Happy Birthday but 13 classical composers are fighting over the last slice of cake

This is my take on "Happy Birthday" Variations! I had the idea to have composers (represented by their pieces) fight against each other in a parody-quotation format, while also integrating the Happy Birthday motif in as many places as possible. I've listed all the quotations and instances of Happy Birthday in the timestamps below, but see if you can guess them all!
I'll talk a bit about the background of these variations (if you can even call it a loose variation format and not an intertextual fantasy/rhapsody). I've seen quite a lot of versions of Happy Birthday (most memorable for me were Cateen's "Happy Birthday To Everyone 12 Variations", "How to sound like x composer series" by Nahre Sol, and Twoset Violin's "If Classical Composers Wrote Happy Birthday"). I also particularly liked Cyprien Katsaris' 3 Variations which featured pieces by 3 composers in counterpoint with Happy Birthday, so decided to do a mixture of both blending a pastiche format of Nahre Sol/Twoset and a quotation format of Katsaris, but instead of doing only a few composers, I decided to go all out and include 13 composers (though technically it's 15 composers if you include that little John Cage "quotation" at the end, as well as my little self quotation in the middle).
0:00 - Happy Birthday Motif, though I added a little bit of left-hand embellishment.
0:08 - Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 by Chopin in the soprano/bass line, blended with HBD in the alto line.
0:15 - Symphony No. 5 - Beethoven that "interrupts/foreshadows" something - sort of similar to what I did in my previous Fur Elise quotation video
0:22 - Sonata 16 in C Major K545 - Mozart - but HBD is the head motif, and a little twinkle of an answer is heard at 0:24.
0:29 - HBD in the top voice in counterpoint with Mozart K545
0:36 - HBD in the bass, which then migrates to the middle line in the following bar - all while in the middle of the Mozart Sonata
0:39 - Fate Motif again from Beethoven 5
0:43 - Unusual direction of Fate Motif leads to a C# modulation into Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu
0:47 - HBD against Fantasie Impromptu
0:55 - I went for a sequential direction with the latter half of HBD+ fantasie impromptu in order to smoothly transition into the A# Diminished chord, signifying the beginning of Appassionata 3rd mov
1:02 - Appassionata 3rd mov, Beethoven.
1:10 - HBD in the bass
1:13 - Another instance of bass HBD
1:17 - The lick, before going back to appassionata
1:23 - HBD in the left hand - alternates with hand crossings similar to appassionata
1:31 - Note the accents in LH and RH which signify the 2nd part of HBD (C C C A(b) F E D), and once sequenced they are able to transition into the next piece.
1:38 - Transition into Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement
1:50 - The Lick (again)
1:53 - The Lick, (again, again)
1:56 - Dürnitz Sonata No. 6 in D Major K 284 / 205b, Mozart
2:03 - Dürnitz Sonata combined with HBD
2:13 - I tried writing the beginning of a fugue using HBD as the subject, so not really a Bach quotation haha
2:27 - Prelude in G Minor Op. 23 No. 5 Rachmaninoff - The annotation is just a reference to that time where Rachmaninoff greeted Stravinsky with a jar of honey
2:32 - HBD in the middle register
2:37 - HBD (faster diminution form) echoed the middle then lower register
2:44 - Goldberg Variations Theme - Bach
2:50 - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 - Liszt
3:03 - Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement - Beethoven, superimposed against HBD
3:29 - Claire de Lune - Debussy
3:36 - HBD in thirds (reminiscent of Claire de Lune)
3:45 - Second half of HBD in thirds, transformed with Debussy-esque rhythms
3:55 - Back to Claire de Lune (middle section)
4:01 - Fur Elise - Beethoven (Although this is also a self-quotation from my previous Fur Elise quotation piece, which quotes Claire de Lune)
4:08 - Modulation into Sonata No. 2 in G minor Mov. 1, Schumann. HBD starts on the syncopated eighth note at m. 150, then echoed at m. 153
4:20 - HBD shifted to the second measure of the phrase
4:25 - HBD head motif (G G A G) on the syncopated quarter notes and transposed (see accents)
4:36 - Full HBD is heard, but off-beat
4:39 - Another syncopated version of HBD
4:53 - Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream - Mendelssohn
4:59 - Slavonic Dances Op 46 No 1 - Dvorak
5:02 - Two to Tango - Nicholas Ma (Self quotation from one of my compositions!)
5:06 - Gymnopédie No. 1 - Satie
5:13 - HBD with Gymnopédie-style accompaniment
5:31 - HBD against Alkan Op. 39 No. 8
5:37 - HBD reiterated in LH twice, then swapped back to RH
5:57 - Erlkonig - Schubert
6:01 - Sonata No. 2 4th movement - Schumann
6:10 - HBD in LH against Schumann, ending on a syncopated note leading into the next piece
6:14 - HBD against Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2 Cadenza
6:35 - Still Prok 2 Cadenza, but Middle Staff voices HBD
6:59 - HBD repeated in sixths
7:13 - Final Statement of HBD!
7:25 - 4'33" by John Cage
Social media: / nicholasma01
#happybirthday #piano

[@NicholasMaMusic]

Hi everyone, thank you for such positive feedback! Many people have been asking for the sheet music, so I have linked it below. Feel free to learn it and share videos of you playing this! I'd be very happy to see people try to play this haha. Sheet music pdf: drive.google.com/file/d/1yCDZ4DmwAZ4xIwNui6jyWdJSG2RCt85o/view?usp=sharing

[@chxyike]

Thank you so much. Very helpful. Best regards from Germany.

