This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Chariset: I went through and added audio links to most of the entries. Some I couldn't find on You Tube, and we'll have to check periodically, but it seemed that this would be helpful.
Dark Sasami: I thought the table would be more readable than the standard list of bullets. I may be wrong.
Looney Toons: You might want to try the "dictionary" format used in Honorifics and Japanese Pronouns; it might be a bit more readable. You might also want to know that the use of these tunes as tropes in their own right goes back to Carl Stalling, the music director for the Looney Tunes cartoons; he was infamously lazy and always used a snippet of existing music with an appropriate title whenever he could get away with it.
Dark Sasami: Good idea on the format. I'll try to remember to do that when I'm not at work. As for Stalling, I knew that, just didn't think to put it in...
Wanted list:
- The one they played in silent films when people are fighting on top of a moving train. Now used in various cartoons when people are fighting on top of a moving train.
- The name of the one that means "You're in Venice, Italy, and someone in a stripey shirt and straw hat is poling a gondola."
- (BT The P: O Sole Mio, added.)
- The origin of the nine notes that indicate "Oriental" and are now considered vaguely offensive in the same way that the word "Oriental" is, because they always presage an Asian stereotype.
- Looney Toons: The classic "circus music" comes from Prokofiev's opera "The Love For Three Oranges", but I don't know the name(s) of the specific piece(s).
- Dark Sasami: I assume you're not thinking of Fucik's Entrance of the Gladiators. I don't know that it counts as this trope when you're talking about the actual music normally used at the actual event, like the Wedding March. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it does count, as long as it's not the actual event—such as playing the Wedding March when a woman is trying to "trap" a man into marriage.
There's a MIDI file at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_for_Three_Oranges
... is that what you're talking about? I don't recognize the music.
Looney Toons: No, although I recognize that as another Snippet. I mean a kind of "frantic activity" kind of music; maybe they played it in the background of the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the Russian bear trapeze artist? I can't remember. I just remember seeing The Love For Three Oranges a few years back and going, "oh, my god, that's where that music comes from" when it played. - Tabby: Sure you're not thinking of The Sabre Dance?
- Dark Sasami: I assume you're not thinking of Fucik's Entrance of the Gladiators. I don't know that it counts as this trope when you're talking about the actual music normally used at the actual event, like the Wedding March. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it does count, as long as it's not the actual event—such as playing the Wedding March when a woman is trying to "trap" a man into marriage.
- Dark Sasami: The general dirge...the one that's even deathier than "Taps". Typically just 11 notes. Used in television portrayal of video games too, even in anime.
- Tabby: Chopin's "Funeral March." Added.
- Tabby: The loud, pounding music that always accompanies factories and construction sites in Warner Brothers cartoons.
- Looney Toons: Tabby, that's Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse". It's already on the page.
- Dark Sasami: What about the one that means "I'm a sneaky person?" It looks like this:
If it's Mickey Moused, the character will take five big sneaky steps and then four tiptoe steps (in which case the fifth note may be held longer: ).
- Looney Toons: Oh, yeah, that certainly belongs.
- Scifantasy: OK, since I figured out the name (Mysterioso Pizzicato, if you're curious), that one's in too.
- What about the music that plays when there's army or amry-like activities? I Thinks its called "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", but I'm not sure.
- Scifantasy: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" is a fairly military song, often re-lyric'd into "the ants go marching one by one..." I guess it would be a "marching off to war" number?
BT The P: Good search tool, searchable by simple melody contour code, or by whistling into a microphone. Musipedia
Idle Dandy: Ooh! BT The P has just made my life better! Either that or ensured I will never again get anything done, ever.
Dark Sasami: Susan, I moved the German national anthem back to Das Lied der Deutschen, since that's what they're playing. You wouldn't say when they play the US national anthem that they're playing To Anacreon In Heaven. Even if you wanted to call it by its original name, it still wouldn't be right: the original tune is Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser [1]
, "God Save Emperor Francis." And then nobody would know what you were talking about.
Dark Sasami: Wow, excellent catch on Incense and Peppermints and For What It's Worth, Tabby. I hadn't thought about the way live action show scores use songs like that, but except for the fact that they tend to use longer quotes, it's just the same thing. My immediate reaction was to add Dust in the Wind by Kansas, used in Really Dead Montages, but then I realized it doesn't count if it's the whole song.
There have to be more of these, though.
Tabby: They actually came to me after seeing both of them parodied on Clone High and having to explain to a non-American friend why that was funny.
Dark Sasami: Okay, I'm looking at this page, and what it really needs to be a serious resource is MIDI clips. If I started gathering them, could we handle hosting them here? Also, anything I need to know about copyright if I do so?
