Put away those stuffy arenas and powdered wigs. Peter Schickele was a musical rebel who dared to bend the baton and make music laugh. This is his unsung story. Jump into a rockin' journey through a life that refused to be defined, rather than a dry recital, in this biography.
You couldn't call Schickele a typical maestro. He was a kazoo-carrying Midwestern troublemaker who had a spark in his eye and was a Juilliard rebel. He could compose symphonies that fly like eagles and concertos that make vacuum cleaners weep, all while assuming the ridiculous guise of P.D.Q. Bach, the made-up son of the legendary composer.
For a sneak peek at the mayhem, this book is your ticket. As you listen, you will hear the origins of P.D.Q. Bach, a ridiculous but funny symphony that flipped the script on classical music. After Schickele's daring career, there were rumblings of skepticism and howls of mockery, and you can still hear them. In the end, the symphony of acceptance that drowned out the critics' jeers was his late-career accolades, and you'll feel the rush of it.
The humorous aspects aren't the only ones, though. An artist who saw music more as a playground than a museum, this guy had the guts to shatter convention. From overcoming preconceptions to maintaining a balance between his comic character and his "serious" works, it covers all of his struggles. It's his successes that demonstrate that music may have both lighthearted and deep qualities, as well as being both approachable and skilled.
An inside look at a revolution-that's what this book is. It's an ode to music, an ode to the transformative power of humor, and an ode to the brave souls who dared to reimagine the composer's role in society. Peter Schickele was a man who brought humor, thought, and significance to music; buckle up for a crazy ride through his life.
The maestro who dared to rewrite the score of life is about to captivate you, inspire you, and alter your life in profound ways. Reading this biography will bring a grin to your face, make you clap your feet to the beat of defiance, and make you hum along with delight.
