tones
compulsive cantater
Having had such a good reaction to the comedy stuff I brought to Titian's, I thought I'd try to write a piece on comedy music. This is such a vast subject (including comic opera) that I'll be very selective, looking mainly at comedy songs that exist independently of a funny show, and with a particular eye to satirical/fun-poking pieces.
I see this one has already got out of hand (it's amazing what you can do in the train when you get fed up drawing funny molecules), so I'll test the waters with it, and go on to more contemporary artists (Tom Lehrer, Flanders & Swann, etc.) when I have the time (and should anyone be interested).
You folk out there will know many others, so please add on contributions!
Comic songs, especially those ââ'¬Å"sending upââ'¬Â people and institutions, have existed since time immemorial. I see the old heritage in Basel every Fasnacht. At Fasnacht, Basel's equivalent of Lenten carnival (Fasnacht is usually a week later than Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras), the cliques (the local associations that exist to prepare for and celebrate Fasnacht) go around in masks for three days (ââ'¬Å"die drey scheenschste Däägââ'¬Â (the three most beautiful days) to Fasnachtlers). This was a mediaeval safety valve ââ'¬â€œ behind masks, people could poke fun at authority with impunity.
This tradition exists still in Basel. The cliques choose a ââ'¬Å"Sujetââ'¬Â, something in the news (local or international), which they lampoon, in the form of big (around 2M high and 1.5M wide) illuminated lanterns, which they keep secret to the last minute and then parade around the streets. Then there are the ââ'¬Å"Schnitzelbanksââ'¬Â (Schnitzelbänngs in Baslerdytsch), concerts of songs ridiculing whoever or whatever is this year's Sujet. See:
http://www.fasnacht.ch/?pm_1=4&mid=4
The emergence of satire came as individual rights increased and the penalty for lampooning officialdom didn't mean a trip to the local slammer, or worse. England was the first country in Europe to clip royalty's wings and the art of lampooning advanced there at a greater rate than on the continent (the English political cartoonists of the 18th century could be every bit as vitriolic as their present day counterparts). Nothing was sacred, even in po-faced Victorian England, which saw the rise ofââ'¬Â¦
GILBERT & SULLIVAN
whose operettas dared to poke fun at British institutions, when such institutions took themselves very seriously indeed. The duo was really a trio, William Schwenk Gilbert, who wrote the libretti, Arthur Sullivan, who wrote the music, and Richard D'Oyly Carte, who produced the shows and acted as general peacemaker between the other two, who frequently quarrelled. Sullivan had pretensions to be a grand opera writer, but Gilbert had the wit to see that the British public would never buy it. Sadly, Sullivan never realised that they were made for each other, and apart from Gilbert, he never wrote anything memorable (apart, perhaps, from ââ'¬Å"Onward, Christian soldiersââ'¬Â).
Gilbert was kidnapped as a baby; he remembered nothing of it, but it's amazing how often childhood mix-ups form part of the plot (ââ'¬Å"Pinaforeââ'¬Â, ââ'¬Å"Piratesââ'¬Â, ââ'¬Å"Gondoliersââ'¬Â).
Gilbert took British society as fair game and lampooned it ruthlessly. At a time when Britannia ruled the waves, to make fun of the Royal Navy was bad enough (in ââ'¬Å"HMS Pinaforeââ'¬Â). But to make fun of a First Sea Lord who had never been to sea was something else:
So, landsmen all, wherever you may be
If you want to climb to the top of the tree
If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool
Be careful to be bounded by this golden rule ââ'¬â€œ
Stick close to your desk and NEVER go to sea
And you all may be the rulers of the Queen's Navy!
