# Classical musical works where the famous bit isn't the best bit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589 "2013-06-09T22:56:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/21 "2013-06-13T10:39:56Z")
Chopin’s funeral march. The opening chords have been overplayed to the point of parody, but some of the passages that follow seem to me to be much more expressive of grief. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/22 "2013-06-14T22:46:01Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Cite, please? > Because I love JSB’s fugues (organ and harpsichord/clavichord), but the D-minor has always underwhelmed me, never seemed to measure up to the others. [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_and_Fugue_in_D_minor,_BWV_565#Attribution) is probably a good start on the controversy. But I don’t see any that say that Bach copied it down. In fact, most argue that it’s too new to be from Bach. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/23 "2013-06-14T23:55:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_and_Fugue_in_D_minor,_BWV_565#Attribution) is probably a good start on the controversy. But I don’t see any that say that Bach copied it down. In fact, most argue that it’s too new to be from Bach. Yep. It already occurred to me to consult Wiki (thank you anyway); it makes sense to me. As I mentioned earlier, my vague impression has always been that the d-minor T&F just don’t seem to be “as good” JSB’s other fugues. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/24 "2013-06-15T13:34:35Z")
Regarding the Toccata and Fugue issue, [this](http://www.maxilyrics.com/johann-sebastian-bach-toccata-and-fugue-for-organ-in-d-minor,-bwv-565-lyrics-1f9e.html) a good overview of the situation. I will admit I forgot some of the details when I went from memory upthread. I recalled the situation being more settled than it appears to be. **TCretin** , you’ll be happy to see that stylistic elements (in part, that it’s not as “good”) as his other works is cited as a factor in questioning the attribution. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/25 "2013-06-15T17:46:43Z")
> [@D18](#): > > Regarding the Toccata and Fugue issue, [this](http://www.maxilyrics.com/johann-sebastian-bach-toccata-and-fugue-for-organ-in-d-minor,-bwv-565-lyrics-1f9e.html) a good overview of the situation. I will admit I forgot some of the details when I went from memory upthread. I recalled the situation being more settled than it appears to be. **TCretin** , you’ll be happy to see that stylistic elements (in part, that it’s not as “good”) as his other works is cited as a factor in questioning the attribution. Very interesting article. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589/26 "2013-06-15T17:58:11Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > In the opera, the aria is a short and quite minor bit of the whole thing. Imagine my surprise, upon recently seeing _Pagliacci_ for the first time, at how the most famous bit from that is literally _one line_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classical-musical-works-where-the-famous-bit-isnt-the-best-bit/660589.md?page=1)