P.D.Q. Bach: Liebeslieder Polkas; Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs

P.D.Q. [pseudonym of Peter Schickele] Bach (Composer), Peter Gram Swing (Conductor), Peter Schickele (Performer), David Oie (Performer), Anne Epperson (Performer), David Oei (Performer), John Ferrante (Performer), Suzanne Blatz (Performer), Timothy Hoyt (Performer), Joy Hulse (Performer), Susan Lamb (Performer), Luisa Lehrer (Performer), Christopher Wealer (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Schickele, David Oie, Anne Epperson, David Oei, John Ferrante, et al.
• Conductor: Peter Gram Swing
• Composer: P.D.Q. [pseudonym of Peter Schickele] Bach
• Audio CD (January 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000ELT
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,059 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #80 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy & Spoken Word

Track Listings

1. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: To his coy mistress

2. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: To the virgins, to make much of time

3. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: The passionate shepherd to his love

4. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: Why so pale and wan, fond lover?

5. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: It was a lover and his lass

6. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: The constant lover

7. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: Song to Celia

8. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: Interlude

9. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: Farewell, ungrateful traitor

10. Liebeslieder Polkas, for chorus & piano, 5 hands, S. 2/4: Who is Silvia?

11. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Gemini ('Now Diddle had a twin')

12. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Cancer ('Henry the crab')

13. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Leo ('Now Leo the lion')

14. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Virgo ('Virginia, fairest Virginia')

15. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Libra ('Scales are very handy')

16. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Scorpio ('When the Lord was handing weapons out')

17. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Saggitarius ('Come all ye lads and lasses')

18. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Capricorn ('When William the Conquerer was a child')

19. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Aquarius ('Water bearer')

20. Quite Heavenly Songs (12) for voice(s) & piano (Arie Proprio Zodicale), S. 16: Pisces ('O holy mackerel')

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zodiac Zanyness, December 14, 1999

By 

Greg Myers (Northridge, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P.D.Q. Bach: Liebeslieder Polkas; Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs (Audio CD)

There are two types of PDQ Bach recordings, grand or intimate. This recording definitely is one of his intimate works, and is one of his best. It is riotously funny in parts, a tad slow in others.

Peter really shows his comedic genius, diversity, and originality here. It is amazing how how he comes up with a different, hilarious style of music for each sign of the zodiac. He runs the gamut from love ballads to carnival music, from blatant groaner jokes to very subtle humor. Be prepared to start playing the songs and jokes over and over in your head because you can't get them out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wit and joy, April 3, 2007

By 

Derek Dahlke - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: P.D.Q. Bach: Liebeslieder Polkas; Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs (Audio CD)

i just wanted to bring the average up on this, my favorite schickele album. the polkas, robust and maniacally gleeful, give some very familiar texts the best setting i've ever heard, truer to the spirit of herrick, shakespeare, and jonson than any of the wan art-songs that feyly bungle the same words. the pun-saturated zodiac demonstrates that schickele is a truly gifted writer of comic verse, at times worthy of ogden nash. the music is irreverent and silly but not egregious, so listeners narrowmindedly expecting the usual p.d.q. bach travesties may well be disappointed at the accomplished, even virtuosic writing. schickele wears the guise of his alter ego very lightly here and thus shows more of himself than we usually get to see. we should be grateful.

0 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The art of crushing triscuits to extract their essence, December 1, 2004

By 

Horst Meisterfluscher - See all my reviews

This review is from: P.D.Q. Bach: Liebeslieder Polkas; Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs (Audio CD)

From ANGEL WITH A BROKEN WANG by Emil Cioran: "The North's aspiration toward a different sky has engendered German music--geometry of autumns, alcohol of concepts, metaphysical intoxication. 19th-century Italy--that bazaar of sounds--lacked the dimension of night, the art of crushing shadows to extract their essence. One must side with Brahms or with the sun."

Yeah, well--whatever, Emil. But whatever you do, don't expect much from music which is tailored to fit pre-written words. (Instead of the other way around.) Because the inevitable result is the submediocrity on display here. The only 2 things I like are CAN YOU LEND ME 20 QUID and the shoop-doo-wah coda of THE CONSTANT LOVER.