Funny Music, what's your favourite? Options

[flutecake]

Well, we've had music jokes, but I was wondering if people could think of pieces of music which were intrinsically humerous; not necessarily songs, because there are loads of those, but music which makes an audience laugh.

There's a concerto for typewriter and orchestra (Leroy Anderson?),
Duet for two cats (or does "meow" count as lyrics)

any others that forumites have heard or played?

[Maizie]

I recently bought myself the Hoffnung Music Festivals double CD, which is very amusing. I think my favourite piece is Franz Reizenstein's Concerto Popolare, or "The Piano Concerto to end all Piano Concertos". It's great fun trying to spot all the different pieces in it.

Having said that, I haven't listened to disc 2 all that much yet, so that might have even funnier stuff on it.

[fsharpminor]

John Cages 4' 33" ?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Seriously though there are many pieces with an element of humour. For example lots of Scherzi (Scherzo literally menas 'Joke') movements in Sonatas or Symphonies are humourous.
Just one example is the first movement of Haydns Piano Sonata in G Hob XVI No 40 - I find it amusing.
Its marked something like (from memory) 'Allegretto innocente'. Try playing it with a dead pan innocente face, and after a bit you will at least smile

[fsharpminor]

I have just thought of Erik Satie's stuff piano music, much with fanciful titles. However my favourite of his is Sonatine Bureaucratique, which is an hilarious parody of Clementis first Sonatina in C from the well known Op36 set

[maggiemay]

Yes I like f#minor's Satie too, and the two cats duet.

Boeuf sur le toit by Milhaud always makes me smile - maybe it's partly the title though.

[Heitorvillalobos]

I like Shostakovich's Polka from the Golden Age ballet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ..reminds me of Les Dawson (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Sounds like great fun to play - but way beyond me at the moment. Still, I have the music, so some day, some day... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I also love Satie (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mrbouffant]

Any of the music from the Carry On films! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[maggiemay]

Any of the music from the Carry On films! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

oh and the Benny Hill music (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
-the brassy tune that was played to the sketches without dialogue

(*shows age*)

does anyone know what it is ? (the music not my age I mean (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) )

[barry-clari]

oh and the Benny Hill music (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
-the brassy tune that was played to the sketches without dialogue

(*shows age*)

does anyone know what it is ? (the music not my age I mean (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) )

Can't think who played it, but the tune is called Yakety Sax. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mcm]

Years ago I heard on the radio Stanislaus Elliot's Bicycle Sonata for piano, written in 1882. You can imagine the sort of thing - several false starts, then rather hesitating progress, then more confidence, leading to ever wilder swoops until there is a great crash to the bottom of the keyboard. And so on - it is a lot of fun.

[ChrisC]

I recently bought myself the Hoffnung Music Festivals double CD, which is very amusing. I think my favourite piece is Franz Reizenstein's Concerto Popolare, or "The Piano Concerto to end all Piano Concertos". It's great fun trying to spot all the different pieces in it.

Having said that, I haven't listened to disc 2 all that much yet, so that might have even funnier stuff on it.

I agree about Hoffnung - I used to have an LP of one of the concerts many years ago. One piece I remember is "A Grand Grand Overture" (Malcolm Arnold?) which ends with a series of Beethoven-esque perfect cadences lasting about 5 minutes. Also a version of Hadyn's Surprise symphony, played on bottles.

Chris

[ad_libitum]

I know it's a song and not an instrumental, but "The Laughing Policeman" (Penrose?) cracks me up (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

The funniest one was where they used it "One Foot in The Grave" where Victor was trying to sleep (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[fsharpminor]

I know it's a song and not an instrumental, but "The Laughing Policeman" (Penrose?) cracks me up (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

The funniest one was where they used it "One Foot in The Grave" where Victor was trying to sleep (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

When I was very small in the early fifties we often went to Blackpool for aholiday or a day trip.
In the Pleasure Beach there was a glass case containing a model policeman. You put an (old) penny in and he swayed about and laughed his head off. It got us all laughing. It was about the same time that I heard 'The Laughing Policeman' sung on the radio. (We didnt get a telly until about 1954/5).
It was guaranteed to cheer you up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) (just thinking about it )

[ad_libitum]

I was last at Blackpool about 1990 and he was still there in his glass case!

The laugh is just so infectious (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[flutecake]

Has anyone played music by P D Q Bach? The titles are certainly amusing.

Satie is good, I like the idea of the "Piece in the shape of a pear".