Peter Schickele and P.D.Q. Bach were sides of the same coin
The American musical satirist and his bibulous creation died on January 16th, aged 88
HIS OWN musical career looked fairly good on paper. He had more than 100 serious works to his name. The National Symphony, the Minnesota Opera and several string quartets had all commissioned works from him. He wrote film scores, too, including tracks for “Silent Running” in the 1970s. But Peter Schickele could indulge his dream of serious composing only because, for half the year, he was touring the concert halls of America with the much more celebrated part of his persona, a bibulous, cranky, chaotic remnant of the 18th century called P.D.Q. Bach.
This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “The short-tempered klavier”
Obituary February 3rd 2024
From the February 3rd 2024 edition
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