Gus: I believe Fair Use covers excerpts from a piece, especially in a reference contexts such as this. I'll swat up a Sound Uploader of some sort. // later : The Image/Sound Uploader now accepts sound files.
Looney Toons: There's a Middle Eastern equivalent to the Asian Riff — usually played on a clarinet — that instantly says "deserts, camels, guys in turbans". What is it?
Tabby: The snake-charmer one that's also a classic rude playground song, or a different one?
Looney Toons: Mmmm, yeah, that's right... snake-charmer, too. Yes, that one. (Rude playground song? Never heard of that, to the best of my recollection.)
Morgan Wick: Never heard of that, either. The one that comes to mind for me goes like "Deeeee... daaaa... de-da-la-de-de-daaaaaa..."
Scifantasy: No, I've found it...it's called "The Streets Of Cairo, or The Poor Little Country Maid." Here's the Wikipedia page.
Looney Toons: Oh yeah, that's it all right. Thanks!
Tabby: That's the one I was thinking of, too; the third lyrical variant on the Wikipedia page was a staple among kids in my neighborhood (although I never heard the third line they have listed).
Random832: What about the use of a descending chromatic scale to represent falling?
Looney Toons: That's probably onomotopaeia for the dopplered whistle of a falling bombshell, grossly overapplied. That's assuming falling bombshells actually make an audible whistle; I don't have enough in my life at present to be able to speak authoritatively.
BT The P: Air-dropped bombs from WWII had actual whistles on them, specially designed airflow chambers that make noise using the contrary airflow. Dive bombers did too, they served to freak people out on the ground. The problem with the effect as used is that the note only goes down when the bomb is falling away from the listener; from below, it goes up, as the bomb gains speed as it falls. Artillery shells can't be heard, as they fly faster than sound.
Harpie Siren: I think The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 needs a mention, if not here then somewhere... It's the song a cartoon character plays at a piano recital. Mickey Mouse played it first in The Opry House, Bugs Bunny played it in Rhapsody Rabbit, Tom (and Jerry) played it in The Cat Conchetro It was what Donald and Daffy were playing in their deuling pianos sceen in Who Framed Rodger Rabbit. Those are just the major ones.
(If you need to refresh your memory go here and scroll down to the Franz Liszt section)
Dark Sasami: The reason that it doesn't belong is that it's actually being played. This trope refers specifically to background music.
Paul A: And yet, the page does already include at least one "actually being played" example - "Those Endearing Young Charms".
Dark Sasami: Good catch. Removed it.
Ununnilium: This page makes me notice something we haven't really resolved: Do we italicize the names of songs on this wiki, or not?
Paul A: The usual rule most places is: "Name of Song", from Name of Album.
Ununnilium: Makes sense. So... we should probably follow that on the page?
Dark Sasami: I dunno...all those quotes would be pretty ugly. I'll get rid of the italicized non-foreign names, though.
Schol-R-LEA: once again, I wasn't paying enough attention to the topic, and I'm not sure if the entry for the 'Amen break' really fits - though the Misirlou one does, as I'm pretty sure it was used in WB cartoons (in it's original form at least once during the 1930s, I think, and several times as 'surf music' in Tiny Toons Adventures and ''Animaniacs'). The rights on the song have always been a bit tricky, but it's generally considered public domain today.
Dark Sasami: I'm not confident enough about when the Amen Break is used to remove it, so I just alphabetized both.
And mad props to Daibhid C for picking up on Rhapsody in Blue, which I can't believe we missed until now.
Pro-Mole: Somehow I have The Volga Boatmen's Song stcked in my head and I'm uncertain of what it falls into. "Russia" seems one, but it already has its snipett. It also somehow goes with evil lairs/slave boats.
Anyway, just give a hand, please.
Scifantasy: Good call. I added it as hard labor/slavery.
Adam Cuerden: I think that part of the overture to The Pirates of Penzance - the "Away, away, my heart's on fire" section - gets used a lot in swashbuckling scenes.
Fire Walk: There's a standard snippet I've seen all over: when you want to show something (a restautant, party or stately home) is posh or upperclass there's a violin tune that's played. I think it's Spring from Vivaldi, but I can't remember.
Doug. S. Machina: I just heard it, and I'm pretty sure you're right.
fleb: There are a couple different Romeo and Juliet links around, so I thought I'd put the extras here in case the current one fails at some point:
http://www.soundupload.com/audio/ea9foi3yltk9iq1
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/audio/TCHAIKOVSKY_Romeo_and_Juliet_Fantasy_Overture.mp3
http://www.musopen.com/view.php?type=piece&id=191
Doug S. Machina: I'm surprised that these aren't in there, but it may just be me:
- Richard Strauss, "Also sprach Zarathustra" (How Did We Miss This One? Sunrise (especially in space), receding shadows, solution to What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome? problem (much parodied), see 2001:A Space Odyssey.)