He turned his sights on the House of Lords in ââ'¬Å"Iolantheââ'¬Â
When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte,
As every child can tell,
The House of Peers, throughout the war,
Did nothing in particular,
And did it very well;
The fashion for things Japanese took a pasting in ââ'¬Å"The Mikadoââ'¬Â, the police in ââ'¬Å"The Pirates of Penzanceââ'¬Â and the aesthete movement in ââ'¬Å"Patienceââ'¬Â. And in the Lord High Executioner's song in ââ'¬Å"Mikadoââ'¬Â
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list--I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed--who never would be missed!
Gilbert obligingly leaves blanks for the filling in of contemporary names ââ'¬â€œwhich G&S companies gleefully do to this day. Perhaps it's not surprising that Gilbert was knighted 20 years after Sullivan. Sullivan's contribution was the excellent music, which is very Offenbachish (I often wonder who copied whom), the very best he ever wrote, perhaps reaching its pinnacle in "Yeoman of the Guardââ'¬Â, the only one of the operettas that is also a tragedy.
One of the joys of the G&S operas are the ââ'¬Å"patter songsââ'¬Â, the songs full of rapidly spoken words, the most famous being from ââ'¬Å"Piratesââ'¬Â
I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
And they could poke fun at themselves at the same time:
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
They remain very listenable to this day. Gilbert's wit and Sullivan's lively music scores have retained their freshness. In addition, ââ'¬Å"fairyââ'¬Â has acquired a secondary meaning since ââ'¬Å"Iolantheââ'¬Â was written, and the lines are invariably played for their recently-acquired ambiguity.
And, since we've already mentioned himââ'¬Â¦
JACQUES OFFENBACH
This so very French composer was son of a Jewish Cantor from Cologne. His most famous piece was ââ'¬Å"Orphée aux enfersââ'¬Â (which someone translated as ââ'¬Å"To hell with Orpheusââ'¬Â). It is a deliberate burlesque of the classic Gluck opera ââ'¬Å"Orpheus and Eurydiceââ'¬Â, sometimes taking outrageous liberties with it. It's most famous for its Can-Can (yes, THAT one). (The best version I've ever heard of that is one by the Birmingham Symphony under Louis Frémaux). There's also ââ'¬Å"La belle Hélèneââ'¬Â, a send-up of the story of Helen of Troy, again totally outrageous, but very funny.
I see this one has already got out of hand (it's amazing what you can do in the train when you get fed up drawing funny molecules), so I'll test the waters with it, and go on to more contemporary artists (Tom Lehrer, Flanders & Swann, etc.) when I have the time (and should anyone be interested).
You folk out there will know many others, so please add on contributions!
Comic songs, especially those ââ'¬Å"sending upââ'¬Â people and institutions, have existed since time immemorial. I see the old heritage in Basel every Fasnacht. At Fasnacht, Basel's equivalent of Lenten carnival (Fasnacht is usually a week later than Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras), the cliques (the local associations that exist to prepare for and celebrate Fasnacht) go around in masks for three days (ââ'¬Å"die drey scheenschste Däägââ'¬Â (the three most beautiful days) to Fasnachtlers). This was a mediaeval safety valve ââ'¬â€œ behind masks, people could poke fun at authority with impunity.
This tradition exists still in Basel. The cliques choose a ââ'¬Å"Sujetââ'¬Â, something in the news (local or international), which they lampoon, in the form of big (around 2M high and 1.5M wide) illuminated lanterns, which they keep secret to the last minute and then parade around the streets. Then there are the ââ'¬Å"Schnitzelbanksââ'¬Â (Schnitzelbänngs in Baslerdytsch), concerts of songs ridiculing whoever or whatever is this year's Sujet. See:
http://www.fasnacht.ch/?pm_1=4&mid=4
The emergence of satire came as individual rights increased and the penalty for lampooning officialdom didn't mean a trip to the local slammer, or worse. England was the first country in Europe to clip royalty's wings and the art of lampooning advanced there at a greater rate than on the continent (the English political cartoonists of the 18th century could be every bit as vitriolic as their present day counterparts). Nothing was sacred, even in po-faced Victorian England, which saw the rise ofââ'¬Â¦
GILBERT & SULLIVAN
whose operettas dared to poke fun at British institutions, when such institutions took themselves very seriously indeed. The duo was really a trio, William Schwenk Gilbert, who wrote the libretti, Arthur Sullivan, who wrote the music, and Richard D'Oyly Carte, who produced the shows and acted as general peacemaker between the other two, who frequently quarrelled. Sullivan had pretensions to be a grand opera writer, but Gilbert had the wit to see that the British public would never buy it. Sadly, Sullivan never realised that they were made for each other, and apart from Gilbert, he never wrote anything memorable (apart, perhaps, from ââ'¬Å"Onward, Christian soldiersââ'¬Â).
