A MUSICAL JOKE 4th Movement (score & parts)

Made familiar to many as the BBC’s Horse of the Year Show theme tune, Mozart wrote A Musical Joke (also known as ‘The Village Musicians’) in 1787 – the same year in which he composed his opera Don Giovanni. In style and seriousness, however, it couldn’t be more different. There are various theories as to what Mozart was trying to achieve in writing the piece, but it seems most likely that, for whatever reason (perhaps a reaction to his father’s death just 17 days previously?), he was parodying bad composition and enthusiastic, but distinctly amateur playing!

Several times in this, the last movement of A Musical Joke, the music feels like it‘s nearing the end, but carries on, practically aimlessly, for bars on end with no real conclusion. The joke’s punch line, however, involves the earliest known use of polytonality – which, in laymen’s terms, means wrong notes. Listen out for it – although it’s hard to miss!

Instead of Mozart’s original scoring for strings and horns here the silliness is raised up a notch or two in this arrangement for bassoon choir (seven bassoons, mini bassoons in F & G, and contrabassoon). Bassoon 7 and the mini bassoon parts are easy and optional.

Delivery Details

We endeavour to dispatch all orders which are in stock on the day the order has been placed. If you need delivery by a certain time please state this clearly on your order and we will do our best to oblige.

For Royal Mail Special Delivery, Airmail (Signed For) and Courier shipments, a signature may be required upon delivery to your address. You are responsible for your order once the package arrives at the supplied delivery address. We cannot be held responsible if the package(s) goes missing once delivered. If any goods are received faulty or damaged on receipt, you must notify us within 7 days of receiving them (via email or telephone) quoting your order reference. We cannot be held responsible for goods that do not arrive with the customer due to errors made by the customer when entering their address details. Please ensure that you check all your details before confirming your order. For more information on deliveries, please click here.