this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 41 points 11 months ago

The Nokia ringtone is a musical phrase from a piece of solo guitar music by Francisco Tárrega, called Gran Vals from 1902.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

A moment of silence, for those that don't get the reference.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

laughs silently

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

One time I was listening to classical music because I was in a mood. It was a Mozart piece. The piano player started playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. At first I was like, "if bro is such a genius, why did he rip off Twinkle, Twinkle, Litt- oh, he wrote it."

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Love it lol.

Unbeknownst to me until a moment ago, the piece is Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman", based on a French folk song.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 11 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Für. It's German, For Elise. She's not furry 😉

A lot of mobile keyboards will let you pick the umlaut version if you long-press a letter.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago

Will you Fürgive me?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

How do you know Elise wasn’t a Fürry?

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Night on Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky), The Planets (Holst), and Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner) are all pretty badass but often get used in movies, game trailers, even ads without being named.

EDIT: Everyone likes links, ja?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Don't forget Flight of the Bumblebee too!

[–] potterpockets 5 points 11 months ago

Ill add Pachelbel’s Cannon in D as well.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Canon in D, used constantly in modern music and people usually don't recognize it. If you don't believe me go listen to Maroon 5's Memories. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to though...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Written by Pachelbel. Aka Pachelbel's Canon

Yup came here to add this thanks

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Also Sprach Zarathustra. (Thus Spake Zarathustra) very overused, but one of the greatest pieces of music in all of history.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Features heavily in the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

That movie has some other greats like Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

"La Donna è mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto. Have you seen a pasta sauce commercial? Then you've heard this aria.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Mornin' Ralph, mornin' Sam

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago

You know Entry of the Gladiators, but you might not think of gladiators when you hear the song.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (10 children)

Everyone recognizes Erik Satie's Gymnopedie no 1.

I feel like it was just used all over the place, subtly, all our lives. People can rarely name it. Everyone knows it.

Here's a piano version as well

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I was looking for someone to mention this. It’s used so often in movies and television. I’m not surprised that people are saying they’ve never heard it. It’s always just some background music played in a scene, it’s never the focal point.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

William Tell Overture - An entire generation of people came up knowing a portion of the song as the Lone Ranger Theme.

Also, I suspect very few people know The Blue Danube by name, but almost everyone could hum the entire thing if prompted.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

Vivaldi's The Four Seasons has some pretty recognizable parts in it, such as the first Allegro for Spring, which is popular for fancy receptions, or the Allegro for Winter, which is a great theme for a descent into madness.

Also, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, a classic "something evil is about to go down" piece.

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[–] Iliveonsaturdays 8 points 11 months ago

The flower duet. Used in countless movies: https://youtu.be/8Qx2lMaMsl8?feature=shared

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)
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[–] Enkers 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Pachelbel's Canon in D. Well, most people probably know it, but its melody is also hugely overused in pop, and turns up way more than most people realise. If you've got five minutes and haven't seen it already, go watch Rob Paravonian's Pachelbel Rant.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Barber of Seville if you've seen Looney Tunes: https://youtu.be/OloXRhesab0?si=AJ8fNilF8gVtpqsq

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. Usually the "The Hero Dies Tragically" theme.

youtube

Used in Platoon at Elias' death for example.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Not necessarily classical since it came out in the 1940s, but Aram Khachaturian's Sabre Dance (when things go off the rails)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

IDK what is considered classical music, but the song that many people know as "Circus music" is actually an orchestral piece called Entry of the Gladiators composed for Czech military parades

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

This one is a bit newer but you'll recognize it immediately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaC0vNLdLvY

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you know the slogan, “Come fly the friendly skies, you probably know Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin.

And it’s not classical, but the Wii store theme used to be a variation on Surfboard by Juan Garcia Esquivel

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[–] thelsim 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The Radetzky March by Johann Strauss.
It’s used all over the place.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Air on the G String. Although as I said in another comment Bach is technically baroque not classical.

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[–] ryathal 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

1812 overture is quite popular.
William tell overture is the theme to the lone ranger.
Queen of night aria, from the magic flute.
Clair de lune by Debussy.
Probably 20 different works by Chopin.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Most people probably know only a small fraction of the most popular classic songs and not the entire piece of music those popular sections are from. Four Seasons, Beethoven's 5th, the Moonlight Sonata, etc are all much longer than what is most commonly used in media.

In that vein, the score to The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly counts among them. Everyone knows that one part, but not the rest of the song.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (4 children)

"The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky

I swear, even I'm not sure if this is the actual name of the composition, but it sure is hilarious. As for the piece itself, it's good. I remember hearing it in "There is no Game".

[–] ryathal 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Particularly dance of the sugar plum fairies.

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[–] Mouselemming 7 points 11 months ago (3 children)

The Nutcracker Suite is a whole ballet with a running time of an hour and a half. People are familiar with almost every part of it, though. Because it's a Christmas confection.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z71fhS2g0BA

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Everybody should recognise Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Maybe Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (picturing Skinner composing it as always funny).

[–] potterpockets 5 points 11 months ago

Lacrimosa “by Mozart” as well.

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