# Fahrenheit 9/11:  music in soundtrack?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 28, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611 "2004-06-28T21:45:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611/1 "2004-06-28T21:45:05Z")

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I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 this last weekend, and I had a question: What was the music used in the montage of scenes from Sept. 11? It sounded like a twentieth-century classical piece, consisting of a large number of superposed descending string lines and chimes.

If discussion of the merits of the movie could be avoided, at least until the question is answered, I’d be grateful. (Once that’s been accomplished, however, feel free to have at it.)

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**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611/2 "2004-06-28T23:24:25Z")

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I assumed it was part of the original score that was credited at the beginning of the film.

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**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611/3 "2004-06-29T02:39:05Z")

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I _think_ that haunting music was _Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten_, by Arvo Pärt. You can hear an all-too-brief snippet [here, on RealPlayer](http://mfile.akamai.com/6538/rm/muze.download.akamai.com/2890/us/usrm/329/13329_1_02.ram?obj=v30610), and read some of its history [on the LA Philharmonic’s excellent website](http://www.laphil.org/resources/piece_detail.cfm?id=78).

It reminded me a tiny bit of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which wouldn’t have been out of place there either. But I’m glad Moore’s musical director went with the lesser known piece. I wouldn’t be surprised if **F911** did for _Cantus_ what **Platoon** did for the Adagio.

All this assumes I’m right, of course, LOL. 🙂

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-9-11-music-in-soundtrack/252611/4 "2004-06-29T17:51:54Z")

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Yup, that’s the stuff. Many thanks…