Don Satz wrote:

>I'd just like to restrict my comments to Shostakovich.  Although I realize
>that many folks would name Shostakovich as a composer who exercised much
>humor, I recognize it only as sarcasm, and I don't equate humor with
>sarcasm.  I enjoy sarcasm in music and consider it one of Shostakovich's
>best strengths.

All "humour" is not sarcasm in Shostakovich's music.  There are nuances.
The beginning of the second movement of the 7th Symphony could almost have
been written by Mendelssohn.  I think Shosty is probing all possibilities
of humour.

Irony and sarcasm was introduced by Berlioz and Liszt (I don't think that
Wagner is as (intentionally) funny as James Zehm thinks he is).Mahler
continued on that track by integrating the "Old" and the "New" German
School in his music.  The rest is (also) history.

Mikael
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