King of Prussia, PA – Theodore Presser Company thought about it long and hard, and decided eventually to publish a piano-vocal score to the P.D.Q. Bach (1807 - 1742?) "tragicommodity in one act," The Magic Bassoon, S.7 (411-41138 � piano/vocal score � $45.00). Editor Professor Peter Schickele notes the voicing as "for three, or, actually, two, unless... uh... oh, never mind." (There's a story there. See the performance notes in the sample pages PDF at bottom.) There's something about a cloven-hooved Pan, a nymph (nymph?), the Oracle, and then things get very, very confused. To make matters worse, several of the singing parts are also expected to play musical instruments. Pfeh.
The Magic Bassoon is now available through Theodore Presser Company or your favorite music retailer.
P.D.Q. Bach, described as "a pimple on the face of music," is alleged to be the last (and least) child of the true musician Johann Sebastian Bach. While the family tree may be in doubt (really?), the issue is further confused in that his dates were inscribed on his first tombstone backwards (1807 - 1742), in an attempt to further question his lineage. After a "rebellious youth" (read: lengthy drunken period), P.D.Q. decided that his last name would be his path to fortune and began to put pen to little black dots and lines on paper. For more information, see our Composer page or the other one dedicated to P.D.Q.
Professor Peter Schickele, unlike the object of his research, "coulda been somebody" (see Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront), but instead, strictly by chance, he would become known as the man who brought "the dubious works of P.D.Q. Bach" to light. For fifty years, Schickele has presented newly discovered messterpieces by P.D.Q. to unsuspecting audiences around the world. The finest orchestras have aided and abetted, and multiple recordings have followed. Books, CDs, DVDs, and radio programs have grown out of a total misunderstanding of the true nature of music. That said, no one is giving any of the money back. For more information, see the website from which most of this was stolen - www.schickele.com.
Offering music by today�s greatest composers and teachers, Theodore Presser Company is the oldest continuing music publisher in the United States, dedicated to carrying out the aims and goals its founder established more than a century ago: service, with integrity, to music and musicians, commitment to quality, and a vision for the future. Theodore Presser Company is a full-range music publisher that also distributes the works of more than 70 American and foreign publishers, with a combined sales catalog that features over 60,000 titles.
For more information about Theodore Presser Company, log on to www.presser.com, or contact Elizabeth Holub, [email protected] or call (212) 777-0900 ext 230.
