Does PDQ Bach...

[John Caves]

have anything for brass quintet available?
Thanks

[Chuck(G)]

You mean Peter Schickele? There's "Mozart on Parade" and "Hornsmoke".

[John Caves]

You are correct, I should have searched Peter Schickele.
Thanks

[TonyZ]

The "Polka" from Hornsmoke is credited to Peret Schickele and not PDQ Bach. It is not funny. If you purchase it thinking that it will be a bunch of laughs you will be disappointed. It has an odd, recurring 3/4 bar and some blatty long notes in one trumpet part. But you need to have the costumes, choreography and narration for any of that to make any sense or be even mildly funny to the audience. If you do it as a straight polka you will have these weird notes in the trumpet and a recurring odd meter bar to explain to the listeners . . . along with its non-melodic melody.

Unfortunately, we play this all of the time. It needs to be played in its proper context or not at all.

I would have to disagree. I think that the "Polka" works great on its own and is quite humorous. It is difficult music to put together, but it's a real crowd pleaser. I have used it many times with great success. If you want to go all out, stage the whole thing. It's a real gas! Have fun with it!

[John Caves]

Thanks for the insights. The "Hornsmoke" sounds interesting, but for a later time.

[tubajoe]

He uses "PDQ Bach" for his sillier stuff, and "Peter Schickle" for his more serious compositions.

His work "Brass Calendar" for brass quintet is wonderful. I performed it at a festival a few years ago where he was in residence. It's a really nice work.

PS is a pretty interesting guy, and dont let the fun side of his works fool you, he's a serious composer with some things to say musically.

The Chestnut Brass recorded Brass Calendar on their CD "Hornsmoke" (which as mentioned is a whole CD of PS's brass quintet music) I believe they won a Grammy for that recording, and I think they may have commissioned some of the works too.

[John Caves]

Yes, Peter Schikele has serioius side, but, didn't know much about it. I know he did work with Linda Ronstadt at one time as a conductor/arranger. I loved his public radio program when it was on in our area.

[Biggs]

Variations on a Joke

is a decent, lighthearted piece that features the horn player in your quintet. Parts are not too technically demanding.

My quintet played it at our last recital and the crowd seemed to enjoy it well enough (we try to play some of the more 'fun' charts).

[Rick Denney]

However, I have seen a bootleg of a sort of dress rehearsal of Hornsmoke, and within that context it is a good piece. I have never heard of these guys actually performing Hornsmoke live. I am not sure that they ever did. It is a fairly funny spoof of Gunsmoke but did not seem to be as well written as, say, the ballet skit. They probably only did it for a single season, a long time ago. This bootleg was from around 1979 I am guessing by the late-disco era tuxes under the "costumes" that they are wearing.

The Canadian Brass did the whole Hornsmoke thing in their video production called "Spectacular". It's available on the CB website, but I don't find it at Amazon. That video also includes a performance of Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis arranged for triple quintet, played with the New York Phil and Boston Symphony brass quintets, and conducted by Georg Tintner. It's worth finding for that alone.

I own and have performed the Polka, supposedly from Hornsmoke. But I could not find that work in the Canadian Brass performance of Hornsmoke, at least not as a complete work.

My beef with the work is not too different than yours: I can't seem to find any compelling melody or story in the music.

Rick "thinking the video was produced in 1990 or thereabouts" Denney

[Dean E]

. . . . I have never heard of these guys actually performing Hornsmoke live. I am not sure that they ever did. It is a fairly funny spoof of Gunsmoke but did not seem to be as well written as, say, the ballet skit. They probably only did it for a single season, a long time ago. This bootleg was from around 1979 I am guessing by the late-disco era tuxes under the "costumes" that they are wearing.

I saw Hornsmoke performed live in Denver about four or five years ago (time flies). Daellenbach played portions of it lying on his back. The group was in fine form.

[Chuck(G)]

I own and have performed the Polka, supposedly from Hornsmoke. But I could not find that work in the Canadian Brass performance of Hornsmoke, at least not as a complete work.

The Polka comes between the square dance and "Introduction and Tango" on the Chestnut CD. I tend to view the Chestnut Brass version as being definitive, as it uses Schickele as the narrator.

In the grand scheme of brass quintets, HS isn't a favorite--too much of its success depends not on the quintet performing it, but rather on the talents of the narrator.