Ultra famous melodies, everybody recognizes....

[stormx]

What are those melodies, from classical music, that ALL PEOPLE recognize?

The following come to my mind...

-Beethoven "Fur Elise"
-Beethoven opening motif of the 5° symphony
-Beethoven "Ode to Joy" from his 9° symphony

-Bach-Petzold "Minuet in G major"
-Bach "Tocatta and Fugue in D minor"

-Tchaicovsky opening motif of his "1° Piano Concerto"

-Ravel "Bolero"

-Mozart "40° symphony (1° movement)"
-Mozart "Sonata K331, 3° movement" (Rondo a la Turca)

Add your candidates !! I am sure there are a lot more !!


Keep in mind that candidates should be recognized by at least 90 % of people, with or without musical background !!

PD: i do not think any Chopin work fall into this "absolutely popular" category. What do you think? His "Heroique" Polonaise is the closest candidate, IMO.

[thalbergmad]

I think most people could identify with Carima Burana (spelt correctly?) by Orff.

In England, it was used for a very famous advert for old spice aftershave.

[verywellmister]

William Tell

Canon in D by Paclehbel (sp?) ugh... cant type

the easy mozart sonata in c...cant remember its  opus/no.

[brahmsian]

Themes from the Carmen overture

Chopin- Nocturne Op. 9 No.2

Prokofiev- Peter and the Wolf

Suppe- Light Cavalry Overture

Debussy- Clair de Lune

[arch0wl]

stormx, a lot of your topics seem like surveys for some kind of research paper.

Anyways, this probably has what you're looking for: https://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best-classic-pop.html

[leahcim]

stormx, a lot of your topics seem like surveys for some kind of research paper.

If there was a nuclear war do you think you would be * more likely / less likely / twice as likely / not likely  / unlikely or I don't know to buy fairy liquid if it was advertised with classical music?

*delete as applicable

[berrt]

PD: i do not think any Chopin work fall into this "absolutely popular" category.

theme from Op.10 Nr 3

[stevie]

theme from Op.10 Nr 3

i dont think so, the funeral march from sonata 2 would be recognised though.

[bearzinthehood]

Canon in D by Paclehbel (sp?) ugh... cant type

My arch nemesis...

BTW, no one's mentioned the 1st movement of Beethoven's Op. 27/2?

[stormx]

i dont think so, the funeral march from sonata 2 would be recognised though.

Right Stevie !!!
Chopin's funeral march from 2° sonata (opening motif) is without any doubt the most widely known of his melodies. I bet all people have heard it 

Nocturne Op 9 n° 2, even being extremely popular among musicians, does not fall into this very popular category, in my opinion. Neither do the first movement of Beethoven "Moonlight sonata" nor Debussy "Clair de Lune".

I will add another one, that just came to my mind:

Mendelssohn "Nupcial march".

[stormx]

stormx, a lot of your topics seem like surveys for some kind of research paper.

Sometimes i am bored at work (Computing), and i like to propose threads where any forum member can participate. Surveys work well for this 

PD: i do not collect info for any research paper.

[infectedmushroom]

A lot of people I know recognize a part from Chopin's "Grande Polonaise Brillante Proceder An Andante Spianato Op. 22". It's the part where the pieces kinda slows down, around bar 55 from the score I think. The nice sweet sound, sounds familiar to a lot of people.

[brewtality]

everyone would know the minute waltz and prelude op 28/7 in A.

[apion]

Mozart, PC #21, slow mvt.
Mozart, Marriage of Figaro Overture
Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1st mvt)

[Kassaa]

Can someone give me the name of the piece which contains this melody:

g c d eb,  f d, eb c

c b c d eb d eb f g g g g g

fgfef ab, d, ebfebdeb g, d. c d eb, f d, eb c

Not sure if this is the right tonality

EDIT: some hyped up version here https://zergrushkeke.ytmnd.com/

[crazy for ivan moravec]

3rd movt pathetique. 

[crazy for ivan moravec]

Can someone give me the name of the piece which contains this melody:

g c d eb,  f d, eb c

c b c d eb d eb f g g g g g

fgfef ab, d, ebfebdeb g, d. c d eb, f d, eb c

Not sure if this is the right tonality

it is:

(d-)c b c d (f-)eb d eb f g g g


fg (fg-)ab, d, ebf (ebf-)g  c, c d eb, eb f d, d eb c


...though. 

[Kassaa]

3rd movt pathetique. 

LOL! thank you, I have even played the first few bars before I stopped and started the pastorale :\ . I just forgot it .

Edit:  hey, I did it by ear ^^

[pianalex]

ride of the valkyries;  blue danube;   halleluja chorus;  clair de lune;  ode to joy;
 
slow movement of surprise symphony;  swan lake 'theme'; air on a g string etc

[etudes]

1st movement of beethoven op.27 no.2 (moonlight)
tchaikovsky 1st violin concerto (not really but very famous)

[klavierkonzerte]

it doesn't get more famous than  the first movment of the spring of vivaldis four seasons violin concerto

liszt hungarian raphsodie no.2

[panic]

If anyone has the Hyperion Scharwenka 4/Sauer 1 CD, you might notice that the theme of the slow movement of the Sauer sounds really, really similar to the theme from E.T. I swore I had heard it before when I first listened. Wonderful movement btw.

[cfortunato]

Tchaikovsky - lots of stuff from Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of Sugar Plum Fairy, etc.

Funeral March for a Marionette, even if they know it as Alfred Hitchcock.

Carmen.  Toreador.

Merry Widow Waltz.

Mozart #6.

Brahms Lullaby.

Hall of the Mountain King.  And Morning Mood, both from Peer Gynt.