- Scifantasy: How Did We Miss This One indeed. Added.
- Carl Orff, "Carmina Burana", O Fortuna, (Cavalry charges, swordfights, execution of bloody venegence)
- Scifantasy: Already there as "Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi," the section which contains "O Fortuna." I extended the meanings.
- Aaron Copland, "Fanfare For The Common Man" (Industry starting for the day, unveiling/rollout of new device, Power Walk (also What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome? parodies of same))
- Scifantasy: Maybe it's just me but I don't think I hear this one enough to qualify it.
- Rimsky-Korsakov, "Flight Of The Bumblebee" (speeded-up production lines, kitchens, ant colonies etc.)
- Scifantasy: Good call. Added.
- Khachaturian "Sabre Dance" (as above, also wild performances from Arabic(?) dancers)
- Scifantasy: Already there, as "Saber Dance."
- That and the O Fortuna entry should teach me to pay attention before wading in.
- Scifantasy: Already there, as "Saber Dance."
Dark Sasami: Wanted: the name and composer of the piece used in this sadly-never-was trailer, and this...thing. Used for flight, especially air power.
- Scifantasy: Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III, Wagner.
- Dark Sasami: Didn't think it would be too tough. Thanks!
Prfnoff: The prelude to Act III of Lohengrin comes before the Bridal Chorus. Immediately before, in fact.
- What about Sing, Sing, Sing, (and its just different enough derivations)? (sometimes better known as the chips ahoy song, sigh). Usually played when there's a bunch of crazy simultaneous activity (ala the X-files episode triangle), although sometimes used for various other things?
- No 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky? Blasphemy. Sure, it's actually being played at times in moves like V for Vendetta, but it's a classic to Mickey Mouse cannons and explosions to the climax
Freezair For A Limited Time: I love this site. I was just wondering today, "What on EARTH was the name of that song always used in Looney Toons whenever someone was going through a big machine?" Right there at the bottom of the page: "Powerhouse!" Man, I feel so much better now that I know that.
Anyway, here's my suggestion. What about "Spanish Flea?" From what I remember, it's usually associated with "Filler music" (such as for mock "Technical Difficulties" screens) and for silly dances.
Freezair For A Limited Time (again): What is the song at 14:40 in this video? I KNOW I've Heard It A Million Times, usually with regards to either shopping or cleaning, and frequently as a kind of "musical filler."
Eth Zee: It's Happy Go Lively, and it's been listed. Ahhh, domestic bliss. However, there is also the similar-sounding Holiday for Strings. Don't know how often this has been used, though.
In live-action movies, when the main characters are feeling good, the music is almost always one of: "I feel good" (not sure if that's the actual title) by James Brown, "It's OK to have a good time" (again not sure of the title) (not sure of the artist, either), or "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves.
Black Charizard: I'm pretty sure I've heard this one
several times. Should it be added to the list?
Teapot: There's a particular bit of sweeping, epic-sounding, "inspirational," and kind of Narmy music that seems to get played in equal amounts at the Oscars, in uplifting scenes in movies, and in retirement-fund commercials featuring humpback whales. It seems pervasive enough to justify inclusion, but buggered if I know what it is. Anyone know the one I'm talking about?
AJ The Black Dragon: What about the Girl from Impanema, you know, for the whole The Elevator from Ipanema effect? Or is that something all it's own?
Dark Sasami: Elevator music is an in-universe item, not part of the BGM, and therefore does not apply.
Almafeta: Technological advancement, the march of progress, how nifty-keen is Science! (and our products based on them). There's about 3 or 4 different snippets that have been used over the years for this; when one snippet is replaced, the older snippets take on the quality of "what the future used to look like." Only thing is, I can't name a one of them...
Eth Zee: I'm sure I've heard Las Vegas (the theme from Animal Magic) used in a few occasions. In similar situations to Happy Go Lively, perhaps? (or for magic tricks)
Kalaong: What's the bluesy saxophone solo for all forms of Mystery Fiction? Violin music for pre-Prohibition era stuff; Sherlock Holmes, etc.
Lord Aaronus: I counted about 54 of the tunes that I could hum out without checking any of the links. Just felt like saying that since that's the point of these Standard Snippets anyways. Kevonni: Would Liszt's Totentanz count under Dies Irae? It's a set of variations on that melody. This troper is certain that the battle theme from Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is taken from it.