Gilbert was kidnapped as a baby; he remembered nothing of it, but it's amazing how often childhood mix-ups form part of the plot (ââ'¬Å"Pinaforeââ'¬Â, ââ'¬Å"Piratesââ'¬Â, ââ'¬Å"Gondoliersââ'¬Â).
Gilbert took British society as fair game and lampooned it ruthlessly. At a time when Britannia ruled the waves, to make fun of the Royal Navy was bad enough (in ââ'¬Å"HMS Pinaforeââ'¬Â). But to make fun of a First Sea Lord who had never been to sea was something else:
So, landsmen all, wherever you may be
If you want to climb to the top of the tree
If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool
Be careful to be bounded by this golden rule ââ'¬â€œ
Stick close to your desk and NEVER go to sea
And you all may be the rulers of the Queen's Navy!
He turned his sights on the House of Lords in ââ'¬Å"Iolantheââ'¬Â
When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte,
As every child can tell,
The House of Peers, throughout the war,
Did nothing in particular,
And did it very well;
The fashion for things Japanese took a pasting in ââ'¬Å"The Mikadoââ'¬Â, the police in ââ'¬Å"The Pirates of Penzanceââ'¬Â and the aesthete movement in ââ'¬Å"Patienceââ'¬Â. And in the Lord High Executioner's song in ââ'¬Å"Mikadoââ'¬Â
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list--I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed--who never would be missed!
Gilbert obligingly leaves blanks for the filling in of contemporary names ââ'¬â€œwhich G&S companies gleefully do to this day. Perhaps it's not surprising that Gilbert was knighted 20 years after Sullivan. Sullivan's contribution was the excellent music, which is very Offenbachish (I often wonder who copied whom), the very best he ever wrote, perhaps reaching its pinnacle in "Yeoman of the Guardââ'¬Â, the only one of the operettas that is also a tragedy.
One of the joys of the G&S operas are the ââ'¬Å"patter songsââ'¬Â, the songs full of rapidly spoken words, the most famous being from ââ'¬Å"Piratesââ'¬Â
I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
And they could poke fun at themselves at the same time:
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
They remain very listenable to this day. Gilbert's wit and Sullivan's lively music scores have retained their freshness. In addition, ââ'¬Å"fairyââ'¬Â has acquired a secondary meaning since ââ'¬Å"Iolantheââ'¬Â was written, and the lines are invariably played for their recently-acquired ambiguity.
And, since we've already mentioned himââ'¬Â¦
JACQUES OFFENBACH
This so very French composer was son of a Jewish Cantor from Cologne. His most famous piece was ââ'¬Å"Orphée aux enfersââ'¬Â (which someone translated as ââ'¬Å"To hell with Orpheusââ'¬Â). It is a deliberate burlesque of the classic Gluck opera ââ'¬Å"Orpheus and Eurydiceââ'¬Â, sometimes taking outrageous liberties with it. It's most famous for its Can-Can (yes, THAT one). (The best version I've ever heard of that is one by the Birmingham Symphony under Louis Frémaux). There's also ââ'¬Å"La belle Hélèneââ'¬Â, a send-up of the story of Helen of Troy, again totally outrageous, but very funny.
). And no doubt many more too numerous (or obscure) to mention.
