Musikalische Späße

The third volume in the 'Piano Pictures' series is entirely dedicated to the question of whether there really are jokes and fun in music and if so, what it actually is that we laugh about? Sometimes it is the title of the piece that makes us laugh, as in 'Two Funny Aunties Quarrelling' (Khatchaturian). Or the fun is hidden in the movements of the music: the sudden alternations between 'funny' and 'sad' of 'Clowns' (Heller and Kabalevski), acrobatic jumps in 'Musette' or interesting movements like the glissando being likened to the buttering of a piece of bread (Mozart). And even music-making itself can be fun, e.g. the jump-like crossing of the hands in 'Flohwalzer' or playing at breakneck speed.

Anonymus: Musette D major - F. Couperin: Harlequin - L. Mozart: Burlesque - J. Haydn: Scherzo F major - W.A. Mozart (?): Bread and Butter - F. Schubert: Humourous Ländler B minor - R. Schumann: The Merry Peasant, Returning from Work - S. Heller: Clowns and Tumblers - C. Gurlitt: The Little Rascal - P. Tchaikovsky: Polka - P. Zilcher: In Circus - C. Debussy: The Little Nego - A. Gretchaninoff: The Joker - E. Pozzoli: Pinocchio - B. Bartók: Joke - A. Casella: Galop final - S. Prokofieff: March - V. Selivanov: Joke - J. Takács: The School Band - I. Szelényi: Whoopee - A. Khachaturian: Two Funny Aunties Quarrelling - D. Kabalevski: Clowns - M. Seiber: Polka - D. Shostakovich: March - F. Radermacher: Jumping Jack - M. Schoenmehl: The Somersault King - L. Zett: Rumpel, Pumpel, Pimpel - Anonymus: Flea Waltz