Classical music is often thought of as strict and serious, but throughout history composers each had their own sense of humor that they would let shine through in some of their pieces. Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as they share laughter and comedy through classical music.

Joseph Haydn: Surprise Symphony — Haydn was known to include musical jokes in his music. In the second movement of his Surprise Symphony, he wrote in loud chords within the soft dynamics of the piece. It brings surprising energy to an otherwise mellow piece.

LISTEN — Joseph Haydn: Surprise Symphony

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Musical Joke — Mozart was known to have a varied sense of humor. He played pranks on people and would often write jokes into his music. Some musicologists argue this piece was either written to parody the work of less-educated musicians or to mock those whom he felt followed the strict concepts of conventional classical music too closely.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Musical Joke

Ludwig van Beethoven: Rage Over a Lost Penny — As the story goes, one night Beethoven’s neighbors overheard him arguing with his housekeeper about a lost (or stolen) gold penny. This piece was composed around that time and became part of the legend of Beethoven’s bad moods.

LISTEN — Ludwig van Beethoven: Rage Over a Lost Penny

PDQ Bach: My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth — PDQ Bach, otherwise known as Peter Schickele, is educated in musical composition. He took early comedic inspiration from musician Spike Jones, who specialized in spoof arrangements in the 1940s.

LISTEN — PDQ Bach: My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth

Leroy Anderson with Martin Breinschmid: The Typewriter — This piece features a typewriter as a percussion instrument. Only professional drummers can manage the typewriter part in this piece because of how fast the typing speed is.

LISTEN — Leroy Anderson with Martin Breinschmid: The Typewriter

G. Berthold: Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti — This piece is often performed as a comical encore at the end of a concert performance. The singers repeat the word, “meow,” and might even occasionally hiss during the piece.

LISTEN — G. Berthold: Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti

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When you close your eyes and think of being brave and courageous, what comes to mind? Join host Liz Lyon as we explore courage through classical music.

Alan Silvestri: The Avengers — To compose the theme for The Avengers, Alan Silvestri drew inspiration from a specific scene where all of the superheroes were suddenly gathered, standing still, shoulder to shoulder in the middle of a battle. He wanted the music to carry that heroic and courageous energy.

LISTEN — Alan Silvestri: The Avengers

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Enchantress Overture — Tchaikovsky overcame many fears throughout his life. He struggled with self-doubt and stage fright. He even feared that his head might fall off when conducting. This led him to awkwardly hold his chin with one hand while conducting with the other. He courageously overcame this fear and was able to conduct his opera The Enchantress.

LISTEN — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Enchantress Overture

Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 — Price was a Black classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. She acted courageously her entire life as she worked to be successful in music during a time of deep racial segregation in the United States. In 2009, a large collection of her works was found in her abandoned summer home.

LISTEN — Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 

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Women have played a major role in classical music history, but because they were women often their work was lost or simply overlooked. Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we discuss a few of the countless women who have made a large impact in classical music.

Hélène de Montgeroult: Thème Varié dans le genre moderne — Hélène de Montgeroult plays a large role in classical music history. She was the first female professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1795. She was a pianist and composer and paved the way for other composers like Ludwig Van Beethoven and Clara Schumann.

LISTEN — Hélène de Monteroult: Thème Varié dans le genre moderne

Elfrida Andrée: Symphony No. 2 — Elfrida Andrée was a Swedish organist, composer and conductor. She was an activist in the Swedish women’s movement and was the first woman to graduate as an organist. She was also the first woman in Sweden to become a cathedral organist and conduct a full orchestra.

LISTEN — Elfrida Andrée: Symphony No. 2

Undine Smith Moore: Mother to Son — Undine Smith Moore is known as the Dean of Black Women Composers. She was the granddaughter of enslaved people and through a life filled with music, she became not only an accomplished composer but a renowned teacher. Most of her work is vocal compositions influenced by Black spirituals and folk music.

LISTEN — Undine Smith Moore: Mother to Son

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In music and in life, when someone makes a creative choice “in the moment” its called improvising. Join host Liz Lyon as we explore ways composers and musicians have played with improvising in their music.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering Ricercar a 3 — Bach was well known for his improvising skill. This piece was composed through the use of improvisation and was based on a musical theme.

LISTEN — Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering Ricercar a 3

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Allegretto - Variation — Mozart was skilled at composing music on the spot. He would improvise pieces in public. For example, he closed the premiere of his Prague Symphony with a half-hour improvisation.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Allegretto - Variation

Gabriela Montero: Improvisation No. 2 — Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist known best for her real-time improvisation of complex musical themes and pieces suggested by her audiences during live performances.

LISTEN — Gabriela Montero: Improvisation No. 2

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Electric string instruments can give new energy to familiar classical pieces and also give familiar pop and rock songs a new classical-inspired twist. Join host Liz Lyon as she touches on the history of electric string instruments, and listen to some pieces performed on electric strings.

Stuff Smith: How High the Moon — Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith, better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist credited as being the first performer to use electric amplification techniques on a violin.

LISTEN — Stuff Smith: How High the Moon

John Adams: A New Day — Electric violin soloist Tracy Silverman refers to his type of instrumentation as “progressive string playing” — classical string playing that weaves in contemporary music genres like rock, jazz, and hip-hop. Here he is playing “A New Day,” by John Adams.

