Despite this morning’s music, I am not depressed. Although picking the Funeral March is a result of my recent depression. As you may recall, I was watching a lot of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. And in the eleventh episode, “The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Goes to the Bathroom,” there is a recurring skit about a group of undertakers. Most of these use some part of the Funeral March.
Now, for classical music nerds, the Funeral March is actually the third movement (“Marche Funèbre: Lento”) from Chopin’s Piano Sonata No 2. You may remember that I’m not much of a fan of Chopin. But he did have a gift for melody, even if he was often far too interested in showing off.
Today, we have the whole piece performed by Vladimir Horowitz at the White House. But I’ve cued it up to start at the Funeral March. The whole thing is worth listening to. Although it is a bit chaotic.