Have you ever found yourself in a serious setting — a meeting or, God forbid, a funeral — and noticed something really funny? You try holding in your laughter but it just makes things worse?
Welcome to the world of classical musicians, who spend a lot of time rehearsing, performing and concentrating on all this great music and its lofty emotions and ideas. When there's so much serious work being done, the potential for cracking up is high.
We're sure this is why the classical music joke evolved, to relieve some of that tension. You'll find eight of our favourites in the gallery above, illustrated by our designer Heather Collett.
Follow Robert Rowat on Twitter: @rkhr
Listen to CBC Music’s Essential Classics stream
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