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 In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April first. Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar which had the new year beginning on January first. There were some people who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played pranks and tricks on those people. They became known as "April Fools".
Frank Johnson presents some of the funniest interpretations of classical music from Monty Python, Bugs Bunny, PDQ Bach and more. Remember, you can always hear the real thing every day on WGUC 90.9, Cincinnati's Classical Public Radio. Happy April Fools' Day!
You must have RealPlayer installed to play the audio programs.
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NEW! Chapter 7
Garrison Keillor and Frederica von Stade
"Beethoven Chased by Rossini"
CD: Songs of the Cat
RCA Victor 09026-61161-2
Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra
"Variations on Three Blind Mice"
(Out of print)
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Chapter
8
Raymond Scott
"In an 18th Century Drawing
Room"
CD: Mock Mozart
Living Era CD AJA 5649
Benny
Goodman
"Mozart Matriculates"
CD: Mock Mozart
Living Era CD AJA 5649
Ken
Griffin (organ)
"In An 18th Centrury
Drawing Room"
CD: Mock Mozart
Living Era CD AJA 5649
Donald
Fraser (conductor)
"Heigh Ho!"
CD: Heigh-Ho! Mozart
(Delos DE 3186)
Anton
Karas
"The Café Mozart
Waltz"
CD: Mock Mozart
Living Era CD AJA 5649
Red
Ingle & His Natural Seven
"Moe Zart’s Turkey
Trot"
CD: Mock Mozart
Living Era CD AJA 5649)
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Chapter 5
PDQ Bach
"New Horizons in Music Appreciation: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony"
(Schickele/Dennis)
CD: The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach with Professor Peter Schickele
Vanguard 72015
Spike Jones
"Dance of the Hours"
(Ponchielli)
LP: Musical Depreciation Revue
RCA/Rhino 71574
Allan Sherman, Narrator; with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler
"The End of a Symphony"
(Various Composers/Sherman)
CD: Peter & the Commissar
Collectors' Choice Music 488 (originally RCA)
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Chapter 6
Eddie Foy, Jr., and movie cast from "Bells Are Ringing"
"It's a Simple Little System"
(Comden & Green/Styne)
LP: Bells Are Ringing
Capitol 92060
Hoffnung Music Festival
"Concerto Popolare"
(Various Composers/arr. Reizenstein)
CD: Hoffnung's Music Festivals
EMI 63302
John Dankworth (Narrator and Conductor) with the London Symphony Orchestra
"Further Experiments with Mice"
(Dankworth)
CD: Crossing Over the Bridge
MCA 5932
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Chapter 1
Flanders & Swan
"Ill Wind"
CD: At the Drop of Another Hat
EMI CDS7974642
Peter Sellers
"The Trumpet Volunteer"
LP: The Best of Peter Sellers
(out of print)
Monty Python
"Royal Festival Hall Concert"
CD: The Instant Monty Python CD Collection box set
#7243 8 39820 28
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Chapter 2
Danny Kaye
"Tchaikovsky"
LP: The Best of Danny Kaye
(out of print)
Anna Russell
"The French Horn"
CD: Anna Russell, Encore
Sony 60316
Andy Griffith
"Opera Carmen"
CD: What It Is, Is
CEMA S22-18492
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Chapter 3
Victor Borge
1999 Interview at WGUC
Victor Borge
Mozart Opera by Borge
CD: Victor Borge Live!
Sony 48482
What's Opera, Doc?
Richard Wagner's Ring cycle
CD: Bugs on Broadway
Merrie Melodies/Warner Brothers 9 26484-2
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Chapter 4
Spike Jones and His City Slickers
Rossini's "William Tell Overture"
LP: out of print
PDQ Bach
"Minuet Militaire"
CD: PDQ Bach: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults
Telarc 80210
Florence Foster Jenkins
"Selection by Mozart"
CD: The Glory of the Human Voice
BMG Classics 61175
Portsmouth Sinfonia
Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
LP: The Pourtsmouth Sinfonia
Transatlantic Records #TRA275
(out of print)
Daniel Barski
Bach Aria
CD: Free-Reed Odyssey
DB3305
Jim Self
Tuba Tchaikovsky
CD: The Big Stretch
BHR-106-2
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