[@pepparan]

Thank you very much!! 😍

[@kaishawna3753]

I would love to play this but my piano skills are really below this level of playing. Plus I'm deaf so I would probably make up stuff as I go if I attempted this. 😅

[@DrpshpdCatShirt]

Yeah, first I just need to learn how to play piano properly 😅

[@kayesguineapigs]

Oh my I teach piano and I am saying to myself this is never going to happen for me

[@coyotix]

“beethoven ignores debussy because he’s deaf” is the greatest thing i’ve ever gotten out of an arrangement of happy birthday

[@snowleopard064]

4:00

[@rattersworld1016]

Same

[@xxEzraBxxx]

John Cage passes by

[@pasta_eeee]

this makes the first part even funnier because he's telling everyone to shut up and he has no idea what they're saying. Cause he's deaf. He can't hear them.

[@EbrothersUK]

Emotional damage

[@gamerguy2259]

I love how everyone else is fighting for the cake and has actual responses to one another, while Beethoven keeps telling everyone to Shut Up.

[@Merrsharr]

It's because he's deaf. He feels excluded when people talk.

[@reallouiethecat3132]

You know your being annoying when even the dead guy is telling you to shut up

[@reallouiethecat3132]

Deaf*, though I guess he is dead now too

[@Hiraeth_Nightshade]

@@reallouiethecat3132 I was going to correct you by saying "you mean deaf", but you are not wrong though.

[@SSQMinky]

John Cage:

[@graceearly3340]

“Prokofiev becomes so angry that he needs 3 staves to express this anger at the cake thief” made me laugh wayyyy too hard 😅

[@pamspray5254]

The outer ledger lines on the staves just made it that much better for me. 3 staves and some change were needed.

[@user-xq1yk1ov3t]

Prokofiev catching Satie is the most hilarious part ever HAHAHA they are 2 of my ultimate favorite musicians 😂

[@Aleksandr_Skrjabin]

@@user-xq1yk1ov3t And quite the opposite of each other

[@Crow.Author]

Same, my wife came in to ask why I was wheezing.

[@thatrobloxguy]

Me: Sees 3-stave music ||| Also me: WHAT IN THE ACTUAL-

[@reina_harhar7815]

Beethoven: * Screams at Liszt to shut up * Also Beethoven: * Ignores Debussy 'cause he's deaf *

[@user-wz9fi4ob1b]

Respuesta de Liszt: callate quejica que tú estás sordo

[@maverbantog9536]

Hol up...

[@marshmellow8831]

a case of selective hearing

[@Qwerty-pk6bd]

@@marshmellow8831 lol

[@MusicalSoul47]

This feels like the score for a silent comedy that gets progressively more ridiculous and it’s perfect.

[@NikolayNikolaev-hn8zl]

Exactly. It needs proper actors and a cheap black/white camera!

[@meridellwriter]

Or some animators to do a Looney Tunes-style cartoon of it.

[@irenejohansen1370]

As a matter of fact, I think the Alkan bit IS a silent movie composer. And yes, it’s perfect. A perfect hoot.

[@hunterthepartygoer]

666 likes lmao

[@Leorastorm]

I want this to be animated in some way or form

[@joebaker4116]

Thoroughly enjoyed the subtlety of Beethoven telling everyone to, "Shut up"

[@MeIsLeeLee]

"Could you shut-eth the fuck-eth up-eth" -Beethoven, probably

[@alvvn3918]

1.7k and no replies? let me change that

[@bluep3rz]

@@alvvn3918 1.8k and one reply? let me change that

[@alvvn3918]

@@bluep3rz changing life decisions bro

[@danghostman2814]

You invite a famous composer/pianist to your party, and try to get them to play, thinking it'll be fun - Most other pianists : Delighted to be the center of attention. Beethoven : "Ooo, Beethoven. Play the piano for us, Beethoven. Bull!@$%. Go away."

[@egg_2705]

I can't imagine having the intelligence to not only come up with this as a concept, but to actually execute it so well I'm in tears.