Damned near anything that Carl Stalling used for the Warner Brothers cartoons.

[phil13]

Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, both the opening chords and the famous Friska melodies.

Phil

[stormx]

Mozart 25 symphony, 1° movement.

I beleive it was the leif motif of the Amadeus movie, right?

[aspiramente]

I have the "100 best piano peices ever" as voted by Australians who listen to ClassicFM and the top ten if my memory serves me right goes something like this...

moonlight sonata
one of the goldberg variations
Schubert impromptu
Promenande from Pictures at an exhibition
Appasionata
Waldstein
Fantasie Impromptu
Bach prelude in C major

hrm
cant remember the rest

[stormx]

I have the "100 best piano peices ever" as voted by Australians who listen to ClassicFM and the top ten if my memory serves me right goes something like this...

moonlight sonata
one of the goldberg variations
Schubert impromptu
Promenande from Pictures at an exhibition
Appasionata
Waldstein
Fantasie Impromptu
Bach prelude in C major

hrm
cant remember the rest

But best and widely known are complete different things !!!

For instance, i love all Chopin nocturnes, but they do not qualify as ultra famous melodies (not even Op9 n°2). Scarlatti is wonderfull, and hardly any of his sonatas is known by the big public.

[brewtality2]

I have the "100 best piano peices ever" as voted by Australians who listen to ClassicFM and the top ten if my memory serves me right goes something like this...

moonlight sonata
one of the goldberg variations
Schubert impromptu
Promenande from Pictures at an exhibition
Appasionata
Waldstein
Fantasie Impromptu
Bach prelude in C major

hrm
cant remember the rest

lol that was the biggest joke list ever. It just shows how mainstream the taste of the average classical music listener is. No wonder no-one plays Alkan.

[hodi]

saint saens finale from carnaval of the animals

[ravel]

opus clavicembalisticum

[mikey6]

I have the "100 best piano peices ever" as voted by Australians who listen to ClassicFM and the top ten if my memory serves me right goes something like this...

moonlight sonata
one of the goldberg variations
Schubert impromptu
Promenande from Pictures at an exhibition
Appasionata
Waldstein
Fantasie Impromptu
Bach prelude in C major

hrm
cant remember the rest

Actually some of them were quite surprising. The complete goldberg varitions made the top 10 and Schubert Bb.
https://www.abc.net.au/classic/classic100/piano.htm

[etudes]

they put Bach  The Well Tempered Clavier at once?? but seperate chopin etudes?
how can i trust on it..........

[steveie986]

As many as half a dozen Wagnerian opera melodies/arias are universally recognizable. Also:

Overture and maybe a few of the arias from Carmen
William Tell overture
Ravel's Bolero
Moonlight sonata 1st movement
Hungarian Rapsody no. 2 (thanks to the Tom & Jerry episode, but this isn't universal)
Swan Lake, Nutcracker

[sauergrandson]

Tchaicowsky Waltz of Flowers
Vivaldi   "The Spring"
Beethoven  "Au clair de lune" 
Bach third Brandenburger
Bach   "Joy"     (i. e. Cantata 147, Jesu meine Freunde)
Suppé   Poet and peasant
Suppé   Light Cavalry
Strauss, Johann: Blue Danube............
Rachmaninoff Paganini Rhapsody (Only variation 18.     That film of Christopher Reeve.... I don't remember).
Liszt hungarian rhapsodies -and I guess Monti "Czardas", also by Bugs Bunny and Roger Rabbit.

[pianote]

the entertainer
rondo alla turca (ugh)

[cfortunato]

Ah.  The can-can, of course.

[letters]

satie gymnopedie or however u spell it, thats really famous they always play it when they show gardens or fountains on telly, that kinda thing

[prometheus]

at least 90 % of people

Many people live in China, India and Africa in rural areas.

[stormx]

Many people live in China, India and Africa in rural areas.

Point taken.
Refer that 90% to occidental people living in cities.

[pianorama]

rondo alla turca (ugh)

Are you saying you don't like Rondo Alla Turca? I really like it. I'm just learning it.

[musicsdarkangel]

the 151st melody in Opus Cemballisticum is quite recognizable.

[kayordee]

Beethoven's Symphony no.6 Pastorale 1st mvmnt - who soesn't know that theme

[frigo]

The adagio sostenuto from Rachmaninov's piano concerto no2 is partially widely known by everyone, even though it is recognized as 'All By Myself' by Eric Carmen.....

[communist]

Grieg:

Peery Gynt Suite: in the hall of the mountain king, morning mood

[iroveashe]

No one mentioned Bach's Prelude in G from the Cello Suite?

[csharp_minor]

I'm supprised no one mentioned Davorak's New Word Symphony, better know as the 'Hovis bread advert theme tune' in the UK!

Handel: Water music

Schumann: Kinderszenen From foreign contries and people...probably not quite as famous really.

[alpacinator1]

the 151st melody in Opus Cemballisticum is quite recognizable.

 

The only melody in there that's actually a melody is at the beginning of movement 2

[healdie]

Pomp and Circumstance march No. 1 - Elgar
Nimrod from Enigma variations - Elgar
Montagues and Capulets - Prokofiev
Waltz No. 2 from Jazz suite No. 2 - Shostakovich
Fantasia on Greensleaves - Vaughn Williams
Juipter from the Planets  - Holst

[learner of liszt]

The themes from Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture are ridiculously famous.

Other than that... Chopin Minute Waltz, Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Liszt HR2 and Liebestraum, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. And the Hallelujah Chorus, everyone's heard that.

[healdie]

On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at - Not really classical but classical composers have used it