Classical Music ID

Cafe Society
1

I have it stuck in my head, but I can’t remember what it’s from. It sounds like the end of a big Russian orchestral piece. It’s a bit like the end of The Great Gate of Kiev, but it’s NOT the same theme.

It consists of the same phrase repeated three or more times, each time with different orchestration and becoming grander:

Dum-dum-dum … da-dum-duh … dum-dum-dum … da-duh
Bum-bum-bum … ba-bum-buh … bum-bum-bum … ba-buh
DUM-DUM-DUM … DA-DUM-DUH … DUM-DUM-DUM … DA-DUH!

Then it turns into drawn out rising bit: daaaaahhh … Daaaaahhh … DAAAAAAAH.

There are bells in there too.

Ideas?

2

Try Rachmaninov - The bells?

3

Does it include vocal, or is it entirely instrumental?

4

The part I have stuck in my head is entirely instrumental.

I haven’t had time today to listen through The Bells to see if that’s it, but its choral nature makes me dubious.

5

Maybe Shostakovich’s Symphony #7 (Leningrad)? The first movement has a theme that repeats a bazillion times, starting with a single instrument and adding more in. The theme doesn’t quite seem to fit your rhythmic structure, though, so I’m doubtful.

6

The first thing that came to mind was one of the themes from the 1812 overture by Tchaikovsky. But assuming you’re an American I figured you’d already know that note for note…

ETA: You wanna whistle it into a mic? That would help so much with this!

7

If you can tell whether a note rises or falls relative to the previous note, Try by Melodic Contour: Musipedia Melody Search Engine.

8

Any news? These kind of threads always nag at me.

9

Ditto. Dums and Bums especially. The first part could either be the 1812, or Beethoven’s Egmont overture. :stuck_out_tongue:

10

Sorry, ive been slammed at work this week and haven’t had time to follow up on listening through the suggestions.

11

Are you maybe talking about the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey, or as it’s known to some people, Also sprach Zarathustra?

12

Shostakovitch Symphony #5, 4th movement? No bells, though - perhaps you heard an arrangement…

13

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 - Allegretto

I don’t know really, just a guess.

14

It’s two years later and I’m standing by 1812 overture. :stuck_out_tongue:

15

Maybe the 1712 Overture?

16

I compliment the OP’er 2 years later for what was a terrific ‘verbal’ description of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

ETA: bodde: How did you find this? You registered just to respond to this one question?

17

Check out In the hall of the mountain king by Edvard Grieg