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What's that tune?


Tannhauser

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It drives me nuts when I hear a piece of music and don’t know what it’s called. I like tracking them down. So, for no particular reason, here are a few pieces where you might find the tune more familiar than the name. (It will be a miracle if I get this embedding right)

 

1.The Gonk by Herbert Chappell. Used to such wonderful effect in ‘Dawn of the Dead’. Chappell is actually a prolific composer. He managed to get a first class honours in Music from Oxford without going to any lectures after his first week.

 

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2. Einzug der Gladiatoren Entrance of the Gladiators – Julius Fucik. Fucik was a Czech composer, a contemporary of Dvorak. It always amuses me that the idea was to evoke exactly what the title suggests - gladiators going into an arena. Close your eyes and try to picture gladiators and not clowns. I can’t do it.

 

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3. Baby Elephant Walk by Henry Mancini - best known for the Pink Panther theme and Moon River. It was written by Mancini for the movie Matari, as seen here. If you don’t recognise it straight away, the main melody kicks in at 0:38.

 

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4. Left Bank Two. The song is by Wayne Hill (don’t know anything about him). Performed by the Noveltones, Dutch session musicians. Obviously, associated with the picture gallery on Vision On

 

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5. Telephone and Rubber Band, Air a Danser and Music for a Found Harmonium by Penguin Café Orchestra. These three crop up all the time in various TV programmes and adverts. Poor old Simon Jeffes – a very talented guy who died well before his time.

 

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6. Liberty Bell and The Thunderer by John Phillip Sousa. Honestly, Sousa wrote so many instantly recognisable tunes, it’s scary. He wrote well over 100 marches. These are two of the most famous.

 

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7. The Oriental Riff (aka the ‘Chinese Melody’) Not a song, it’s that little musical cliché used as an all-purpose signifier for East Asia. Used, for example, at the start of Turning Japanese by The Vapours and in Carl Douglas’ Kung Fu Fighting.

 

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8. ‘Treulich gefuhrt’ the Bridal Chorus from Act III of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner. If you’ve only ever heard it cranked out on a church organ, listen to how it should sound as a choral piece. It’s exquisite. 2:33 onwards is ‘the other bit’, rarely played. Ironic choice for weddings in a way, as Lohengrin’s marriage is doomed to tragically fail.

 

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9. The Flower Duet from Lakme by Leo Delibes. Somewhat overused aria. Delibes also wrote one of my favourite ballets, Coppelia, which is crammed full of gorgeous melodies.

 

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10. Coronation Scot 1937 by Vivian Ellis, mandatory for all train footage in existence until 1950. It was composed on a train, appropriately.

 

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Some good finds there sir :)

One of my favourites, again been uses many times, although to great effect in various battle scenes etc...

 

A lovely evocative piece of music then - Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

 

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OK, I'm lowering the tone here.

Heard this a lot a couple of years back on tv trailers, radio etc...

 

Royksopp's Eple - Forgive me, there should be some kinda umlaut over the first "o"

 

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Some good finds there sir :)

One of my favourites, again been uses many times, although to great effect in various battle scenes etc...

 

A lovely evocative piece of music then - Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

 

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Excellent, Very powerfull Piece of music. Fits many applications perfectly.

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I'm going to have to have a listen to those tomorrow :)

 

A lovely evocative piece of music then - Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

 

Although I was introduced to that piece by William Orbit's trance version all those years ago (As many of my age were!), it's a very emotional bit of music. To date it's the only "orchestra" album I've ever bought (Unless Metallica's S&M album counts :D ), but still gets played loudly when there's painting to do and the neighbours are out :D

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I'm going to have to have a listen to those tomorrow :)

 

 

 

Although I was introduced to that piece by William Orbit's trance version all those years ago (As many of my age were!), it's a very emotional bit of music. To date it's the only "orchestra" album I've ever bought (Unless Metallica's S&M album counts :D ), but still gets played loudly when there's painting to do and the neighbours are out :D

 

For several years I was saying to everyone and anyone (who would listen) "...that piece of music (Adagio For Strings) is by composer Carl Orff...Oh yes!"

