What if the world has overlooked one of J.S. Bach's sons?
215 years after J.S.Bach’s death it appeared that there was another his child, "the youngest and oddest of Johann Sebastian’s 20-odd children." He lived to the adulthood and similarly to his siblings chose a career of composing but for some reason, was forgotten or lost in the fame of his father and luckier brothers.
By 1987, more than 20 years after the first appearance, the professor behind the discovery had found more than 75 works by P.D.Q.Bach and was pretty sure there had to be more. The most interesting works included A Little Nightmare Music, The Civilian Barber, The Seasonings, The Abduction of Figaro, P. D. Q. Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem!.
It all was a legend. And it was a parody. Peter Schickele, an American composer made up the whole story about P.D.Q.Bach, including his date of birth (April 1), musical style details (sure, based on the works of real musicians from the Bach family and other well-known composers), and compositional periods. He came up with the idea when a student and performed a few pieces by P.D.Q.Bach at a classical music festival. Years after that, it became clear that audience was way more interested in these laugh-provoking works of a fictional character than in Schieckele’s serious performances. As a result, he recorded 17 albums of the "forgotten heritage" and took four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album.
Peter Schickele seated barefoot atop a piano.
Image by Peter Schaaf - Shaw Concerts, Inc., Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons