Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
To understand slapstick all you have to do is watch old cartoons or old comic moves by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Gardy or The Three Stooges.
Characters slip and fall, get caught holding an exploding stick of dynamite, get squashed by a piano dropped from fourth story window — but they always survive.
Here's a clip from a Harold Lloyd silent movie. As you watch, point out the slapstick actions — you’ll notice the music helps show what’s happening, even without any words.
Now a slapstick is an actual instrument. It sounds like you’d think and in slapstick movies, when someone falls down, you hear the slapstick after the slide whistle.
But you can use all sorts of instruments to suggest physical comedy. Composer Paul Hart wrote a concert piece called "Cartoon" using a full orchestra. Here's a sample.
And if you want to hear more music about slapstick and pranks gone wrong, try "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" by Richard Strauss.
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Other examples of physical comedy in music:
Bela Bartok's "Slighty Tipsy" from "3 Burlesques"
"Slightly Tipsy" is musical humor at its finest — through wobbly rhythms, dissonant harmonies and exaggerated gestures, Bartók gives us a hilarious, slightly chaotic portrait of someone who's had one too many.
Franz Josef Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony
Haydn liked to make sure his audiences were paying attention. Haydn Farewell Symphony where the orchestra players actually get up and leave a few at a time until there are only two players left.
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 your answer, 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.