[@andrewmaperson]

ikr

[@dysntgr8]

This actually captured the style of each composer so well. But I absolutely died at the end with "John Cage passes by" and "John cage leaves"

[@AlbertWesker-uk3uv]

should've made that section last 4 minutes and 33 seconds

[@zandathepanda-vj7pt]

at least he was present lol@@AlbertWesker-uk3uv

[@ChronicDoodles]

"beethoven ignores debussy because he is deaf" made me actually snort

[@angeliquecheung574]

Me too.

[@tumblingartist]

PFFT YES

[@gavinclark6891]

beethoven really ends up beating face in this arragement

[@lisajohnson4744]

Right? 😂

[@user-H_m]

Yesaaaaaa

[@switz_m3dic317]

"Beethoven ignores Debussy because he is deaf" Fucking gold

[@solidonseraindogthetenth1679]

Language!!!

[@ge_prav3236]

@@solidonseraindogthetenth1679 BBH, is that you?..

[@solidonseraindogthetenth1679]

@@ge_prav3236 Who is "BBH".

[@ciderofthearctic392]

​@@solidonseraindogthetenth1679 Badboyhalo lmao Context in case you don't watch MCYT: Christian Minecraft youtuber

[@solidonseraindogthetenth1679]

@@ciderofthearctic392 Oh.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

This reads like a classic Tom and Jerry sketch, and I'm here for it.

[@ShadySideUp]

YES oh my goodness

[@flickcentergaming680]

The fact that Bach showed up and proceeded to write a fugue and ignore everyone else pleases me immensely.

[@ethanlee8307]

As a washed up pianist who knows none of the historical context, I just appreciate the visual of these various men, most of them in wigs, and quite accomplished in their own rights, chasing each other around and bickering like schoolboys.

[@daymuntaku6590]

I like to imagine they're also fighting over the same piano

[@wyattstevens8574]

@@daymuntaku6590 Same

[@Acidfrog475]

@@daymuntaku6590 Except Bach

[@entitypolyhedron]

I literally only know about mozart and i know almost nothing about piano-

[@nickd.s4029]

I'm a historian, and trust me, it's even funnier with the historical context. I lost it when Listz made his "bombastic entrance", that man would absolutely do that, he was SUCH a diva🤣

[@BlueCometDude]

The “Mozart interjecting with a poop joke” line is pretty accurate, the real Mozart used a lot of lowbrow humour during his music career

[@dnkakusei]

Wolfgang Amadeus "Lick Me In The Ass" Mozart

[@saftigesgulasch4407]

There's this whole song of Mozart called "leck mich im Arsch" which roughly translates to lick my ass

[@isleohagger5455]

This vid wasn't a very good representation of Mozart however.

[@BearBeatzu]

The poop joke thing made me think of Levi Ackerman, who often makes a lot of jokes about fecal matter.

[@cornedbread3669]

@@isleohagger5455 Feels more like it was based on the Amadeus movie to be honest, and to be fair Mozart only got 3 lines of text and thsi is a shitpost. So it’s not like they could show the full 3 sides of his personality in that.

[@conner7875]

2:34 anyone wondering why did he give Bach a jar of honey, context is that there is a story where in a conversation Stravinsky told Rachmaninov that he likes honey, then at midnight Rachmaninov just goes to Stravinsky house and offers him a jar of honey😂 (correct me if wrong)

[@slwrabbits]

this needs to be a thing that people do: knock on doors at midnight, offer a jar of honey, and leave with no explanation

[@galactic_butter162]

@@slwrabbitsIt’s the initiation to the honey cult

[@sirpixel7945]

Imagine being awoken in the middle of the night and then see Rachmaninov standing outside your window holding a jar of honey

[@ShinnoEli]

@@sirpixel7945 I would probably just close the curtain real quietly, go back to bed, and hope I'd imagined it. (And that he'd somehow also left the honey.)

[@okyeahbutwhythoe1804]

reminder that Stravinsky‘s wife opened the door to find a 2m (6‘6) tall russian man holding honey in the middle of the night

[@Inkymarkergg]

