Composer

:

P.D.Q. Bach

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

1:57

"Long Live The King. S. 1789" is a satirical composition by the fictional composer P.D.Q. Bach, also known as Peter Schickele. The piece was composed in 1967 and premiered on April 1st of the same year at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The composition is divided into three movements, each of which is a parody of a different musical style. The first movement, titled "Fanfare for the Common Cold," is a humorous take on the traditional fanfare. The movement features a brass section playing a series of dissonant and jarring notes, meant to represent the sounds of a person suffering from a cold. The second movement, titled "The Queen to Me a Royal Pain Doth Give," is a parody of a Baroque aria. The movement features a soprano soloist singing about the difficulties of being married to a king who is more interested in hunting than in his queen. The music is filled with trills, runs, and other ornamental flourishes typical of Baroque music. The final movement, titled "The King's Theme," is a parody of a Hollywood film score. The movement features a full orchestra playing a bombastic and over-the-top theme, complete with sweeping strings, blaring brass, and thundering percussion. The music is meant to evoke the grandeur and majesty of a Hollywood epic, but with a humorous twist. Overall, "Long Live The King. S. 1789" is a witty and irreverent composition that pokes fun at various musical styles and conventions. The piece showcases P.D.Q. Bach's unique brand of musical humor and is a testament to Schickele's skill as a composer and satirist.

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