First Russian professional caricaturists bantered musicians. In 1849

N. Stepanov issued "Musical Album" with the caricatures of M. Glinka, A. Alyabyev, and A. Dargomizhsky. Later he published some caricatures of Glinka. Standing for the "artistic truth" in music, the artist created and published a series of caricatures of the opera "Judith" by Serov in "Iskra" ("Spark") magazine. Musical topics were popular in the European caricatures of the XVIII-XIXth centuries, the figures of fun used to be innovators as R. Vagner, N. Paganini, and J. Rossinni, whose music seemed to be the encroachment of traditions.

By the beginning of the XXth century the interest in the life of Bohemians had sprung, as a result, numerous caricatures appeared in different publications. The caricaturists paid attention to traditional musical events, as well as to some innovations, like "an orchestra-man" - a modern buffoon in the streets of cities, or jazz. ( N. Radlov "The Jazz Fans").

By the 3Os the composition of humorous music had become an independent branch of art. D. Shostakovitch put into music " Satires" by Sasha Tchyorny. Walt Disney used humorous music in his cartoons.

S. Prokofyev told that he had composed some musical caricatures. Kukriniksi made fun of Prokofyev and his colleagues in their caricatures. During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) they created a poster "Musical hysteria" in which musical instruments were put instead of the heads of the Nazi leaders.

In the 60s the caricaturists held up the music of vanguard for derision, they called it "the music of monkeys" ( the name of F. Reshetnikov's caricature); in Prague a book about The Beatles full of Western humorous graphic works was published. This book undoubtedly influenced the Soviet artists of "new wave". At the same time a collection of foreign caricatures and sketches "Musicians Smile" was published. In the "Krokodil" magazine a unique caricature of 24 Russian composers by

I. Igin appeared. Among those composers was N. Bogoslovsky, known as the author of the record " Music Laughs" and of numerous humorous sketches. He wrote a mini-opera "Surgeon's Night" - a parody of modern operas. Traditional musical subjects in the "Krokodil" magazine ridiculed some composers ( Y. Fyodorov's drawing), the so called Composers' Union , members of which wasted a lot of time and energy for meetings and discussions sitting at the table having forgotten about music

( N. Lisogorsky " Among composers" 1956).