Adding Humour to Your Practice: Playful Classical Music!

Written by Sam Pollacco

 

Happy April Fool's Day!

Instead of pulling a prank on you dear reader, I thought it might be a little more good-spirited to spotlight some pieces of comic and light music, anything in a somewhat ‘classical’ style with humorous or playful overtones! I’ve collected a few here that are popular in the shop, or that I am personally rather fond of.

Many a composer has written a Humoresque, the most famous of which is Antonin Dvorak’s collection. Robert Schumann also wrote a lovely one — pianists are certainly the most spoilt for choice of all instrumentalists, though violinists have a fair few options too, including Tchaikovsky’s Humoresque for violin and piano.

Arthur Sullivan’s writings for his famous Savoy operettas with William Gilbert are a noteworthy choice for singers wanting something with a humorous tone, and offer a versatile selection of vocal arrangements (solos, duets, trios, all the way up to choruses). The quartet ‘Then one of us will be a queen’ from The Gondoliers is one of my favourites, and ‘Sir Joseph’s barge is seen’ from HMS Pinafore is a chorus that’s great fun!

Humoresques Antonin Dvořák What's in a humoresque? Derived from the German Humoreske, it might leave you thinking of something funny or "humerous" in a comedic way, but it actually means for a piece full of whimsy and evolving moods. Dedicated to the pianist and composer Madeline Schiller, Dvořák's eight Humoresques for piano were composed over the course of a few weeks in the summer of 1894. With ideas sketched first in America, the composer returned to Bohemia and finished the work. Full of enjoyable works and natural caprice, this Henle Urtext edition is based on the original print. View in store

As primarily a woodwind player, a favourite composer of mine is Malcolm Arnold. His chamber music is among my fondest repertoire choices (Divertimento Op. 37 for Wind Trio is divine), but he also had an undeniable comedic streak, manifesting in a range of humorous overtures and musico-dramatic works. ‘A Grand, Grand Festival Overture’ for 3 Vacuum Cleaners, Electric Floor Polisher, 4 Rifles, and Orchestra is one such work and quite as surreally brilliant as it sounds. It parodies the traditional overture — and several canonic composers, all in jest — but masterfully so, with delightfully lush orchestration.

^{Source: NOVA filharmonija
'A Grand Grand Overture' in performance (headphones recommended to fully appreciate the tuned vacuum cleaners)}

And yet, despite all these joyful pieces existing — with arguably mainstream appeal — I find it baffling they are so rarely programmed! As classical musicians, it can be so easy to get caught up in our art and its seriousness. But, these works are a lovely reminder to engage with music because, one way or another, it brings us joy!