Quote:
Originally Posted by Nowhere Man
PDQ Bach probably has Ives beat, at least percentage-wise.
And of course, PDQ is the exception that, well, breaks the rule.
Fred
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Got that right.
Exhibit A would have to be the
"Unbegun" Symphony, about which Professor Peter Schickele remarked
Quote:
Spending, as I do, a significant part of my waking hours immersed in the music of "history's most justly neglected composer," P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742?), it is not surprising that some of the more salient characteristics of P.D.Q. Bach's music, perhaps the most salient of all, is that characteristic which has been called "manic plagiarism." Although a certain amount of plagiarism can be found in even the greatest composers, it is my embarrassing duty to warn the listener that the "Unbegun" Symphony does not contain a single original theme; every melody in the entire piece seems to have been thought of previously by somebody else. I hasten to point out, however, that because of this the "Unbegun" Symphony is one of the most consistently inspired works in the repertoire, if I do say so myself.
It illustrates the danger of exposing highly retentive and unoriginal minds to a great variety of musical fare.
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For those of you unfamiliar with the good Professor, here's some background information. Peter Schickele was a faculty legend at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople and served also as music critic for
The Hoople Scoop. His radio program
Schickele Mix somehow managed to avoid cancellation for a number of years. His concert tours presenting the music of P.D.Q. Bach have become the stuff of rumor.