 

I was very all-knowing then :rolleyes::D

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I'm sure everyones always wondered who wrote this song; :innocent:

 

Is that from Clockwork Orange?

 

This one is another that gets used everywhere... you will probs all know it, but I thought I'd chuck it in :) Dam hippies! :D

 

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Well, that 'Waltz in Black' has solved a mystery for me, thanks.

 

Not wishing to bash anyone's tastes on here, but when Orbit's version of Barber's Adagio came out, I could have happily assassinated him (Orbit, not Barber :) ). He took that heart-breaking piece and hammered it mercilessly into a trance rhythm. He'll share a place in hell with the Scissor Sisters for Comfortably Numb.

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Not wishing to bash anyone's tastes on here, but when Orbit's version of Barber's Adagio came out, I could have happily assassinated him (Orbit, not Barber :) ). He took that heart-breaking piece and hammered it mercilessly into a trance rhythm. He'll share a place in hell with the Scissor Sisters for Comfortably Numb.

 

I didn't mean to entice you into it, but had this vision of you physically dismembering anyone who'd mention the trace version of the composition :D

 

Anyway, I still like the trance verion. It has a beat and you can dance to it :p

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Well, that 'Waltz in Black' has solved a mystery for me, thanks.

 

Not wishing to bash anyone's tastes on here, but when Orbit's version of Barber's Adagio came out, I could have happily assassinated him (Orbit, not Barber :) ). He took that heart-breaking piece and hammered it mercilessly into a trance rhythm. He'll share a place in hell with the Scissor Sisters for Comfortably Numb.

 

This could be another splendid thread idea.

Name that tune, which has had its taste and subtlety annihilated beyond all recognition - then again, perhaps not?

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Well, that 'Waltz in Black' has solved a mystery for me, thanks.

 

Not wishing to bash anyone's tastes on here, but when Orbit's version of Barber's Adagio came out, I could have happily assassinated him (Orbit, not Barber :) ). He took that heart-breaking piece and hammered it mercilessly into a trance rhythm. He'll share a place in hell with the Scissor Sisters for Comfortably Numb.

 

I prefer Orbit's version :p, fantastic song. Then that Barber bloke comes and rips it off, tish :innocent:

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They are usually records ripped off into dance tunes.

 

In a just world, everyone associated with hammering music that plainly doesn't fit into a dance beat -and thereby systematically erasing any dynamics, emotional content, harmonic subtlety or rhythmic variance - would be fed feet first into a gigantic sausage-making machine. These top quality bangers would then be consumed by me on Saturday tea-time whilst watching video footage, in HD, of the dance musicians last moments.

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In a just world, everyone associated with hammering music that plainly doesn't fit into a dance beat -and thereby systematically erasing any dynamics, emotional content, harmonic subtlety or rhythmic variance - would be fed feet first into a gigantic sausage-making machine. These top quality bangers would then be consumed by me on Saturday tea-time whilst watching video footage, in HD, of the dance musicians' last moments.

 

Yes. You feel strongly about this, don't you? :)

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In a just world, everyone associated with hammering music that plainly doesn't fit into a dance beat -and thereby systematically erasing any dynamics, emotional content, harmonic subtlety or rhythmic variance - would be fed feet first into a gigantic sausage-making machine. These top quality bangers would then be consumed by me on Saturday tea-time whilst watching video footage, in HD, of the dance musicians last moments.

 

lol very good :D

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Some good tracks there, Tann - particularly loving the Penguin Cafe Orchestra!

 

Saw Penguin Cafe Orchestra play Union Chapel in Islington in 2007 (a 10-year anniversary of Simon Jeffes death) and it was amazing. The band, having not played many of the tunes for many years, were largely close to tears themselves and also provided some beautiful anecdotes between pieces.

One of the most atmospheric concerts I've had the privilege to experience.

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