LISTEN — John Adams: A New Day

2CELLOS: Eye of the Tiger — This cellist duo from Croatia are classically trained musicians who play instrumental arrangements of well-known pop and rock songs. They also play classical and film music and have even been featured on several TV series episodes.

LISTEN — 2CELLOS: Eye of the Tiger

Deborah Henson-Conant: Nightingale — Deborah Henson-Conant wrote this piece in memory of her mother’s voice. “Nightingale” is her most-requested tune in concert. She often plays on an electric acoustic pedal harp, which can be used with an amplifier or played like a normal pedal harp.

LISTEN — Deborah Henson-Conant: Nightingale

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Do you have a favorite band or musician? Join host Liz Lyon as we listen to a variety of pieces from one of her favorite groups, the Harlem Quartet

The Harlem Quartet: Take the A Train — The Harlem Quartet is a string quartet, meaning there are four musicians who all play string instruments. This piece is the title track from their first album.

LISTEN — The Harlem Quartet: Take the A Train

The Harlem Quartet: Mozart Goes Dancing — The Harlem Quartet teamed up with a jazz piano legend Gary Burton on this Grammy-winning piece.

LISTEN — The Harlem Quartet: Mozart Goes Dancing

The Harlem Quartet: Graceful Ghost — The album Cross Pollination was released in July 2020. This is one of the movements from a piece on that album.

LISTEN — The Harlem Quartet: Graceful Ghost

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Duets are made up of two musicians making music together, but how many different kinds of duets are there? The combinations seem endless. Join host Liz Lyon, along with producer Melanie Renate, as they pair together to play a few of their favorite examples of duets.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Piano 4 Hands — Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl both wrote piano duets and would often play them together, side by side, on one piano. This piece was written by Mozart.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata for Piano 4 Hands

Léo Delibes: Flower Duet — This piece is from the opera  Lakmé, which premiered in Paris in 1883. Two characters sing together as they gather flowers by a river.

LISTEN — Léo Delibes: Flower Duet

Andrew Beall: Song of ‘Almah — This piece was originally written for the marimba and soprano, but composer Andrew Beall wanted to tell this story purely instrumentally. He chose to pair the marimba with a cello because the combination is rare and he felt the cello is the instrument most similar to the human voice..

LISTEN — Andrew Beall: Song of ‘Almah

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Did you know that ensembles can be different sizes? Join host Liz Lyon as we listen to music performed by a variety of ensembles of differing sizes.

William Grant Still: Symphony No. 2 (“Song of a New Race”) — Orchestras are usually large ensembles with lots of musicians. The Detriot Symphony Orchestra performs with close to 100 musicians. Here they perform a piece by William Grant Still.

LISTEN — William Grant Still: Symphony No. 2 (“Song of a New Race”)

Kerry Muzzey: Pulling a Thread — Modern classical and film composer Kerry Muzzey released an album in 2014 called The Architect. The Chamber Orchestra of London recorded this piece under the direction of conductor Andrew Skeet.

LISTEN — Kerry Muzzey: Pulling a Thread

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Humoresque — The New York Times once said, “The Catalyst Quartet is beautiful to watch, like a family in lively conversation at the dinner table: anticipating, interrupting, changing subjects.” Here the musicians perform a piece by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

LISTEN — Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Humoresque

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Home can be many things. It can be a person or place that brings us comfort or offers inspiration. Join host Liz Lyon as we listen to pieces of music inspired by the people and places different musicians consider to be their home.

Itzhak Perlman: A Yiddishe Mamme — Violinist Itzhak Perlman’s mother was his support system when he became famous at a young age. As an adult, he recorded music that reminded him of his mother and his Jewish roots.

LISTEN — Itzhak Perlman: A Yiddishe Mamme

Liu Tieshan: Dance of the Yao People — Chinese professor Liu Tieshan was inspired by the melodies of his home country. He collaborated with composer Mau Yuan to write this piece, which was inspired by traditional festival music of the Yao People of southern and southwest China.

LISTEN — Liu Tieshan: Dance of the Yao People

Xavier Dubois Foley: Shelter Island — Violinist Randall Goosby and Xavier Foley play together in this piece, which Foley composed to celebrate their friendship and the place that they met.

LISTEN — Xavier Dubois Foley: Shelter Island

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Have you ever seen a piece of clothing or a piece of art that inspired you to try to make your own version? Composers do this regularly with pieces of music. Join host Liz Lyon as we explore variations and arrangements.

Pablo De Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy — Pablo De Sarasate loved operas and would sometimes pick a favorite opera melody and turn it into a piece he could play on his violin. This piece is based on a famous opera, Carmen.

LISTEN — Pablo De Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy

Clara Schumann: Variations on a Theme — Famous composer Clara Schumann was married to another famous composer, Robert Schumann. Sometimes she would write her own version of a piece of music that her husband composed. That’s what she did here.

LISTEN — Clara Schumann: Variations on a Theme

Maurice Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition — Originally, this piece was written by Modest Mussorgsky for solo piano, but Maurice Ravel rearranged the piece to adapt it for an orchestra. This is a frequently performed variation.

LISTEN — Maurice Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition

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