Remembering composer Peter Schickele

Published January 18, 2024 at 8:55 AM EST

Composer Peter Schickele, perhaps best known for the music by his alter ego P.D.Q. Bach.

Schickele wrote serious classical works, but he was best known for his satirical pieces, which he attributed to the fictional PDQ Bach.

Composer Peter Schickele has died at 88. Schickele wrote serious classical works, but he was best known for his satirical pieces, which he attributed to the fictional P.D.Q. Bach. Those farcical compositions include “Concerto for Horn and Hardart,” “The 1712 Overture” and “Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion.”

Schickele said he had devoted his career as a professor at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople to unearthing P.D.Q. Bach’s works. His public radio music show, Schickele Mix, aired for 15 years. He won five Grammys.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.