Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments
Encyclopedia
The Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments is a satirical
instrumental work written by Peter Schickele
under the pseudonym of P.D.Q. Bach, whom Schickele studies as a "scholar".
, oboe
and bassoon
— and the three brass; trumpet
, french horn and trombone
. The basic premise is that the woodwinds play the piece straightforwardly, while the brass instruments (who don't like the woodwinds and/or the conductor) do everything possible to pervert the work, including playing their echo atonally
/arhythmically, playing in a carnival or ragtime
style, ignoring their cue (even when repeated) and then playing "nanny nanny boo-boo" over the subsequent woodwind line, and dramatic ritardandos and rallentandos that cover the other group's parts. This understandably frustrates the woodwinds and the conductor. At the breaking point, the conductor and/or woodwind group pull out guns and point them at the brass section, whose broad, obnoxiously loud line trails off. The woodwinds play their final line, and the brass finally cooperate.
and Portrait of PDQ Bach. In the former, the presentation of the piece is itself satirical in nature with the piece (recorded on tape) being played too slow, then too fast, and even backwards (Schickele quips while attempting to fix the problem, "This is a heck of a way to start a morning, isn't it?") before the machine playing the tape explodes. The second later album features the piece in its entirety (though the recorded introduction to the piece still pokes fun at the recording and editing process).
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
instrumental work written by Peter Schickele
Peter Schickele
Johann Peter Schickele is an American composer, musical educator, and parodist. He is best known for his comedy music albums featuring his music that he presents as music written by the fictional composer P. D. Q...
under the pseudonym of P.D.Q. Bach, whom Schickele studies as a "scholar".
Performance
The piece is a sextet intended in the baroque style, the two unfriendly groups of instruments being the three woodwinds — fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
— and the three brass; trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, french horn and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
. The basic premise is that the woodwinds play the piece straightforwardly, while the brass instruments (who don't like the woodwinds and/or the conductor) do everything possible to pervert the work, including playing their echo atonally
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
/arhythmically, playing in a carnival or ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
style, ignoring their cue (even when repeated) and then playing "nanny nanny boo-boo" over the subsequent woodwind line, and dramatic ritardandos and rallentandos that cover the other group's parts. This understandably frustrates the woodwinds and the conductor. At the breaking point, the conductor and/or woodwind group pull out guns and point them at the brass section, whose broad, obnoxiously loud line trails off. The woodwinds play their final line, and the brass finally cooperate.
Recordings
The piece appears in two albums, Report From Hoople: P. D. Q. Bach On The AirReport from Hoople: P. D. Q. Bach on the Air
Report from Hoople: P. D. Q. Bach on the Air was released on Vanguard Records in 1967. It is set up as a radio broadcast of the music of P. D. Q...
and Portrait of PDQ Bach. In the former, the presentation of the piece is itself satirical in nature with the piece (recorded on tape) being played too slow, then too fast, and even backwards (Schickele quips while attempting to fix the problem, "This is a heck of a way to start a morning, isn't it?") before the machine playing the tape explodes. The second later album features the piece in its entirety (though the recorded introduction to the piece still pokes fun at the recording and editing process).