# ID the music on 'Medieval Times' commercial **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951 "2008-01-18T00:13:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/1 "2008-01-18T00:13:53Z")
Can someone ID it for me please. It sounds to me like it is from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, which incidently **is** is used on the current Gatorade ad (with Manning, Jeter etc.). Can anyone confirm? Please don’t rely on Yahoo Answers since they concur with me but I’m not convinced. YouTube Medieval Times music: [http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fe85u0W2tg](http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fe85u0W2tg) YouTube Gatorade Commercial: [http://youtube.com/watch?v=kwxwynoMyPI](http://youtube.com/watch?v=kwxwynoMyPI) (you will know this one - it is definitely Oh Fortuna from Carmina Burana by Orff). The latter used to be the ‘Old Spice’ ad music also (in the UK - 70s). Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/2 "2008-01-18T01:04:40Z")
[QUOTE=MrFloppy] It sounds to me like it is from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff [/quote] I don’t recognise the piece, but it’s definitely not from _Carmina Burana_. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/3 "2008-01-18T01:39:15Z")
[QUOTE=MrFloppy] Can someone ID it for me please. It sounds to me like it is from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, which incidently **is** is used on the current Gatorade ad (with Manning, Jeter etc.). Can anyone confirm? Please don’t rely on Yahoo Answers since they concur with me but I’m not convinced. YouTube Medieval Times music: [http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fe85u0W2tg](http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fe85u0W2tg) YouTube Gatorade Commercial: [http://youtube.com/watch?v=kwxwynoMyPI](http://youtube.com/watch?v=kwxwynoMyPI) (you will know this one - it is definitely Oh Fortuna from Carmina Burana by Orff). The latter used to be the ‘Old Spice’ ad music also (in the UK - 70s). Thanks. [/QUOTE] I think O Fortuna (aka O Fortuna velut Luna) was only the name of the four bar intro to Carmina Burana (where they chant O Fortuna twice then something else once) then theres an attaca marking and then move into the second movement Fortune plango vulnera (this happens right where they get noticably softer). Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi also has the same general feel for at least the first part of it (I thinkt eh second half is different btu i can’t recall off hand). Anyway I’m fairly certian it’s not from Carmina Burana, but it is a fairly sizable 13 movement piece so I’ll look on youtube at allt eh movements and check for sure. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/4 "2008-01-18T02:02:54Z")
[QUOTE=MrFloppy] It sounds to me like it is from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, [/QUOTE] I think “sounds like” is all they were going for. An ersatz Carmina Burana they got on the cheap so they wouldn’t have to pay for the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/5 "2008-01-18T02:13:26Z")
[QUOTE=mack] I think “sounds like” is all they were going for. An ersatz Carmina Burana they got on the cheap so they wouldn’t have to pay for the real thing. [/QUOTE] Exactly. And it’s not like any rendition of O Fortuna I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/6 "2008-01-19T12:31:22Z")
Just an aside but I think that you will actually find that Carl Orffs work of genius was actually composed for the British T.V. advert for Old Spice aftershave(He was always ahead of his time as it hadn’t actually been invented at that time) It was then used for the film Excalibur,but then sadly Philharmonic orchestras started playing it in concert halls. A sad prostitution of a great advertising jingle,I’m just thankful that Carl isn’t alive today to see what has become of his great work of art. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/7 "2008-01-19T19:24:15Z")
[QUOTE=Jragon] I think O Fortuna (aka O Fortuna velut Luna) was only the name of the four bar intro to Carmina Burana (where they chant O Fortuna twice then something else once) then theres an attaca marking and then move into the second movement Fortune plango vulnera (this happens right where they get noticably softer). [/QUOTE] No, _O Fortuna_ refers to the whole movement, up to and including the brass going nuts at the end. The [text of the poem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Fortuna) it uses is much longer than the introductory four bars (“O Fortuna / velut luna / statu variabilis”, which is just the first stanza of the poem). If you’re so inclined you can follow the bouncing ball on [this Youtube video.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF7_PhB9coo) Getting back to the OP, I would agree with **mack** that it’s a pastiche of _O Fortuna_. Neither [ThemeFinder](http://www.themefinder.org/) nor my copy of Barlow & Morgenstern’s _Dictionary of Musical Themes_ turn up anything for the introductory theme from the ad. Also, given that _Carmina Burana_ was published in 1937 it’s likely still under copyright in the U.S. & Canada, which lends credence to the idea that they got someone to write something that sounded like _O Fortuna_ rather than ponying up the dough for the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/8 "2008-01-19T20:45:04Z")
There are currently _five_ different companies airing commercials in my area with this music. That’s [del]four[/del] five too many. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/9 "2008-01-20T12:35:37Z")
Why is it that whenever there’s some kind of medieval bombastic latin chanting being spoken of, everyone can only ever think of Carmina Burana? ---
**Author:** ![Desultourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Desultourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desultourist)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/10 "2008-01-20T21:59:09Z")
Well then, can anyone understand what they’re singing? Is it Latin? If it’s a snippet taken from some classic work it should be findable in a web search. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-the-music-on-medieval-times-commercial/433951/11 "2008-01-20T22:04:30Z")
The music on the commercial has a bit of a Karl Jenkins feel to it, but I might just be imagining that.