In Memory of Frank Johnson: An April Fool’s Day Playlist
Every April Fools Day, we like to pay tribute to our late friend and colleague, Frank Johnson. He created this playlist years and years ago, and it’s a perfect reflection of Frank’s unique sense of humor. He is missed every day, but this annual tip-of-the-hat to Frank does bring us a smile and a knowing shake of the head.
Why couldn’t the string quartet find their composer?
He was Haydn!
Everyone loves a good joke… or a really corny one. And classical music composers were no different.
Mozart loved pranks and jokes, in his life and in his music. His Divertimento for two horns and string quartet, also known as A Musical Joke, includes passages designed to mimic bad music notation and terrible playing as a way of having some fun.
Haydn also put jokes in his music, the most famous being his Symphony No. 94, nicknamed The Surprise Symphony for its sudden fortissimo chord in the second movement.
At WGUC, April 1st provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate the funny side of classical music.
And there’s more – April Fools’ Day is also a day that we remember our dear friend Frank Johnson who enjoyed collecting music of all kinds, including some of the funniest interpretations of classical music from the likes of Monty Python, Bugs Bunny, PDQ Bach, Victor Borge, Spike Jones and more.
Frank put together the below April Fools’ Day Playlist, not as a practical joke but as a celebration of the joy that music brings to us every day. Get ready to laugh!
Happy April Fools’ Day!
