|
|
Classical Music In Cartoons, Movies, CommercialsMy father and I used to have an ongoing game when I was growing up. Every time a piece of classical music came on the radio, we would both try to guess (if we didn't already know) who the composer was, and what the name of the composition was. It occurs to me that very few children have enough experience with the 'classics' to play such a game; many don't even know who Beethoven or Bach were.
So here is a variation on the game my father and I used to play; it's a simple way of introducing a few of the 'classics' to children in a way that they will appreciate. Instead of guessing the composer or composition title, children will attempt to guess where they've heard the music. The goal, of course, is to inspire curiosity about and appreciation for classical music. Many children will be surprised to find themselves humming along with the classics.
The following is a list of compositions, and the place where children are likely to have heard them. There are many more that could be added to this list. If you can think of others (try to keep to ones that children are likely to have seen) please post them in the community forum, so others can make use of your additions!
- Organ Symphony #3 by Saint-Saens, heard in the movie Babe
- Overture to the Barber of Seville by Rossini, heard in a Bugs Bunny cartoon
- Sabre Dance by Aram Khatchaturian, heard in the 'Scrubbing Bubbles' commercials
- Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, heard in the movie 2001, and a Sesame Street takeoff on the movie
- Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, heard in United Airlines commercial
- Rodeo: HoeDown by Aaron Copland, heard in beef commercials
- Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas, heard in Fantasia
- Tannhäuser: Pilgrims Chorus and Die Walküre:
Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, heard in a Bugs Bunny cartoon - William Tell Overture by Rossini, heard in The Lone Ranger
|
|
|
|
Marcus J. says:
Hey! You Forgot about Fantasia! There's oodles of good classics in that!
By the way, I appreciated the article. Very helpful!
Douglas Twitchell says:
Right! Thanks for pointing that out. By the way, do you have a song list for Fantasia? I'm sure others would appreciate having that list.
I'm glad you liked the article. 
Marcus J. says:
Fantasia pieces...I actually found a listing of the Fantasia 2000 pieces:
Ludwig von Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, a computer-animated sequence with fluttering triangles/butterflies, etc.
Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome, featuring acrobatic humpback whales
George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a grayish-blue sequence with Al Hirschfeld-inspired line drawings of Depression-era human characters
Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, alongside Hans Christian Andersen's short story The Steadfast Tin Soldier, about a one-legged toy soldier coming to life to save a music-box ballerina from an evil Jack-in-the-box
Camille Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals, with a flock of yoyo-playing flamingos
a reprise of Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence from the original film
Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March, featuring the Noah's Ark story with Donald Duck as an assistant
the climactic 1919 version of Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, about the death (by volcano) and Spring rebirth (aided by a magical sprite) of a forest
Douglas Twitchell says:
Wow...that's a lot of great info. Thanks. Maybe someone can provide the original Fantasia list.
"Climactic 1919 version"?
What does that mean? Were there multiple versions of Igor Stravinki's Firebird Suite?  News to me. We played the conclusion of that in high school. What a cool piece of music. Not very often you run across something in 7/4 time!
Douglas Twitchell says:
Hey all, I just thought of something from a while back. I remember going to the cinema and seeing a trailer for the (then) upcoming X men sequel (X2).
In the trailer they played music from Gustav Holtz's "Mars - The Bringer Of War" from "The Planets".
Does anyone know if that piece of music was actually used in the movie itself? Or just the trailer?
zaphod says:
i don't know, but you've got me curious. i don't own the dvd, but next time i get a chance to watch it, i'll be listening for that.
heh heh. i love holtz, and xmen. cant go wrong with that combination.
joanofarc says:
Well, last night I had the Charlie Brown Easter Special on, and noticed that towards the end they played part of a Beethoven Symphony...Number Seven, I think.
And if that wasn't enough classical music for one evening, a little bit later on there was a milk commercial that used part of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
Douglas Twitchell says:
Last night I saw a commercial that used The Barber of Seville - I was going to jot down what the commercial was for so I could post it, but I forgot...
J. Trent Boyd says:
And once again, you never cease to amaze me.
Douglas Twitchell says:
Quote And once again, you never cease to amaze me.
yeah, it's all that useless knowledge. 
Robert Mays says:
Pretty good list of classical music used in cartoons here:
http://www.kickassclassical.com/
Obviously by the name it's geared more toward the high school crowd, but still a good resource!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member Options
Other Categories
|
|
