# What is this piece of music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647 "2010-12-18T19:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647/1 "2010-12-18T19:53:23Z")
I first heard it in the background of a Maxwell House coffee commercial on TV ca. 1970. Around 1978, I heard the classical guitarist Leona Boyd perform it in a concert (she identified it, and IIRC, the composer was French). I heard it recently in the documentary, “Man on Wire”, about the French daredevil who walked between the WTC towers in 1974 (the end credits were in really tiny type, hence, this query). It’s a haunting melody in slow 3/4 time, with major seventh chords. In the key of C, the main motif is: 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 \_\_E G F E B A B C G (the G is the lowest note) (The underscore means nothing - I just had to use something other than spaces to indent the second line). TIA. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647/2 "2010-12-18T20:04:49Z")
The [first of the _Trois Gymnopedies_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBiPQKK1upk) by Erik Satie. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647/3 "2010-12-18T21:12:01Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647/4 "2010-12-19T00:54:53Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The [first of the _Trois Gymnopedies_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBiPQKK1upk) by Erik Satie. How the hell did you get that? I am very impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-piece-of-music/564647/5 "2010-12-19T05:58:43Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > How the hell did you get that? I am very impressed. It’s actually a pretty common piece in piano repertoire.