# General culture (music) question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538 "2016-12-01T16:19:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/1 "2016-12-01T16:19:25Z")
Two-part question with an extra bonus opportunity question. No googling ahead of time! [ol] [li]If I say Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto in B-flat Minor, do you know immediately what piece of music I’m referring to? [/li] [li]Can you hum the first few notes of the recognizable theme (on the syllables “da-da-da-da” or “la-la-la-la” or something)?[/li][/ol] Bonus: what is your opinion of this thread/question? I’ll explain if/when there are a few replies. Thank you for participating. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/2 "2016-12-01T16:29:24Z")
1. No 2. No Bonus: The question is neutral … just a question. It’s sending me off to Youtube, though. … If you don’t specifically study the pieces, or otherwise have the title somehow burnt into your brain, snatches of classical music kind of float through one’s existence as nameless and familiar series of notes. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/3 "2016-12-01T16:36:19Z")
I didn’t recognize the title, but I knew one Tchaikovsky piano concerto, a piece often played under the title, “Tonight We Love.” That was it. I know the melody, and can hum it. I just wasn’t sure how many concertos Tchaikovsky wrote, or what the one I knew was called. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/4 "2016-12-01T16:47:12Z")
1. No, but then, I don’t even know what note B is. 2. From my answer to 1, it follows that I wouldn’t be able to do it until I’ve found out what piece are you talking about. 3. Apparently it’s the piece I know as _concierto nº 1 de Tchaikovsky para piano y orquesta_, or _concierto de Tchaikovski_ without further details because it happens to be the most popular one. Note that the name does not include a reference to its main scale. Further searches reveal that B is a Si, but I don’t expect to remember that bit. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/5 "2016-12-01T16:55:04Z")
1. No, I only know a few high spots in classical by number, eg. Beethoven’s Fifth 😉 2. Once I heard it after checking YouTube, sure, I know the melody and could hum the next few notes. 3. Depends on the context when you ask, and the tone you use when asking. Is it okay to check in and see if folks recognize some cultural thing? Sure. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/6 "2016-12-01T17:08:25Z")
1. Sort of. 2. Sort of. I didn’t know for certain. There’s a couple of Tchaikovsky pieces I’m certain about: the 1812 Overture and Swan Lake. But there’s another piece I know is by Tchaikovsky: the one that goes dah-da-dah-da-daaah-da-daaah. I was thinking maybe that’s the Piano Concerto in B-flat Minor. And I checked and it was. And what I was thinking of wasn’t the opening notes: BA-BA-BA-BAAA bum BA-BA-BA-BAAA bum. I don’t really have an opinion on this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/7 "2016-12-01T17:14:08Z")
1. Yes, I know it. But really only by name because I was an artist/partner in an art gallery for a number of years, and we played classical music and I read the backs of the CDs. Should I be embarrassed that my earliest memory of it is from cartoons, maybe a Looney Tunes? 2. Yes, I can hum it and maybe make someone recognize it. I think this is a good question, because stuff like this used to be just collective knowledge. Now, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/8 "2016-12-01T17:15:23Z")
-No -No Found it on YouTube, listened to the first two minutes, still do not recognize it. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/9 "2016-12-01T17:21:25Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > 1. No > 2. No > > Bonus: The question is neutral … just a question. It’s sending me off to Youtube, though. > > … > > If you don’t specifically study the pieces, or otherwise have the title somehow burnt into your brain, snatches of classical music kind of float through one’s existence as nameless and familiar series of notes. I agree with every bit of this post. I recognized it once I YouTubed it, but there aren’t many pieces of classical music I know the names of off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/10 "2016-12-01T17:45:36Z")
I continue the “I know it but could not have named it if you held a gun to my head” answer. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/11 "2016-12-01T18:21:21Z")
1. Nope. I did think “that is most likely one of the pieces my ex played…” 2. Well since I don’t know, then no. Looked it up, very familiar, could hum the beginning but not so much of the piano part! Don’t know it by name, that’s for sure. Maybe now I always will! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/12 "2016-12-01T18:40:52Z")
I had a guess, but it turns out I was thinking of a different concerto - the opening of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd. My opinion of the question? I think very few people in the general population would know the answers, and I’m curious as to why you want to know! ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/13 "2016-12-01T18:46:40Z")
Recognized it instantly hearing the first few notes, but not by name. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/14 "2016-12-01T18:47:23Z")
I recognize the tune; a lot of ice skaters seem to do their routines to it. Didn’t have a clue as to the name of the composition or composer. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/15 "2016-12-01T18:52:18Z")
Zipping this over to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/16 "2016-12-01T18:52:57Z")
1. No 2. No Once I looked it up on YouTube, I recognize the piece, and if you’d played it for me without telling me the composer, I probably would have guessed Tchaikovsky, as it does _feel_ like his work, from my fairly uninformed POV. 🙂 Bordelond’s reply reflects my own knowledge level on classical music: I enjoy it, but I’ve never really studied it, and certainly never played it. There are probably somewhere between 10 and 20 works that I could (more or less) identify based on name alone, but probably dozens (if not hundreds) that, once I heard them, I’d say, “ohh, yeah, I know that one!” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/17 "2016-12-01T19:18:45Z")
Is this the one where Michael Palin plays it as he tries to escape from a gunny sack in chains and handcuffs? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/18 "2016-12-01T19:24:20Z")
Yes, Yes, and > [@terentii](#): > > Is this the one where Michael Palin plays it as he tries to escape from a gunny sack in chains and handcuffs? :dubious: Yes. WAG: You were wondering whether this was one of those pieces of music that were iconic enough that “most” people could remember something about what it sounds like just from hearing the name. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/19 "2016-12-01T19:32:41Z")
Viola! 🆒 Actually, I think that might be Terry Jones and not Michael Palin. Anybody know for sure? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538/20 "2016-12-01T19:36:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Viola! 🆒 > > Actually, I think that might be Terry Jones and not Michael Palin. Anybody know for sure? :dubious: It sure looks like Terry to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-culture-music-question/773538.md?page=2)