In the comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus there is a sketch
called 'The Cycling Tour' featuring a character called Mr Pither. I
would like to know the name and composer of the orchestral music that
plays in the opening scence (background) while Mr Pither cycles
through Cornwall.

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 16 Jun 2006 08:16 PDT

Hello Pither,

Please let me know if the information below answers your question?

Thanks, Bobbie7


"Monty Python's Flying Circus"
The Cycling Tour (1972) 
Original Air Date: 7 December 1972 (Season 3, Episode 8)
 
  
Non-Original Music by 
Hector Berlioz   (from "Symphonie Fantastique")  
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy   (from "Hebrides Overture")  
John Philip Sousa   (theme "Liberty Bell March")  
Eric Coates   (sketch "Commuter Sketch (Boring Life)") (from
"Knightsbridge March") (uncredited)
Ralph Vaughan Williams   (from "Symphony No.7") (uncredited
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0786515/combined

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 16 Jun 2006 08:27 PDT

Dear Pither,

Please listen to the music at the following link.
http://www.dutchdivas.net/sound/ram-files/faust.ram

Is this the music you recall?

Thanks, Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by pither-ga on 16 Jun 2006 15:09 PDT

Thanks Bobbie, but the music in the link is not the music that is in
the sketch. None of the links in imdb directly pinpoint the piece
either.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 16 Jun 2006 15:50 PDT

Numerous sources mention the waltz from Gounod's "Faust" as the theme
music for the Cycling Tour sketch:

http://groups.google.com/groups/search?hl=en&q=%22monty+python%22+%22cycling+tour%22+faust

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22monty+python%22+%22cycling+tour%22+faust

Here's a brief clip of the waltz from "Faust":

http://www.christopherseminars.com/web-paquita/SAT-B52%20Faust%20Ballet%20Music%20Waltz%20Allegretto%20web%20clip.mp3

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Clarification of Question by pither-ga on 16 Jun 2006 23:17 PDT

Thanks Pinkfreud, 
The link is not the actual piece (or the part used in the sketch
anyway), however, the piece IS indeed Gounod's Faust - just found it
on iTunes.

I'm glad to have been able to help you identify the music as an
excerpt from Gounod's "Faust." My own memory of the sketch is -- well,
sketchy. I haven't seen it for at least a decade. So I was glad to
find that other folks online were discussing the music.

This was the preliminary search string that I used in seeking this information:

Google Groups: "monty python" "cycling tour" classical
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&q=%22monty%20python%22%20%22cycling%20tour%22%20classical&sa=N&tab=wg

Results from that search led me to this newsgroup post, which
identified Gounod's "Faust" as the source:

Google Groups: alt.fan.monty-python
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.monty-python/msg/8246440c81b02f7f?hl=en&

I then found many more online mentions of the waltz from "Faust" in
connection with "The Cycling Tour":

Google Groups: "monty python" "cycling tour" faust
http://groups.google.com/groups/search?hl=en&q=%22monty+python%22+%22cycling+tour%22+faust

Google Web Search: "monty python" "cycling tour" faust
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22monty+python%22+%22cycling+tour%22+faust

I hope this quest was as interesting for you as it was for me! I had a
great time, although for a few moments I thought myself to be Clodagh
Rogers.

Best regards,
pinkfreud