Dudley Moore Beethoven Sonata Parody

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In this clip from the 1950's-60s British comedy group "Beyond the Fringe," Dudley Moore plays a very funny but also very musically well-done parody of a Beethoven Piano Sonata, using the famous whistling tune from "Bridge Over the River Kwai" as a thematic subject.

Channel: Comedy
Uploaded: January 3, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Author: jondinerstein

Length: 00:04:29
Rating: 4.86
Views: 435534

Tags: Dudley Moore piano Beyond The Fringe Beethoven sonata parody

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Video Comments:
Rzeczska (November 19, 2008 at 1:14 pm)
Là où il y a poésie, l'anglais n'entend que bruit.
Oscar Wilde, Yeats, Joyce et Beckett même, en ont fait les frais.
Là où ça pue la boucherie et le charnier, l'anglais rit : il se sent chez lui...
Home sweet home...
Rzeczska (November 19, 2008 at 1:05 pm)
D'une débilité affligeante.
Ce genre d'humour me rappelle la délicieuse élévation d'âme avec laquelle la grande Angleterre, en Inde, a systématiquement coupé les doigts de milliers de tisserans indiens, patients héritiers d'un art millénaire, ce, afin de pouvoir écouler sur le marché indien les merveilleux produits de l'industrie anglaise...
Aucun anglais n'a-t-il jamais senti la profonde poésie de Beethoven ?
God save english cynism and ignominy !
Vivent les guerriers Zulu !
Imonlysleeping9 (November 18, 2008 at 8:11 pm)
Beethoven would have been tickled pink! He ADORED musical humor.
Haeronthegreat (November 16, 2008 at 5:50 am)
You haven't heard the finale of the 5th symphony, have you?
missgreeneyes56 (November 14, 2008 at 6:43 am)
Absolutely brilliant!!! LOL,Dud wherever you are.
missgreeneyes56 (November 14, 2008 at 6:37 am)
Can't help thinking about the words:
Hitler has only got one ball.
Goering had two, but very small.
Himmler had something similar
but poor old Goebbels had no balls at all.
IsaacIsaiahMusic (November 10, 2008 at 7:50 am)
Some passages are piss-poor. The playing is dodgy at times also.
solord (November 10, 2008 at 4:47 pm)
Agreed, IsaacIsaiahMusic: But was that technical aspect of Mr. Moore's performance done intentionally for laughs? Don't forget: He has to sell the joke, as well as the legitimacy of the seriousness of the piece. Not an easy thing to do!

Bottom Line: This was a parody; It was done for laughs: It was a witty, poignant piece of British irony, sarcasm & slapstick. The "dodgy" playing may have been done on purpose: This wasn't mean to be considered for the Chopin Competition. Cut him some slack.
petethepotato (November 8, 2008 at 10:43 pm)
I remember being shown a bound copy of one of his string quartets at the Bodleian, submitted as part of the requirements for his BMus degree at Oxford. Didn't see if it was pastiche, though.
yourforte (October 28, 2008 at 5:14 pm)
Brilliant! This is such a clever Beethoven pastiche.