MetaChat - (ask MeCha) - i need help identifying an orchestral piece!

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23 October 2006

(ask MeCha) - i need help identifying an orchestral piece! it's a very, very familiar melody that i'd like to use for a web video project, but for the life of me i can't think of the name or the composer... and i can't really hum it for you, being behind a desk and everything...→[More:]

but i can tell you this:

1) it's a very bright and up-tempo piece, probably composed in the early-to-mid 1800s

2) madeline kahn's "princess nympho" character in history of the world: part i sang this during the scene where she was inspecting the centurions ("YES! no no no no no no YES! no no no no no no YES! no no YES! no no YES! no no no no no no no...")

anyone who can help me out with this will win my undying gratitude.

post by: syntax at: 13:12 | 52 comments

I have no idea, never having seen the movie. But does the music go

dum
dum dum
dum dum dum dum dum dum

posted by iconomy 23 October | 13:44

Flight of the Valkyrie?

posted by ethylene 23 October | 13:47

I love Madeline Kahn.

posted by mike9322 23 October | 13:54

I have no idea, never having seen the movie. But does the music go

dum
dum dum
dum dum dum dum dum dum

that looks like mozart's "eine kleine nachtmusik"

Flight of the Valkyrie?

i think that goes "bum ba-da-BAAAAA-DAAAA, bum ba-da-BAAAA-DAAAA, bum-ba-da-BAAAA-DAAAA, bum ba-da-BAAAAAAAA"

posted by syntax 23 October | 13:57

crap, now all i can think about is Bugs Bunny doing Wagner.

posted by ethylene 23 October | 13:58

but oddly i was actually thinking of don giovanni

posted by ethylene 23 October | 13:58

syntax, yes, it is! Good eye, or ear, or something.

posted by iconomy 23 October | 13:59

KILL DA WABBIT! KILL DA WABBIT! KILL DA WABBIT!

posted by syntax 23 October | 14:01

Can you use the phoneblogging thingie and hum a few bars?

posted by iconomy 23 October | 14:03

now all i hear is star trek battle music

posted by ethylene 23 October | 14:05

Use the Song Tapper!

posted by jrossi4r 23 October | 14:06

Apparently i tapped out the brokeback mountain theme.

posted by ethylene 23 October | 14:10

the song tapper's a great idea, but i'm thinking it's more for pop music - it suggested "american girl" by tom petty & the heartbreakers and "barbie girl". a little off...

i'll whistle a few bars and post an mp3 when i get home.

posted by syntax 23 October | 14:11

Haha...song tapper!

I hesistate to link to any album called Top 40 Classical Hits, but it might be one of them, since you said it was very, very familiar...

posted by iconomy 23 October | 14:12

2) madeline kahn's "princess nympho" character in history of the world: part i sang this during the scene where she was inspecting the centurions ("YES! no no no no no no YES! no no no no no no YES! no no YES! no no YES! no no no no no no no...")

This is a great hint, and I can almost hear it in my head. Almost. Grrr.

posted by Specklet 23 October | 14:13

Sounds a bit like Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody...

posted by Daniel Charms 23 October | 14:19

The first thing I thought of was the do re mi song. Ti: a drink with jam and bread, that will bring us back to do do do do

posted by iconomy 23 October | 14:21

Here's the scene on youtube.

posted by interrobang 23 October | 14:33

Yep. That's it, alright. No idea, sorry!

posted by Specklet 23 October | 14:40

I don't know it but I emailed agropyron to check it out. It's not Mozart or Wagner.

posted by matildaben 23 October | 14:56

I keep thinking Nutcracker, now that I've heard it. Please someone answer this. Earworm!

posted by iconomy 23 October | 14:59

No idea here either. Sorry.

posted by agropyron 23 October | 15:00

I know what it is, but I don't know the title or the composer :(

posted by Daniel Charms 23 October | 15:06

It sounds like a slowed down version of the can can beginning.

posted by ethylene 23 October | 15:09

I think it's from one of Beethoven's symphonies.

