legacy with an assortment of his classic P.D.Q. Bach comedy bits, interspersed with selections from his more “serious” concert works. While there are no musical pratfalls in the latter, they’re still guaranteed to give you a lift with their ebullient and energetic abandon. Hopefully what you hear will encourage you to seek out more. His was a distinctive compositional voice, full of imagination and invention.
I invite you to join me for a Schickele mix on “Sweetness and Light,” music calculated to charm and to cheer, this Saturday morning at 11:00 EST/8:00 PST, exclusively on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Stream it, wherever you are, at the link.
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