Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
What does a timing joke sound like? Here’s an example from today's episode of "Intermezzo" — Hazel and Christy compare classical humor to timing in stand-up comedy, such as in the famous "Elf" movie scene.
And here's an example of humor in classical music from the end of Franz Josef Haydn's "The Joke Quartet." Imagine everyone has sat through almost 20 minutes of the quartet — they’ve counted the movements and they know this is the last one. So they’re sitting up straight, getting ready to clap.
Be the first to applaud when you think it's over.
The joke here is that Haydn repeatedly tricks the audience into thinking the piece has ended when it has not. He’s trying to trick you into clapping by setting up expectations.
He leads you to a familiar point and does something different. The pauses become funny because you don’t know if there will be another note. So it's a combination of timing and defying expectations.
Submit your answer to today’s riddle
Think you know the answer? Text us! Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above, and if you know the answer to today's riddle, text the answer to 833.490.4718. By texting, you agree to receive follow-up messages from IPR.
Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost Hazel.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
