# Help me identify this piece of music and save my sanity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172 "2007-01-30T21:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/1 "2007-01-30T21:36:33Z")
After about a year and a half of lurking, I’ve finally taken the plunge and signed up… depending on how much _more_ of my life SDMB takes up with the added ability to (gasp) post, I may decide to become one of you. Since watching _Prince of Egypt_ on-demand last week, I’ve had a piece of classical music stuck in my head, which bears a passing similarity to Zimmer’s main theme. I recall that I first heard this piece on a tape entitled “Cossacks!”, but after visiting my parents’ house yesterday and coming up empty-handed after 2 hours of searching, I thought I’d resort to picking your collective brains on this one. It sounds something like this: [http://www.designmonkeyltd.com/mystery\_song.mp3](http://www.designmonkeyltd.com/mystery_song.mp3) I’m presuming it was written by a composer from Russia or somewhere thereabouts, but that’s about all I’ve got. I woke up this morning humming the song, and I begin to fear that my sanity may be at stake. Help me, SDMB, you’re my only hope! -HM p.s. I wasn’t sure if this belonged in Cafe or GQ, hopefully I made the right choice. If not, chastise me as you see fit. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/2 "2007-01-30T21:51:54Z")
“Procession of the Sardar” from “Caucasian Sketches” by Nikolai Ippolitov-Ivanov. Welcome to the SDMB. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/3 "2007-01-30T21:58:49Z")
[QUOTE=Hugh Mongoose] After about a year and a half of lurking, I’ve finally taken the plunge and signed up… [/QUOTE] Welcome! I like the name. But this raises an interesting question: Is the sanity that has just been saved (assuming **h.sapiens** got it right) an asset or a liability around here? ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/4 "2007-01-30T22:05:57Z")
**h. sapiens,** thank you thank you a thousand times thank you! Aside from the key and the triplet rhythm at the end of the phrase, it seems my memory served me rather well. I wonder if I could find an arrangement of this for piano… And **Thudlow** , if something as simple as this could leave my sanity dangling on such a thin thread, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before something pushes me over the edge. 😉 Thank you for the warm welcome! It’s quite odd to no longer be on the outside looking in, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. -HM ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/5 "2007-01-30T22:15:09Z")
[QUOTE=Hugh Mongoose] …I wonder if I could find an arrangement of this for piano… [/QUOTE] [Ask and ye shall receive](http://cgi.ebay.com/PROCESSION-OF-THE-SARDAR-Piano-Solo-IPPOLITOFF-IVANOFF_W0QQitemZ120071144408QQcmdZViewItem) ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Mongoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8dc957/32.png) [@Hugh\_Mongoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Mongoose)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/6 "2007-01-30T22:23:21Z")
Now I just need that baby grand I’ve been planning to rent-to-own for my study… Got one of those stashed away too? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/7 "2007-01-30T22:33:09Z")
Can’t help you there. You can always play [this thing](http://www.pianoworld.com/fun/javapiano/javapiano.htm) for free. Of course, there’s a reason it’s free. A really good reason at that. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-piece-of-music-and-save-my-sanity/390172/8 "2007-01-30T22:40:52Z")
And for [a MIDI file.](http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/cmc/twenty.html)