1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults

1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults
Studio album by P. D. Q. Bach
Released 1989
Recorded January 10–11, 1989
Genre Classical
Comedy
Length 63:08
Label Telarc Records
P. D. Q. Bach chronology

A Little Nightmare Music
(1983)		 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults
(1989)		 Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities
(1990)

1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults is a classical music album released in 1989 by Telarc Records. The album contains works by P. D. Q. Bach, the alter ego of Professor Peter Schickele (as well as tracks credited to Schickele himself). It is scored "for really big orchestra and some not-quite so big ensembles, plus unique on-location introductions, spoken on the very historical spots where the actual history happened."

Performers

Track listing

  1. Introduction (1:35)
  2. 1712 Overture, S. 1712 (P.D.Q. Bach) (11:33)
    (Parody of the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
  3. Introduction (1:12)
  4. Bach Portrait (Prof. Schickele) (14:32)
    (Parody of Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland)
  5. Introduction (2:53)
  6. Capriccio La Pucelle de New Orleans (The Maid of New Orleans), S. under 18 (P.D.Q. Bach) (3:25)
  7. Introduction (1:14)
  8. Minuet Militaire, S. 1A (P.D.Q. Bach) (3:41)
  9. Introduction (1:33)
  10. Prelude to Einstein on the Fritz, S. e=mt² (P.D.Q. Bach) (6:37)
    (A parody on the title of the opera Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass and of Glass's music in general.)
  11. Introduction (1:47)

The Preachers of Crimetheus, a ballet in one selfless act, S. 988 (P.D.Q. Bach) (12:27)(A parody on The Creatures of Prometheus by Beethoven)

  1. I. Prologue (Bottomless Sorrow; Topless Gaiety) (3:18)
  2. II. The Lamentations of Jerry Maja (3:06)
  3. III. Finale: Special Deliverance (5:57)
Index 1: Theme (windbreaker) (0:35)
Index 2: Variation 1 (balloons) (0:24)
Index 3: Variation 2 (slide whistle) (1:06)
Index 4: Variation 3 (slide windbreaker) (0:16)
Index 5: Variation 4 (lasso d'amore) (2:31)
Index 6: Variation 5 (foghorn, bells, kazoo) (1:05)

Caution! Digital Sound Effects

"Warning! The balloons on track 2, the special sound effects on track 6, and the foghorn on track 14 index 6, are recorded at a realistically high level. Damage could result to speakers or other components if this program is played back at excessively high levels."

—from the CD liner notes

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1990 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults Best Comedy Album

Sources

See also

The Ill-Conceived P. D. Q. Bach Anthology