The Baroque Beatles Book
Encyclopedia
The Baroque Beatles Book is a novelty record album created by the American keyboardist
and conductor
Joshua Rifkin
. Released by Elektra/Nonesuch in 1965, it takes musical themes of The Beatles
and reworks them into Baroque
style. The artwork on the cover is by illustrator Roger Hane
.
in the 1960s, the works on the album share many characteristics with the music of Peter Schickele
and his alter ego
P.D.Q. Bach. These characteristics include parodies of stereotypical classical music conventions, anachronistic touches, and musical in-jokes that are apparent primarily to other musicians. Rifkin also shares with Schickele a penchant for unusual names and catalog numbers for the pieces.
Despite the primarily humorous nature of the compositions, Rifkin also indicates in the liner notes
(written as a parody of an 18th Century composer attempting to curry favor and employment with a monarch) that one of his motivations was to demonstrate how the melodies of John Lennon
and Paul McCartney
can be favorably compared with those of the great Baroque masters.
The pieces on the album all call to mind similar works by Baroque composers. For example, the opening track The Royale Beatleworks Musique is, despite its name, an almost movement-for-movement parody not of Handel
's Royal Fireworks Music, but of the Suite for Orchestra No. 4 in D by Johann Sebastian Bach
, right down to the format and instrumentation.
The orchestra on the album is humorously credited as the "Baroque Ensemble of the Merseyside
Kammermusickgesellschaft," though it was likely, in reality, an ad hoc
group of session musicians.
Epstein Variations, MBE 69A
for the Third Sunday after the Shea Stadium
, MBE 58,000
Trio Sonata, Das Kaferlein, MBE 004 1/4
and cassette
is long out of print, but can be found through most used music sources. The album was released on CD
August 26, 2006, and was released on iTunes
on July 14, 2009.
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Joshua Rifkin
Joshua Rifkin
Joshua Rifkin is an American conductor, keyboard player, and musicologist. He is best known by the general public for having played a central role in the ragtime revival in the 1970s with the three albums he recorded of Scott Joplin's works for Nonesuch Records, and to classical musicians for his...
. Released by Elektra/Nonesuch in 1965, it takes musical themes of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and reworks them into Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style. The artwork on the cover is by illustrator Roger Hane
Roger Hane
Roger T. Hane was an illustrator of paperback books, commercial advertising campaigns, and record albums, known for his surreal, fanciful art. During his eleven-year professional career, Hane produced over three hundred illustrations. He painted the covers of the Collier-Macmillan editions of C.S...
.
Overview
Created at the height of BeatlemaniaBeatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
in the 1960s, the works on the album share many characteristics with the music of Peter Schickele
Peter Schickele
Johann Peter Schickele is an American composer, musical educator, and parodist. He is best known for his comedy music albums featuring his music that he presents as music written by the fictional composer P. D. Q...
and his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
P.D.Q. Bach. These characteristics include parodies of stereotypical classical music conventions, anachronistic touches, and musical in-jokes that are apparent primarily to other musicians. Rifkin also shares with Schickele a penchant for unusual names and catalog numbers for the pieces.
Despite the primarily humorous nature of the compositions, Rifkin also indicates in the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
(written as a parody of an 18th Century composer attempting to curry favor and employment with a monarch) that one of his motivations was to demonstrate how the melodies of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
can be favorably compared with those of the great Baroque masters.
The pieces on the album all call to mind similar works by Baroque composers. For example, the opening track The Royale Beatleworks Musique is, despite its name, an almost movement-for-movement parody not of Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Royal Fireworks Music, but of the Suite for Orchestra No. 4 in D by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, right down to the format and instrumentation.
The orchestra on the album is humorously credited as the "Baroque Ensemble of the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
Kammermusickgesellschaft," though it was likely, in reality, an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
group of session musicians.
Side one
The Royale Beatleworks Musique, MBE 1963- Overture: I Want to Hold Your HandI Want to Hold Your Hand"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....
and "You're Gonna to Lose that Girl" -- 6:00 - Réjouissance: I'll Cry InsteadI'll Cry Instead"I'll Cry Instead" is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack to their film A Hard Day's Night.-Background:Lennon wrote the song for the "break-out" sequence in the film...
-- 1:50 - La Paix: Things We Said TodayThings We Said Today"Things We Said Today" is a song by The Beatles written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was composed for the film A Hard Day's Night and appears on the soundtrack album...
-- 2:02 - L'Amour s'en cachant: You've Got to Hide Your Love AwayYou've Got to Hide Your Love Away"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by The Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon and released on the album Help! in August 1965.-Composition and recording:...
& Les Plaisirs: Ticket to RideTicket to Ride"Ticket to Ride" is a song by The Beatles from their 1965 album, Help!. It was recorded 15 February 1965 and released two months later. -Composition:...
-- 4:24
Epstein Variations, MBE 69A
- Hold Me TightHold Me Tight"Hold Me Tight" is a song by The Beatles from their 1963 album With the Beatles. It was first recorded during the Please Please Me album session, but not selected for inclusion and re-recorded for their second album.-History:...
-- 4:15
Side Two
"Last Night I Said," CantataCantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
for the Third Sunday after the Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
, MBE 58,000
- Chorus: "Last Night I Said" (Please Please MePlease Please MePlease Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...
) -- 5:22 - Recitative: "In they came jorking" & Aria: "When I Was Younger" (Help!Help! (song)"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
) -- 5:31 - Chorale: "You know, if you break my heart" (I'll Be BackI'll Be Back (song)"I'll Be Back" is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon–McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the soundtrack LP to their film "A Hard Day's Night"...
) -- 1:40
Trio Sonata, Das Kaferlein, MBE 004 1/4
- Grave-Allegro-Grave: Eight Days a WeekEight Days a Week (song)"Eight Days a Week" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, based on Paul's original idea, recorded by The Beatles and released on their December 1964 album Beatles for Sale.-Inspiration:...
-- 2:27 - Quodlibet: She Loves YouShe Loves You"She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an idea by McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record in the United States by being one of the...
/Thank You GirlThank You Girl"Thank You Girl" is a song by The Beatles and released as the B-side of "From Me to You", which was recorded on the same day . While not released on an LP in the United Kingdom until Rarities in 1978, the single was featured as the second track on The Beatles' Second Album in the United States...
/Hard Day's NightA Hard Day's Night (song)"A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964...
-- 1:12
Availability
The album, Elektra EKS-7306, was released on LPGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
is long out of print, but can be found through most used music sources. The album was released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
August 26, 2006, and was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on July 14, 2009.