Guys. I‘m going to play this piece for my moms birthday in September 2024. starting: 22.10.2023 I will update y‘all every month October: 1hour 28 minutes I practiced the first 2 pages slowly. I can play the left hand November: I can play until bar 80 from memory. My progress is slow because I can only practice 3x a week for 3 hours each bc my mom is at work. She has a mini-job to pay for my piano lessons. I love you mom❤ October: I did 3 pages. I was very unproductive December: 15.12.23 I can play half of it now by memory. It‘s so close to christmas. I think my mom has been getting suspicious bc she‘s asking me what I’m practicing when she‘s gone 😂 Merry Christmas January: Happy new year! I now have 9months and 4 (actually 5 but last day doesn’t count) days left! May all your hopes and wishes come true I love you mom, you are very hardworking, you deserve it! ♥️ February: What the actual f. It’s already february omg time passes so quickly. And I’m almost finished with the piece. There are some places where I can’t play it so I might need to modify some places to my human hands a little. Thank you guys for the support in the comments! Th weather is so cold rm :(… Happy Chinese New Year for me fellow chinese. 新年快乐，红包拿来 March: It’s almost finished. Afterwards i’m going to add the musical elements like phrasing and dynamics. Thank you again for the support, it’s very tiring to learn this piece and modify some places without my mom finding out. I guess it’s right what they say: strict parents raise sneaky kids 🤭. I’M A GIRL SO PLEASE STOP CALLING ME A DUDE OR GUY 🎀💝👩🏻🐯yes, i’m a girl I thought the rachmaninoff part (around 111 i think) and then beethoven were really hard 😭 And then i see Prokofiev. Prokofiev, stop showing off and do something simpler and don’t make me spend 2 weeks on your part. Wtf is bar 292 i ain’t got 3 hands and 3 brains April: I’m quitting :(. Just kidding (was a very good april fools joke yesyes i know 😎) it’s april. I’m not gonna be here the whole summer break, i’m going back to china for the whole summer vacation. That means end of july, august and first 2 days of september, I can’t practice. Well i deserved a break for sure, so gonna practice even more. The ending is so hard! Thank you guys again so much for your support, I really needed it, some days i just didn’t have the motivation to practice, but I gotta keep going. As long as mom doesn’t give up, i can’t too. This means i can never give up Waa, my mom stayed ip until 4 am to help me finish my physics project. It was building a wooden box (it was huge) and threading in 12 violin strings. It was so time consuming, yet she finished it for me. When i was hammering, she just took it out of my hands and said i shouldn’t risk a hand injury 😭😭😭 i just love her so much. She might seem very strict and mean, but when you get to know her, she’s so sweet, nice and has such a big heart May: time is passing so fast! I finished the piece. I kind of lost a bit of motivation, 😬. I stopped practicing for 2 weeks bc I just didn’t really feel like it. BUT THE SHOW GOES ON!!! I’m going to memorize it until the end now June: July: August: September: :)

[@dragonslayeralex3316]

Godspeed, you absolute legend

[@heatherthedutch-american1481]

You can do it! Happy birthday to mom!

[@parky1628]

HAHAHAHA good luck 😎

[@justaguywhocommentsforfun]

I shall join this journey. Best of luck 🤞

[@Inkymarkergg]

@@justaguywhocommentsforfun have fun and don‘t give up

[@thetherrannative]

That chase scene was so ridiculously vivid. As soon as it started going _off_ I felt like I was watching a whole movie.

[@dk09sophie56]

fr

[@etps4444]

It literally all feels like a silent movie, and I love it. :D

[@williamgeorge3111]

Old rubberhose cartoon style, right?

[@etps4444]

@@williamgeorge3111 Exactly!! :)

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

“Prokofiev catches Satie, chooses violence” was exactly the sentence I needed to hear today as a music history nerd with an incredibly niche sense of humour; thank you

[@legendgames128]

With every low note in that section, you can practically hear the beating going on.

[@erickborling1302]

I can imagine Prokofiev, in disgust at Satie's stunted style, would tell Satie to use a black key every now and then.

[@liszt4692]

Can someone explain me the reference?

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

@@liszt4692 There's not exactly a reference I'm aware of; the mental image is just funny.

[@chessematics]

@@liszt4692 should i make a Liszt of references? There are many

[@jonahbutterfield5792]

Jokes aside this is a good demonstration of how the same melody can sound completely different in so many different ways and how voicing can really carry the tone of a piece

[@katrinareads]

I officially majored in elementary education in college. I was not musical. Nonetheless, I found myself regularly kidnapped (although they used the term "friended") by music majors who escaped the confines of the practice rooms and then dared to discuss their devious plans (although they used the terms "studying" and "recital material") in my presence. As a result, I accidentally gained enough of a music education through these hours of captivity (or as they called it "mealtime") to understand about 90% of the humor in this.

[@leecha3444]

Similar to me, a food technology major that is surrounded by design majors 😂 i got to know (hear from the sidelines) most of their lecturers and their respective habits (on top of their grind every day & night)

[@oddguys178]

If only I had a dollar for each time beethoven told someone to shut up, I could finally afford classes

[@cremmy_crem621]

REAL

[@solidonseraindogthetenth1679]

Oh my goodness.😆🤣

[@mightbekuasontt]

That would worth buying ten pianos

[@Princesspeachfan456]

@@mightbekuasonttyea probably (also love your profile pic,Heather be the best.)

[@tiredstudebt4446]

This video taught me more about differentiating composers than over 10 years worth of piano classes ever did

[@NicholasMaMusic]

Haha great to hear, glad you found this educational!

[@TheGuyCalledX]

I mean he just took themes from some of the composer's most popular pieces. I'm surprised after 10 years of lessons you couldn't recognize most of these pieces by name, let alone by composer.

