Customer Reviews

The definitive biography of P. D. Q. Bach, 1807-1742?

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A hilarious fake biography of the fictional, "last and certainly least" child of Johann Sebastian Bach. P.D.Q. spends most of his young life rebelling against his family's artistic legacy before he finally realizes that having the name Bach means that people will pay him good money for mediocre musical works.

And mediocre they are--besides being a drunk and a philanderer, he has no musical talent whatsoever. Which doesn't stop him from creating some of the most inept, bizarre and funny art the world has ever seen. Great stuff, even if you have no knowledge of classical music.

I first read this hilariously absurd book when I was in college. My only regret is that I read it in a public place, so I had to stifle the nearly-uncontrollable fits of laughter it provoked. Only Peter Schickele would solemnly explain that a suite for "divers instruments" was not actually performed with scuba gear, or that the left-handed sewer flute is nearly extinct as an instrument because most of them ended up back underground. Only Schickele would write a classical piece featuring ocarina and plucked strings (ok; so that's not true; Gyorgy Ligeti did it, too--but maybe Ligeti read this book!)

In short, this is the best written satire on classical music ever produced. It gives classical music the same treatment as the "Airplane" movies gave Irwin Allen films--one joke after another after another...

From the opening frontispiece (a page of score from a composition whose words consist of "front is") to the closing index (where you can look up the page numbers of both the index and the reference to the index in the table of contents), everything in this book is funny. It traces the life and music of P.D.Q. Bach from Early Infancy (1742-1745) and Late Infancy (1745-1766) through his final creative period, Contrition, to give you a music history education you just won't get anywhere else. Lots of unusual pictures of unpicturable things, odd descriptions of indescribable instruments and strange explanations of inexplicable music. It lacks lots of the more recent research on this subject, but so does every other book, so this remains the best book of its kind, whatever that is.

The hardcover original of this book is roughly 10" x 10" square. This paperback edition takes those pages, keeps the square aspect ratio, and squeezes them onto 9" x 6". So the picture, print, etc. are 40% smaller than intended, with wide stripes of white space at top and bottom. Many of the funny details in the pictures are lost, and much of the text is unreadable.

The other reviewers are exactly right as to the hilarity of the content. By all means, seek out the hardcover original of this book from a used book seller. A used copy may be imperfect, but it will be less expensive and more readable than this edition.

An absolute must for every P.D.Q. Bach fan! It includes an annotated catalogue of P.D.Q.'s music (titled "Such a Horrid Clang") up to its publication in 1976. Every page is full of hilarity. I am constantly getting mine out to read about the pieces I'm listening to, or just to laugh about the hilarious photos and captions in the pictorial essay. Even the index is worth reading beginning to end!

I must agree with the previous review: This is the best book of its kind, whatever that is (it may be the ONLY book of its kind). If you enjoy music theory or music history, this book will make you laugh harder than Schickele's recordings of PDQ Bach's music. If you aren't fairly knowledgable about classical music (and many of the very dry books which this satirizes), don't buy this book, as much of the humor will be lost on you. If, however, you know that a sonata is not something to be wiped with a handkerchief, this book is full of non-stop laughs.

I have been a huge fan of the mini-meister from wein-am-rhein for years! I read this book years ago, having gotten it from my local library. I havent been able to find it anywhere untill I found it on Amazon. I really, really love this book.

I enjoy the music of PDQ Bach. So I thought I might enjoy the 'definite biography'. Well, this volume called forth only modified rapture.

While it's certainly written in a humorous vein, and brings the lolz occasionally, it can't say I found the read a rewarding experience. All too often, the author (as he continously refers to himself) tells the story of PDQ and puts down his music. Doesn't really describe the music in any detail, and never tells us why it was considered 'bad music' or why PDQ was labelled as having no musical talent. There are some good jokes, but I did not find myself laughing at them as other reviews say they did.

The photos and footnotes were a nice touch. But ultimately they didn't save the book. I just was not amused. Perhaps it just doesn't come across as 'funny' on paper.

The other book is Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This one is far more intellectual humor, however. If you have no love for classical music and history, this book might go over your head. However, if you've got a friend who love classical music, then PDQ Back is probably already a favorite. However, most people are unaware that this book exists.

Some of the humor is as blunt as a baseball bat. Other humor is quite subtle. It is presented as a standard biography complete with footnotes. The first line of the body is "It was a dark and stormy night" with "It" getting the book's first footnote.

I bought 2 copies of this as presents for friends. Give yourself a present if you're a classical music lover with a sense of humor.

I have to put it down because if I don't I'll choke on my own laughter.

I was privileged to be a student of Schickele's in the Juilliard School of Music's Extension Program in the early 1960s. He was a funny guy even in the classroom.

At the time he was a young composer whose work I had heard at a Cooper Union concert, which inspired me to take his class in basic music theory. If I recall correctly, he used to organize at Juilliard a series of humorous concerts, after the example of the immortal Gerard Hoffnung's Interplanetary Music Festival in England.

It was with surprise and delight that, years later, I saw Schikele rise to public acclaim (he would say "public disdain"), transformed into his alter ego. I'll always be thrilled that "I knew him before."