Is there humor in music?

When you are listening to one of your favorite pieces of music, is it funny?

I don't find music funny at the moment. I listen to music and feel crazy mixed emotions and I see things I've never seen before. I never find the piece funny and funny again after I've heard it. What is the point of humor anyway? Is it some sort of defense mechanism? Or possibly an excess of feeling we exert when overjoyed? Is it some simple way of giving someone their attention or a way to recreate?

I've personally laughed at lyrical music before, whether it be intentional through smart writing or unintentional through some truly awful lyrics. But as for instrumental music, not that I can recall besides the occasional chuckle. I think music can be funny but it's never been a very good outlet for humor. But everyone's sense of humor is different, so I don't know. Just my opinion...

Thank you. I have noticed that instrumental pieces relate to vocal communication as well. I am not fond of instrumental pieces that try to be overly comical. I extremely enjoy certain pieces which extract happiness out of simple natural ideas. I relate other emotions and communication to certain pieces as well. As for humor, it seems to be this unexplained thing. Maybe it's just a waste facility. Maybe everything we don't take emotionally, we just throw out there to others! and we call it humor.

I could actually understand you laughing at smart writing, because it has been done before. But it can not necessarily be anything quite amazing, or it would not be funny. It would be serious. Serious music is hard to define though.

Can someone here give me a link or name of a serious piece of music? I've heard hundreds of names. I would like to know why you think your piece is serious.

I've laughed at clever bits in music....and, of course, opera buffas (though that's kind of a given :P)...but usually I don't find music funny by itself. Perhaps I simply have not heard enough funny music :P

One of my favourite pieces, Poulanc's Harpsichord Concerto always makes me laugh a little every time I put it on.

Not necessarily one of my favorite pieces, but the Ives Piano Trio movement TSIAJ (This Scherzo is a Joke) is loaded with humor. There seem to be melodies tripping over each other in an attempt to get out of the way of the music. Ives music often makes me chuckle and think, how did he ever come up with that.

Anyone ever heard of P.D.Q Bach?

I'm more the Satie-style humor guy. Writing nonsense on the scores and dedicating pieces to my dog. Serious Business.

That's good I guess.

Anyone ever heard of P.D.Q Bach?

This was my initial response to this thread as well. That stuff is extremely funny!!

He is a "weird" (composer) to say the least

Shostakovich and Frank Zappa

ah yes, the 21st son of J.S. =)

When you are listening to one of your favorite pieces of music, is it funny?

Never. :angry: Music is serious business, and should not EVER be taken lightly or found 'humerous'. That just degrades the music and the musicians to the level of court jesters and frigging comedians. Humour is the lowest form of human communication.

Carla Bley/Steve Swallow - Very Very Simple

;)

Certain music can be meant to be humorous. For example, I actually have a piece, which isn't complete, entitled, "March of the Clowns," and is obviously meant to have a bit of a humorous aspect to it. For the most part, however, music is supposed to be serious, and conveys many emotions, most of them not at all humorous.

To me, humour and being funny aren't the same. I've heard humour in lots of pieces that weren't funny at all, sometimes even sad. It rarely makes me laugh, but often smile. Whenever a composer plays with musical cliches and expectations, or stretches a musical element beyond balanced proportions in a subtle way, that's some kind of humour, or wit, to me. Actually I've often thought that every piece I liked had some form of humour, even if it's sometimes a "tragic" kind of humour.

I can't play a Haydn Sonata without smiling at some point, or Rameau, or hear the abundance of "final chords" in Beethovens fifth Symphony (even though I doubt this ending was intended to be "funny").

And then there's of course also a lot of unvoluntary funniness in many lyrics, such as in many Bach cantatas, or even Schubert songs.

there're always little bits and pieces of musical humour here and there. we don't always catch it, or appreciate it, mind you.

Bartok, Concerto for orchestra has a quote from Schostakowitch's 7th symphony, and he actually makes the orchestra break out into hysterical laughter after the quote. But if you happen to admire the original from which he is quoting, it doesn't really come across as "humour" but more as scallopy backstabbing.

Faur

In terms of music being funny to someone not "in the know" (most of Mozart's musical joke would not be funny to the layman, even the multitonal ending might stretch a little to far. Certainly the whole-tone scale would), I don't believe it would be easy to find funny music with exception of slap-stick style of comedy by adding spring sounds, boings and various other "funny" things.

Rhapsody in Blue has funny parts in my opinion. Carnival of the Animals always yields an inner laugh. Some of Haydn's music is so stodgy I have to laugh (eg, The Seasons).

But as for thoroughly serious...I think Mozart's Requiem gets the vote.

There are certain things that I find funny in music. It's hard to describe why I find it funny, though. It's just certain types of phrasing that I find funny.

I've laughed out loud during Malaga (Bill Holman), Malaguena (Bill Holman), MacArthur Park, Rhapsody in Blue, and the Surprise Symphony. There's just these musical things that I find funny in it.

I laugh at music all the time, there's a good deal of music out there that is actually written to be humorous.

I say it's healthy to have a good laugh every once in a while

Malaguena

*plays C, plays Db. ... repeats 738 times*

Bites hurt don't they?

Not as much as playing scrafty bass-trombone parts. ;)

Faur