[@signe6169]

@@TheGuyCalledX I've taken lessons for ten years and I definitely can not recognize most of these pieces. And I mostly play classical and neo-classical, but I've always just played for fun you know:) And I'm sure the comment wasn't that serious

[@muyodosel1658]

Chill yall my man is kidding.

[@johnduffy2777]

ok now integrate them

[@cesium1336]

It is incredible that we can not only get all these composers of different eras into one theoretical room, but we can make them fight like action figures through notes on sheet music and very creative rearrangement and editing of their pieces. I love this video, it's hysterical, great job on it!

[@PrimadonnaSouLa]

This single piece of art has differentiated all those 13 composers to me so vividly and infinitely better than anything ive ever consumed

[@miasoloproductions]

Very true to their personalities. Beethoven would tell everyone to shut up despite the fact that he can't hear anything.

[@variedreasoning6416]

It was actually Tchaikovksy's birthday. Everybody forgot about it in the pursuit of cake, but fortunately Beethoven complimented his work on 1812 Overture before slamming the door on his way out during the chase sequence.

[@wyattstevens8574]

Good idea- Nick never said whose birthday it was!

[@louisegogel7973]

That needs to be included in anyones animation of this wonderful musical collage

[@jedimobslayer2480]

Well 1812 overture is a masterpiece after all

[@DeadlyDeadlyBeees]

Yes! Good addition

[@kammmziez]

Overture is actually a banger tbh

[@emmari901]

Schubert unleashing the Erlkönig had me cackling 😂 such beautifully chaotic joy! Well done!

[@sofiabosco7892]

wouldn't the erlkonig kill satie though?

[@Evonne_Lee]

@@sofiabosco7892don't worry, it's just his Stand :P

[@ShinnoEli]

@@sofiabosco7892 Not if he surrenders the cake, I assume. ...Or runs faster than at least one other partygoer.

[@gitasong]

Same. 😁🐎🧝‍♀️👑

[@PazWasHere]

When I saw "sneakin' that jazz in", I KNEW I was going to hear the fucking lick and once it happened, I still snorted and choked on my own laughter. This is amazing, my man. Well done!

[@MinecraftProLord]

Imagine its your bday and these guys are one upping each other in playing a suitable song to celebrate your birthday.

[@sand__witch]

Each hopes you'll like his song best and give him the last slice of cake.

[@FireballFlareblitz734]

I would be both very honored and highly amused

[@heysupbehappy7153]

Well I found this video Nov 21st... on my bday

[@alinelopes484]

@@heysupbehappy7153 And me Nov 22nd,also today on my birthday hahaha.

[@donnaquixote7538]

Just imagine if they all actually were still around ❤

[@helioabc]

this feels like a video a music theory teacher would show in class

[@LongDeadArtist]

I swear this should've been it because I have a Happy Birthday variations analysis to do and this would be soooo much funner!

[@crysania]

100% yes. Music theory or music history for that matter. I no longer teach but I used to use things like PDQ Bach in my class. This totally would have been on my class playlist!

[@benthurtle4670]

But they constantly stop the video and discuss every shift in the music

[@julie-18]

@♡evie0oO♡ yes if they were actually all classical era composers 🤓 the only classical composers here are Mozart and Beethoven 💀I hate to be that person but yes

[@13Kr4zYAzN13]

This feels like a video a music theory teacher _SHOULD_ show in class!

[@AlyWayMusic]

The John Cage ending is pure gold. 😂

[@elizabethhearts189]

Why don't they show this stuff in music history? This. Is. Gold.

[@StevenPJames-fl1un]

I like how this transitioned from your average party to Satie getting completely murdered

[@alexiswilliamsinc]

Satie had it coming.

[@That.french.harpist]

I CRIED

[@bearsgeography8330]

I need the *except satie* part

[@jahnavyhotusing3798]

Ahahahahahahagga

[@probium2832]

gigachad john cage

[@keilafleischbein59]

I honestly love that it's the deaf man who keeps telling them to shut up

[@Aerodumb]

Beethoven, probably: "The loathsome movement of your lips infuririates me"

[@bear2325]

The moonlight sonata mixed with Happy Birthday was SO PRETTY. Also the Clair De Lune … two of my favorites!!!!

[@thetachiban57]

This needs to be arranged for an orchestra and then animated. It's excellent.

[@PrincessSketch13]

Beethoven telling everyone to shut up despite being deaf is a mood ♡♡ excellent work

[@coralreef2329]

:0 EXPOSED: BEETHOVEN WAS NEVER DEAF

[@genericname2747]

He can sense them talking

[@noonelooksatusers]

Yes.

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@coralreef2329 Deaf people can tell people to shut up

[@_bottled-water]

"That's a mood, Gabriella."