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 15:13

Come to think of it, I don't know what it is. It could just as well be something they just put together for the movie.

posted by Daniel Charms 23 October | 15:17

I'm almost positive it's Strauss. Cannot think of the title though. Argh.

posted by casarkos 23 October | 15:20

Pretty sure it's not from a Beethoven symphony.

posted by agropyron 23 October | 15:25

Johann Strauss, Jr. was my first thought, casarkos, but I didn't have any specific work in mind.

posted by agropyron 23 October | 15:26

one of my co-workers thought it was johann strauss as well, but he wasn't 100% sure...

posted by syntax 23 October | 15:29

i keep thinking of the danube

posted by ethylene 23 October | 15:30

I've emailed a local classical music prof...

Oh, and I just remembered that it's been on a commercial for... cat food, I think? Remember cats doing all sorts of flips and stuff for a particular brand? It was quite a bit more up-tempo.

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 15:33

Yeah, eth. It made me think of the Blue Danube, too, but that's not it.

posted by jrossi4r 23 October | 15:35

i know but it's been stuck in my head
must
make
it
stop

posted by ethylene 23 October | 15:38

I just went downstairs and hummed it (very obnoxiously) for everyone in the office. No one had any idea.

posted by iconomy 23 October | 15:46

i know but it's been stuck in my head

Me too. Let's waltz!

posted by jrossi4r 23 October | 15:47

If it's this theme, it's The Galop from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.

posted by paulsc 23 October | 15:49

you can lead but i have to tell you i've been fighting it off with the psycho shower theme.
and i can't quite figure out how to hum that.

i totally want to work in iconomy's office just so i can make her guess stuff.

posted by ethylene 23 October | 15:51

I'm thinking operetta of some sort.

posted by matildaben 23 October | 16:25

I'm thinking Strauss too...

posted by Specklet 23 October | 16:48

Haha eth....we would have so much fun...

Is it time to post this to AskMe yet?

posted by iconomy 23 October | 18:08

Wait!

Give me another hour...

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 18:59

Okay, I contacted a local classical DJ and told him I needed the info for an article (i.e., I lied).

His response:

It’s a rather loose rendition from the last section of The Dance of the Hours, from the Opera La Gioconda, by Ponchielli.

The first part of Dance of the Hours, judging by web clips I can find, is "Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda," (Camp Granada). I can't find a longer version to see if the Madeline Khan part comes in at the end.

Anyone have a copy or care to download it to see for sure?

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 20:36

I JUST DOWNLOADED IT AND THAT'S IT, THE FUCKER!!!!

It's at the very end. I'll upload it if YSI will let me.

You don't know how much of my day this has consumed....

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 20:46

Eh, YSI doesn't like me. But the song's on iTunes ($.99) for anyone who wans confirmation. The movement in question comes in at about 8:30. (I downloaded the Eugene Ormandy/The Fantastic Philadelphians version.)

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 20:52

holy fuck! you rule, mudpuppie! you all rule! thank you all so much for your help with this!

(i'll be sure to post the link to the finished video project here - a collage of different clips of president bush saying "stay the course", hopefully in decent sync to the music - before anyone else sees it.)

fyi - i punched this into soulseek and the first hit was a rendition by spike jones! THAT could be fun...

posted by syntax 23 October | 20:56

I'm betting the Spike Jones bit is the beginning -- the Camp Granada part. It's bizarre that the two come from the same song.

posted by mudpuppie 23 October | 21:22

THANK YOU.

posted by iconomy 23 October | 21:53

NOW MAKE IT STOP

ohnoitsonaloop

posted by ethylene 23 October | 22:00

Dance of the Hours -- Leopold Stokowski, I think from Fantasia

Dance of the Hours -- Spike Jones

Allan Sherman -- Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Of course, the whole idea behind Camp Granada was that it was familiar to its audience. That was part of the joke. Sherman was the Weird Al of his day.

posted by stilicho 24 October | 02:31

Thanks for the upload, stilch.

For me, on that first link, the melody in question comes in at 10:30.

And for the record, I was certain it was from Fantasia, which is why I originally said Beethoven. (His Pastoral is in there too. My god, this has been a rough day.)

posted by mudpuppie 24 October | 02:39

yes! thanks for the upload, stilicho!

posted by syntax 24 October | 07:21

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