P.D.Q. Bach - String Quartet, "The Moose"

Описание: P.D.Q. Bach - String Quartet in F Major, "The Moose" (S. Y2K)

0:00 - Allegro ma non tropposphere
11:11 - Largo alla fargo
17:22 - Menuetto no sweato
21:06 - Grave e molto deepo - Allegro con brie

The Armadillo String Quartet:

Barry Socher, violin
Connie Kupka, violin
Ray Tischer, viola
Armen Ksajikian, cello

Forty-six years had passed since Professor Peter Schickele found P.D.Q. Bach's Sanka Cantata being used to strain coffee. And since then, approiximately 90 pieces by the infamous minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein had been rescued from oblivion. Often, the humble professor would mention the possibility of discovering P.D.Q Bach works like a string quartet. Well, on November 16, 1999, the manuscript of this rather large quartet finally turned up, much to the consternation of practically everyone.

The subtitle "The Moose" is interesting, but nobody knows why this subtitle is present. (except for one possible solution)

The first movement, Allegro ma non tropposphere, is a typical sonata form, which was one of the most popular forms used by 18th century composers (excluding, of course, the maidenform.) This is followed by the second movement, Largo alla fargo, "because one section sounds like a tree-shredder". The third movement, Menuetto no sweato, is, like several of P.D.Q.'s dance music, quite irregular, rhythmically speaking. And although there is little evidence to support this, a careful study of P.D.Q's dance music leads to the inescapable conclusion that one of his legs was shorter than the other.

The last movement of Beethoven's Quartet in F Major, Op. 135 is headed with two mottos that are not part of the music. Beethoven called this "Der schwer gefasste Entschluss" (The very tricky Question) It beings with "Muss es sein?" (Is it a moose?) And then comes the answer "Es muss sein!" (Yes, it's a moose!) Most musical cataloguers state that quartet was written in 1826, but they are dead wrong. If you look closely, you can see that it was composed in 1804. After all, how could P.D.Q. Bach have plagiarized it if it had been written 19 years after his death? (P.D.Q.'s, not Beethoven's) The final movement of P.D.Q's piece, Grave e molto deepo, begins exactly like Beethoven's, but then it gets further and further away and this is perfect example of the thing that has been most often said of P.D.Q. Bach's originality, which it that is comes from what he couldn't remember how what he was stealing from went. This slow and lugubrious movement is then followed by a typical Allegro con brie.




DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to this music/song. All rights belong to the owner. No Copyright Infringement Intended.