[@dragonswirl3579]

Prokofiev needing three staves to express his anger is the most accurate thing I've ever read

[@colossaltitan3546]

Followed by the 2 bars of silence with John cage walking by lmao

[@kbrake535]

6:35

[@preludelight]

This was one hell of a dissertation. Congratulations, Doctor.

[@hedgeearthridge6807]

The Moonlight Sonata combined with Happy Birthday was PAINFUL 😂. I half expected Bach's part to be either only playable on pipe organ or require at least 4.5 hands to play on piano 😂

[@204lemon]

This is pure genius!! I haven't laughed so much! The jokes are hilarious: Rachmaninoff offering honey, Liszt kicking the door and scaring everyone, Bach ignoring people to compose his fugue, Satie stealing the cake, Mendelssohn arriving confused from a wedding, best of all Schbert unleashing the Elkoing! Wow even John Cage passed by and said nothing about a bunch of composers fighting over cake! This deserves a million likes. Edit: oh my 1.3 K likes!! Thanks so much!!

[@NicholasMaMusic]

Thank you!

[@riv3r_mango705]

Especially the one about Prokofiev being so angry that he needed 3 staves

[@SnowRose-wn6gj]

And Beethoven, who was deaf, was the one to tell people to shut up.

[@tumblingartist]

It adds so much extra enjoyment to the video

[@motutalaputa]

And Mozart telling a poop joke, because of the love letters full of poop jokes that he would send to his cousin

[@wotamelondo8591]

Ok but imagine an Opera with this

[@NicholasMaMusic]

That would be hilarious! The visuals of composers having an all out brawl certainly would be a sight to behold

[@Marewig]

I will definitely buy a ticket if it ever plays nearby, even if it meant saving up for months.

[@DA-Dali]

I wanna do it

[@rue6914]

I'm an opera singer, and I love this idea lol

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

Who’s gonna do it???

[@ssently7512]

I wish I could share this with someone, but unfortunately I have no one who appreciates classical music in a way like this 😭 This is a masterpiece, thank you.

[@sweetparriz]

I wish I understood this, I sort of play the piano and know almost all the pianists in the video but I wish I knew the context, it would’ve been so funny 😢

[@saltedglen]

@@sweetparriz i didnt know anything BUT googled the things inside and ITS ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS TRUST ME GOOGLE ALL OF EM ITS SO WORTH IT

[@anapetrovic2260]

You are so right! Masterpiece with humor!

[@rheiagreenland4714]

"13 classical composers fighting over the last slice of cake" Bach: "You could make a fugue out of this "

[@Meca-Mat]

[2:51] I love the "Beethoven tells Liszt to shut up" one because it's so long that it feels like he says something like: "Liszt, please, instead of scaring us like that, I politely and cordially ask you to shut the fuck up."

[@word6344]

Adding that in my animatic of this masterpiece

[@AndyTheInconsistent]

OMG yes

[@louisegogel7973]

@@word6344 Let us know when you have finished it and send us the link please!

[@noonelooksatusers]

😂

[@thetoadmeister6664]

“John Case passes by” and “John Cage leaves” was absolutely hilarious

[@helenchelmicka7894]

😅😅

[@w1nn0v4k]

hold up i gotta google something

[@w1nn0v4k]

ok this is funny

[@catelerasofficial]

Yesss 😂❤

[@dlevi67]

It should have been around 4:30, though...

[@chamberlamps6855]

You not only flawlessly incorporated my favorite Satie piece but also made him the cake thief?! Instant classic masterpiece right here, bravo

[@ComXDude]

"Bach joins the party but ignores everyone, goes to a corner to write a fugue" He just like me fr fr

[@katesmothermon7146]

Not only did you manage to beautifully tell a story that was easy to understand from a non-music-nerd point of view but it was also extremely captivating to listen to the whole time. It was a perfect balance of happy birthday with each composer’s style where you could make each distinction clear.

[@NicholasMaMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@haihappen7485]

Never thought „Happy Birthday“ can be such an emotional rollercoaster

[@harp7803]

Beethoven telling everyone to shut up when he's deaf is just amazing

[@koldphuzhun]

I would love to see a live playing of that whole piece. Just to see someone putting the expressions on their face as they played would be priceless.

[@Nswizzle]

"He needs 3 staves to express this anger at the cake theif" is a very reasonable reaction to the monstrosity of the cake theif

[@nonsense618]

Liszt kicking the door open and scaring everyone *killed* me. This whole thing is absolute gold.

[@corah3544]

5:51 Alkan into Erlkonig went bombastically hard

[@royallygray]

The character progression in this story is amazing, 10/10. Made me cry. (I’m mostly talking about the annotations, as a joke, but the music part is also really good /gen)

[@brianawong312]

I enjoy how aggressive Beethoven is. He's over here telling everybody to shut up.

[@melissalawson7803]

He was kinda known for being hard to get along with. Genius musician, though.

