I sent my sister a Gilbert and Sullivan parody by Randy Rainbow. It’s the second video below; the original Gilbert and Sullivan song is the first.
My sister wrote back, “A lot of lyrics so fast! The Queen Elizabeth part was very funny.”
Which started me on a web search during which I discovered that these songs are classified as “patter songs.” To quote from Wikipedia, the font of all knowledge:
The patter song is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. It is a staple of comic opera, especially Gilbert and Sullivan, but it has also been used in musicals and elsewhere.
The lyric of a patter song generally features tongue-twisting rhyming text, with alliterative words and other consonant or vowel sounds that are intended to be entertaining to listen to at rapid speed. The musical accompaniment is lightly orchestrated and fairly simple, to emphasize the text. The song is often intended as a showpiece for a comic character, usually a bass or baritone. The singer should be capable of excellent enunciation, to sing the song to maximum effect.
How fast is fast? Listen to the final clip below, “Getting Married Today,” from Stephen Sondheim’s Company, which, again according to Wikipedia, was the fastest patter song in history until the Broadway show Hamilton came along: “Singing 68 words in a total of 11 seconds, ‘Getting Married Today’ was notable for being the most difficult musical song with the fastest verse in history, however ‘Guns and Ships’ from the musical Hamilton has now exceeded this record with 19 words in 3 seconds.”
But enough with my pitter-patter. Here are five patter songs for your listening and dining pleasure.
Who says you have to slow down when you get Parkinson’s? Hogwash!
