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Classical Music/Identify a piece of music from a video clip

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Expert: Pat G - 4/26/2009


Question
Can you help with this question?
Can you identify this piece of music? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mLqJNDWx-8 Is it the same music that plays in the last 30 seconds?

Answer
John,

I was able to access the video. In my opinion, the piece is by Handel. The clue is the snippet which is also incorporated into the Hallelujah Chorus (the melody which accompanies the word "forever" in the final part where it says, "King of kings".) The first part of the video sounds like a string quartet, and I know that Handel used this little phrase in one of his string quartets (but I don't know which one). The music at the end incorporates a harpsichord and strings, in the same key, and appears to be from the same piece. Though I am not familiar enough with Handel's compositions to know how many times he used this phrase, it is likely he used it more than twice.

Composers in that era often quoted each other. So there is a smaller possibility the composition is by someone else, but since I know Handel used this phrase himself, I'm going with it being by Handel.

I hope this helps. I think if you are able to listen to Handel's string chamber music, you may find it.

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Pat G

Expertise

I am no longer answering questions asking me to identify music. Most music is either on YouTube, which crashes my browser, or on another site that crashes my browser. I am available for other questions.

Experience

I have been playing piano since I was 3, and I am now 66 years old. I took formal lessons for about 11 years, and took some piano and organ performance courses in college. I also sang in the Masterworks Chorale for a number of years, and can sing anything from baritone to first soprano. We performed twice a year, usually a major choral work, ranging from requiem masses to Carmina Burana. I also attended recorder society meetings once a month. We would read compositions and perform them together. I took several children to their music lessons and rehearsals and usually stayed and watched intensely. Our children studied violin, viola, flute, guitar, clarinet, French horn, trumpet, and trombone.

Education/Credentials
I studied piano and organ in college, and took courses in music theory. I have also taken seminars in pre-Columbian folk music with Xochimoki, as well as played a short while in a gamelan, and a balalaika orchestra, where I played autoharp.

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