April Fool's Day has been observed for centuries. It's been famously said that the term refers to adherents to the old Julian Calendar after the introduction of the corrected Gregorian calendar; New Year was celebrated on March 25 under the old calendar, and those seen celebrating at the end of the week long holiday were said to be called April Fools. Likely this story is wrong, but the day has long been notorious for practical jokes like the time in 1698 when people showed up at the Tower of London "to see the lions being washed".
Heh.
And so we need a joker for this April Fool's Day, a classical music joker. Of course, that means that we need Joseph Haydn, His "Joke" Quartet has an ending that's not an ending, but would cause audiences to begin their applause just as the music began again. It would have frequent long pauses, and eventually the audience would catch on to the joke, and often begin to laugh. It's a thoroughly enjoyable experience to be in the audience, and watch looks of delight start to cross other people's faces.
After the "Grand Pause" (about 8:40), the quartet continues:
1 comment:
That is a new one to me. Looks like they had fun playing it.
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