Meet a Composer: Peter Schickele

Meet a Composer: Peter Schickele (and P.D.Q. Bach)

Born: July 17, 1935
Period of Composing: Modern
Country: United States

Peter Schickele is an American composer, musician, radio host, author, and musical satirist/humorist. He is known as the creator of the fictitious and humorous 21st child of J.S. Bach—P.D.Q. Bach—but Schickele's contributions to the music world go much further than P.D.Q. Bach. He has written over 100 works for orchestras, chamber ensembles, choral groups, voice, movies (including music for four feature films), and television. His compositions include "serious" music as well as fun, humorous, satirical works. In the 1990s he hosted a syndicated music radio program, Schickele Mix, which was heard nationally and internationally.

Peter Schickele created the humorous P.D.Q. Bach and his forgotten repertoire, which "Professor Schickele" is said to have "discovered." A few examples of the satirical works of P.D.Q. Bach are: Fanfare for the Common Cold,
A Little Nightmare Music: an opera in one irrevocable act,
The Short-Tempered Clavier: Preludes and Fugues in All the Major and Minor Keys Except for the Really Hard Ones, Suite No. 1 for Cello All By Its Lonesome, and Sonata "Abassoonata" (for bassoon). 

Did You Know?

Peter Schickele won the Grammy for "Best Comedy Album" 4 years in a row!

He arranged one of the musical segments in the Disney film Fantasia 2000.

Peter Schickele is an accomplished bassoonist and a crossword puzzle creator!

Learn more about Peter Schickele in this University of Washington interview with him.

Watch this Cleveland Institute of Music performance of a P.D.Q. Bach composition which includes slide whistle, balloons, a kazoo, and other humorous instruments.

In this entertaining YouTube video Peter Schickele speaks about and performs his "Olé Concerto" for Piano & Brass with the Canadian Brass Ensemble.

Theodore Presser Company (the publisher of Peter Schickele's and P.D.Q. Bach's music) created this tribute to Peter Schickele (including lots of great pictures) to celebrate his 75th birthday.