What are up to 20 popular songs that have been based on operatic melodies? |
Request for Question Clarification by
alienintelligence-ga
on
11 Aug 2002 16:23 PDT
Hi brian35
Would "based on" include those that have
been sampled into songs? Or would the
entire operatic score have to be related
to the song?
Can this include popular songs that
might have more than one melody in it?
Such as a segue into a new part?
How popular is popular to you? And popular
when? I can name some stuff from the 70's
that got used by the likes of The Doors, etc.
thanks
-AI
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Clarification of Question by
brian35-ga
on
12 Aug 2002 18:00 PDT
AI-35 Thanks for the question. Re: "based on", many operatic arias
have dominant melodies that are instantly recognizeable. Some of
these melodies have been lifted by modern day composers and used in
whole or in part for popular music and even some Broadway Show tunes.
I can only think of one example: a pop song recorded by Della Reese
about 30 years ago. (Wish I could remember the name!) It was very big
and stayed on the charts for weeks. If a song has more than one
melody in it but at least one could be attributed to Opera, that's OK.
In terms of what is pop to me and when, I would say it counts if it
was published and printed, and the likelihood is that it would
probably have been done sometime between 1920 and 1970, but not
necessarily.
Let me explain my reason for wanting this. I am a singer and
frequently perform for an older audience, such as age 55 and above. I
want toput together an entertaining program that highlights how some
contemporary composers have utilized pieces big and small from operas
and from symphonic themes. I have an abundance of the latter and
nothing of the former.
Hope you might be able to help me on my quest. Many thanks for your
interest.
By the way, if there is someway to spread the above request throughout
the internet, I don't know how.
brian35-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
12 Aug 2002 22:14 PDT
Brian, the Della Reese song you are thinking of is probably "Don't You
Know" (based upon Musetta's Waltz from Puccini's "La Boheme.")
Here are others that have occurred to me:
"Stranger in Paradise" (Polovetzian Dances from Borodin's "Prince
Igor")
"Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" (Dance of the Hours from Ponchielli's "La
Gioconda")
"Stand Up and Fight" (The Toreador Song from Bizet's "Carmen" )
"Dat's Love" (Habanera from Bizet's "Carmen")
Those last two are from "Carmen Jones," a Broadway and movie musical,
but they had considerable airplay as stand-alone pop songs in the
1950s.
~pinkfreud
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Clarification of Question by
brian35-ga
on
13 Aug 2002 11:23 PDT
pinkfreud-ga Thanks for the info and for providing the Della Reese
song title. You're definately on the right track. I know there is
more stuff out there and that it probably didn't make the "hit
parade". Hope there are other folks with good memories for minutiae
that could help out. brian35-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
13 Aug 2002 15:09 PDT
Brian,
You might want to post your question about pop songs based on opera
here:
http://www.glyphs.com/forums/music/
The Music Room Forum is frequented by a pleasant and helpful batch of
folks who might find this to be right up their alley. Or up their
aria.
~pinkfreud
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