Peter Schickele

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

Today’s date in 1935 marks the birthday of American composer Peter Schickele, best known for his outrageous musical parodies supposedly penned by the fictional P.D.Q. Bach, the “last and least of the great Johann Sebastian Bach’s 20-odd children, and the oddest.” Some radio listeners may also have fond memories of the inventive radio series he created, Schickele Mix, dedicated to the proposition “that all musics are created equal.”

Schickele was born in Ames, Iowa, and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, where he began his study of composition. He later attended Swarthmore College and the Juilliard School, where one of his classmates was fellow composer Philip Glass. It was at Juilliard that Schickele’s talent for parody created the works of P.D.Q. Bach, and these humorous pieces proved so popular at Juilliard concerts that they were eventually presented at Lincoln Center and even Carnegie Hall.

The tremendous success of P.D.Q. Bach’s music has overshadowed the more serious concert works written under Schickele’s own name. That’s not to say there’s a lack of wit in Schickele’s “serious” music — far from it. But while P.D.Q. Bach’s works may elicit belly laughs, Schickele’s music can evoke more pensive emotions, not without an occasional smile, of course.

Music Played in Today's Program

Peter Schickele (1935-2024): Pentangle (Five Songs for French Horn and Orchestra); Kenneth Albrecht, French horn; Louisville Orchestra; Jorge Mester, conductor; Albany TROY-024