[@brianawong312]

@@melissalawson7803 Judging by his depiction in the movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs, he was the weird kid next door your mom forced you to play with. In a good way.

[@chengguowei5591]

Even tho he couldn’t hear!!! 😅

[@GunSpyEnthusiast]

he's had enough shit, and regardless of who's shit, he's had enough of their shit, which I can relate to.

[@Whalefire2]

"I'm deaf and im already tired of your noise"

[@kikicogger2284]

“Prokofiev becomes so angry that he needs 3 staves to express this anger at the cake thief” I died.

[@SpamtonsFunnyJMomentahhhhellna]

"john cage passes by" "john cage leaves" perfect resolution to a piece

[@hee-hoo5672]

I got this recommend to me on my birthday and it absolutely fits my brains vibe for today. A 10/10 confusion

[@3MB3Rx134]

This started as happy birthday and then ended as RPG final boss music with an essence of Happy birthday

[@zozonihon5683]

That was me 😂

[@louisegogel7973]

What does RPG stand for please?

[@choco_L8]

@@louisegogel7973 role-play game

[@Animaticx]

As someone who had a pretty long classical composer obsession, this is so accurate. Not just the composition, the personalities too 😂. Almost expected Paganini to come in and claim he needed to sacrifice the cake to the devil as a lie to keep the whole thing but I remembered my boy was a violinist.

[@jackrobmusic]

Would that be a Devils Food Cake?

[@adelinaarmstrong9423]

i was more thinking he'd smash something simply to cause more chaos LHDJFALJDKFA

[@hermi1-kenobi455]

Paganini with this 140+ guitar compositions huddled in the corner..

[@META_mahn]

Paganini shouts "I can do it better!" and then proceeds to somehow turn the cake into a four-dimensional cake

[@HieuPham-gc4jd]

Great

[@Alex_in_Wonderland111]

This is a fight I would pay real money to see

[@limoncats21]

that Moonlight Sonata transition was _SMOOTH._ also, that Moonlight Sonata first movement x HBD at 3:03 is done really well, props to you

[@1classikai]

"Schumann unleashes the Erlkonig on Satie" got me *good* but "John Cage passes by... John Cage leaves" had me *CACKLING LIKE A GREMLIN*

[@robnolan4150]

Agreed!!!! That was awesome!

[@philipmcniel4908]

I actually played along on my piano when it got to that part. I was sitting on the couch across the room from my piano.

[@alexanderfo3886]

So true, this is the most hilarious classical music joke I've seen so far.

[@jaykim3774]

When Schubert unleashes Erlkonig, you know shit's getting serious

[@204lemon]

Honestly I'm feeling incredibly worried for Satie!

[@naohitotakatori3729]

not to worry! satie’s dad is giving him a ride.

[@angeliquecheung574]

Yup

[@moraien3278]

@@naohitotakatori3729 hope his soul didn't get snatched away during the ride.

[@Ringinthetrue17]

I just love that Schubert just has the Erlking on standby, ready at a moments notice

[@editoranimatoralexcod]

This really encapsulates the drama of fighting over the last slice of cake! Good job!

[@AlexTheTrain52]

I laughed so hard as this got progressively more ridiculous and my brother in the background playing hockey just stared at me absolutely laughing my head off. This is a genuine masterpiece!😂

[@someoneelse4183]

Never before has the world heard such a piece, full of life, expression, and storytelling, and the best part of all, it all revolves around a single slice of cake. Bravo, sir, bravo!

[@fullervisiondotnet]

How to get a song about cake RIGHT. Unlike Jimmy Webb.

[@conradannie9771]

the power of food on musical human beings

[@MereMeerkat]

Honestly, stuff like this is why I can never seriously consider my undergrad music degree "useless." Debussy telling everyone to chill almost made me do a spit take. Perfect.

[@amy21yang92]

It is so amusing that the composers’ pieces work together perfectly when they are fighting

[@astrobhais]

I played this at a friend's bday, everyone was so confused lol

[@sampaguita_dew]

the ‘Beethoven tells (insert composer) to shut up’ got me every time

[@crazycookie9000]

This is like a Looney tunes sketch conveyed entirely through music and text. Well done 😂

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

True hahaha

[@NanoNovaBlast]

Now I want someone to animate this in the looney toons stlye

[@wyattstevens8574]

Literally!

[@danielhawkins6425]

Better yet, the Animaniacs!

[@Usrr11]

If only somebody animated it.... It would be truly perfect.

[@Mikinoarisu]

Bro the story is so intense and I enjoy this too much lmao it’s like reading a novel, you’re such an amazing composer, thank you for this arranged masterpiece! You portrayed every pianist characteristic so well, love it!

[@lemeoriy1185]

As a pianist. And classical music lover. Being able to recognize most of these songs was...entertaining.

