Classical Music/Brahms question...

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Expert: - 1/27/2009


Question
Hello
There is a piece of music by Brahms that keeps haunting me yet I cannot identify it because I am not an expert when it comes to Brahms, I'm afraid. When I was 15 there was that singer (Dutch/French) who had made a song out of it and it just said the music was taken from Brahms. Nothing further. I never heard it again until Yves Saint Laurent died, last year I think, and at his funeral mass, I heard that piece again, and Brahms was mentioned. Nothing more. I even emailed the church in France where they held the funeral. No answer. So I searched for the pop song from 1976 and found it. Here is a link to this song
http://www.wat.tv/video/dave-decision-lv73_lv77_.html
I would really love to find the original Brahms, so I would be grateful if you could help. I have been looking for it since 1976.... Thanks in advance !
Catherine

Answer
I don't know the piece but I've forwarded the link to 2 friends with memories like steel traps & am hoping they'll recognize something I can work with! Hope to have some info within the week.  "Watch this space!" as they say.  "I'll be back," as they also say! mb

1-28-09
Neither of my friends can identify this, either.  In fact, I'm not sure it's even Brahms, despite the notation on the wat.tv site.  Sorry I couldn't help you!  mb

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Marbeth

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I have a PhD in musicology, with expertise in medieval - Renaissance - Baroque - Classical periods, but I'll try to help you with any period.

>>*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****<<: I do not answer questions marked "private." I don't want to type the same thing to someone else later if I typed it to you already! If you mark your request "private," I will send it back to you requesting you to remove the "private" flag. Thanks for your understanding. Remember, I'm a volunteer.

My answers are not toss-offs. If I don't know the answer, I will do my best to find it.

I have many requests to identify a piece of music. If I can't identify it, I will tell you (1) what composer I think it is; (2) what composer or composers I think it is not; (3) what style period, genre, etc. I think it is or is not. And give you any other help I can to help you find the answer.

Please find a clear clip. In the interest of good computer hygiene, I will not download a clip. Nor will I go to a site where I must "register" in order to hear the clip. Please mount the clip on a public site for which you can give me a direct URL. Thanks for your understanding in this. Remember, I'm a volunteer!

Students, I do NOT do homework questions. The purpose of answering questions on assignments is not only to learn the information, but to LEARN HOW TO FIND IT. Re-read chapter. Look in the index. Look in the references given at the end of the chapter or elsewhere in the book. You also probably can find the answer using Google. Don't be lazy. I wouldn't be doing you any favors by doing your homework for you! I already know the answer. You don't. You need to find it. MORE IMPORTANTLY, you need to learn HOW to find it. That's the whole purpose of education, after all!

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