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Quodlibet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A quodlibet is a piece of music combining several different melodies in counterpoint, usually popular tunes, and often in a light-hearted manner.
The term is from the Latin meaning: "whatever" (literally a compound word of quod (what) libet (pleases)".
A famous example of a quodlibet is at the end of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Another example is Gallimathias Musicum, a 17 part quodlibet composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he was about 10 years old. A fine modern example is the 'Quodlibet on Welsh Nursery Rhymes' by the distinguished Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott.
More serious quodlibets are in the masses of Jacob Obrecht, which sometimes combine popular tunes, plainsong and original music.
An independent variant of the quodlibet named Ensalada developed during the 16th century in Spain.
The Grateful Dead concert favorite The Other One is a medley that includes the song Quodlibet for Tenderfeet. (Deadheads will recognize the lyrics "The other day they waited...")
Peter Schickele's "Quodlibet for Small Orchestra" and "Unbegun Symphony" is an amusing example of this form, particularly for those slightly more versed in Western art music.
The well known pianist Glenn Gould came up with a Quodlibet including the Star-Spangled Banner and God Save the King/Queen [1]. According to his own account, Gould came up with this Quodlibet while taking a bath.
At the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, a quodlibet containing the mournful theme of Padmé's funeral and the Imperial March can be heard as Darth Vader and the Emperor look out at the Death Star under construction.
The word also refers to a mode of academic debate or oral examination (usually theological) in which any question could be posed extemporaneously. Quodlibet debates were popular in Western culture through the thirteenth century (1300s) and are still in use today in Tibetan Buddhist theological training.