[@erikvaros3283]

This was the greatest crossover in human history!

[@NicholasMaMusic]

Thank you! It was fun trying to jump from one composer to another while using the happy birthday melody as a unifying link

[@phantomlover1467]

Eat your heart out Endgame!

[@Samantha-vlly]

THE greatest indeed

[@sarahshydale4051]

The visual of Mozart laughing far too hard at his own poop joke is just amazing

[@panzfaust9812]

Have not enough intellect to understand, thanks for the captions. Absurdly hilarious

[@nadiaumanets-ty4hk]

Musical genius... this guy😢 so good. A whole story including characters😂 LOVE IT

[@jakeacake6899]

That fusion of Happy Birthday and Fantasie Impromptu was really seamless and actually worked really well as music

[@zhihuangxu6551]

And the Beethoven's Moonlight Mvt 3 reference is literal the third sentence of Happy Birthday

[@euphonos5389]

with a subtle jab at the lick.

[@paulgering7703]

Satie: *cake is mine* Prokofiev: So you have chosen death.

[@kouysl]

this is the most silly yet genius thing at the same time

[@maternalcephalopod7193]

Bravo!👏 👏👏👏👏 Hilarious! Adored the final John Cage moment. I could picture the conductor and orchestra holding their positions throughout the rested ritard while miming as if they watched John Cage walk across the stage. I also loved when I went to scroll back in the video the red line at the bottom had notes about how the written music changes with each section.

[@essixthefalcon8657]

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE MAKE AN ANIMATIC OUT OF THIS! Just imagine all those classical people choosing violence cus of cake Edit: Holy shit this exploded. We all unite in wanting to see classical composers fight for cake!

[@legendgames128]

I'd like to see Prokofiev giving Satie a beatdown.

[@olliefriesen5634]

YES.

[@shibaorhamster3182]

@@whatAjewel11 looking oh so very forward!!!

[@guitarpick2002]

Agreed! I want to see Liszt kick down the door and Satie stealing the cake!

[@bloket.]

@@whatAjewel11 lmk when you finish!

[@wyattstevens8574]

I think one of the most hilarious lines is "Mendelssohn arrives late from a wedding, but is incredibly confused." I imagine it happening this way: Everyone's scrambling for the cake. Mendelssohn: "Hey, guys, sorry I'm late, I was at a wedding- what am I looking at?" Dvorak: "Ok- here's what you saw: somebody's got most of the birthday cake, and the rest of us were going to get what was left."

[@Ciborium]

Man, Prokofiev must have been absolutely furious to resort to *three staves* to show his anger.

[@rahuqraf]

The John Cage joke is severely underrated. That had me ROFL

[@ekomieran7150]

beethoven telling liszt to shut up with moonlight sonata just felt so incredibly petty that i audibly laughed

[@sarahporter9892]

Okay but Moonlight Sonata and Claire de Lune work surprisingly well superimposed with Happy Birthday

[@thsoup2353]

They're both works of the moon.

[@1224chrisng]

​@@thsoup2353 well that's just lunacy, a pie in the sky kind of talk

[@juditveres_hearts]

​@@1224chrisng 😅😂👍

[@xyz.ijk.]

That was phenomenal and probably the only time that happy birthday ever deserved to be heard!

[@fatianurfaiza3946]

Playing this at birthday night is just hits different. Especially when you had a cake

[@roxiep2010]

I'm imagining a Looney Tunes-esque animated short accompanying all of this and it's great fun. In my head, all of the composers are drawn in different styles to match the chaotic energy of the composition.

[@Lasanga95]

I could do it if I had enough motivation.

[@thehappyfemme]

​@@Lasanga95 here's your motivation: Do it! 😎

[@stack-of-all-trades6689]

I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now but all I wanna do is draw a bunch of classical composers choosing violence

[@TeamGalactic-Cyrus]

did you draw it

[@yunaisdumb]

SJSSJSJSJS SAME

[@v-botgamer3750]

Pleeeeaaassssseee???!!!!

[@CaptainJackSparrowSavvy]

Lol

[@alisonbrandt5901]

Someone sent me this link for my birthday, and I was utterly delighted and transfixed - then Alkan walked in and I shared the birthday cake I was chewing liberally with my computer keyboard and screen! Absolutely brilliant!!

[@WeiRd0_M3L0N]

This is the best piece of music in existence

[@tanakaalisa6932]

john cage walking past this whole debacle is criminally underrated I will request this to be played at my birthday party

[@mop7316]

me before clicking on the video: 7 minutes? don't think i'll watch the whole thing me 7 minutes later, more invested into this storyline than i've been in anything in a long time: WHERE'S THE SEQUEL

[@nfullenwider]

Friend, I went from washing dishes and making coffee to sitting down entranced. You're not the only one who was transfixed!

[@baileyshep1644]

thanks yt for recommending this to me the day before my bday