A silly Bach? Yep.

I forget how silly P.D.Q. Bach is until I listen to him again.

My family was introduced to P.D.Q. Bach and his champion, Prof. Peter Schickele of the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, when I was in upper elementary, I think. A fellow church member loaned us "The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach," and we listened - distractedly at first and then more intently as we realized what was going on.

If you've not heard P.D.Q. Bach, you really should. Prof. Schickele takes classical music and skews it. For example, his cantata, "Iphigenia in Brooklyn," features one of the most amazing tenor arias I've ever heard. And only he who is running knows.

Those who are familiar with the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony will appreciate the commentary by Schickele and Bob Dennis on "New Horizons in Musical Appreciation." The "Unbegun" Symphony has something for everyone - if you don't recognize at least one of the phrases you don't listen to much music. And the instrumentation in the oratorio "The Seasonings" is unlike anything you'll hear in a concert hall.

My family was hooked from the first notes of the "Concerto for Horn and Hardart." Even those of us who didn't know much about classical music appreciated "The Stoned Guest," Bach's half-act opera that includes the line "remember how you used to call me butter-fingers." The quiz at "intermission" with Paul Henry Lung as the contestant entertained all of us.

I don't know how many times we listened to the tape. We bought our own so we could listen to it as much as we wanted without worrying about damaging someone else's property. I bought my own CD set and listen when I need something amusing but don't really want a comedian. I still laugh at Schickele's comment that "most Greek scholars I've talked to seem unaware that Iphigenia ever was in Brooklyn."

There are other P.D.Q. Bach recordings besides this one. I have several. One includes a piece called "Classical Rap" that features Vivaldi and other composers under a rap about living on the Upper West Side. Another includes "Oedipus Tex," which is exactly what you think it is - a spoof on the Greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex." Tex is Rex's younger brother, but his friends call him Ed.

If you like classical music, you'll appreciate the musicality that goes into P.D.Q. Bach's music. The performers are amazing - I don't think I could perform any of the music without cracking up. Going to a P.D.Q. concert would be awesome. Just to hear "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" live and watch the tenor sing his aria without laughing would be a feat.

Someday.